Episode Five was definitely the upset episode as three out of the four matches had a lower seed beating an upper seed with one of the matches beating a top eight seed! This was a good episode with crazy fights and awesome moves. Let’s take a look!
Warhead vs Complete Control
This was probably the craziest battle yet this season and I LOVED IT. Flames, collisions, and a break-dancing robot tied everything together nicely. But seriously, the announcers got this right when they compared this fight to Rocky II when the fighters were so badly beaten and just need to move in order to win. Warhead gave possibly the best defeat this season through not only slicing open Complete Control but catching him on fire. It certainly highlights the biggest weakness for flame robots and their vulnerability to their own weapon. But man, Warhead is just nuts with his moves! I love it! And the best part is that Warhead has proven himself worthy after beating a worthy opponent. I hope you go far man, (my bracket is already busted at this point so who cares!).
Razorback vs. Ghost Raptor
Suplex! If Warhead vs CC was the best battle then the suplex was probably the best move for this episode. Razorback has jumped up in favorites for me as I just love how efficiently designed this robot is. Rb is like Complete Control 2.0! Strongly designed, able to right itself easily and very maneuverable, Rb is a great battlebot. Poor GR just didn’t have the power necessary to chew through Rb. That fight against SoW must’ve really hurt him hard. Again, looking forward to seeing RB in the next round!
Tombstone vs Escape Velocity
After this fight, people on reddit called EV “Walmart Bronco” and I’m not surprised. Even though “honeycomb armor” was promised it certainly did not deliver. Tombstone just chewed through him like he was another meal. Tombstone didn’t even break a sweat. Still though, gotta love how the builders of EV dressed up like hardcore nerds.
Poison Arrow vs. Son of Whyachi
Son of Whyachi’s unfortunate losing streak continues this season. It’s a shame that such an iconic robot continues to lose matches. Regardless, at least he went out with a huge BANG and not through some dumb thing like radio trouble. Poison Arrow joins Red Devil in being the underdogs and thanks to the both of them, the third quadrant is now wiiiiiide open. That section of the quadrant is now more interesting as unproven veterans and plucky newcomers will battle it out for the final four. But back to the match. It’s too bad that SoW didn’t give a good hit to Poison Arrow. SoW probably could’ve won this if they tried to go around PA and not full frontal. But they lost so now they’ll have to hope for their family members to avenge them. What such most about this is that I had SoW go to the final four so now my bracket is officially busted thanks to PA. So, bleh on you PA.
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!
In the fifth, and what was then the last, season of Battlebots. A titan had fallen.
Hazard and T-Minus squared off in the Middleweight semi-finals. It was a fight worth remembering. It was a fight that any Battlebots fan should remember. It was a fight where an unstoppable gladiator was slain.
Hazard is one of the winningest Battlebots of all time, his record outshines other Battlebot winners, even Biohazard and Ziggo. Hazard received the Giant Nut again and again. He vanquished his foes in glorious fashion and won his battles if not by cruel knockout than by decisive ruling. The crowd, and myself included, loved Hazard. His language was destruction and his life was victory. He won against virtually every robot type. The builders who went against him were clearly nervous before each battle, anticipating what kind of irreparable damage he will work upon them. Everyone in the Middleweight class feared him.
In a field where robots are preened for intimidation or absurdity, Hazard stands out for being so unassuming. A drab, gray color blankets this square robot and a simple metal bar rests atop him while four ordinary wheels carries him forward. And the only thing designating his front is an unembellished sheet of metal that hangs limply from two axles. This modest robot was king and his house creed was “actions speak louder than words.” His long spinning bar overlapped his ground-hugging body, which meant if you wanted to flip him, you would get a face full of steel first. Lightweight, Heavyweight, Superheavyweight. Every class had its winners and favorites but only in the Middleweight was Hazard.
It is this record that makes his loss against T-Minus amazing. For Hazard to finally fall is breathtaking. But not only that, the reasons why he fall still affect Battlebots to this day and will probably continue to do so this year for the second ABC season.
T-Minus, is like the younger…brother?…sister?…let’s call her sister…to Toro, a Super Heavyweight Battlebot. Their pneumatic flipping arms, whose power stems from CO2 cartridges, can toss their opponents skyward, incapacitating them once flipped. The big difference between the two is that T-Minus is in the Middleweight class, not the Super Heavyweight. As such, when T-Minus flips a robot, not only is it flipped but it is launched. The lighter robots aren’t as constrained to gravity as their heavier cousins and as such T-Minus could toss them to six feet in the air! T-Minus is so powerful that if T-Minus finds herself upside down, she can easily right herself up thanks to her arm (give or take a few tries). T-Minus, like her fated opponent, had a reputation of delivering KOs to many that challenge her. Yet, unlike Hazard, T-Minus did not win by carving, bashing, or mauling her opponent, but by simple incapacitation. One flip upside down or onto the hazards and her opponent was done.
