Editorial note: these Battlebots reviews will contain spoilers.

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Battlebots. I apologize for the delay in posting this week’s review. I was getting ready to attend the season opening competition of the Norwalk Havok Robot League (NHRL) on Saturday, 26 March. There will be an article coming up this week about the experience of attending in person.

But first, it’s robot fighting time. We’re in the second half of the Round of 32, figuring out the final robot to make the cut and stepping into the Round of 16.

Let’s get into it.

This week, we’re ripping off the bandage straight away and seeing if Hydra or Defender takes the number 31 seed for the elimination tournament. Hydra is the flipper bot from Jake Ewert and Team Whyachi. They went 1-2 this season, beating Gruff in a knockout but losing to End Game and Glitch in knockouts. Defender is the rookie controlbot with a flamethrower from Jason Vazquez and Team Fast Electronics. They went 2-1 this season, losing to Ribbot in a knockout but beating Riptide and Retrograde in judges’ decisions.

I previously predicted that Hydra would win this fight if they had their weapon working like we know it can. Defender has potential, but their grappling/lifting system hasn’t shown the strength to really lock down on heavyweight robots.

Hydra comes right in, ready to flip, while Defender is trying to get around to side of Hydra. Defender is not able to get under Hydra and starts running over the wedge. Hydra is firing the flipper whenever Defender is on the wedge, launching it over and over again. Eventually, Hydra flips Defender onto the Upper Deck and Defender cannot self-right with a broken grappling arm. Hydra wins in a knockout.

A working Hydra is a scary thing. If they keep the weapon working, they very well may win the entire season with flips like that.

Next up is Cobalt vs Yeti. Cobalt is the vertical spinner on a wedge from John Mladenik and Team Robotic Death Company. They went 2-1 this season, losing to Fusion in a knockout but beating Ghost Raptor and Gruff in knockouts. Yeti is the drum spinner with lifting forks from Greg Gibson, Christian Carlberg, and Team C2 Robotics. They went 2-1 this season, losing to MadCatter in a knockout but beating Pain Train in a knockout and Skorpios in a judges’ decision.

I previously predicted Cobalt would win this fight. Matt Maxham is doing incredible things as Cobalt’s driver and the weapon looks like one of the most powerful and reliable in the field this year.

The two bots tentatively meet in the center of the Arena, giving them both time to get up to speed. Neither can get underneath the other straight on. Yeti starts using its lifting forks to tilt its weapon upwards, stopping Cobalt from making weapon on weapon combat. Yeti gets a good hit on Cobalt by getting to the back, but Cobalt is finally able to go weapon on weapon and breaks Yeti’s front left fork. Another flip breaks part of Yeti’s drivetrain and stops it from self-righting. Cobalt wins in a knockout.

There was a lot of great strategy on display in this fight. Yeti’s use of their lifting forks was brilliant. Cobalt got ahead on pure Aggression. That spinner is deadly.

Up next is JackPot vs Tombstone. JackPot is the vertical spinner with interchangeable weapons from Jeff Waters and Team Vegas Combat Robotics. They went 2-0 this season, beating Defender in a judges’ decision and Malice in a knockout. Tombstone is the horizontal spinner from Ray Billings and Team Hardcore Robotics. They went 2-1 this season, losing to Captain Shrederator in a knockout but beating Mammoth and Free Shipping in judges’ decisions.

I previously predicted Tombstone would win this fight. A working Tombstone is a knockout risk against any opponent and Ray Billings is a very experienced driver in the elimination tournament format. It’s going to come down to weapon reliability.

Tombstone and JackPot are meeting weapon on weapon, trying to knockout their opponent straight away. On the second impact, JackPot loses the top armor on the right side of their bot, leaving electronics hanging outside. However, Tombstone loses half of its drivetrain and gets counted out. JackPot wins in a quick knockout.

JackPot is a great vertical spinner that got the best of Tombstone, which is still one of the best horizontal spinners in the game. This was a fight I could see going either way.

