Tag Archives: Poison Arrow

Battlebots Season 2 Finale Prediction

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Despite the long break between the two Sweet Sixteen episodes, I heartily enjoyed many of the battles that we saw although there were a few unfortunate duds. Amazingly, we get a season finale this week!!!  We don’t have to wait another week!  This is a nice surprise from ABC given we had to wait quite awhile sometimes between episodes.  Hopefully, this upcoming episode will give us many fantastic battles that we can scream and whoop at!

Battlebots Season 2 Elite Eight

 

Let’s take a look at the Elite Eight before I dive into my predictions. First off, my guesses in the last round were surprisingly not too bad as five out of the eight matches I envisioned correctly (Biteforce, Nightmare, and Hypershock betray me…). Biteforce’s loss eliminates another high seed from the tournament as only three of the top eight seeds remain while two remain of the top four. Poison Arrow stands out big time from the Elite Eight with its whoppingly low 27 seed. To be fair though, unlike some other bots, Poison Arrow deserves his Elite Eight spot thanks to taking down Whyachi and upsetting the drone-killing bot, Hypershock. The commentators noted how Yeti was the dark horse of this tournament but I honestly lean towards Poison Arrow as the “bot that could.”

Of the eight remaining, three are drum spinners, one is a horizontal spinner, one is a launcher, two are hammerbots, and one is multi-functional. This is definitely the year of the drum spinners as all three drum spinners (Poison Arrow, Minotaur, and Yeti) have survived the Sweet Sixteen with great wins from each of these robots. There’s also a decent chance that all three of these will again progress to the Final Four given their opponent matchup. Notably absent are the vertical spinners which we had six in the Sweet Sixteen and all of them lost. These robots lost due to weapon loss, dismantling, or inability to fight and it’s pretty unlucky that none of them survived.

Before we go to the predictions, I decided to approach things differently and instead did a simple table to see who would win if every robot fought another robot. After going over the scenarios in my head, I then made a list of robots going from most likely to win to least likely to win. Here’s the results.

  1. Bronco 7-0

image from battlebots.com

My confidence in Bronco has only increased as this season progresses. Out of all the veteran teams, Team Bronco has played it the most safe by modifying (and not outright revamping like Biteforce) their robot to cover their weaknesses without sacrificing their robot’s identity. Bronco’s behind can take hits like a champ and if any robot tries to ride Bronco he just bucks them off! Bronco’s durability will come into play big time against his match against Minotaur. I predict that Bronco’s ass will get a face full of steel but he can withstand it and toss him around the Battlebox. In all honesty, if Bronco wins against Minotaur then he wins the tournament. He will face down his rival Tombstone again in the championship but this time, he will win.

  1. Minotaur 6-1

I wasn’t kidding when I said Minotaur v Bronco is the match to watch out for in the Elite Eight. This match will decide who will be victorious in Battlebots. If Minotaur beats Bronco then any other robot doesn’t stand a chance, including Tombstone. If Minotaur were to face down Tombstone, he can out maneuver this deadly robot and chew up his vulnerable spots. Minotaur’s spinning drum is also likely the strongest drum in the tournament so if he were to collide with Yeti or Poison Arrow, both could explode due to the immense force behind that weapon.

  1. Tombstone 5-2

Tombstone will very likely go to the final round as so many of his strong competitors, mainly Stinger and Biteforce, have been knocked out. I honestly feel that some of his supposed opponents, like Chomp, got to the Elite Eight more out of luck than fighting skill but I could be severely underestimating them again. Regardless, he will chew through whoever he faces, including Yeti and face either Minotaur or Bronco in the championship; either of which he will lose to.

  1. BETA 4-3

Truth be told, I worry about BETA’s chances as his fight against Nightmare looked to do some serious damage to his hammering mechanism. He might be limping into his next fight, Tombstone, and that’s not good. Unlike Chomp (sorry) my respect for this newcomer with a seemingly faulty weapon has gone up. Can BETA deliver another upset against one of the most deadly robots of all time? It’s doubtful but I will say that if he can pull off an upset, he would likely win against either Chomp or Yeti. Rewatching some of BETA’s bouts has brightened my outlook on this robot and his gigantic hammer. I’m pretty sure this hammer’s so powerful that he can smash Chomp and Yeti (and Poison Arrow and Bombshell if he somehow faces them in the final round). Good luck, once again, BETA!

  1. Yeti 3-4

Now, just because I have Yeti so low on the list does not mean I don’t like him, far from it! I love this spunky, dexterous robot! And I’m also willing to bet Yeti’s sponsors (if that’s a thing in Battlebots, I’m not sure) will go up and make sure this battlebot will get the necessary spare parts needed for another run next season. But we have to focus on the here and now and so, Yeti is in a tough situation. How far can Yeti’s luck last? Well, it’s a good thing he’s fighting Chomp as that is a robot Yeti definitely can take on. If Yeti wins, Yeti might then out maneuver Tombstone and deliver some good hits. Unfortunately, I don’t see a rosy future for Yeti after that as I’m sure Bronco or Minotaur will knock him out. We’ll see. Good luck, dark horse!

