Battlebots is back for season 2 and I’m glad it has returned!  This season has introduced new robots without sacrificing the quality (for the most part) of the fights.  Things are already better than the first season but first, let’s take a look at the bad.

-Once again, I have to question why some fights were relegated to the clip show while others we saw the whole thing.  Beta vs. Lucky for instance was by far the worst fight so far.  Even though the fight between Stinger and Nightmare was much shorter, I’d rather have seen that than see B v L.  Thankfully, some of the clips we saw were from fights that seemed lackluster so good call there.  Thankfully, an unedited version of the fight can be seen below.

-Continuing on from the previous complaint, why were many of the veteran robots, like Tombstone, Stinger, and the returning champion Biteforce, not given full coverage on their battles?  Again I would like to see their fights than Beta vs Lucky or Chomp vs Disc O’ Inferno.

-Nitpicking big time here but I’m disappointed in the lack of wedges and lifters.  Battlebots like Biohazard in the past would win by sheer simplicity and not by outlandish design (*cough* Ghost Raptor *cough*).  This is nitpicking though as I’d rather have a lot of launchers, clampers, and spinners than the other way around.

-Also, ABC, you REALLY, need to upload that Bronco fight on YouTube.  I would watch that fight again for sure.

That’s really it, I had a good time watching it and sure it’s corny and stupid but I love it.

One thing I have to compliment are the hosts who were the same as last year, their chemistry has really taken off and I really like the banter they give both during and in-between the fights.  I now look forward to their commentary although I still miss the interviewers from last year who were down in the pits.

Also, I’m glad that Battlebots has continued to dive into the builders’ lives and tell us who they are and how they got here.  People find them boring or pointless but I love it.  When I root for a robot, I not just want to cheer on it but the builder as well.  They struggled to get here and you really get sad when their robot gets destroyed.  My heartstrings were particularly pulled when Witch Doctor easily handled Rotator.  The backstory in Rotator was like that from a movie with the builder’s father helping him out even when he was sick.  ABC really pulled the rug under us when Rotator lost its first round (but seriously dude, even before the match I couldn’t help but comment how there were NO guards around your two wheels, not the best design choice…).

I think ABC has now wised up and are showing us backgrounds of builders even when they lose.  It keeps us guessing who will win and lose.  It’s almost like Game of Thrones how you become close to characters and are stricken with grief when they get the axe.  Now that I think about it Rotator was like Oberyn Martell when he fought the Mountain, he was gone too soon from this world.

The big thing though from this season is the introduction of not only projectiles but drones!  That’s awesome.  Unfortunately, the drones seem only mildly effective if not completely worthless.  I think the best example of this is the Complete Control vs. Bombshell where the drone just straight up crashed into the arena.  Luckily, Bombshell is still in it so hopefully it and Poison Dart can redeem drones.

One weapon that got redeemed was fire.  In the last season, fire was all bark and no bite.  Just a flashy distraction to win the audience and judges over.  The problem with fire was that it only grazed the robots and not damage it.  However, Complete Control (and Warhead) showed us that you can win purely by fire.  That was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, when Complete Control had Bombshell in the air and was burning him alive.  I think after this fight there will be more robots that will use a grab-and-burn technique since it seems to be a winning combination.  Also, Complete Control, we respect you again, welcome back.

Creativity is also overflowing big time from this season as these robots were just freaking crazy.  Walkers unfortunately were rare but that was made up by other weirdos like Razorback and Deathroll.  Obwalden vs. Warhead was particularly nuts as it was like a dragon fighting a knight.  Obwalden seriously reminded me of that one-and-done mascot that Battlebots had in season 2 called Y2K.  It’s too bad that Obwalden barely functioned but damnet I think it was awesome nonetheless.

Let’s talk about the battles, by far, the best battles came from the second episodes as you had such fights as Rotator vs. Witch Doctor, S.O.W. vs. Ghost Raptor, Burtus vs. Moebius, and Lockjaw vs. Yeti.  You had a great mixture of close calls and brutal knockouts.  However, Bronco’s fight from the first episode was great though as well as Complete Control vs. Bombshell; Minotaur’s fight was also amazing.

I already mentioned the sad fight between Beta vs. Lucky but Chomp vs. Disk O’ Inferno was also subpar as well.  The biggest fail though of the first couple of episodes was when Moebius just self-destructed big time against Brutus.  That was hilarious.  Moebius and Captain Shederator really highlight the risky nature of full body spinners.  On the one hand, they are powerful and robots have a hard time trying to hit you.  But on the other you can be extremely unstable if you aren’t built right.

Son of Whyachi had made his triumphant return as well.  The former heavyweight champion really stuck it to Ghost Raptor (which was amazing) and boasted its devastating power.  Unless something major happens to S.o.W. early on, I can easily imagine him going far.

Finally, the best fight of the qualifying rounds was probably the aggressive and intense battle between Lockjaw and Yeti.  Sure, it wasn’t a KO or totally one sided, but that’s what made it so much fun!  One thing you’ll notice about these two bots is how hyper, energetic, and aggressive they are on the box.  They were just zipping through the arena like racecars trading blows and trying to get the upperhand.  Lockjaw was surprisingly durable given that it had a face full of spinning drum for a good portion of the match.  I’m looking forward to what these two bots had to offer in the future matches.

That’s it for now, I’ll be publishing my predictions of the tournament soon.  Looking forward to the rest of this season!