Tag Archives: Warrior Clan

Reaction to Battlebots S2 E6

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I find it funny how Witch Doctor was treated as the “upset” for the season and yet these last two episodes just delivered so many losses that at this point my bracket is a shell of its former self.

But this was a good episode to end the qualifying round with! The only major fault I had with this episode was showing the Chomp v Capt Shrederator battle instead of the Icewave v Nightmare fight. But that aside, the other three fights were great. I’ll publish another article after this one for my predictions but for now, let’s take a look at the battles!

BETA vs Overhaul

This was definitely the episode for the hammer bots as both BETA and Chomp won despite their faults. I have to say, my friends and I doubted BETA’s credibility as I thought BETA’s hammer looked weak while they thought he was just plain unwieldy. Luckily, we were given a good, dare I say, smashing, battle that delivered strong blow after blow against Overhaul. I think the real highlight of the battle was after it as I was reminded how heart endearing BETA’s builder was. Makes it all the more powerful when the audience started chanting BETA’s name near the end.  Man, I got the feels now!

Hypershock vs Warrior Clan

Okay, so I know I’ve been throwing this a lot these past few articles but this was great battle and probably the best one yet, if not this round then definitely this episode. First off, that rake! I was so sure that rake would be unwieldy and would plain not work. But HOLY SHIT, it did!   Not only was it awesome that he batted it out of the sky but then he blew it up and flew it through the air! Fuck, yes. But I really like the back and forth between Warrior Clan and Hypershock. They were evenly matched which made this match even better. Great battle with great moments.

Mega Tento vs Stinger

Bug vs bug! But for real, I’m sad, like, super sad, that Stinger lost. I love Stinger, I love the team, and I had them going to the final four.   They’re a great robot and team but it just didn’t work out for them in this battle. If it was any other robot then Stinger could’ve won but MT was just too big and heavy. At least Mega Tento got a win under its belt. That’s gotta be one of the few times it won a fight.

Chomp vs Captain Shrederator

You would think ABC would end on a high note for the qualifying rounds but unfortunately that was not the case. I mean, the battle wasn’t bad but it certainly wasn’t thrilling. ABC certainly hyped the tough talk and grudge match between these two so I can’t fault them for riling me up. It’s funny how Chomp looked so ineffective against Capt, I’m not even fully confident Chomp’s blows did much to Captain Shrederator but hey I shouldn’t doubt too much. Chomp won so congrats on them!

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Prediction to Battlebots Episode 4

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Episode 3 of Battlebots was a return to form and more as we enter into Part 1 of the Sixteen Round. Most of everything that episode 2 did wrong or was lacking in was improved on drastically for this episode and will, hopefully, continue to achieve this level of quality from here on out. I dare even say that this episode was almost the quintessential episode of Battlebots.

First off, the filler in this episode was better managed as not only are we treated to a basic recap of the robot’s battles but we get a look into the builders’ strategies for their upcoming battles. Plus, a special bonus is given by the amount of time spent on the builders repairing their robots, something that the Comedy Central-era Battlebots often neglected. Although their repairs are briefly summarized, there is a sense of urgency, especially for Icewave and its overheated battery, for the builders to make sure their robot is properly working by their next round. I like it.

But of course, the battles are a great part of what makes this episode great so let’s talk about them.

Icewave vs. Chomp

Fire is not melting Icewave any time soon! But seriously, even when taking a face full of flame, Icewave came out of that battle relatively unscathed. That was another fun Icewave demolition and kudos for Chomp for hanging in there despite its losing battle.

Stinger vs. Warhead

I speak from the heart when I say this battle is what Battlebots is all about. No deceit or treachery like Complete Control vs. Ghost Raptor, no hard feelings or complaining like Lock Jaw vs. Overhaul, and it lasted the full three minutes unlike Bronco vs. Plan X. Even though Stinger had the battle right from the start, the fact that Stinger willingly flipped Warhead right side up just so they could fight some more is something very special. Warhead could have easily chipped or damaged Stinger some more but the builders didn’t care, they just wanted a fight! And the builders were so happy at the end and they shook hands and everything! Gosh, this battle was great!