  1. Poison Arrow 2-5

Poison Arrow is another robot I now respect but had to put him low on the rankings. Poison Arrow will more than likely defeat Bombshell thanks to their crazy spinning drum but after that they’ll have to fight Bronco or Minotaur and that’s reaaaaalllly bad.   I think Bronco could tank PA’s hits while Minotaur will just laugh at this spunky robot and tear him asunder. Sorry.

  1. Chomp 1-6

I’m sorry, Chomp’s win against Biteforce did not gain my appreciation. True, true, true, Chomp hit some good, well-aimed hits but besides that, Chomp’s worse enemy seems to be herself because of her instability. Though in all honesty, what do I know!?! I keep predicting Chomp to lose and she keeps winning! If she wins the tournament I’ll be flabbergasted. The only opponent I think Chomp has a chance against would be Bombshell who has so many open parts that I think Chomp could deliver a winning pierce against it. Besides that, Chomp is fighting Yeti and then, very likely, Tombstone, both of which have a history of dismantling their opponents. If Chomp wins (and an honest-to-good win mind you) perhaps my opinions on her will change.

  1. Bombshell 0-7

Bombshell is perhaps the only robot in the tournament that has lost my respect. His abysmal win against Red Devil was sad, I mean, what was that?? If Bombshell has any hopes to win they should switch to either their axe (against Poison Arrow/Minotaur) or their horizontal spinner. The horizontal spinner seems the most effective weapon they have but I’m not sure if it would be good against Poison Arrow. Bombshell could be this year’s Ghost Raptor so they may reach the Final Four yet, just don’t expect them to go much further than that…

 

That’s it for now!  IT’S ROBOT FIGHTING TIME!  SEASON 2 FINALE!!!

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Reaction to Battlebots S2 E7

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The first episode of the Sweet Sixteen Season 2 Battlebots is an unfortunate mixture of thrilling and boring fights. You could easily rank each battle in terms of how stellar they are going from Warhead vs. Minotaur to Bombshell vs Red Devil. But, nonetheless, the fights we enjoyed, we enjoyed A LOT so let’s take a look!

Warhead vs. Minotaur

By far the best match of the night as this fight was filled with thrilling hits and a strong, lovable sense of sportsmanship. My level of respect for these guys and their bots has increased majorly as team Warhead loved their loss while team Minotaur was grateful to fight such an iconic legend. Although it was over quick, I’m glad Warhead was able to score a good hit before losing his head. This match has certainly shown that Warhead is a worthy battlebot and that there are big things in store for Minotaur.

Hypershock vs. Poison Arrow

This episode was not a good one for vertical spinners as Hypershock’s primary weapon became quickly useless after one use. However, I still thought Hypershock would win despite his handicap as he was doing a good job controlling the battle. Poison Arrow’s drone still remains useless but the drum spinner was highly efficient. It’s safe to say that Poison Arrow has gained my respect as he could pass out the hits while still going strong. It’s amazing that such a small robot can pack a huge punch. Poison Arrow, unlike Red Devil, has shown he’s not just a one-and-done deal. He can dish it out with anyone.

Bronco vs Razorback

Bronco, to the disappointment of many fans, has been playing it smart these past two battles. Unlike other bots with their makeshift wedges, Bronco’s back wedge has been very effective at stalling and even debilitating his opponent’s weapons. I also love that Bronco’s flipper can still launch opponents even if they are on his back. Now that I think about it, Bronco has earned his namesake! Nobody can ride him without being bucked off! I love that. Also, poor Razorback, it just wasn’t his fight as he unfortunately landed on his side which incapacitated him. Add some spikes to the axles and better luck next year guys.

Bombshell vs Red Devil

By far, the worst battle for this episode. I’m sad they ended the episode on this fight as it was pretty anticlimactic. Bombshell’s weapon became useless after one hit and Red Devil just couldn’t use his saw correctly, like, what happened out there guys? The only time you managed to hit Bombshell was in the last 10 seconds of the fight. Too little, too late. I hope Bombshell can step up his A-game cause I would be disappointed if he made it to the Final Four (and at this point, I’m cheering for the current underdog, Poison Arrow, to beat him).

Predictions for Battlebots S2 Sweet Sixteen

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Despite my sorrow and despite my wrong predictions, this has been a great season so far! Upsets galore, vengeful veterans, and wild moments crowd the Round of 32 and it’s so wonderful. Let’s take a look at some general things before we dive into my (very likely wrong) predictions.

BattleBots-Season2-Sweet-Sixteen

First off, only 10 out of the top 16 seeds and 4 out of the top 8 seeds made it to the Sweet Sixteen. I’d figured there’d be upsets but certainly not on this level. Most notable of these upsets were fan favorites, and proven veterans, Witch Doctor, Stinger, Icewave, and Son of Whyachi. The latter three certainly hurt me as I like these robots and their team. Better luck next year guys!

