Official art of the Prethinker from the Hires & Heroes key art
The Prethinker featured in an official social media comic
The Prethinker featured in an official social media comic
The Prethinker featured in an official social media comic
The Prethinker featured in brand art for National Dictionary Day 2024
Prethinker
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The Prethinker is a Sellbot Manager Boss who was introduced as part of the Hires & Heroes Update. He can be fought in the basement of the Toontown School House in Toontown Central after unlocking the Kudos task Brainiacs in the Basement. He was first introduced in the An Alarming Alert of Aptitude Blog Post on the Corporate Clash website that detailed into an ARG.
Content Sync
Toons fighting against the Prethinker will have Content Sync applied to them. They will be synced down to the following stats:
- 50 Laff Soft Cap (Max 58)
- Up to Level 4 Gags permitted
- All rewards restricted
Attacks
| Prethinker Attacks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz Word
(Single) |
Brain Storm
(Single) |
Re-Org
(Single) |
Paradigm Shift
(All) |
Brain Wave*
(Multiple) | |
| Damage | 18 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Accuracy | 75 | 85 | 70 | 70 | 100 |
| Frequency | 35 | 20 | 25 | 20 | N/A |
*Indicates a Cheat Move
Cheats
The Prethinker has a 
Lure Resistance of 2 rounds.
All of the Cogs summoned in this fight are Desk Jockeys. Desk Jockeys will naturally join the fight on odd numbered turns. If the Prethinker is alone, a Level 8.exe Desk Jockey and an additional low leveled Desk Jockey will join the fight. If the Prethinker isn't alone, up to two low leveled Desk Jockeys will join the fight. The Level 8.exe Desk Jockey will always call in additional Desk Jockeys with a cheat at the end of every turn while they are alive, otherwise both methods of spawning bear no differences.
The Prethinker will jump and force one of his Desk Jockeys into his previous position, while also moving into the new one. This cheat always happens before the Toon's Gags are used. If a Trap is placed in front of the Prethinker when this cheat triggers, the Trap will remain in place and will instead apply to the Desk Jockey that takes his place. If the Prethinker or the Desk Jockey he swaps places with are 
Lured, they will both unlure after this cheat is triggered. The Desk Jockey that the Prethinker swaps with is always random. The triggers for Castling are as follows:
- If the Prethinker has the Status Effects
Soaked, 
Trapped, or Lured for more than 1 turn, he will Castle.
Dazed will not trigger Castling on its own.- If the Prethinker gains another Status Effect while Castling due to a previous Status Effect (ex. Castling due to Lure, and then having Soak damage applied), the new Status Effect will not cause a Castle next turn.
- If the Soaked Status Effect has one turn left, and has caused a Castle in the previous turn, he will not Castle.
- If the Prethinker is directly targeted two turns in a row, he will Castle. Sound Gags and indirect sources of damage such as Splash damage or Zap Jumps will not count as targeting the Prethinker.
If Sound is used twice in a row (including if it misses the previous turn) and there are Desk Jockeys present, the Prethinker will back away from his position and attempt to hide behind one of them. The Sound will not hurt the Prethinker this way. However, if said Desk Jockey is destroyed before this cheat is triggered, it will proceed with the cheat and become damaged. The Prethinker cannot trigger Castling and dodge Sound in the same turn.
Upon reaching 40% of his health (400 HP), the Prethinker will summon a group of 
Brain Storms in front of everyone.
- Brain Wave - As a result of Forward Thinking, the Prethinker and any remaining Jockies will unlure themselves and attack with Brain Storm, dealing 10 damage to all Toons hit. This occurs at the beginning of the Cogs' turn, and the number of Toons damaged is equal to the number of Cogs alive at the beginning of the round. This cheat will never miss.
Strategy
| Recommended Gags | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Track | "Should I bring this Gag to this fight?" | "Should I Prestige it?" | "How many Toons should bring it?" |
 Toon-Up |
Important for keeping your teammates alive. The Prethinker and the Desk Jockeys are capable of dealing around half a Toon's maximum Laff combined in a turn, and even more during the Forward Thinking phase. Prestige Throw's self-healing won't always be enough to keep you healthy.
