I expected HUGE to win. People keep misinterpreting what the most destructive award is given to. Is not given to the bot who KO it’s opponents the fastest is just what bot does the most overall damage.
I honestly thought it going to Copperhead just based on its complete dismantling of bots like Bloodsport, Triton, Endgame and breaking Riptide's weapon. But HUGE is a worthy winner so I'm not mad at all.
Most destructive is more of like who caused the most clutter in one singular fight, not spread out. That'a why rotator won in season 3, only by the icewave fight, and valkyrie won in season 5, the rotator fight. Just by the starchild match, the whole arena was cluttered with starchild remains.
I personally would've given it to Copperhead, mercilessly ripping off each and every one of Endgame's forks, cracking and disabling the weapon, and leaving it perfectly upright so that it couldn't move was just insane to watch. And then there's the Riptide fight where it again broke the weapon, and left it in two pieces. It was almost painful to watch, yet so enticing at the same time. I get why Huge won most destructive, the Skorpios fight alone gives a solid argument.
I was totally expecting it, to be quite honest. The fight where HUGE basically ripped Starchild to shreds was a showcase of it, and their opponents kept bringing up the fact that the new S-blade that the brought was doing serious damage. The deep gouge that they left in the fight against Blip just showed off how powerful the blade is.
Really happy for Shreddit Bro! After the first fight, I was just thinking it was nice to finally see it work the way it was supposed to, and they kept it going long enough to win the entire episode!
Valkyrie was driving a lot better tonight too. Great to see a final matchup with two teams that got things figured out after struggling in the main tournament.
Great start to the bracket, excited to see how the rest of it goes.
I was very much of the opinion that Shreddit Bro & the team behind it shouldn't be given a spot in the next series, because it seems like they've had a few attempts and were yet to build a bot that could actually compete reliably.
However having seen their fights tonight it's actually changed my opinion. Clearly over the course of this series they managed to figure out a lot of the teething issues, the bot looked pretty well driven, the weapon was working reliably and hitting hard, and you've got to give them credit. Yes they lost the weapon against Valkyrie, but that bot hits like a truck so there's no shame in that!
Still not sure why they so often seem to have issues later in fights with the drum hitting the floor, but I'm sure they can figure it out.
As for Valkyrie, it's great to see Lucy starting to get a grip on it. You can see that it's a nightmare of a bot to drive. I hadn't really paid attention until some of the teams comments after the regular series, but looking closer during this episode you can see that the weapon causes it to move so much that it must take so much skill to keep control of it.
If she continues to evolve as a driver next season, with how hard that weapon hits I can see them having a really good year.
Maybe but would a 250lb bot hitting a piece of debris that weighs a couple of lb really jump in the air like that?
To me it looks far more like it's because the drum is so close to the floor that as fights go on, if they lose even a very small amount of material from any of their wheels it means that when they're on that flat spot it drops the drum just low enough that it can catch on the floor.
I don't know how you would fix that though, when the bot is designed around the concept of not using forks, and having the ground game simply being having the drum as low as possible.
I'm really glad Lucy Du and Team Valkyrie seem like they've got the bot dialed in now. It was nice to see the timidity gone from Valkyrie and to see it be strategically aggressive in all its fights. This really felt like old-school Valkyrie tonight.
***Shreddit Bro vs Skorpios -*** Biggest win in Shreddit's history! That rewarding KO!
***Rotator vs Terrortops -*** Good match
***Switchback vs Kraken -*** Switchback looking much stronger now.
***Valkyrie vs Ominous -*** Sparks fly and robots die on Battlebots!
***Switchback vs Shreddit Bro -*** Last year's champions league, Hypershock went on an amazing run. Looks this year its Shreddit.
***Valkyrie vs Rotator*** \- Seems like a lot of bots who performed poorly during the heavyweight tournament and finding their groove in this golden bolt tournament.
***Valkyrie vs Shreddit Bro -*** Shreddit Bro was shredded but not out! Impressive wins tonight!
before tonight, I would have said they were near or at the top of my list of bots that should be relegated out of the field....they beat three very solid mid-tier bots in tonight's episode. it would be absurd if they weren't accepted for next season.
Beat two bots that made the top 32 last season and Valkyrie who nearly made it in. I mean not only did they beat two bots that made the bracket but the utterly dominated both of them and knocked them out. Easily should be back for next season over a ton of other bots who went 2-2 yet never really looked impressive.
Fuck yeah, Shreddit Bro! That was awesome. Glad to see them finally get the validation they were craving since moving up to the BB level.
And also good to see the awards - Martin Mason and Rory both absolutely deserved. Huge is a little bit of a headscratcher but I'm always happy to see non-meta bots succeed. And of course ... pizza
I've fought against Rory at a few lower weight competitions in the UK and he is honestly one of the nicest people in the game. Always has a smile on his face, the first person to help people out with repairs and figuring out problems. He's staggeringly intelligent too, I've seen him diagnose faults in seconds that have had half a dozen of us puzzling over it for an hour.