Ghost Raptor vs. Warrior Clan

Sometimes, the worst enemy in the battlebox is yourself.

What a sad, sad, battle. Warrior Clan not being able to flip and Ghost Raptor rigged into a lifting bot. Once again, Ghost Raptor limps through another victory. I’m not going to lie, I’m looking forward to Icewave demolishing Ghost Raptor in the next round.

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Bronco vs. Plan X

Wow, my prediction of two minutes was way too high, it took ten seconds. My search terms for my last article were mainly about “Bronco” or “Bronco Flip.” God, that was probably the most beautiful flip in Battlebots history. So graceful, so elegant, so perfect. One Flip.

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EPISODE 4 PREDICTIONS

Episode 4 has some interesting battles coming out; we have a rematch, we’ll probably have a one-sided battle, and we have some battles that could really determine who gets the nut. Let’s check them out.

  Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/tombstone/

Tombstone vs. Radioactive-Tombstone wins by KO in less than a minute

Radioactive won because the other robot wasn’t working. Tombstone won because it utterly dismantled its opponent. Unless Tombstone faces some unforeseen mechanical error, it will win against Radioactive and its pitiful hammer, sorry Radioactive, at least you seem like a bot that will be fun to watch getting destroyed.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/22898/

Overhaul vs. Lockjaw-Overhaul wins by split judges’ decision

As unfortunate as it is to see these two robots battle each other again, at least Overhaul will have a chance at some clamping revenge. I think Overhaul is the stronger robot and will be able to fix its strategy from last time to take control of the fight. Still, it will be difficult for it considering how agile and durable Lockjaw is. Lockjaw will win if its aggressive, Overhaul will win if it can throw Lockjaw a bit. Either way, it should be a close battle.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/hypershock/

Hypershock vs. Biteforce-Hypershock wins by judges’ decision

We only saw a glimpse of Hypershock and its rotating drum. I feel like it will have a leg up over Biteforce and be able to really give it some damage unlike Warhead which seemed to have only nicked it. Still though, Biteforce looks like a competent robot so I wouldn’t be surprised if it won. In all honesty, since we have seen very little of Biteforce it’s hard to predict this battle so we’ll just have to wait and see what he brings to the battlebox.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/overdrive/

Overdrive vs. Witch Doctor-Overdrive wins by judges’ decision

My friends! THIS is the battle to watch! I guarantee it! Why?? Because whoever wins this battle will (very likely) face Tombstone in the next round. Now, in my heart, I think Witch Doctor can actually win against Overdrive but I really, really, want Overdrive to win simply because he is probably the most agile and speedy robot in the competition. If Overdrive can just keep out-maneuvering Witch Doctor and her minibot, and keep shoving them against the screws, he’ll win. However, Witch Doctor has that spinning drum that looks like it can do some serious damage.

HERE’S THE THING. If Witch Doctor wins, she will lose the next round against Tombstone. BUT, if Overdrive wins, then we can have an interesting battle. Overdrive would be the first, serious, contender against Tombstone. Overdrive has the agility and the capability to take him down. I seriously hope he faces Tombstone because that will be awesome. This will be a good battle either way even not factoring in Tombstone.

 

Can’t wait for tonight!

Fight Predictions For Battlebots Episode 3

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Tonight’s Battlebots episode is a special one for me as this will be the first time I can predict who might win each battle.  Battlebots in seasons past has never showed the brackets for the upcoming episodes so you are usually informed who’s fighting who a minute before the match starts.

