Cassowary

## Basic Cassowary

Cassowaries are one of the members of the ratite guild, which includes, in descending order of size, the Elephant Bird, Moa, Ostrich, Emu, Rhea, Kiwi, and the Tinamou. The guild is notable for abandoning the [Flight] ability in favor of increasing its base stats and having a less vulnerable early game. This build is native to the Australia and New Guinea server and plays in rainforest biomes.

## Overview

The Cassowary has the second highest Healthstat of any playable Bird build. Unlike most ratites, these builds are solitary mains. They also have a high Power stat, being able to kick with their claws and, uniquely, head-butt with its casque. While it does not run as fast as other ratites, they can swim and jump, giving them a deceptively high Mobility stat. Its Stealth is contradictory. While its black plumage serves as decent camouflage, its wattles, bright blue neck as well as the aforementioned head crest lower this stat. However, the crest is a fair trade-off and while the wattles can serve as intimidation, they are mostly for display with other cassowary players.

## Moveset

Cassowaries have an impressive moveset that favors the biome they play in and allows them to excel in combat. They are by far the most pvp-centered ratite.

**Crash Helmet Casque (Passive, Utility)**- A multi-use ability that unlocks the [Headbutt] ability, removes movement penalty in forests, protects from falling objects, amplify Intimidation and can remove heat fairly easily. It can also be used to dig.

**Flying Kick (Active, Attack)**- A deadly move acquired by combining the [Jump], [Kick] and [slash] moves.

## Tier Placement

### General + matchups

This build is considered as B-tier generally. Their omnivorous diet allows them to adapt quickly. Its crepuscular playstyle also allows it to avoid gankers most of the time, not to mention its home server doesn't have many to begin with. Thus, it only has a few gankers, them being large Constrictors, Crocodiles, large Dogs, feral pigs, cats and quolls. While Dogs can be risky opponents for Cassowaries, they prefer low-level noobies. The ones that go after late-game players tend to be heavyweight, as this build can deal a lot of damage with its claws, so it is not horribly one sided. Cassowaries can shred their opponents with powerful, disembowling kicks and brutal slashes from their claws, inflicting the [bleed-out] debuff.

### Compared to other birds + human matchup

This build falls into high D-tier. This build has some flaws, as TierZoo mentioned in his bird tier list. It has good power, mobility and intelligence, but it is very vulnerable to thieving builds and predatation in lower levels. However, they make it into high D-tier because they have a good stat-spread and moveset for the server they play in - few predatory players can go face to face with a high-level cassowary one on one. The worst gankers high level cassowary players can face are crocodiles and dogs, although even then it is not an unwinnable matchup. Cassowaries also have a good matchup against human players due to their elusive nature and the dense rainforest biomes they play in, not to mention they could and have obliterated 1v1s against humans and their support builds.

**Comparison & going forward**

The cassowary shares the same upper B-tier ranking as the other Australian ratite, the emu. Although cassowaries boast higher dps / bulk and deadly move set, emus deserve the higher b-tier spot due to their impressive team strategies and oppressive growth in the Australian server. Its a real shame cassowaries are confined to jungle regions and decided to opt for a solitary playstyle, as they already share an above average base-intelligence stat and could have put it to good use like emu clans. If they do, they could potentially break into the upper tiers. Still, cassowaries deserve a B+ ranking as they are faring well in the current Australian meta, earning an impressive title as the 2nd highest ranking ratite build available to play in the current meta, beaten by emus.

## Summary

### Pros:

* Above-average stat spread.
* Smaller weak spot hitbox.
* Crepuscular strategy allows it to avoid gankers.
* Deadly flying kick move.
* Good mobility options
* Omnivorous diet.
* Plays in less dangerous servers.
* Good match-ups.
* Precocial levelling.
* Casque is multi-use

### Cons:

* Nonexistent Flight capability.
* Grapplers, if timed right, can disable its ability.
* Crepuscular playstyle limits the amount of time you can find loot.
* Objective defense is not an easy task, and can be ruined by Wild Pigs.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/ratite
2. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982216315032
3. ↑ https://avibirds.com/large-flightless-birds/
4. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/animal/cassowary
5. ↑ https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/southern-cassowary
6. ↑ https://www.wettropics.gov.au/cassowaries
7. ↑ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/4/why-the-cassowary-is-the-worlds-most-dangerous-bird-568931
8. ↑ https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=6s4nEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=cassowary+casque+headbutt&source=bl&ots=Rd8zVGkAPI&sig=ACfU3U3eemDTgCXH0TFjBVkheQKwYCkCkQ&hl=xx-bork&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjIm8zzuJPxAhUEL6YKHYKSBiUQ6AEwGXoECA0QAg#v=onepage&q=cassowary%20casque%20headbutt&f=false
9. ↑ https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/cassowary
10. ↑ https://www.discoverthedaintree.com/cassowary/cassowary-facts/
11. ↑ https://science.jrank.org/pages/2748/Flightless-Birds-Cassowaries.html
12. ↑ https://www.audubon.org/news/did-scientists-just-settle-200-year-old-debate-about-cassowaries
13. ↑ https://similarbutdifferentanimals.com/2020/08/08/cassowary-casque-what-is-it-made-of/
14. ↑ https://allyouneedisbiology.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/cassowary/
15. ↑ https://cassowaryrecoveryteam.org/the-southern-cassowary/diet/
16. ↑ https://animals.net/cassowary/
17. ↑ https://www.cairnsbeachesflashpackers.com/post/australian-southern-cassowary
18. ↑ https://www.rainforestinformationcentre.org/dog\_attacks\_on\_cassowaries
19. ↑ https://animalia.bio/southern-cassowary
20. ↑ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-30/pigs-decimating-cassowaries-in-world-heritage-listed-daintree/9815164