What are your favorite Iron Chef builds that you've seen, and why?

[Xaroth]

I was reading a thread and someone mentioned a trick that they saw used in an Iron Chef challenge, in particular, Tocke of Nessus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21014310&postcount=117). I found it really interesting and it prompted me to want to find out more, but y'know, there's like 80 of these challenges. So I figured, what's the harm in asking?

So, GitP, what's your favorite build from an Iron Chef challenge?

Except your own, of course.

[weckar]

Are we including the spin-offs in this?

[Inevitability]

I kind of liked Outlaw Skim's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20453140&postcount=177) wish-stealing tricks.

[Xaroth]

Are we including the spin-offs in this?

Whatcha' mean? Are you talking about stuff like Villainous Competition?

[weckar]

The VC, the (dormant or dead) Junkyard Wars, Zinc Saucier, and I think a few others have come and gone.

[Xaroth]

The VC, the (dormant or dead) Junkyard Wars, Zinc Saucier, and I think a few others have come and gone.

Sure, I'm happy to include those if you have some favorites you'd like to share.

[Vhaidara]

Gazebo Jones (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9823824). It's just too funny. And terrifying

[Inevitability]

Almost forgot about this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20312808&postcount=127) gem.

[Darrin]

I thought rockdeworld's Santa (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=14384481&postcount=71) was a pretty solid piece of optimization.

L'il Brudder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19553609&postcount=256) (by Zaq) still makes me giggle. I'd love to see that in play sometime. However, the stand-out of that round was daremetoidareyou's Scruffy the Fuglimancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19553550&postcount=248).

Sortes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=11664034&postcount=132) (OMG Ponies) still comes to mind. Winning gold with a Truenamer? *boggle*

[Zaq]

It took gold already, but I still have to give a shout-out to Kole Naerrin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18787020&postcount=127), Chronos's superb entry in the Thunder Guide round. That was a blast to judge, and it remains one of the best combat-averse showpieces I've seen in Iron Chef. (By which I mean it's the only one I can remember that actually convinced me that it had a reasonable shot at avoiding combat it didn't want to be in, pretty much all the time.) Plus, I got to seriously use the term "reify" in my judgment, and I like it when obscure words are legitimately the best term to use in a given situation. (I have a diction addiction.)

From the Spellfire Channeler round, The Viscount's Shmebulok (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19850596&postcount=179) had a really great trick. I was very impressed by that build's use of the super-obscure level 3 ability of a Dragon Shaman (pop quiz: without looking, what ability does a Dragon Shaman get at level 3?) to get around the action economy problems presented by Spellfire Channeler. That's the kind of trick that makes optimization truly fun, if you ask me.

Going back so far that it's hard to read the entries anymore, I enjoyed the sheer cheekiness of Amphetryon's Dread Pirate, Hendrick Van der Decken (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=10609644&postcount=105). For those of us too lazy to click on the link, this build was a Dread Necromancer / Dread Witch / Dread Pirate. And it worked. Sure, it wasn't the most powerful thing that's ever graced the competition (every non-casting level on a casting base makes you weaker, dunnit?), but considering that it was clearly designed around having a clever-looking collection of build names, it was remarkably functional.

[WhamBamSam]

In addition to many of those already mentioned, I have a lot of affection for Ultimo Tarrasco Jr. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9465081&postcount=102) and Old Lob Many-Eyes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=8441606&postcount=106), though I doubt they'd be as successful in the competition as it is now.

OMG_PONIES' Master Du (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=15484098&postcount=331), the winner from my very first Iron Chef round made a significant impression on me. Between great fluff, dredging up some moderately obscure sources (especially to me at the time), and commitment to using every part of the SI buffalo, Du really is a masterclass in Iron Chef's style of op-fu.

But my deepest optimization man-crush is reserved for the works of Piggy Knowles. Off the top of my head, Parsifal the Fool (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=13633110&postcount=140) remains, deservedly, among the highest average scores ever in the competition, and Halfdan the Black (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17753279&postcount=312) from the Spellsword round really floored me.

[Vaz]

Cap'n Wyrmbeard be me favourite, arr.

Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=13788207&postcount=99) be he.

Edit; Can we just say that Piggy Knowles and OMG Ponies are the top 2 ever?

[ben-zayb]

Is that referring to my post in the Race Challenge thread? Indeed, I quite like it, even without that specific trick.

Gazebo Jones is definitely one of my favorites, and what got me interested in joining similar competitions in the first place. It's just so out of the box for me!

Another one of my favorites hasn't been mentioned yet, and that would be Spoons McGee (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9940342&postcount=171) by TheGildedDuke. I'm just so in awe with the brilliance and creativity displayed here, and will remain as the most impressive "Assassin" optimization for me.

[the_archduke]

Jorath Hand of Annihilation (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?142470-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-(As-seen-on-BG)/page4) was my favorite. Perfect meld of fluff and crunch. Would make an awesome lieutenant to a BBEG