Pacesetter

* Base
* Overclocked!

The **Pacesetter** is a Sellbot Manager Boss who was introduced as part of the Hires & Heroes Update. He can be fought in Fast Asleep - All Star Suites on Lullaby Lane after unlocking the Kudos task Give it a Rest!. He was initially teased during the v1.3.0 Informational Video, with his first official appearance being in the 11th Corporate Clash Comic: A Meeting Of Two Minds.

## Content Sync

Toons fighting against the Pacesetter will not be subjected to Content Sync.

## Attacks

(All)
(Single)
(Single)
(Single)
 Damage
 Frequency

\*Indicates a Cheat move.

## Cheats

This battle will have a maximum capacity of five Cogs. A maximum of three Cogs will spawn every other round starting on Turn 2 (turn 4, turn 6, etc). These Cogs can come from any department and range from Levels 10-17. The Executive Chance is 25%.

The Pacesetter can only be lured for 1 round.

The Pacesetter will accelerate the battle by x.25 every round. This speeds up literally everything in the battle, including the Gag selection timer and the battle animations. The battle's speed will cap at 4x speed after a total of 12 rounds.

The Pacesetter will require Toons to use a certain Gag Track (obviously besides Toon-Up) on any Cog present in battle, including himself. This can include Gag Tracks that the Toons currently do not possess. Using the right Gag Track on the targeted Cog yields perfect accuracy, but using the wrong Gag track does not and will deal 40% less damage. This cheat is indicated by a pointing arrow that is colored to the corresponding Gag Track. Up to three Rush Jobs can be placed in the battle as the Pacesetter dwindles in HP. A Cog with Rush Job will have all debuffs removed upon receiving it. They cannot be fired in this state, but can still be sued (which will immediately be removed upon being applied with another Rush Job).

This cheat acts as a punishment if a Toon fails to meet the conditions of Rush Job or uses a banned Gag due to Moving Goalposts (seen below). Alternatively, Toons can kill the Cog even without fulfilling the Rush Job to prevent Hurry Sickness. The base damage starts at 35, increasing by 10 per usage of this cheat. Toons affected by Hurry Sickness will also deal 40% less damage (including Toon-up healing) for one round. The damage is used as a group attack if triggered via Rush Job, or a single attack if triggered via Moving Goalposts (hitting only those who picked a banned Gag). Failing multiple Rush Jobs in a round only accounts for one instance of Hurry Sickness. Failing a Rush Job while a Toon picks a Gag banned by Moving Goalposts will cause Hurry Sickness to affect the Toons that chose a banned Gag as well as the entire group for missing the Rush Job. The +10 damage increase per Hurry Sickness counts for ANY activations of Hurry Sickness. This means if the first instance of Hurry Sickness was from one Toon using a banned Gag and the Rush Job was failed that round, the group Hurry Sickness damage at the end will be -45.

If there are other Cogs at the end of every Round, the Pacesetter will randomize the positions of all of the Cogs (including himself) by stomping. A Cog can potentially still keep its original position.

The Pacesetter will randomize the Gag order for all Toons on the menu and during the battle round. This is not an actual randomization, rather a specifically chosen preset that the Toons have to work around with. There are certain conditions amidst these presets. For example, Trap always comes before Lure and Squirt always comes before Zap. This cheat activates on a 4 round cycle starting from rounds 1, 5, 9, etc., but can only be used once the Pacesetter drops below 10,000 HP, 80% of his max HP.

The Pacesetter will randomly block a certain Gag level of every track. This randomization is on a per-Toon basis, meaning each Toon will have different Banned Gags. Using the banned Gag (even if it misses) will cause Hurry Sickness to apply on the Toon who used it (Toons who did not picked a banned Gag are unaffected). This changes every turn afterward, and lasts until the Pacesetter is defeated. This cheat is used once the Pacesetter is below 8250 HP, 66% of his max HP.