And now that we have seen (mostly) all the robots in action we can predict who might beat who!  So, using my historical Battlebots knowledge and my impression for each of the fighters, here are my predictions.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/stinger/

Stinger vs. Warhead-Stinger Wins by Judges Decision

Warhead fought Bite Force in the previous round and lost to it by judges decision.  Stinger actually won its battle against a full body spinner and came out almost unscathed.  Stinger will push Warhead around, probably get knocked around a bit by the spinning drum but will ultimately be the stronger, more sturdy contender.

image from http://battlebots.com/robot/bronco/

Bronco vs. Plan X-Bronco wins by KO in about a minute and half

Bronco has a fast and strong flipping arm while Plan X is a one sided (aka can’t work on its back) robot.  The minibots might distract Bronco but it fought Witch Doctor in the last round and still won.  Plan X also got dismantled hard by Wrecks which makes me think it’s not a sturdy robot.  All Bronco has to do is come in behind and get the flip.  Might take a few tries but it will get it.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/warrior-clan/

Warrior Clan vs. Ghost Raptor-Warrior Clan wins by KO in a minute

Ghost Raptor did not impress in the previous round (even not counting the entanglement).  Warrior Clan was able to flip Nightmare and it will do it again for Ghost Raptor.  The minibots will distract Ghost Raptor and Warrior Clan will slide on in and give it a nice good flip.  Easy KO.  And I might be wrong but I don’t think the spinning blade is low enough to hit Warrior Clan but we’ll see.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/icewave/

Icewave vs. Chomp-Icewave wins by Judges Decision

Icewave is certainly a sturdy robot has shown in its battle against Razorback but I’m willing to bet that Chomp will be able to tank the hits and keep on coming.  Truth be told, this battle I’m most unsure about who will win as I can easily imagine Chomp tanking Icewaves hits, grab onto it and take it for a ride.  I can also imagine Icewave’s blade incapacitated after one too many bad hits.  Regardless, I still lean towards Icewave as I can imagine it to do enough damage to win the Judges over.

Can’t wait for tonight!

Initial Reaction to ABC Battlebots (2015) Episode 1

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Holy Crap.

Battlebots has returned this year on ABC and it’s as ridiculous and amazing as it was more than ten years ago on Comedy Central.  To begin with, I want to say I felt like my ten year old self again while watching this first episode.  The hype, the out-of-place suave commentators, the flashy stage, and the killer robots threw me back to my parents’ couch years ago.  It was fun, stupid, and most importantly, robots fought each other for the glorious nut!

First, few things I was disappointed about before I gushed about everything else.

-No original theme?  That makes me sad.  The original Battlebots referee Mark Beiro was also not there but considering his long and great career, I’m totally fine with that.

-They didn’t say “The box is locked, the lights are on, it’s robot fighting time!”  Come on!  That was basically their slogan!

-As mentioned before the main three commentators seem out of place but given the nature of Battlebots history, that’s typical.  At least they’re not as annoying as the original ones!

Okay!  Onto the good stuff!

This season of Battlebots (season 6) has made some good choices in order to both highlight the builders and televise the battles.  Instead of a huge assortment of robots we get just 24 robots in one weight class.  This cuts down the shallow coverage of the robots and gives us a more in-depth look into each of them.  This is great!  We learn why we should care for each of the robots, it makes us root for them more, and it gives us the opportunity to connect to them and remember them better.

Some people complain about the coverage on the builders but that’s typical Battlebots!  They love to focus on the builders!  It humanizes them!  It gets the audience to know them better and why we should root for them!  It also shows how anyone can build robots and compete in the tournament!  It’s pretty funny too when you get this juxtaposition of these cool, suave announcers interviewing the dorky and sometimes rigid builders.

At first I thought when they were focusing on the builders they were only showing the winners of each battle.  Thankfully, I was wrong with that as evidence by the Warhead vs. Biteforce battle.  Good!  I don’t want things to become predictive!

Okay, now onto the battles!