Sometimes, that wasn’t enough; some Battlebots are just unflippable. No matter how many times T-Minus flipped her opponent, they wouldn’t stay down. But T-Minus didn’t care. If that happened, she became aggressive. Flip them, flip them, flip them again, onto the spikes, the screws, and the saws. She owned the fights. She was in command. She also knew, or I guess I should say her drivers knew, when to be cautious against a dangerous opponent; a skill that not many respect or have the patience for.
And in this case, if there was any robot destined to beat Hazard, it was her. Hazard is flippable; one flip onto his back and he is done. But fate wasn’t kind to T-Minus. T-Minus made her first debut in season 3 (in what I would argue was the best Battlebots season yet) and delivered one of the best battles that season, her fight against Sunshine Lollibot.
If you want to show anyone the true power of T-Minus, show them this video. Simply amazing. Her power, dominance, and playfulness are all neatly shown. That was T-Minus. She seemed like a dragon in a way, almost every launch she given was accompanied by a belch of smoke from her steaming body. Unfortunately, she lost in the quarterfinals to another Middleweight favorite and newcomer, T-wrex. T-wrex continually fended her off and scored many consecutive hits which prevented T-Minus from doing any real damage to him. A lucky hit by T-wrex disabled T-Minus’ radio communications causing her to be unresponsive and thus, counting her out.
Bad luck continued to follow her in season four. After KOing Ravager and Short Order Chef, T-Minus faced Heavy Metal Noise. I won’t lie, this fight was probably one of her worst ones. After a few blow exchanges, Heavy Metal Noise struck T-Minus’ fail-safe and she was incapacitated. If she had won the fight, she would’ve faced Hazard in the following round. It wasn’t until Season 5 that T-Minus got her shot of redemption. It doesn’t matter who she fought. What matters was that she won them handily and her opponent was Hazard.
For all my talk on T-Minus I only briefly mentioned Hazard. In all honesty, Hazard deserves an article all to himself and his accomplishments. He has fought many battles, some were close, many were not, and he had won them again and again. He was the Middleweight champion in season one, three, and four (he didn’t participate in two), and he had not lost a single battle yet. That’s impressive. There are so many wonderful battles he fought so I mean, take you pick! Hazard vs. Little Drummer Boy, Sabotage, Blade Runner. Any one of these battles and more are great! I like this one when he faced off against Misty the Wonderbot.
So when Hazard and T-Minus faced off, who would’ve guessed that Hazard was going to fall? This wasn’t like the almost predestined match between Biohazard and Son of Whyachi. This was the semi-finals for two veteran robots, one of whom had never been to the championship and neither of which had ever fought one another. Why should we care?
Well, we did, after we saw the short but decisive battle.
T-Minus won. After sparks flew in the air, T-Minus landed an imperfect blow to Hazard. The flip launched one of Hazard’s flaps upward, jamming it against Hazard’s very own weapon. T-Minus second blow would not missed. Hazard was flipped and the match was over. If T-Minus was any closer in delivering the former blow to Hazard, she could’ve been seriously injured and missed her chance. The imperfect flip saved her.
I think the biggest takeaway from this match is that no Battlebot is perfect. There will always be someone out there who can defeat you. And in this case, the only reason why T-Minus could triumph over Hazard was because she was low enough to the ground to get under him and strike at his weak spot. And how did she accomplish this? Through the ingenuity of her creators and their craftsmanship from behind the scenes.
I think one thing that doesn’t get enough appreciation in Battlebots, especially in the most recent season as of this writing, is how effective a simple change in the design of a Battlebot can have on a match. I’m not familiar with intricate rules, but I know that some modification of your robot is allowed between matches. This was how Alpha Raptor won its battles. Alpha Raptor’s crew modified and changed their robot to accommodate their opponents and it helped them win.
But there’s one other factor here and that’s luck. Luck was handed to T-Minus when Hazard’s own skirt disabled him. Hazard was defenseless and T-Minus did not let this opportunity slip by. Luck was always against T-Minus in the previous seasons but now it was luck that offered her the win. Luck and skill are why certain battles go the way they do in Battlebots. Trust me, I can attest to that. Trying to predict who will win in Battlebots is somewhat difficult.
I guess that’s why Battlebots can be so entertaining. Even when you are sure that a Battlebot will win, a T-Minus is thrown in the equation and we stumble. We live for T-Minus. For that one thing, or I guess I should say robot, that breaks tradition and rebuilds it into something even better.
To be frank I was disappointed in this episode but probably not the reason you think.
In my last Battlebots article I gushed how in this new series, we get to spend more time looking at the builder’s personal lives and strategy thanks to the smaller amount of contestants. The fights were for the full time and not given brief clips. However, this episode I was disappointed as ABC decided to show four full battles and cram four more in by showing just clips, thereby keeping the Qualifying episodes to just two and not three episodes.
First off, I thought that was disrespectful to the builders and especially to the winning teams. I want to learn about who they are, their background, and their thought process behind building their robot. Second, I want to see the full fight! I want to see the full battles regardless if it was exciting or not. Third, I feel like ABC is already revealing which robots are going to lose in the next round because of their minute coverage on these bots. Why should I care about Chomp, Overdrive, or Stinger? You have given me no reason why I should care about them.