The next fight is MadCatter vs Black Dragon. MadCatter is the spinner/lifter robot from Martin Mason and Team Bad Kitty. They went 2-1 this season, beating Yeti and Rampage in knockouts but losing to SawBlaze in a knockout. Black Dragon is the eggbeater spinner and flamethrower from João Marcos and Team Uailrrior. They went 2-1 this season, knocking out ICEwave and Claw Viper but losing in a judges’ decision to Rotator.

I previous predicted Black Dragon would win this fight. I think they have the more powerful weapon and the more durable bot. Black Dragon has spent most of a three minute match on fire and still won in previous fights. Both teams have great driving and are super aggressive in the Arena, so it’s going to be a fun fight no matter what.

This is a three minute slugfest. MadCatter goes for the box rush and gets flipped by Black Dragon’s weapon. They’re both going weapon on weapon. Black Dragon has an easier time getting underneath MadCatter, but MadCatter’s weapon is hitting Black Dragon more often. It goes back and forth like this until Black Dragon loses its spinner. They start relying on their driving and flamethrower to keep attacking. MadCatter is moving much slower by the end than they did in the beginning of the fight, but Black Dragon definitely got the worst of the visible Damage.

The fight goes to a judges’ decision. The results are split, giving Black Dragon a 2-1 win over MadCatter. I agree. MadCatter won Damage, but Black Dragon was more Aggressive and their low ground advantage gave them more Control. Black Dragon has to get some Damage points for MadCatter losing some power to its drivetrain. Both robots put up a great fight and their teams should be proud of what they did.

Up next is Blip vs Valkyrie. Blip is the rookie flipper bot from Aren Hill and Team Seems Reasonable Robotics. It went 3-0 this season, knocking out Rusty and Overhaul and beating Lock-Jaw in a judges’ decision. Valkyrie is the undercutter spinner from Leanne Cushing and Team VALKYRIE. They went 2-1 this season, losing to P1 in a judges’ decision but beating Triple Crown and Pardon My French in knockouts.

I previously predicted Blip would win this fight. I’m a fan of both of these robots and hate that they have to go head to head so soon. However, Blip has been more reliable this season. I also think that the wedge on the flipper is at the right angle to get under Valkyrie and send it flying.

Blip has no trouble getting underneath Valkyrie’s weapon, quickly disabling the massive horizontal spinner before flipping Valkyrie onto the Upper Deck. Blip dominates the rest of the fight. They flip Valkyrie over and over until it stops moving at all.

Blip’s big advantage here is the weapon reliability. The electrical, rather than pneumatic or hydraulic, flywheel flipping system can keep going an entire fight. It pushes a lot of force very quickly and can keep resetting. They can also vary how strong the flipper goes, letting them do quick little pops or massive flips depending on their opponent and position. This is why I predicted them making it to the finals this season.

The next two fights are cut down to the highlights reel. The full fights are available on the Battlebots YouTube page and the Facebook page if you’re a supporter. I’ve embedded them here, as well.

First is Rotator vs Captain Shrederator. Rotator is the undercutter from Victor Soto and Team Revolution. They went 2-0 this season, winning against Kraken and Black Dragon in judges’ decisions. Captain Shrederator is the full body spinner from Brian Nave and Team LOGICOM. They went 2-1 this season, knocking out Tombstone and Jäger, but losing to Gigabyte in a knockout.

I previously predicted Captain Shrederator would win here. It’s another robot with the potential to knockout anyone else in the field. When it works, it wins by knockout. When it doesn’t, it typically knocks itself out.

Captain Shrederator’s weapon stays up to speed and they keep coming in for hits. Rotator keeps feeding its wedge into Shrederator, eventually swinging around with its own spinner. Shrederator loses its teeth and eventually cracks the shell of the spinner in half before shutting down completely. Rotator wins by KO.

