10 Coolest Meridellian Avatars and How to Get Them

     Let the trumpets sound and flags raise high, as the annual festival in celebration of the Discovery of Meridell makes its annual appearance. This year marks a special celebration, as rumors of King Skarl making one of his rare public appearances and news of new themed Skarl goodies swirl amongst the Meridellian inhabitants. What’s more, commemorative stamp albums have been recognised by the upper hierarchy of Neopia just over a month prior, with avatars pertaining to the historic Meridellian events given out to the most devout philatelists.

     In celebration of this bombastic occasion, we have decided to create a list of 10 coolest avatars relating to the wondrous medieval land of Meridell. A mix and match of game-based, item-based and plot-based avatar, the list includes ten which are currently obtainable in Y20.

     Honorable Mentions:

     Before we start with the list, we must make sure to include a number of honorable mentions, for there are a few avatars that would make to the very top of the list were they not retired. These avatars are mementos of wars long since past, with but the eldest among us having braved the battlefields to help the Meridellians square off against the Darigan onslaught. Or maybe you were one of those who had once sided with the evil Lord Darigan, only to redeem themselves in the ensuing battles? No matter, your efforts have forever been etched into the pages of history, and you have been rewarded with eternal glory and one or more of the five avatars above - “Meridell Knight”, “Darigan Darkling”, “Darigan Redeemed”, “Battle For Meridell - Squished Spiders”, and “TCG - Wanna Play”.

     Introduction:

     Let us start the countdown of the 10 coolest Meridellian avatars. But what defines “cool” in the context of avatars? A combination of factors, including the impact of the achievement, the effort required to obtain the avatar, the popularity of the avatar. Some will find hard-to-reach avatars the coolest, others - those they can use on the NeoBoards. Ultimately, the definition is subjective, as is this entire list.

     10. Master Vex (Cellblock)

     The last place in the list - but nonetheless contested by many an avatar - belongs to the prison warden Vex. While the avatar’s “coolness” may be disputed, the sheer amount of effort and resilience required to get it eclipses other candidates for the list such as “Techo - Cheeseroller” (may get lucky on your first go) and the ever-popular “Zafara Double Agent” (the plushie has long since dropped in value). Awarded randomly from round 6 onwards, with an average of round 11 (Editor’s Note: I got it in round 9! *lucky*), Cellblock will have you spend hours playing the game, gritting your teeth in hopes you get the avatar. At least, there is the consolation trophy at the end as well.

     9. Mortog - Smooch (Kiss the Mortog)

     The age-old fairytale of a princess kissing the frog… All it took was a member of the space-faring Grundo race to descend into Meridell and start wreaking havoc by turning it into Meridell’s favorite pastime. The game called “Kiss the Mortog” has you try and guess which Mortog is actually a cursed princess or prince, as the amount of choices increases from level to level (Editor’s Note: Who would want to become a Mortog just for some fun?). Guessing 4 in a row correctly gives you 5900 points, enough for both a trophy and the avatar. The cool part? You have less than 1% chance to get it right… I suggest you just stick to the one on the left and rinse and repeat - it’s bound to be right at some point.

     8. Draik - Hatched

     Awww, is that a cute Baby Draik’s eye? The avatar is one of the - if not THE - simplest to obtain within our top 10 coolest avatars, only needing you to visit the Draik Nest with your own Draik. While the avatar would have easily made top 5 over 10 years ago, in the heyday of Draik pets being rare and Draik Eggs being some of the most coveted items costing tens of millions of Neopoints, it is a broken shell (pardon the pun) of its former self. The availability of the avatar skyrocketed as Pirate Draik Eggs were given out left right and center and morphing potion costs dropped, with Draiks themselves having become more and more common. Yet, who are we kidding? Draiks are still cool, and so is the avatar.

     7. Altador 2018 - Meridell Avatar (Altador Cup)

     The first newcomer on the list, the Altador Cup Meridell-themed avatar is the 1st of the three released this year to make the list. The avatar is the ultimate representation of the dedication and support for the Meridellian cause. What’s more, the avatar is said to only be available to the most devout Meridellians, with players jumping ship to support other teams being stripped of the avatar (Editor’s Note: Unless they backtrack eventually, Meridellians are forgiving people). Can there really be anything cooler than that?

