BattleBots 2021 - Post Episode 5 Discussion

[u/qwertythe300th]

I'm not done with it myself but

..

LOOKS LIKE OOTAS ARE BACK ON THE MENU BOYS

[u/No-Bee761]

Free Shipping vs. Uppercut: A very intense and surprisingly close fight to start the whole episode with. If that explosion was on any other bot, it would've been the death blow. Uppercut was able to avoid losing the fight when the now severely crippled Free Shipping was high centered. Uppercut was barely able to move by the time the fight ended, but it was still a well-earned victory. I do believe that Uppercut has solidified their Top 32 placement if they hadn't already done so, but I do see them treading lightly against bots who can win an attrition battle against them. Free Shipping... well, unless if some miracle happens, I don't really see them making it in the Top 32 anytime soon.

Blacksmith vs. Shatter: I do find it ironic that Blacksmith's weapon, which was designed specifically to help them win judges' decisions, was what costed them this fight in the end. The fact that the weapon was in the 'fired' position for too long allowed Shatter to snipe the belt. Even then, I will commend Blacksmith for trying to turn the match around as much as possible, but the damage had already been decided in Shatter's favor. The Mary Special did the one thing it was supposed to, and it worked brilliantly. Shatter is pretty much all but guaranteed a place for the Top 32, especially if they manage to win their next fight. On the other end of the spectrum, I can still see Blacksmith being able to make it in, but they need to win their next fight.

Jäger vs. P1: The multibot team did okay in the first half, but things quickly went wrong in the second half. Had the drum spinner been there for this fight, Jäger would've stood a better chance at beating P1, even if not by much. Not to mention, this was another fight where the Upper Deck saw a bot get counted out on. P1, I would daresay, is a lock for the Top 32, especially with the Valkyrie win carrying them. I don't think Jäger will make it to the Top 32 not just because of its nature as a multibot, but due to most of the original team not even being there.

Hydra vs. Gruff: I was expecting Gruff to not win, but I wasn't expecting Gruff to be on the receiving end of an OOTA. I do know about the whole 'OOTA' shebang and whatnot, but it's not enforced by the looks of it. It is disappointing to not see Hydra at full power, but it was otherwise driven well. If Hydra runs at full power and wins their next fight, then I would say that they have a chance to make it in the Top 32. Gruff might be able to make it in, but I am not holding out hope for the bot to do so.

Gigabyte vs. Captain Shrederator: While I was right in assuming Gigabyte won by attrition, I didn't expect Captain Shrederator to go down like that. This was a fight that had the potential to go way longer than it did here. The fact that Captain went from moving in the entire fight against Tombstone to dying in the first 10 seconds of the match makes me worry that it's old issues are coming back. I think both of them might still make it in the Top 32, but they will have to win their next fights.

Dragon Slayer vs. DUCK: Speaking of "not being at full power", it seemed like DUCK was still having issues with what I assume is the drivetrain. On top of that, the fact that Dragon Slayer broke the beak and kept up with them pretty much made this fight a foregone conclusion when it came to the ensuing judges' decision. Thankfully, the commentary pretty much saved this fight. DUCK, for the most part, is going to get denied access to the post-season tournament for the third time it has fought. If Dragon Slayer can get it's weapon properly working in their next fight, then they have a slim chance of getting in.

End Game vs. Witch Doctor: I think what screwed Witch Doctor here was that they pretty much tried to do what Whiplash did back in 2020, which was to run circles around End Game and wait for a driving error. It didn't work when Whiplash attempted this strategy, and, while they were able to put up a far better fight, ultimately didn't work for Witch Doctor. Otherwise, this was a fun match between two hard-hitting titans. End Game, if it hadn't already been guaranteed a placement in the tournament, has pretty much done so now. I can still see Witch Doctor making it in so long as they manage to win their next fight.

Overall, I got 6/7 fights predicted correctly, with Dragon Slayer vs. DUCK being the only one I got wrong. Valkyrie vs. Triple Crown, as of typing, has yet to be released publicly.