How to Beat Noobador in Block Tales
The Prologue first boss. The Paper Mario 64 love letter. The Peter Griffin death pose origin.
Noobador is the final boss of the Block Tales Prologue and the first real test for new players. A giant muscular Noob who appears alongside Red Noob and Blue Noob in a reference to King Goomba from Paper Mario 64. Noobador is famous for his Elbow Drop attack that inflicts Dizzy for two turns, the first appearance of the Peter Griffin death pose animation, and the iconic Superball Toss. He reappears on Floor 9 of The Pit as a rematch boss. Despite his "Easy" classification, Noobador is a community favorite — every Block Tales player has fought him at least once.
Speedrun Skip-Strat: How to Skip Noobador Entirely
Step 1 — Pre-Prologue Setup: After defeating Red Noob and Blue Noob, talk to Shedletsky who is standing nearby. He introduces the concept of Sword Energy and the Venomshank questline.
Step 2 — Obtain Venomshank: Farm the Venomshank sword from the Chapter 1 secret boss Shedletsky before completing the Prologue. This requires completing the quest but does NOT require beating Noobador first.
Step 3 — One-Shot Return: With Venomshank in hand (deals 80+ damage), return to Noobador and use it on the first turn. He has only 15 HP, so the sword one-shots him and you skip the entire Elbow Drop / Dizzy mechanic.
Why This Matters: The speedrun community uses this skip to save 2-3 minutes per run. It is the standard for any sub-30-minute Block Tales any% speedrun attempt.
Weaknesses
- − Any Ice attack (Snowball, Ice Dagger) — Noobador is weak at every stage of the game
- − Multi-hit combos (Rapid Jab, Triple Slash) — break his Elbow Drop charge animation
- − Venomshank cheese — collect the sword before Chapter 1 and one-shot him
- − Power Stab (post-game) — finishes him in 1-2 hits
Resistances
- ✕ Status effects during Elbow Drop (Dizzy cannot be applied if you're already stunned)
- ✕ Slow effects while he charges (he is unshakeable once the elbow wind-up starts)
- ✕ Tactical stalling — he punishes defensive play with Superball Toss chain
Recommended Cards
Attack Patterns
| Attack | Damage | Type | Parryable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elbow Drop | 3 | Physical | ✓ |
| Superball Toss | 2 | Ranged | ✓ |
| Noob Grapple | 4 | Physical | ✓ |
| Angry Charge | 5 | Physical | ✗ |
Solo Strategy
Noobador is the first real encounter in Block Tales, designed to teach the core combat rhythm: parry, attack, manage BP. His signature move is Elbow Drop — a 1-turn charge that deals 3 damage and applies Dizzy for 2 turns. The Dizzy debuff locks you out of cards for the duration, so you MUST parry the Elbow Drop or Shield through it. His other attacks are Superball Toss (ranged 2 damage, parryable) and a basic melee swing. The Red and Blue Noob adds deal 1 damage each — eliminate them first with AoE or burst them down before they overwhelm your card economy. Recommended BP 5+. The speedrunning community skip-strat is to farm Venomshank before Chapter 1, then use it to one-shot Noobador and skip the entire Prologue sequence.
Lore & Backstory
Noobador is one of the most iconic figures in Block Tales history — the literal 'first boss' players encounter. He was designed as a love letter to Paper Mario 64, with his Red/Blue Noob adds being a direct nod to Red/Blue Goomba. The fact that he can be skipped (by collecting the Venomshank before Chapter 1 and using it to one-shot him) makes him the gatekeeper of the Speedrunning community. The Peter Griffin death pose — a fan-favorite gag animation — was first introduced during his Elbow Drop attack, and the community now uses it as a meme to mark the 'official' start of any Block Tales run.
Elbow Drop Mechanic — Why Dizzy Matters
The Elbow Drop is Noobador's signature move and the first 'real' status effect most players encounter in Block Tales. The Dizzy debuff it applies lasts 2 turns and locks you out of your card hand entirely — meaning you cannot use any cards (including heal or defend) while Dizzied. This makes the Elbow Drop the most dangerous single attack in the entire fight despite its low 3 damage, because a failed parry cascades into 2 turns of vulnerability.
The community has nicknamed the Elbow Drop animation the 'Peter Griffin death pose' because of the iconic Family Guy death pose that plays if Noobador's elbow connects. The animation has become a meme marker for the official start of any Block Tales playthrough.