In honor of the 4th of July, I thought I’d share a secret history of one of Wizard101’s annual patriotic items- the Patriotic Leprechaun! While this leprechaun may just seem like an ordinary pet to questers and PvPers, to racers it’s a gem.

Patriotic Leprechaun Profile

Pedigree: 58

School: Life

Comes with Card: Satyr

Strength: 150

Intellect: 225

Agility: 240

Will: 240

Power: 175

Nothing outstanding yet, right? Correct! Because the ONE reason why this pet was so sought after when derby pets were first being developed is because of one (now common) talent. Mega Hurry.

The History

The Patriotic Leprechaun was first released back in June 2011. To put that in perspective, it was released only a little more than a year after the Advanced Pets system was put into place (May 2010). In other words, both the pet system itself and derby were still relatively new when the Patriotic Leprechaun was revealed. Prior to this new 4th of July pet, Mega Hurry didn’t even exist. Derby enthusiasts made do with Big Hurry, Super Hurry, and other more well known abilities. HOWEVER, when it was discovered that our patriotic friend held a brand new “super” ability called Mega Hurry … well, the race was on to take advantage.

To understand why the Patriotic Leprechaun suddenly became a gem in the derby community, you have to understand what Mega Hurry does. Mega Hurry grants racers a HUGE speed boost (+100) for a limited amount of time. Now let’s compare that with the other hurry abilities that existed at that time:

Hurry: +30 speed

Big Hurry: +40 speed

Super Hurry: +50 speed

**Mega Hurry’s boost of +100 speed doubled even the strongest hurry available at that time.**

Because the Patriotic Leprechaun was the only first generation pet to have Mega Hurry, dedicated derbyers were forced to buy more and more leprechauns until the talent manifested. If possible, some racers even tried to hatch 2 first generation leprechauns together in hopes of somehow getting the ability to show itself. What made this process even more complicated is the fact that the Patriotic Leprechaun is a seasonal pet. Once the 4th of July passes, the pet goes away and doesn’t return until a whole year later. So, if derbyers weren’t around when the Patriotic Sale was going on, they missed a huge opportunity.

Once racers finally got Mega Hurry to manifest on a first generation leprechaun, they then had to transfer that talent onto a derby pet with other helpful derby talents and abilities. Hatching commences …. *Jeopardy music plays*

Then voila! After many many many many hatches later, what could be considered a “modern” derby pet is born. Because of the hard work and dedication of those amazing racers before us, people like me and new derby enthusiasts don’t have to go through that tiresome leprechaun cycle. We can just hatch with already existing derby pets that happen to have Mega Hurry.

BUT WAIT. There’s more!

Importance in Tournaments

While the Patriotic Leprechaun was instrumental in forming the derby pets available today, it also still plays a major role in first generation derby tournaments over on Wizard101 Central. In addition to having Mega Hurry, the Patriotic Leprechaun also has Spiffy Pop. Spiffy Pop is a derby ability that allows a racer to teleport to the pet directly ahead of them in the race. Combine that ability with Mega Hurry, and you’re almost unstoppable. Even if you fall behind, you can teleport to the next pet ahead and then use Mega Hurry to sprint to the finish line. This technique is especially effective in lower level races like adult. Why? Even if your opponent has both Super Hurry and Big Hurry at adult, Mega Hurry still has more umph than both of them combined.

There was a time when if new central racers hoped to compete with a pet like that, they too, would have to train a first generation Patriotic Leprechaun. However, like I mentioned earlier, this was a problem because the Patriotic Leprechaun is a seasonal pet. Back when I first got into derby, I had to wait quite awhile until I could finally get my hands on one.

Mega Hurry Today

The crazy part is, the Patriotic Leprechaun remained the only first generation pet to have Mega Hurry until October 2016. That’s a little over FIVE YEARS. As of today, only three pets have Mega Hurry as a first generation ability and ALL OF THEM are seasonal:

• Patriotic Leprechaun – 4th of July (released June 2011)
• Jack O Lantern – Gloomthorn Nightmare Pack (released for Halloween October 2016)
• Bunny Mallow – Easter/Spring (released April 2017)

Interesting, right? Mega Hurry is now so widely available through hatching that we forget just how rare it is.

And that my friends, is the secret history of the Patriotic Leprechaun. Happy 4th of July!