Echidna

The Echidna is an elusive monotreme build found in the Australian server. Basically, it's an Australian hedgehog and anteater build, well adapted to eating mostly termites and worms.

## Overview

Echidnas have a high Defense stat. This is because they specked into spines on their build. However, they did not take into mind the Intelligence, Health, and Power stats. Echidna mains are actually solitary, which is not due to their abysmal Intelligence. Monotremes and marsupials have lower Intelligence than placentals. The echidna is an insectivore, one of its few good traits, since it can locate insect builds easily in its burrows.

## Abilities and Skills

### Spines

This is pretty much what the Echidna build is centered upon. This makes it safe more or less all of the Australian threats, and also works as camouflage, with the spines blending into the dirt and soil of the Australian scrub biomes. It can easily be mistaken with bushes and grass by other players, which once again are everywhere in the biomes echidnas play in.

### Dig

Due to this builds strong front legs, Echindas can dig through dirt with ease. This allows them to dig long burrows for shelter, or dig a small hole where it curls up in, making flip attempts harder.

### Sticky Tongue

Like most builds that target ants and termites, Echidnas have a long sticky tongue used to lick up and consume lots of ants and termites.

### Slow Metabolism

This build can has a slow metabolism. Increasing the game time of this build, but makes it more vulnerable to extreme temperatures.

### Hibernate

Echindas can go into a mini hibernation for a short amount of time which requires low amount of oxygen. This is very useful when playing in the Australia server, where forest fires are common.

### Electroception

Electroception makes this build better at locating loot and also at communication among the playerbase. This also gives it a good match-up against ants, which are one of the best insect builds.

## Weaknesses

### Burrowing

Though mostly beneficial for most build that use this skill, it is detrimental to the Echidna. It's especially terrible, since that snakes, one of the Echidna's gankers, are easily able to slither through burrows and eliminate new Echidna players.

**Eggs**

Being part of the monotreme guild, echidnas share a weakness with platypus players which no other mammal build has - having to lay eggs instead of giving live birth. Echidna spawn points can be looted by snakes, lizards, foxes and similar builds.

In terms of match ups, Echidna players are pretty good. They excel against predators such as cats, foxes, dingoes and birds of prey. They can struggle against top-tier reptile predator builds, however, such as Monitor lizards, and especially snakes. Eggs and low-level echidna players are easy kills.

## Tier Placement

Gankers are a huge problem, and even though it doesn't have that bad of a matchup against invasive gankers, native gankers, like Monitor Lizards and Snakes can be a problem. It also has a bad matchup with human-cars, but most builds do, especially in the Australia server. Echidna players are great at finding loot as there's never a shortage of insect builds they excel at catching in the biomes they prefer. Also they are not really majorly effected by forest fires, as they can simply dig underground, go into hibernation, and wait it out. And having a decent and/or great match up with invasive builds, and forest fires is pretty good. All of this warrants a spot in low to mid B tier. This build isn't disappearing anytime soon and does well in the Australian server.