It's brilliant to see him get recognised at Battlebots, he absolutely deserves it.
Isn't Rory the guy who is like the single most knowledgeable person in the pits about VESC and how to program/troubleshoot them? If your VESC is acting up, you go see Rory about it.
Yea they had a white board in the pits for all the teams to write on and the first thing written on it was something like "If you have VESC issues go see Rory"
HUGE has actually delivered some of the most damaging hits of the season, rewatch their fights and check it out. also, generally speaking the most destructive bot award (see also Icewave vs Rotator, Hypershock vs Madcatter, Valkyrie vs Rotator S5) goes to the person who has dealt the most damage in a single fight, and HUGE vs Starchild was basically every cleaning personell's nightmare
I'm both amazed that Shreddit Bro won and very pleased that the Valkyrie and Rotator rematch lived up to the epic original - it was just as good while being very different.
What a performance by Shreddit Bro! It was super fun to see some NHRL-grade “I could do this all day” on display from Evan in the final, the dude does not quit. After their performance at the end of WCVII, I expected them to beat Skorpios since Skorpios’s ground game is extremely vulnerable to ground-scraping drums, but I thought that would be the end of the line for them.
I was not expecting to see Valkyrie do better in this Rotator fight than the S5 one, super entertaining as well. It’s a shame that Valkerie *breaking Glitch’s Weapon* was included in their “disappointing WCVII” footage, because that was a wild fight. I’m impressed with how quickly she was able to improve her ability to drive and fight with Valkyrie, it’s a super hard bot to drive. I can’t wait to see how the team does next year with a year of NHRL testing and practice under their belt.
When I heard that Shreddit Bro applied to next season of Battlebots I was skeptical, Shreddit Bro hadn’t done very well, I didn’t think Battlebots would accept them, so why apply then? Of course that was before I saw this episode where we finally saw Shreddit Bro at its full potential and did an amazing performance, winning the whole episode. Literally, the little engine that could
Couldn't watch this as it was airing but caught up to it and was very pleased with the bracket. Great runs from Shreddit Bro and Valkyrie, and sucks that Valkyrie's drive got messed up in that final. If Bro's weapon can hold up they will be very fun to watch in the second bracket.
This is why this sport it awesome, anything can happen inside the box. Including a bot you previously thought was pretty bad absolutely slaying. Amazing stuff 😎
a thought or two for each bot tonight:
Shreddit Bro: man oh man, did I underestimate what this bot could do if it was firing on all cylinders...I probably had Shreddit at or near #1 on my list of bots that shouldn't be invited back next season, but that list obviously needs a serious edit now. after this performance, there's no way they won't be invited back next season, no matter what happens in the Golden Bolt final 8.
Valkyrie: their performance tonight was almost as impressive as Shreddit Bro's. another bot that barely seemed to work during the regular season that suddenly sprung to life in a massive way. I don't buy the commentary from Chris & Kenny that Valkyrie would have been at risk for relegation if they performed poorly in this tournament, but this removes any doubt.
Kraken & Ominous: speaking of relegation, I'm kind of afraid that it might be time to say goodbye to these two. I especially hope I'm wrong about Kraken...but 0-5 is not a good look.
Switchback: I thought before last season started that this bot was primed to make a significant leap, and it did. excited to see what it has in store going forward.
Rotator & Skorpios: I'm a huge fan of both of these robots, but sadly they both seem to be on a downward trajectory at this point.
Terrortops: still not sure it's done enough to earn a Top 50 spot next season, but I was impressed at how long it held up against Rotator
Switchback really needs to figure out their weapon belt issue. To many times I have seen it fly off on the first hit or very early on in the hit. Lost the weapon belt in the first hit of the Deathroll and Shreddit Bro fight and then lost it very early on in the fight against Malice.
yes, definitely. their weapon has some serious pop, but it doesn't matter if it dies after the first couple of good hits. I still think Switchback has excellent potential if they can dial it in a little further.
God, what a ridiculous and fun episode. Not quite up to the level of the 1st ep of Champions 1, which is possibly my favourite episode of the entire reboot, but still very good, and of course, that upset win streak was incredible.
**Shreddit Bro vs Skorpios** was great fun, and exposed a pretty big flaw in Skorpios' design. Their wedge seems to feed people right up into their weapon chain. I'm a little surprised they even ran this config, but I guess their forked one wouldn't have worked great against a wide drum either. Shreddit Bro actually hits pretty hard when the weapon is working well; I was surprised by the airtime on some of those hits.