Sorry, this bothers me a lot.
Okay, with that said, the fights!
Lockjaw vs. Overhaul
Oh boy! What a fight to begin this episode! I love, love, love, love Donald Hutson. Creative, kind, and mellow, he’s probably the most humble out of all the veteran competitors. Yeah, that last hit by him after the buzzer raised some eyebrows but I believe he was sincere in his apology. And Lockjaw! He’s like the son of Dissector but more agile and colorful! I like it! Though I am concerned how effective Lockjaw is, it doesn’t seem strong and it doesn’t have any weapons to bash his opponents with. Maybe it will do better in the next round. And Overhaul is not bad either, I respect those MIT kids. They have that dorky, awkward look about them that a lot of builders have. They did a good job as well.
Bronco vs. Witch Doctor
If the Screws keep KOing robots they might as well be rewarded with the Giant Nut am I right folks? Screws aside, BRONCOOOOOO. YES, I was a fan of Toro and T-minus in the original series so seeing their prodigy just flip some shit I was happy. If Bronco is like his ancestors then he might upset some spinners! Witch Doctor has a neat flamethrower and I guess a cool vertical spinner but it didn’t really do much to Bronco I thought. Still a cool fight though.
Tombstone vs. Counter Revolution
If a vertical spinner fights a horizontal spinner, the horizontal spinner wins, that’s like a fact of life in Battlebots. But this…jesus. That was great! Seeing those parts go flying was amazing and made me giddy. And man, ABC was really laying it on thick how badass Ray Billings and his robot are. Haha, gotta love the bowling ball destruction bit, though.
Complete Control vs. Ghost Raptor
Very controversial match, I daresay. But let me just stop there and say, wow, the builders for Complete Control look like real douchbags with their shiny jackets, beards and smirks. Damn, not saying they are mind you but they sure do dressed the part. Entanglements aside this was a disappointing battle for both robots. Neither of them should have advanced. Complete Control wasn’t doing what it did best and throw a robot around the match while Ghost Raptor’s blade broke, seriously? You main weapon snapped off? That’s sad. I would have rather seen Overdrive and Chomp’s battle than this one.
Summarized battles.
Didn’t get a good look at all the battles or the robots but I like the looks of Stinger and Overdrive, I hope they do well in their next battle. Radioactive was a joke though. Seriously, its hammer looked like it was doing no damage and the only reason why it won was that the other robot was facing technical errors! Unless, I’m missing something big, Radioactive is going to lose next round.
Wildcards
Overhaul made sense as it did a good job against Lockjaw. Chomp I can’t honestly judge since we just got a clip of it but Warhead…really? He barely did anything to Biteforce! Same goes for Witch Doctor! Granted, they weren’t bad or anything but they certainly didn’t deserve a wildcard. I would have given it to either Nightmare or Wrecks. Confused why Warhead got the wildcard, I did a little digging though and found a Reddit AMA for a builder on Team Mohawk who says “It’s a mix of whether a losing team is able to get their robot fixed in time, whether they want to be considered as a wild card, and what would make for the best match ups later on.” Hm, seems a bit odd to me but I can totally understand the part about a robot functioning properly. If an important part were to be severely damaged during the fight, you would probably throw in the towel because you couldn’t replace it. You can read the original interview on reddit here. http://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/3bgqcd/mohawk_robot_team_member_here_ama/
Who would win?
Everyone on reddit and elsewhere is crying Tombstone and I agree that he has a good chance. I would actually love to see Icewave fight Tombstone, that would be awesome! Icewave and Tombstone horizontal spinners would destroy the other before the match is over and I seriously think Icewave has the chance in beating him.
Who else could be Tombstone’s foil though? If we look at the history of Battlebots we come across the many-time Middleweight champion Hazard, a horizontal spinning robot. The amount of robots Hazard has KO’d is staggering but it finally fell in Season 5 against T-minus, a flipping robot. Check it out below.
Spinners have that problem of stability. If they’re flipped over even once, they’re done. So if Tombstone faces a flipping robot that can get a quick flip in, it’s a KO. Bronco is the first that comes to mind and in all honesty, if they put in a flipper extension, they can beat Tombstone (plus, the builders were the same guys that built T-Minus). Warrior Clan is also a good candidate, perhaps the multibot can use its minibots as a distraction before coming in and flipping Tombstone.
Tombstone also doesn’t look like a very fast robot and when you factor in its one-sided spinning blade, you got a robot with some big weak spots. A durable and agile robot would be able to bring Tombstone down. In this case, I’m looking at Stinger and Overdrive who both have shown to be durable and surprisingly quick. I honestly think they have a shot in beating Tombstone.
The other two potential winners I would bet on would be Icewave and Bronco. Icewave’s blade doesn’t do a lot of damage but it can spin up fast and keep spinning despite delivering heavy blow after blow (something that a lot of robots have trouble with *coughGhostRaptorcough*). Bronco’s crazy flipping arm could also incapacitate robots, especially if he flips them onto those crazy screws.
That’s all for now, looking forward to, hopefully, full battles in the next episode!
The Unapologetic Nerd 