 Rating: 3/3 Stars |
Very useful for the moderately increased self-healing and the extra round of Cheer. The extra round of Cheer will give a nice boost to the accuracy of moves such as Lure + Throw, Lure + Trap + 2 Throw, Zap (when already Soaked) + 3 Drop and so on.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
2-4 Toons |
 Trap |
Useful for boosting Lure's accuracy on the turn it's placed and taking out or assisting in taking out a Desk Jockey.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
While this may sound like a good Prestige to have, in practice, it doesn't do anything that could change or improve general strategies for this battle. It won't introduce any new kill ranges for the Desk Jockeys that normal Trap already can't do.
 Rating: 0/3 Stars |
1-3 Toons |
 Lure |
Essential if your team is doing a strategy involving Trap and Throw. Enables strong moves like Lure + Trap + 2 Throw (not on the Prethinker) and Lure + 3 Throw. Rating: 3/3 Stars |
A naturally great Prestige if your team's strategy for this battle involves using a lot of Lure and Throw. The Prethinker can be kept Lured for 1 round while not in the Forward Thinking phase, potentially allowing 4 Throw Gags to be used on him at once, making for a huge burst damage turn when further boosted by Prestige Lure's knockback bonus.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
2-3 Toons |
 Throw |
Essential if your team is doing a strategy involving Lure, as it is the best Gag for making use of the Lure's knockback. Capable of repeatedly doing high damage to the Prethinker and taking out Desk Jockeys.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
As usual for Manager battles, Throw's Prestige is very useful for this fight, allowing you to deal reliable damage while having to spend less of other resources on healing.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
4 Toons |
 Squirt |
Essential if your team is doing a strategy involving Zap and/or Drop. Enables Zap to take out multiple Desk Jockeys in a turn, and in this fight, mainly benefits the accuracy of Drop.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
Not useful for this fight. It won't introduce any new kill ranges or improve any strategies anywhere. Other prestiges contribute much more for the battle.
Rating: 0/3 Stars |
2-4 Toons |
 Zap |
Great for dealing with multiple Desk Jockeys, including the executive Level 8 one. Can be used for good damage on the Prethinker as well if you know he will Castle, as Zap can damage any of up to 3 positions he could move to.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
Not useful for this fight. Won't grant any new kill ranges for Desk Jockeys, as base Zap is good enough for these situations, nor will it improve any strategies significantly enough.
Rating: 0/3 Stars |
0, 2, 3, or 4 Toons |
 Sound |
Useful for clearing weaker Desk Jockeys and setting up for big burst damage turns on the Prethinker.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
A great prestige. The stronger Encore allows for even harder-hitting burst damage turns on the Prethinker.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
0, 3, or 4 Toons |
 Drop |
An excellent single target damage dealer for when the Prethinker is alone, especially when combined with accuracy buffs such as Soaked and Cheer.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
Great for capitalizing further on the Soaked and Marked effects and dealing more damage to Prethinker when he's alone.
Rating: 3/3 Stars |
0, 3, or 4 Toons |
- The most common strategy is to clear the Desk Jockeys to isolate the Prethinker for a turn, use Throw, Zap, and/or Drop to damage the Prethinker when he's alone, then rinse and repeat until the fight is over.
- Sound, Squirt + Zap, or Lure + Trap/Throw can be used to clear Desk Jockeys.
- If a regular Jockey and an executive level 8 Jockey spawned, they can be dealt with using Water Balloon and 2 Kart Batteries all on the executive one or Trap on the regular Jockey and 2 Throw on the executive one.
- If you want to completely avoid Castling, avoid keeping the Prethinker Trapped, Soaked, or Lured for multiple rounds in a row, and avoid directly targeting him for multiple rounds in a row.
- If he's alone and Soaked, don't forget that you can remove Soaked with Zap to prevent the Prethinker from being able to Castle under the 'Soaked for multiple rounds' condition when the Desk Jockeys respawn.
- If it's inevitable that Castling will happen, you can either attempt to clear the Desk Jockeys with possible Castling positions in mind or aim damage at the Prethinker's possible new locations (likely with Zap) if just focusing on damaging him.