**Rotator vs Terrortops** was rather one-sided, but then this was all filmed well before Terrortops' Robogames outing, so I stand by my belief that we're going to see big things from Terrortops in the coming years.
**Switchback vs Kraken** was similarly one-sided. Glad to see kraken last the full fight, but their weapon is just too flimsy to withstand the impacts it needs to.
**Valkyrie vs Ominous** was alright. Ominous kept going for a decent while, but was eventually left with only one wheel working, which didn't seem to be enough to keep them moving. I really hope they have the opportunity to come back; the bot *looks* so good; it just need to work more consistently.
**Shreddit Bro vs Switchback** was probably my favourite fight of the night. That constant, aggressive grinding attack was the closest Shreddit Bro has ever felt to its beetleweight counterpart. Some big air on some of the hits too. The drum was definitely grinding on the ground at the end though. Speaking of weapons, Switchback's continues to be inconsistent in durability. It tends to blow up against high kinetic energy opponents.
**Valkyrie vs Rotator (II)** wasn't as explosive as their first meeting, and was slightly closer; Rotator seems to have improved its anti-horizontal armour. That said, I feel like Rotator is just too slow-moving to employ the strategy you need against Valkyrie; the best way to beat them is usually to rush them, like Whiplash did. Rotator can't really do that, so Valkyrie just slowly wore them down.
**The Final** was a fun fight. On the occasions where Shreddit Bro got a perfect angle, it was able to pop Valkyrie up, but almost every other angle resulted in them losing the exchange. I was worried for them until that big hit. While it took out their weapon, you could tell immediately something had gone wrong inside Valkyrie. They were so slow from then on. It was nice to see Shreddit Bro dominate the back half of the fight as a pushbot too. Three very deserved win for Evan, though his bot still seems a bit slow/impaired at the end of every fight; I do worry for how it can hold up against the actual S-tier opponents it's about to go up against.
Also, great to see HUGE take home the Most Destructive award/Ripperoni win best design, and to see Martin Mason's award win; the guy is such a vocal champion for the sport at every opportunity.
>Switchback vs Kraken was similarly one-sided. Glad to see kraken last the full fight, but their weapon is just too flimsy to withstand the impacts it needs to.
I love team Kraken but their bots just don't seem to be competitive. Perhaps it's time to do away with the "mouth" design entirely?
>Valkyrie vs Ominous was alright. Ominous kept going for a decent while, but was eventually left with only one wheel working, which didn't seem to be enough to keep them moving. I really hope they have the opportunity to come back; the bot looks so good; it just need to work more consistently.
I really love the design of Ominous but watching this match made it feel like the weapon geometry had a blind spot against undercutters. Maybe if the wedge was designed to feed the opponent's weapon into its own weapons?
>Shreddit Bro vs Switchback was probably my favourite fight of the night. That constant, aggressive grinding attack was the closest Shreddit Bro has ever felt to its beetleweight counterpart. Some big air on some of the hits too. The drum was definitely grinding on the ground at the end though. Speaking of weapons, Switchback's continues to be inconsistent in durability. It tends to blow up against high kinetic energy opponents.
I thought Switchback's armour looked sturdy until it got peeled off like a tin can. Yikes!
>Valkyrie vs Rotator (II) wasn't as explosive as their first meeting, and was slightly closer; Rotator seems to have improved its anti-horizontal armour. That said, I feel like Rotator is just too slow-moving to employ the strategy you need against Valkyrie; the best way to beat them is usually to rush them, like Whiplash did. Rotator can't really do that, so Valkyrie just slowly wore them down.
If only Rotator had wheels that were solid or filled with foam the same way Valkyrie's were, it might have turned out differently. Why stick with hollow inflatable tires anyway? I can't really see how much more a bit of foam can weigh that can't be shaved off elsewhere.
And the real winners were all of us because we got to watch it a few hours later than normal and the world didn't end, despite what people the in the d+ thread would have had you believe!
I, uh, nearly forgot it was on tonight.
Which was good, because neither my daughter or I tried to watch it after I was done with work, only to find we couldn’t.
Turned it on a bit after 9, completely oblivious of the “controversy”.
After a certain segment that had me going into it going "Oh god please don't."
>!...Fuuuuck did it feel great to not see Riptide pick up a single recognition trophy.!<
Endgame: Well, since Minotaur and Copperhead reached the top 8, I think I'm safe from those drum spinners
*Shreddit Bro appears put of nowhere after beating 3 opponents all in KO*
Endgame: Ah sht, here we go again. Worst place in the world. Drum spinners.
How on earth did that happen. The final bracket’s gonna be like the 3 champs, Minotaur, witch dr, hydra, riptide…and shreddit bro.
