The Evolution SMP, more commonly known as "Evo SMP" or just "Evo", was a vanilla Minecraft survival multiplayer server run by Grian.
As the series progressed, members of the Evo SMP would regularly jump through portals that would take them through the 'evolution' of Minecraft, starting from the version Beta 1.2_02 to the then-current version 1.12.
The server began on October 2nd, 2017 and officially ended on December 23rd, 2018.
Due to its retrospective connection with newer series, all Evo SMP spoilers are unmarked.
Note: Unless otherwise specified, all tropes pertain to the characters, not the content creators that play them.
The Evo SMP contains examples of:
- Arc Symbol: The symbol of the Watchers, known initially as "the Evo sign", is a 4×6 rectangle with dots at upper left and lower right corners. It can be seen in the shapes of the portals leading the players through the Minecraft updates, the floor of the Spawn, random bedrock carvings into cliff-faces, etc. For the latter, the Watchers usually leave clues and messages behind such carvings for the players to follow.
- Artificial Stupidity: The players are able to experience this in all its glory in the earliest versions, when hostile mobs could simply walk straight into lava while trying to get to the player. The more Genre Savvy players may exploit this to keep their bases mob-free.
- Cutting the Knot: In the Beta 1.4.1 era, after finding the Watchers' "Zebra 856" clue and hearing about the "Yellow 34" clue Grian previously found, instead of looking for the relevant X clue, the Property Police choose to go off in opposite directions to "brute force" the X-coordinate of the next update portal.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: Played for Laughs. Grian's 2017 Secret Santa present to Netty involved a treasure hunt where half of the clues were located in her real-life house, either sent there in the post or hidden there by Martyn on Grian's behalf. The note signing off the present in question ends with this line:Also you are not safe from the GE [Grian Empire] in your own home lol
- From Beyond the Fourth Wall: The Watchers are a representation of the viewers of the series on YouTube.
- Nominated as a Prank: In his 27th episode, in between the Watcher clue hunt, Grian steals Mini's campaign bribe cakes from Spawn and leaves them in everyone else's house, promoting them to vote Taurtis for Mayor of Evo, even though Taurtis was never in the running himself.
- Pyromaniac: Defied. One of the official server rules is no fire, or it can only be used on one's own property at most. This is because in early versions of Minecraft, setting a tree alight with a flint and steel could cause the entire thing to burn up in about 30 seconds, making it an overall hazard to any wooden or woolen structures, such as Netty's treehouse.
- Running Gag: In his 2nd to 5th episodes, Grian falling off of the temporary dirt path he made between his home base in the ocean and the Grain Station to spread grass into the base.
- Secret Santa: Mini and Netty host one for the 2017 Christmas event, around the time of the second portal jump to Beta 1.6.6.
- Shout-Out: One of the Halloween 2017 minigames is an old school-style Survival Games arena and battle royale.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Due to the redstone limitations in the early versions of the game, TNT and explosions are involved in many of the early pranks. It doesn't help that in the earliest versions, a player can set off TNT by punching it, even by accident, as opposed to requiring a flint and steel in later versions which we are more familiar with.
- Switching P.O.V.: As per the standard, viewers can choose to watch the series through different creator-characters' perspectives on YouTube, which lead to at least three different series endings for the SMP.
- Toilet Humour: During the Beta 1.4.1 era, in his 8th episode, Grian changes the 'P.P.' sign on the Property Police's base to read 'POO' for the lolz.
