Chip off Whomp's Block

Chip off Whomp's Block
Star Info
Course	WF
Height Above Ground	296
Course Records
TAS World Record	27.53
RTA World Record	28.74 (28.50 IGT)
ABC Minimum	0
ABZ Minimum	4

For a tutorial on speedrunning this star, see the RTA Guide

Chip off Whomp's Block is the first mission of Whomp's Fortress. To complete it, Mario must go to the top of the fortress and defeat King Whomp. This is done by ground pounding on the back of King Whomp 3 times. This can be done quickly by jumping and ground pounding as he faceplants. This means mario will go through King Whomp and end up on top, where the ground pound will land on him.

A Button Challenge

The Star can be done TAS only in under 45 seconds. The main challenges are ground pounding King Whomp, and collecting the star since it's too high for a dive recover.

Mario gets onto the checkered elevator by frame walking on the steep slope opposite the wall beside the elevator, and diving onto the elevator. As Mario fights King Whomp, he lures him to the correct spot. He ground pounds King Whomp by performing a dive recover just before King Whomp falls to the ground, bringing him to the top and conserving vertical speed from the dive recover. He activates it using platform displacement, allowing him to ground pound. On the 3rd shot, Mario uses a punch to activate his vertical speed. After the text finishes, Mario does a dive towards the star, allowing him to reach the star.

Orginal Strategy

The original method of completing this 0x was to clone the star. Mario first brings a cork box to the top of the level. The box is brought onto the elevator by squeezing mario between the elevator and the small whomp. Mario then dive recovers off the small whomp, and regrabs the box as it falls off the elevator, transporting it to the top. Mario then heads to the arrow platform and collects coins, leaving 4 there. This will be useful for cloning the star. Mario ground pounds under the elevator to get the first 2 hits on King Whomp. He first lets King Whomp break the box, and Mario picks up the box as it breaks, holding a fake cork box. Mario loads the 4 coins still on the arrow platform so that he is holding the correct vacant object slot, then uses King Whomp to hold the object hands free. Mario falls onto the elevator. With his object hands free, he can ground pound. Mario grinds on the elevator to keep the object hands free, and ground pounds King Whomp for a third time, killing him. The star takes the vacant object slot in Mario's hands, allowing him to clone it.

TAS History

Chip off Whomp's Block History

Date	Time	Improvement (Frames)	Improvement Author(s)	Save Description/Notes
Jan 12, 2008	28.26		SilentSlayers
2010 Apr 10	28.70	5	ReneBalow	(Run has been lost)
2010 May 3	28.47	7	T-777	(Run has been lost)
2010 Aug 7	28.20	8	AruaErueru	Video is private
2010 Aug 9	28.10	3	AruaErueru
2010 Sep 10	27.93	5	緑,まむ	Ascended the fortress from a different side.
2012	27.73	6	120 Star TAS Team	Was created in the WIP 120 Star TAS but got replaced by a faster time.
2012 Nov 25	27.63	3	Efrain,Snark
2012 Dec 27	27.60	1	Luigimario64128
2015 Dec 22	27.53	2	snark, Plush
2021 Jun 23	27.50	1	Krithalith
2023	27.43	2	Crackhex
2023 May 12	27.30	4	Krithalith

TAS Strategy

Originally, the best way to get to the top of the level was to triple jump off of the slope in the corner next to the sleeping piranha plant. It was discovered that a Glitchy Wall Kick could be used to get on to the ramp, allowing Mario to quickly climb up and maintain speed. In late 2010, it was found that it’s faster to slide across the slope beside the ramp, climb up the brown slope, and from the falling bridge wall kick off of the wall there. This eventually evolved into Sideflipping, then wall kick diving, which was much smoother and allowed Mario to get close to the wall without Ledge Grabbing.