"We're gonna rub those trophies in your face, right after we rub these bowling bags in your face."note
Written by Benton Connor & Calvin Wong
The park workers form a bowling team called the "Park Strikers". All of their victories were thanks to Skips. They are competing in the championships and are going against the "Magical Elements", consisting of Death, Gary, one of the "Guardians of Eternal Youth", and the wizard that owns "The Power" keyboard.
"Skips Strikes" contains examples of:
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: Rigby making a bet with Death. If Death's Team wins he'll get his team's souls and if Rigby's Team wins he gets... a bowling ball filled with souls. Mordecai, Benson, and Pops aren't happy about this in the slightest.
- Achilles in His Tent: Skips leaves the team temporarily.
- Blackmail: Death threatens to tell Skips' friends his real name if he doesn't sit the game out.
- Bowling for Ratings: The episode involves a bowling tournament that ends with the park crew facing off against Death's team.
- Broken Win/Loss Streak: The Magical Elements had been champions for hundreds of years until Skips broke their streak.
- Continuity Nod: Mordecai and Rigby use their bowling names, "Murdercai" and "Rigbone", from "Brain Eraser".
- Cheaters Never Prosper: When Skips shows up to compete, the Magical Elements start using their magic powers to cheat. But even then, they still lose.
- Chess with Death: See Absurdly High-Stakes Game.
- Crutch Character: Skips is this for the Park Strikers. To the point where another team and even the Park Strikers themselves admit it and flat out admit defeat once Skips tells them he's quitting the team. Luckily, they all pull their weight after Skips rejoins in the climactic game and win as a result.
- Down to the Last Play: Skips just needs to get a strike to win while the other team gets ready to sabotage him. Despite their efforts to stop the ball, the Magical Elements lose and the Park Striker wins.
- Everyone Has Standards: When Rigby reveals to the Park Strikers that he bet their souls on Death's soul ball, even happy-go-lucky Pops is shown to be angry with Rigby.
- Jerkass Ball: Rigby bets the workers' souls on Death's soul ball just because it looked interesting. He gets punched (thrice) for his troubles.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Rigby gets punched by Mordecai three times for betting everyone's souls on Death's soul ball.
- Meaningful Rename: Skips reveals he changed his name from "Walks" to "Skips" because he got tired of people asking why he skips when his name is "Walks". "Diary" reveals this was a cover however.
- Rousing Speech: Rigby gives this to Mordecai and Benson to not give up and they can still win after Skips quits the team. We later find out the real reason he gave the speech was he bet his teams' soul for a bowling ball filled with souls without their knowledge.
- Rule of Three: Mordecai punches Rigby three times for betting everyone's souls for a soul ball.
- Sad-Times Montage: While the gang drives to the bowling alley knowing they can't win without Skips, and at the same time when Skips reminisces about the time he had with his friends when they were bowling.
- Sudden Name Change: In the Brazilian Portuguese dub, Death is called "Skull" in this episode, possibly as Bowdlerization. Since he keeps being named Death in the other episodes' dubs, it makes it sound more like a derogarory nickname they gave him.
- Undying Loyalty: Skips reaffirms this as his motive for playing in the tournament despite Death blackmailing him, which he lampshades:Skips: My friends' souls are more important than my secret. You wanna tell 'em my real name isn't "Skips"? Go ahead.
- Villain Team-Up: The Park Strikers are going against a team consisting of Death, Gary, The leader of the Guardian of Youth, and the Wizard that owns "The Power".
- What the Hell, Hero?: Mordecai gives this to Rigby when they find out he bet their souls:Mordecai: You bet our souls for a ball?!
