After drawing a 6 spd, non-teleporting ground champ at the bottom shrine of SL's chokepoint tar stage, I had every intention of complaining about the instant disadvantage from the level design. However, now I'm wondering why tar even exists on some of SL's maps. When looking at SL's other known terrain (sand) you can clearly see the creative flavor and synergy. Everything from ants to dragons make use of sand to devastating ends. Even more appealing is the fact that many of the creatures in SL fit in with the sand theme. Those with dragon hide shrug off the rough, Burning Sands which would badly Blister anyone else. Additionally, the Myx basically live in the stuff. Even several of SL's beasts have embraced the shifting sands, turning them into their personal expressway tunnels. Taking a look back at tar, one is hard-pressed to identify any such flavor or synergy. In particular, it's difficult to recall any instances where SL champs or relics have used tar to their advantage. Furthermore, it's challenging to identify any storylines where tar was used or mentioned in a significant way. The reality is that there are little-to-no established reasons why tar should be present. Sure SL is known for a firestorm or two, but nothing clearly uses tar in a logical way for a logical reason. It just seems to be thrown into a few levels on a whim. Bottom-line: Tar is practically irrelevant to SL.
