Formicidaean Ariant

Formicidaean Ariant (超爆獣アリアント, Chō Bakujū Arianto, Super Explosive Beast Ariant) is a Zombie/Behemoth enemy that appears in Legend Stages and the Zombie Outbreaks of Cats of the Cosmos Chapter 2.
==Enemy==
Formicidaean Ariant steadily inches towards the Cat Base with its swollen abdomen. After a short burrow, it turns its rear towards the first cat it reaches and waits for its abdomen to further swell up like a balloon until it pops, dealing an enormous amount of damage three times in quick succession; this attack covers a wider area on each hit, reaching -390~390 on the third. Once it blows up, its abdomen immediately regrows, yet it still has to wait for some time before it can attack again.
==Strategy==
At 200% strength magnification, any unit caught in Formicidaean Ariant's blast will suffer 90,000 damage just for one hit; the damage adds up to a maximum of 270,000, meaning most units - let alone the Cat Base - can't even withstand one abdominal assault from this miscreant. It is also immune to freeze, weaken and knockback. Its weakness lies in its relatively short standing range, long foreswing, vulnerability to the default Cat Cannon/Holy Blast and a typing that can easily be exploited by strong Behemoth Slayer units or disposable anti-Zombies, allowing it to be killed without ever causing trouble. Cat Chief is particularly effective in that it has both Behemoth Slayer and massive damage against Zombies, as well as Soulstrike if Ariant wasn't finished off.
It should also be noted that, since it is still susceptible to slow, and it has very short standing range, Housewife Cat or other similar anti-zombie units can keep it from attacking, giving time for your attackers to finish it off at low risk.
==Description==
==Encounters==
===Cats of the Cosmos Outbreaks===
*Stage 2-14: Catseye Nebula (200%)
*Stage 2-18: Sirius (200%)
*Stage 2-31: Soba IV (100%)
*Stage 2-44: Crimson Star (100%)
*Stage 2-48: The Big Bang (100%)
===Uncanny Legends===
*Stage 48-7: Ape Lord's Revenge (200%)
===Zero Legends===
*Stage 2-3: Sunset Hadron (200%)
*Stage 7-3: Crag of Monte Cristo (200%)
*Stage 7-4: Beast of Monte Cristo (200%)
===Event Stages===
*Empress' Excavation 3: Archaeology 301: Methods (200%)
*Empress' Excavation 4: Archaeology 401: Methods (200%)
*Mining Epic: Seven Lights of Doom (Merciless) (200%)
*Oddity in the Desert III: Angry Explosion (200%)
*Hidden Forest of Gapra:
**Downpour Jungle Area 16 (200%)
**Primeval Wood Area 19 (200%)
*Ashvini Desert:
**Scorching Sands Area 11 (200%)
**Scorching Sands Area 14 (200%)
**Moon Dust Area: Final (200%)
*Jinfore Volcano:
**Lava Caves Area 8 (200%)
**Lava Caves Area 10 (200%)
**Infernal Crater Area 11 (200%)
**Infernal Crater Area 13 (200%)
===Enigma Stages===
*Hunter's Map IV: Green Stone Desert IV (200%)
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==Stats==
==Gallery==
614 e.png|Formicidaean Ariant's spritesheet
614 attack.gif|Formicidaean Ariant's attack animation
==Trivia==
*Formicidae is the family of insects that contains all ants, and ari (蟻) is the Japanese word for ant, so "Formicidaean Ari-ant" means "Ant-ant of the Ant Family".
*The name Ariant is one letter away from Aiant, the Japanese name of the ant Pokémon Durant.
*Its description is a reference to one of Aesop's Fables, The Ant and the Grasshopper, which involves an ant who works hard to stockpile food for winter.
*It is specifically based on a honeypot ant, whose workers get so gorged with food that their abdomens swell up like Formicidaean Ariant's.
*Its exploding abdomen could be inspired by Colobopsis saundersi, a species of ant that can rupture its gaster as a defence mechanism.
*Since all Behemoths besides Ragin' Gory are Monster Hunter references, it can be assumed that Formicidaean Ariant is intended to parallel Altaroth, insectoid monsters with the abdomen-swelling characteristic shared by honeypot ants and Formicidaean Ariant. Moreover, Altaroth is regarded as one of the weakest monsters in the series, and Ariant has the second-lowest health of all Behemoths.
*Its Zombie trait may be an indirect reference to ophiocordyceps unilateralis (zombie-ant fungus) and its hosts.
*Unlike real ants, Formicidaean Ariant has no mandibles and four limbs instead of six; though, as a decomposing corpse, it's possible that they already rotted away.
*The pattern on its abdomen looks somewhat like a screaming face with two eyes, two small nostrils, and a mouth gaping wide open.
*It has the longest revive time out of any Zombie.
==Reference==
*https://battlecats-db.com/enemy/616.html
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Enemy Release Order:
<< Angelic Beast Rajakong | Great Angel Chibinel >>
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Category:Enemy Units
Category:Zombie Enemies
Category:Behemoth Enemies
Category:Uncanny Legends Enemies
Category:Area Attack Enemies
Category:Omni Strike Enemies
Category:Multi-Hit Enemies
Category:Enemies with different effective ranges
Category:Enemies with Burrow ability
Category:Enemies with Revive ability
Category:Enemies with Knockback Immunity
Category:Enemies with Freeze Immunity
Category:Enemies with Weaken Immunity