- In the Forward Thinking phase, staying healthy is more important than before due to the increased damage you'll be taking, and keep in mind the Prethinker and the Desk Jockeys cannot be kept Lured. Otherwise, the strategies used before this phase can continue to be used here.
Loot
Prethinker Sticker
Smart Cap
|
Dialogue
| Opening Cutscene | The Toons walk into the basement, encountering the Prethinker talking to Desk Jockeys. One Toon slips on a banana peel and falls down the stairs. "I naturally said that wa-" The Toon slams into of the chalkboard, alerting the Prethinker. "Wha-?! The Toons shrug. "..." |
|---|---|
| Ending Cutscene | "Gah! I-Impossible! Why you..."
"Heh." The Prethinker's brain turns red. "An intellectual such as myself couldn't possibly fall for that!" The Prethinker's brain explodes destroying any remaining Desk Jockeys. "W-wait!" The Prethinker marches away into the door the Desk Jockeys were coming out of. |
| Attacks | |
|---|---|
| Buzz Word |
|
| Brain Storm |
|
| Re-Org |
|
| Paradigm Shift |
|
| Cheats | |
| Castling |
|
| Forward Thinking |
|
| Face-Off Taunts |
|
|---|---|
| Death Taunts |
|
| Surrender Taunt |
|
| Friend Request Denials |
|
| Attempt to Sue |
|
| Attempt to Fire |
|
Music
| Theme | Audio File | Song Title |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Cutscene Theme | Remedial Lesson | |
| Battle Theme (Base) | Brain Blast! | |
| Battle Theme (Forward Thinking) | Stress Headache! | |
| Ending Cutscene Theme | Mental Block | |
| Victory Theme | Creddits Roll |
Sound Effects
| Statement | |
|---|---|
| Question | |
| Grunt | |
| Murmur |
| Castling | |
|---|---|
| Forward Thinking Intro | |
| Forward Thinking Loop |
Version History
- v1.10.0 BETA
Added unique attack lines to various Manager Cogs.
The Prethinker now has 4-5 unique lines of dialogue for each of his attacks.
- v1.7.0 BETA
Re-animated most Cog animations from Toontown Online for every Cog body type.- Introduced new Cog reaction animations to Sound Gags.
- v1.3.0 BETA
- Professor Pete keeps filing noise complaints with the Toon Resistance regarding a noise from the basement of the Schoolhouse.
- The Prethinker is added to the game.
Trivia
- A prethinker is a person who informally thinks about potential outcomes, both good and bad.
- The Prethinker's first name is an anagram of Brain.
- On the cogs.ink website, the Prethinker's username is
brianand his password ispassword. - The Prethinker's Employee ID is a reference to Pi (π), a popular irrational number.
- The Prethinker has a vast amount of knowledge on some useless trivia facts.
- One of the things he knows a lot about, a movie named Gearloose, is a reference to Gyro Gearloose himself. It may also be a reference to the real-life movie Footloose.
- Prior to the v1.7.0 update, the Prethinker's Buzz Word attack was much faster at delivering the damage to the Toon than any other Cog who uses this attack. Though the animation for the attack is roughly the same length.
- The Prethinker is the only Kudos Regional Manager to have a Cog capacity limit of 4.
- In the v1.3.0 Development Update blog post the Prethinker can be seen wearing an executive Sellbot suit rather than the custom one he wears in his final design.
- Attempting to access this Manager's fight without the requirements will result in the following message: "What sounds like Cog voices can be heard from the cellar door... Maybe this isn't such a good idea yet."
Gallery
Boastful Brainiac
The Prethinker's profile picture on cogs.ink
The Prethinker's silhouette
The Prethinker, shown alongside a Desk Jockey
The in-game popup announcing the first Toons to defeat the Prethinker
A Valentoon's Day card from the Prethinker
Promo for the Duck Shuffler Plush
The Prethinker talking with his Desk Jockeys
A Toon hitting the chalkboard after slipping on a Banana Peel
The Prethinker and his Desk Jockeys
Desk Jockeys spawning into the battle
The Prethinker performing his Castling cheat
The Prethinker hiding behind his Desk Jockeys to avoid the Sound Gag
The Prethinker with clouds during Forward Thinking
The Prethinker after his brain explodes
Renders of the Prethinker
An unused Prethinker death animation