Next is Whiplash vs ICEwave. Whiplash is the controlbot with removable vertical spinner from Matt Vazquez and Team Fast Electronics. They went 2-0 this season, beating Bloodsport in a knockout and Skorpios in a judges’ decision. ICEwave is the gas-powered horizontal spinner from Marc DeVidts and Team ICEwave. They went 2-1 this season, losing to Black Dragon in a knockout but beating Deadlift and Fusion in knockouts.

I previously predicted Whiplash would win this fight. ICEwave looks great this season and they got the spinner working well after their first match, but Whiplash is so fast that I don’t think ICEwave will have enough time to spin up for the knockout.

The fight is quick. Whiplash stops ICEwave from getting all the way up to speed, feeds it to the screws, and flips it over. ICEwave cannot self-right and gets counted out.

The next full length fight is Tantrum vs Gigabyte. Tantrum is the vertical spinner/puncher bot from Aren Hill and Team Seems Reasonable Robotics. They went 2-0 this season, beating Malice in a judges’ decision and Lucky in a knockout. Gigabyte is the full body spinner from John Mladenik and Team Robotic Death Company. They went 2-1 this season, losing to Uppercut in a knockout but beating Captain Shrederator and SMEEE in knockouts.

I previously predicted Tantrum would win this fight. Gigabyte has hit hard this season, but Tantrum is fast and aggressive. I don’t think Gigabyte will have enough time to spin up completely for a knockout here.

Gigabyte is running some spring-loaded forks under their spinner that they previously used on King of Bots. Tantrum tries a box rush but misses Gigabyte, hitting the walls instead. Gigabyte gets pushed into the corner and doesn’t get enough time to spin up. Tantrum knocks the forks off of Gigabyte and keeps trying to push Gigabyte onto the Upper Deck. Gigabyte uses that opportunity to get up to speed, landing an overhead hit on Tantrum and knocking off one of Tantrum’s wheels. This gives Gigabyte more time to spin up. Shortly after, Gigabyte loses control of its spinner. Tantrum can maintain Control even with less maneuverability because Gigabyte doesn’t have a lot of pushing power.

The fight goes to a judges’ decision. Tantrum wins a unanimous judges’ decision. Based on the actual scoring system here, I agree. Tantrum took out Gigabyte’s weapon, which is a more visible sign of Damage than the Damage to Tantrum’s drive system. They also had more Control once Gigabyte couldn’t spin up. I think Gigabyte would’ve won the fight if they didn’t lose the spinner, but without a weapon they couldn’t fully capitalize on the momentum from that incredible overhead hit from the Upper Deck.

Last up is Ribbot vs Hydra. Ribbot is the modular spinner from David Jin and Team Ribbot. They went 3-0 this season, winning knockouts against Defender, Overhaul, and P1.

I previously predicted that Ribbot would win this fight against Defender or Hydra. Ribbot has never looked stronger, making the right choice in weapon and strategy against all of their opponents this season. The weapon is hitting hard and they’ve been very reliable.

Hydra easily gets under Ribbot. The first flip rips off the frog top plate, exposing the main armor of the robot. Ribbot’s undercutter is tearing Hydra apart every time it goes on the wedge. It actually breaks the front of the flipper, meaning Ribbot has to be on top of Hydra to be flipped. Ribbot loses control of part of its drivetrain and starts crab walking around the arena. The referees determine that is not controlled movement and count out Ribbot.

Both robots did great here. Ribbot had the potential to knockout Hydra if it didn’t lose its drivetrain. Meanwhile, Hydra has the flipper tuned in and is sending its opponents flying in the elimination tournament. I’m sad to lose my original pick to win the tournament, but I’m excited to see what Hydra can do on this side of the bracket.

I made better predictions here. I went 5-3 on this side of the bracket, incorrectly picking Ribbot, Tombstone, and Captain Shrederator to advance. The only one that really surprises me is Ribbot being out so soon. I predicted a deep run into the tournament for them because of their performance in the qualifiers, but Hydra worked out their gremlins and looks like a real threat to win the whole tournament now.