Of the sixteen robots left, two are a horizontal spinner, six are a vertical spinner, two are hammerbots, three are drummers, one is a launcher, one is a clampbot, and one is Warhead. Mind you, some of these robots, like Bombshell, can be different classes so these numbers are based on the preceding fights. Notably absent from this lineup are full-body spinners, lifters, and rambots which got knocked out in the previous rounds like Captain Shrederator, The Ringmaster, Lucky, and Stinger. Also, only Poison Arrow remains with a drone (which have yet to prove their effectiveness). We’ll have to pay attention to this line up and see what remains near the end of the tournament.

Now, one last thing. I honestly think that from here on out, the robots that win will win the hearts of us fans. This is the make or break point for these guys. Some of them, like Red Devil, have to prove that they are not here because of some fluke. They’re here because they deserve it. And if they fail, they’ll sadly be forgotten.

Predictions

Quadrant 1

Image from battlebots.com

Tombstone will beat Brutus by KO, blah blah blah, the real match is the Nightmare vs BETA battle! Okay, on the one side you got Nightmare who cleanly fits the definition of an awesome but impractical robot. Then on the other side you got the Battlebots-fan-gone-pro BETA. BETA is also an awesome but impractical robot as his hammer is so strong it can destabilize him. So, who to choose??

In all honesty, I would have to give it to Nightmare. Nightmare may be a glass cannon but this is a fight I honestly think he could win at. Nightmare’s thin design is possibly one of the best counters to BETA’s inaccurate swing. Also, I think Nightmare will just rip chunks out of him similar to his glorious victory over Slamjob many years ago. And then Nightmare will probably lose to Tombstone in the following round as Tombstone could topple Nightmare with a good hit to the wheels.

Quadrant 2

Image from battlebots.com

Bronco faces a challenging opponent that can easily right himself and is as nimble as a crazed wrestler. Bronco will have to be aggressive and hope that one of his launches will incapacitate Razorback through fall damage or by knocking him out of the ring. Razorback has it worse probably as I honestly think Bronco’s too big for Razorback. Perhaps Razorback can get underneath Bronco and try to drive him to the screws but it would be hard. I’m giving it to Bronco.

Even more fascinating is the Warhead v Minotaur fight. After Warhead’s stellar performance against Complete Control, this battle is looking a little tough to decide! I really, really, want Warhead to win but I think Minotaur’s spinning drum is just too strong. I think Minotaur will toss him this way and that until Warhead just can’t move anymore. Which means that Minotaur will face Bronco. I’m still confident in Bronco so I think he can deliver a launching knockout though I wouldn’t be surprised if Minotaur pulled an upset here.

Quadrant 3

Image from battlebots.com

This quadrant got hit haaaaaard. Witch Doctor’s gone. Cobalt’s gone. Son of Whyachi’s gone. The only high seed left is Hypershock! This is the quadrant we should all look at as it will really bring in some new stars that will take the mantle of fame. These robots are still fresh or untested so I’m super giddy about it! Red Devil v Bombshell is super tricky as we still know little about them. But, I’m giving it to Bombshell as they have the versatility to win and they won’t be underestimating RD. It’s tough to choose the horizontal blade or axe but I lean towards the blade as it seems effective. Meanwhile, Hypershock and Poison Arrow will be fuuuuun. Will Hypershock bat another drone from the sky? Will Poison Arrow’s furious spinning drum incapacitate Hypershock? For this match, I’m giving it to Hypershock as they seem to have the durability and the strength to take down Poison Arrow.

Hypershock or Bombshell? Again, Hypershock seems reliable so I’m giving it to them on that basis alone. They seem strong, they seem dependable, and I think they can out maneuver Bombshell and win it.

Quadrant 4

Image from battlebots.com

Bite Force has fought, and won, against all manner of opponents and thus I find it unlikely that their first loss would be to a battlebot that has horrible aim and is highly unstable. Bite Force is dependable but the only thing it has going against it is its vertical spinner which has so far proven to be not very effective. By far, the more interesting match is between Yeti and Mega Tento. Who to choose?? Mega Tento seems big enough to engulf Yeti but Yeti is as agile and aggressive as a monkey so Tento could have a hard time trying to pin Yeti down. On the flip side, Yeti’s spinning drum doesn’t seem as powerful as Minotaur’s so he might have a hard time trying to damage Tento’s awkward frame.

Before the Mega Tento v Stinger fight I would’ve given it to Yeti easily but now I have a hard time deciding. After some consideration, I’m giving it to Yeti who I believe can wedge himself under Tento and do some serious underbelly damage. As for Yeti v Bite Force…Bite Force is strong and reliable but I’m throwing in an upset and giving it to Yeti. I believe Yeti has what it takes to finally defeat Bite Force. I like Bite Force but he’s no Biohazard or Hazard, Bite Force will fall this tournament, mark my words.

If not Yeti then to someone else.

Reaction to Battlebots S2 E5

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Okay, NOW my bracket is busted.

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.