When the Pacesetter has 40% of his HP left (5000 HP), he will perform a guitar solo before smashing it onto the floor, increasing the battle speed to "999.99x" for the remainder of the fight. The actual speed of the battle during this phase is 6x faster. There is a chance for Cogs to spawn in groups of 4 instead of in groups of 3 every other round. During this phase, the Pacesetter will gain an afterimage effect.

The Pacesetter will automatically trigger Overclocked! if every Toon passes for the first two rounds. While passing, the Pacesetter will not attack any players. The turn and HP conditions for Rush Jobs, Moving Goalposts, and Content Sync are not affected, although Rush Jobs now start off with targeting 2 Cogs. Hurry Sickness also deals +20 more damage per usage instead of +10. There is no reward for defeating the Pacesetter this way (other than the usual Sweetener and the chance of loot).

## Loot

* Pacesetter Sticker
* Pacesetter's Glasses

* The Shredder

Pacesetter StickerPacesetter GlassesThe Shredder

* 50 Gumballs
* 750 Jellybeans
* 3500 Toon Experience

## Dialogue

*They stop in the center of the room, & stare at the variety of records & musical equipment in one part of the room. The camera then pans to the Pacesetter, pacing in his 'Pace Corner'.*
"I have been in here for so LONG and nothing has happened!"
"This job is a huge waste of my time, I could've been doing something more productive such as..."
*The Pacesetter stops pacing, briefly.*
"Being productive!"
*He then continues pacing briefly, before stopping again.*
"Hold on a sec..."
*He turns to look at the Toons.*
"FINALLY! Entertainment at last! I was feeling myself rust!"
*The Pacesetter sprints behind the Toons as fast as he can, briefly dazing them.*
"And Toon visitors for that matter! Great, we can get down to business!"
*He begins slowly pacing in a circle around the Toons.*
"With you here, we can make some agreements. You can even become a member of the Pace Place!"
"However, there is a catch."
"In the Pace Place, we don't allow anyone to waltz on in."
"In order to REALLY be invited, you must pass my test and let me tell you, it is no easy feat."
*The Pacesetter stops and begins to confidently motion a cheer with his arms.*
"It is a one percent chance of passing and multiplying that by you, that's a whopping ZERO percent chance!"
*The Pacesetter runs around the Toons at top speed before hopping directly through them, throwing them into the air, before finally jogging in place in front of them as they land.*
"All that brain mastery you've learned, that is useless here! You are on my racetrack now."
"Let's see how long you can keep up against me! Your test starts... NOW!"
 Early Overclocked! Activation
* "Only one person can stop this battle and he ain't here! Nice try!"
* "Rocked by my pace already? This is only the beginning."
* "Get ready to be under a lot of pressure, bucko!"
* "What are you, my food deliverer?"
* "Hey, I know I'm good looking, but enough. I don't have time to spare!"
* "Hello? Are you alive?"
* "Okay, I'm done here. You have officially ruined my day."
* "Psst! This is the part where you start moving!"
* "First you waltz into my place and NOW you waste my time. Congratulations! You've made me lose my patience."
* "Strike one!"
 Ending Cutscene
"I mean- this is great actually, actually."
*The Pacesetter walks up to the Toons.*
"You've BARELY managed to keep up with me so far."
"Just a reminder, that was only a TEST."
"And, by the way, you didn't pass. Pretty embarrassing for you, I know. I feel ya."
*The Pacesetter runs in place.*
"It's pretty sad cause I was just getting started."
"I've still got like three forms that you haven't seen yet."
*The Pacesetter stops running.*
"But, uh, maybe you should take a breather. Meet back up for a second session. For your sake."
*The Pacesetter walks back to the "Pace Corner".*
"In the meantime, I'm just gonna go over here and uh..."
"Do some... stretches..."
*The Pacesetter promptly collapses.*

* "Move it!"
* "Step on it!"
 Overclocked!
* "Your time is running out!"
* "Let's see how fast you move!"
* "Pump up those reflexes!"
 Rush Job
* "Eyes on the prize!"
* "Pump up those reflexes!"
 Hurry Sickness
* "Time's up!"
* "You managed to make me disappointed."
 Corporate Restructuring
* "I'll be running round and round you rodents!"
* "Catch me if you can!"
 Content Sync
* "Want to check that order again, pal!"
* "Let's check that attention span!"
* "Are you paying attention? Are you REALLY?"
* "Any hopes of you winning just dropped to the negatives, bud."
 Moving Goalposts
* "Wait a minute, who said YOU could gain the upper hand?!"
* "Let's crank up the difficulty."
* "I'm the source of your destruction!"
* "You're in the danger zone!"