First off, Razorback vs. Icewave.  Nice, good battle to start on!  Razorback is interesting; I never have seen a Battlebot design like that before.  What were they trying to accomplish there?  Anyway, Icewave was definitely the highlight for this battle.  I liked the builder, Marc DeVidts, he reminds me of me a little.  He saw Battlebots around my age and wanted to build his own Battlebot because of which.  That’s awesome.  Icewave actually reminded me of the former Middleweight Champion, Hazard thanks to its spinning blade.  Icewave was just tearing apart Razorback and it was greeeeeat.  I look forward to Icewave’s next battle!

Next, Wrecks vs. Plan X.  Anyone recall the Middleweight T-Wrecks here?  Hm, maybe me.  Regardless, Wrecks is nothing like T-Wrecks.  God, this robot is so funky!  I freaking love this guy!  Team Captain Micah “Chewy” Leibowitz explained that he came up with this robot after waking up from a dream and I can tell!  Then there’s Plan X which is also freaky thanks to its glowing brain.  Former Battlebot competitor Lisa Winter built this robot and I was pleased to see her return.  Female representation in a male dominated sport is always a plus especially when the builder is young and confident in herself.

This battle was probably the most entertaining out of the four thanks to these two weird, weird, robots.  It looked like Plan X was going to win it at first then Wrecks started shuffling back like a determined terrier ready to take down a german shepherd!  I was laughing my ass off during the entire fight.  Part of me was hoping Wrecks would win this one due to its comeback in the last ten seconds and the huge damage it was inflicting on Plan X.  Definitely a favorite.  I was disappointed by Plan X’s spinning weapon but hopefully it will do more damage in the next round.

Next we get the upset battle Warhead vs. Biteforce.  Ah, Warhead, one of the few veteran robots that unfortunately couldn’t seal a win against his opponent.  And to be fair, it was a bad matchup.  Biteforce had a strong drive and a highly defensive ram.  That drum spinner barely dent Biteforce and the arms and tail were useless.  Biteforce had this battle right from the get-go by pushing Warhead all over the place and into two different pulverizers (which made me laughed hard)!  Biteforce reminded me of Complete Control thanks to its unique design and ability to handle dangerous opponents.  Good work Biteforce!

Finally, we get the amazing battle between Nightmare and Warrior Clan.  Man, ABC missed their chance to talk about how Team Nightmare and Team Whyachi had fought each other before in Season 3 for Nightmare vs. Son of Whyachi where Son of Whyachi won hands down.  They should have mentioned that!  Anyway, great battle even though my favorite, Nightmare, got flipped over (again, another bad matchup for a veteran robot).  To be fair though, whether done intentionally or not, the new Nightmare design kind of helped Nightmare in its dire situation.  I’m sure Jim Smentowski was trying his damndest to flip his terrorizing robot over.  Regardless, DID YOU SEE WHAT NIGHTMARE DID TO THAT BITTY FLAME BOT!  That was hilarious.

We still have more qualifying rounds to go through so I’ll withhold my judgement of flame and multi-bots until then but so far they seem to be working out well.

As for wildcard…there are 24 robots and 12 battles which means 12 losers.  Only four of the twelve losers will be picked to fight in the second round (if I’m interpreting the rules correctly).  The show briefly mentioned that the judges will pick the four robots that did the best in their respective matches (which is a great idea).  If I were to pick a robot or two from this episode it would be Wrecks or Nightmare.  Both did a great job fighting their opponent and I can’t decide who deserves it more.  I guess I lean towards Wrecks cause I want to see more of him!  He’s so funky and hilarious (but also he lasted the full three minutes as well)!

My Pick to Win the Nut: I think Icewave might have the best chance.  Battlebots has had a history of vertical rotator robots (e.g., Hazard and Son of Whyachi) winning the Nut.  Icewave’s blade was just wailing on Razorback showing that he is both a good defensive and offensive robot.  However, Icewave was smoking by the end of his match which isn’t good and he’ll have to worry about flipping robots like Warrior Clan (who might even be too low for the swinging blade).

Overall, the episode was great and I look forward to seeing more episodes of Battlebots!  Woo!