     6. Draik - Escape from Meridell Castle (Escape from Meridell Castle)

     Draiks are a symbol of Meridell, and none more so than the legendary Sir Valrigard. The Draik was accused of a wrongdoing he did not commit, and after being cleared, he even had a game named after his adventures - Escape from Meridell Castle (Editor’s Note: Fairly sure he did not want to remember all those spike traps though…). For prolific Neopian gamers, this meant a chance at yet another Draik-themed avatar, by means of getting into the top50 on the high score table. Where upon release it was a grueling task, in Y20 it barely requires 300-400 points, which can be scored by reaching levels 8-9. Make sure to use those lives well, and farm some stars and cannons ;).

     5. Blumaroo - Court Jester (Grumpy Old King)

     The latter spot was a toss-up between the “Skarl - Moody” avatar and the Jester avatar. However, we have voted in favour of the Blumaroo-themed avatar, as for the longest time it remained the rarer of the two. For many a player, this random avatar still poses a headache to this day. Skarl is a grumpy old Skeith - and making him laugh is no mean feat. And not only that - but also using a specific question and thinking of a witty one-liner as an answer. If you are among the ones who succeed in convincing the old King to chuckle over an olive-eating fierce Peophin joke, kudos to you, my friend. You thoroughly deserve the Jester title - and the avatar.

     4. Turtum (Ultimate Bullseye II)

     So pretty :3

     The highest spot taken by a game avatar, the “Turtum” avatar is achieved through scoring 100 points and more in the “Ultimate Bullseye II” game. The avatar used to be available in the previous edition of the game way back when, but alas, it was this version that achieved infamy due to the game’s much more random approach. As the target moves up down left and right across the field, it makes it all the more difficult to aim right at the bullseye. To combat the mobility of the target, the game randomly spawns King Skarl and King Hagan balloons which give you a bonus of 30 and 35 points respectively, if you manage to hit the target after popping the balloon. Combine them with the “fire hoop” power-up which doubles the points for the following shot, and you get even more! The game will test your patience, but do not forget you are always just a few balloons away from the avatar.

     Oh, and remember to type in ‘catapult’ for some reinforcements *grin*.

     3. Stamp Collector - Meridell vs Darigan

     The ultimate troll of an avatar, the Morris-themed stamp avatar is one for the books. While not as costly as other stamp albums to complete, nor as aptly designed to feature the actual anti-hero of the story, Meridell vs Darigan avatar takes the bronze spot on the list, as it will still drain your bank account of approximately 50 million Neopoints and stay unreachable for many Neopians. The upside is that there is only one 35-mil-plus R99 stamp - Darigan Spectre Stamp - that will cause any hardship, while others are relatively cheap to obtain. The avatar might not be equally popular in terms of what image was used as the basis, but nonetheless demands respect for those who have it. And who knows - maybe the avatar will look even cooler in the future? *nudge nudge*

     2. Turmaculus

     Who could not love this lovable goofball? Pretty much EVERYONE! The Meridellian sloth is almost as iconic and infamous as the Terror Mountain snake-worm Snowager in terms of how difficult it is to get him to grant you that elusive avatar. You would imagine the sleepy beast will be hungry every time it wakes up, but noooo - it will take you months, or even years, to get him to eat your Petpet, and he does not even wake up at the same hour every day! (Editor’s Note: As medieval as it gets, to have you awarded with an avatar for sacrificing a cute little Petpet). Those lucky enough to suffice a pat on Turmy’s belly rightfully earn the ire and envy from fellow avatar collectors. But whatever you say about Turmy - it IS one of the most coveted and cutest avatars coming from Meridell.

     1. Stamp Collector - Battle for Meridell

     Long live the King. Long live the new King. Having arrived just under 50 days ago, the new stamp avatar has taken the world by storm. While just two months ago, you would have had the lazy Turmac take the Avatar King’s mantle, the BFM stamp avatar has superseded Turmy in terms of its status. The most expensive of Meridell avatars to obtain, and one of the more expensive recent additions to the philatelist avatar series, BFM album requires 3 rare R99 stamps, and will likely dock you around 70-80 mil just for the three of them, and may cost you up to a 100 million total. Yet, if you can achieve it, you can rightfully call yourself King of Meridell (sorry, Skarl!), for it is a memento to the most iconic of events in Meridell history and currently the number 1 coolest Meridellian Avatar.

     ***

     This marks the end of the list of the 10 coolest Meridellian avatars. Who knew that over 15 years since the discovery of Meridell, we would have such a massive year for the medieval land with so many cool avatars released all at once? Hopefully - and we are sure it will - the trend will continue, and this massive occasion in the month of Swimming will bring about some more cool changes to the land.

     Now where is that goblet Skarl promised me… Time to celebrate!