* "20 meters ain't nothing!"
* "Bite the dust, buddy!"
 Death Taunts
* "Did anyone else see me do that? That was great."
* "I can't wait to tell Flint about how fast I burned you out."
* "Could you move any slower?!"
* "That was a SERIOUS waste of my time."

Uber Defeated:
 Surrender Taunt
 Friend Request Denials
* The Pacesetter puts his hands together: "I am begging you, pleading, even-- to stop wasting my time."
* "It may not SEEM like it, but I am EXTREMELY busy," the Pacesetter explains. "With what? Thinking about guitar solos."
 Attempt to Sue
 Attempt to Fire

## Music

 Lobby Theme (Toono)
 Elevator Theme
 Opening Cutscene Theme
 Phase 1 Theme
 Phase 2 Theme
 Victory Theme

## Version History

v1.4.0 BETA
* The Kudos managers have some new tricks up their sleeve!
	+ Pacesetter has tuned a singular string on his guitar.
		- Health decreased from 12750 -> 12500.
			* As a result, the health values for activating his various cheats have decreased.
				+ Content Sync activation decreased from 10200 -> 10000.
				+ Moving Goalposts activation decreased from 8500 -> 8250.
				+ Overclocked activation decreased from 5100 -> 5000.
		- Rush Jobs that affect 3 Cogs are less frequent by 5% (meaning they will be seen 20% less compared to the current amount).
		- Defense has decreased from 70 -> 65.

v1.3.1.6 BETA
* The Pacesetter has a new challenge available for only the bravest of Toons...!
	+ Overclocked! can activate early by passing during the first two rounds of the fight.

v1.3.1.3 BETA
* A new Legendary drop has been added to the Pacesetter's battle!
	+ Added The Shredder as a possible Loot drop.
* Fixed various bugs (visual and otherwise) with the Pacesetter's battle.
	+ Rush Job arrows should no longer linger after they are supposed to be gone.

v1.3.0.8 BETA
* Made some adjustments to Rush Job.
	+ Rush Job has been changed to allow perfect accuracy on the chosen Gag for the targeted Cog.
	+ Rush Job was changed remove all other debuffs from Cogs, including Lure.
	+ Hurry Sickness now increases in damage after every failed Rush Job, +10 every use.
	+ At ~2500 health, he is now able to do up to 3 Rush Jobs, from 2.

v1.3.0.6 BETA
* Poor performance will now result in a harsher punishment.
	+ Hurry Sickness' damage was increased from 25 to 35.
* Now has less respect for certain kinds of Toons.
	+ Quake's damage increased from 33 to 34.
	+ If the Pacesetter one shots any Uber, he will use a unique death taunt against them.

v1.3.0.3 BETA
* Made the Pacesetter fight significantly harder - enjoy!
	+ Pacesetter is now able to pick Gags that no one in the team has, meaning a balanced Gag composition is required to succeed.
	+ Rush Job was changed to remove Sues on Cogs Rush Job is applied to.

v1.3.0 BETA
* Guitar solos can be heard from inside All-Star Suites on Lullaby Lane.
	+ The Pacesetter was added to the game.

Undocumented Changes

* Fixed Pink Slip cost relating to the Pacesetter's level (from 16 to 22).

