1. Zap 40 Votes (35%)
2. Slam Bam 33 Votes (28%)
3. Gill Grunt 24 Votes (21%)
4. Wham-Shell 17 Votes (14%)
Let's examine the 114 votes in detail. First off, this quartet got 7 more votes than Air Element Skylanders, and there is good reason for that...We won't be seeing 2 of the 4 Air Element Skylanders for quite some time. The Water Element has 3 of the 4 Skylanders available. The big issue here is that many of you have likely not gotten to play Slam Bam yet as the Empire of Ice, in large part thanks to Skyland Pirates buying up all the new stock and hocking it at the bay of evil. To be honest, I haven't either! I was lucky enough to find it online last week, ordered it, unboxed it, but have not played..although I should as soon as all this is updated!!
That said, Zap is the clear favorite over Gill Grunt. I'd have to say that Slam Bam did pretty good considering the issue at hand. Wham-Shell is the one you have to question the results on as no one has played him and thus we can't really pass fair judgment...but like I've said, there is no point in waiting till June to try and figure this stuff out. I feel like the best thing to do is find the Soul Gems and use that as a preview.
It is interesting because the results here do not often reflect comments on the YouTube vids. I know a lot of people that shall we say "aren't happy" are far more likely to post. It is just human nature. A lot of people will watch a video and enjoy it without "liking it" or leaving a "great, Zap was awesome comment." On the flip side, an overzealous Slam Bam Portal Master or envious starter pack only Portal Master might say "Zap #@$%*!!!! HE IS #$*&^@!!!" That is pretty accurate as these people tend to also type in ALL CAPS...guess it goes with the territory.
That said, the last batch of comments I got to had quite a bit of negativity on Zap. Personally I think he is great and the reason is his speed and secondary/tertiary attacks. I had trouble finding a character to carry a bomb to an area with a prism to blow up before the timer would expire...I tried quite a few, including Stealth Elf, and came up empty...Zap did it in record time! I think he will come in very useful for the time goals if anyone pursues them (I used him in Ch 1 and Ch 2 that I didn't record to do just that!).
Slam Bam...well...he just looks awesome. He is totally unique in that he is based on an "ice" environment. Toss in the fact you get him only in an adventure pack that includes the Empire of Ice and it seems folks build more of an attachment to these Skylanders (Terrafin one and Ghost Roaster did pretty well). I have really been looking forward to playing as him and Warnado/Lightning Rod, although that won't happen for what seems like an eternity.
Gil Grunt has the mass effect going for him...that is virtually anyone with the game, sans 3DS Owners, got him in the Starter Pack. I think the big reason he didn't fare well is two-fold. First off it is hard to stack up with Zap's speed and Slam Bam's design and uniqueness. Second, and perhaps most important, he is kind of slow. I know he gets the jet pack, but it is still not that quick. I have to say his Soul Gem power up (which I have) isn't as great as I had hoped. It sort of takes awhile to fire and then often times just doesn't (hard to explain, but if you play with him you know what I mean). He is a solid character, just lacks the speed and uniqueness in our top two vote-getters.
Lastly we have Wham-Shell. You have to admit that this is kind of where you figured he would be...Kudos to those that have researched the Skylanders and think his Soul Gem warranted a vote. He does look pretty cool and in the preview the mace looks like it has a lot of potential, but until we have played as Wham-Shell it is just too much of a wild card...He really doesn't get a fair shot here, but I'm still not sure he would have over taken Zap or Slam Bam (especially if you put all 3 in the hands of most players).
So, there you go...Zap is your favorite Water Element Skylander! Thanks again for voting and with this recap I will open up Blog Poll #10: "Who is Your Favorite Life Element Skylander?"