## Trivia

* The Pacesetter's real name is a reference to the FitnessGram PACER test, a running test used to estimate an athlete's aerobic capacity. The test is commonly used in school physical education classes, and its introductory explanation is a widely spread meme.
* The Pacesetter's Employee ID is a reference to the "Over 9000!" internet meme.
* The Pacesetter is canonically in a relationship with the Firestarter as confirmed in a tweet posted by Lead Writer Maven.
* The Pacesetter has the highest amount of health and level compared to every other Cog in the game (excluding holiday bosses).
* The Pacesetter's level could be based on Route 66, which is a highway that reaches coast to coast in the United States of America.
* The Pacesetter's guitar is a Gibson Explorer, specifically inspired by one James Hetfield used to use.
	+ The pattern on the guitar is in reference to Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat Guitar.
* On the cogs.ink website, the Pacesetter's username is "paysergraham" and his password is "mileaminute"
	+ The password was revealed by running down the full route of Twilight Terrace (using the shortcut disqualifies the runner), in which a whisper would congratulate you with the password at hand. The username was revealed both through prior knowledge of the Pacesetter's real name and was included in the initial batch of usernames given by Mac Opsys.
* When the Pacesetter collapses during his defeat cutscene, it is the same as the memetic "Family Guy Death Pose" of Peter Griffin after falling down the stairs.
* This is the only Cog that has a unique defeat taunt that triggers under a condition, in this case specifically for defeating Ubers.
* The Pacesetter is one of few Cogs that does not have any form of tie. His Skelecog can also be seen without one when hit by a high level Zap Gag.
	+ The lack of tie also makes him the only Cog that has an exposed undershirt, although in some renders developed by the Corporate Clash Crew his suit is buttoned up.
* Originally, the guitar explosion phase transition was planned to do damage, but it was scrapped since "it was difficult to plan for".
* Him and the Multislacker are the only two Kudos Regional Managers whose battles don’t end when they are defeated with other cogs remaining.
* The description of the "Overclocked!" status effect discourages players from reading it, especially when there is not enough time to actually examine it.
	+ "Reading this doesn't seem like the best use of your time."
		- This is potentially a reference to the Sans fight in Undertale, as one of the flavor texts in phase 2 of Sans' battle is word for word of the description of the "Overclocked!" status effect.
* After the Pacesetter is defeated, arrows indicating Toon-Up Rush Jobs can appear over the heads of Cogs for unknown reasons. This does not do anything however and is purely visual.
* The Pacesetter's Payser Test in Phase 2 was brought up as one of Count Erfit's dislikes. This makes it the first reference of the Pacesetter even before their official tease in the 1.3 information video.
* Attempting to access this Manager's fight without the requirements will result in the following message: "You approach the elevator, but as soon as you hit the line you hear a beep. You need to turn back."
* The Pacesetter is currently the only Regional Manager with an integrated harder difficulty, being Early Overclocked, though it offers no additional rewards.
	+ Passing once but abandoning Early Overclocked's activation will cause Content Sync to trigger every X.00 times speed, rather than every X.25 times speed normally.
* A pacesetter is a person or organization that is the first to do new or different things and so provides an example for others to follow.

## Gallery

* Official Artwork
* Screenshots/Misc. Images
* Renders

Official art of the Pacesetter from the Hires & Heroes key artThe Pacesetter in the comic "A Meeting of Two Minds"The Pacesetter in an official Twitter comic.The Pacesetter in an official Twitter comic.Posters of the Pacesetter in his room

Expeditious EgotistThe Pacesetter's profile picture on cogs.inkA reference image of the Pacesetter's model, created by Clash Crew Member MailmanA reference of the Pacesetter without his glasses, created by Clash Crew Member MailmanA Valentoon's Day card from the PacesetterA second Valentoon's Day card from the PacesetterThe in-game popup announcing the first Toons to defeat the PacesetterThe Pacesetter pacing around his "Pace Corner"The Pacesetter running in circles during his opening cutsceneThe Pacesetter's pose upon his deathA Big Cheese with a Toon-Up Rush JobA teaser for the 2023 Summer Update featuring the PacesetterPacesetter low health animation

Renders of the PacesetterThe Pacesetter's Lured animationThe Pacesetter's idle animationThe Pacesetter's Phase 2 animationThe Pacesetter's Mile a Minute animationThe Pacesetter's Rush Job animationAn unused Pacesetter death animation