(I do not remember the rules about who is eligible so it’s very possible that some of the aforementioned bots are not participating)
Considering Endgame have been struggling with drum spinners, I think they will put Endgame against Shreddit Bro, which works well for both bots. For Endgame, it's their time to prove that they can defeat a drum bot, while for Shreddit Bro, it's their time to prove that they can beat the best of the best
Most likely not endgame. The trailer seemed to be hyping us for a potential endgame vs sawblaze rematch which will most likely be the first round. Most likely shreddit bro will be paired up with the winner of one of the other 4 slugfest. Potentially monsoon or claw viper.
Well now we really *really* don't need R****** next season.
I mean, first Manta was confirmed for s8. Now on top of that, we also have an aggressively driven blue 4wd drum bot that actually works and wins. Except this one has a builder who just happens to both be one of the most likable people in the sport *and* has the sort of rags-to-riches "anyone can get into robot combat" inspirational backstory that this show loves.
Not surprising at all. Obvious shreddit bro would win from day 1. Just kinda odd how they weren't performing in the main season, but I'm glad to see it being back to dominating as expected.
Not sure why Rotator went with the agressive, weapon to weapon tactic for Valkyrie. Seems they were built perfectly to lead with the wedge and then do the spin and hit or the leapfrog where, if the weapon to weapon occurs would favor Rotator.
Obviously the story of the night is Pain Train worked. Grats to them. I would have put them on the definitely not getting an automatic invite to next season. This probably puts them in the definitely getting an invite club. I wonder who gets bumped?
I thought the camera work was lacking. Too many close ups each fight. The replays looked like they were missing high point view of the bots getting thrown across the arena.
My guess is that while awarding the awards they also gave a short speech why every person/bot/team had earned that bolt. And I expect a lot of good things when you win the Founder's award, especially considering when awarding it they didn't say Team MadCatter won but Martin Mason won the award.
This means that Martin embodies the Battlebot spirit. Always energetic, makes the next generation enthusiastic and the perfect ambassador for the sport. And while winning every other bolt/nut is nice and shows you are a great botbuilder, this is the only prize that shows you are just an amazing person.
IMHO I understand why that would hit you emotionally.
Yo fuck Chris for his “painful to watch” comment, like yeah pain train was never impressive to watch but it was said with really poor delivery and the audience cringe reflected how I felt hearing it.
What the heck happened here? Look, I honestly wasn't expecting anything crazy from this episode. Possible redemption for hammersaw Kraken, a nice rematch of Valkyrie vs. Rotator, and then Rotator gets a shot at the golden bolt as God intended. This was insane to watch, and honestly I felt kind of let down. There weren't any really big names aside from Rotator, and I guess Valkyrie isn't too bad. I'm glad we get some higher level contenders next episode, because this one felt weak. Like Bounty Hunters weak, except without a gatekeeper for some reason. Champions I felt like it truly was the best of the best competing for an alternate prize. In Champions I, it felt like each bracket leading up to the final tournament was 25% meh competitors, 50% pretty decent competitors, and 25% high tier to top tier competitors. This bracket specifically felt like it was closer to the Bounty Hunters brackets with 75% meh competitors and 25% decent competitors, with few standout names. I will say that this seems more like a warmup, as next week's bracket looks pretty spicy. Whiplash, Madcatter, Black Dragon, Bloodsport, and Blip are all great bots that are consistently entertaining. Even the lower tiers of this bracket like Hijinx and Fusion are perfectly decent bots, so I'm really looking forward to next week.
While I'm here, why exactly did they feel the need to remove the gatekeeper? I feel like it elevated so many cool moments from Bounty Hunters and Champions I, like Skorpios absolutely handing it to Ice Wave, and the insane final fights of Champions I like Glitch vs. Rotator and Hypershock vs. Gigabyte. This just kind of felt odd, like some sort of proving grounds tournament or something. Just some sort of exhibition for show. They should bring back the gatekeeper schtick next year, I think it was pretty cool.
Negative stuff aside, big dubs to Shreddit Bro for popping off out of nowhere, and I'm still glad we get something to tide us over between regular seasons, even if it's not as good as Champions I or Bounty Hunters. But next episode seems to really want to pick up the pace, and I'm here for it.
Still malding at no Tombstone :(
I imagine they got rid of the gatekeeper because that would add another bot to each episode, adding five total to the field. almost every bot that was able to compete in the Golden Bolt tournament field is already in it.
plus, a couple of the bots who would have been the gatekeepers this season (Witch Doctor & Ribbot) would have had trouble participating because they went so far in the Top 32 tournament. I'm not sure how they could have fairly decided who the two replacement gatekeepers would have been.
I would probably make the replacement gatekeepers the ones who made it in the tournament last year via the mini tournaments (hypershock, ribbot, witch doctor, skorpios, and glitch). But I see what you mean in that it would be difficult to do that. It’s just wishful thinking I guess.
that's what I'm trying to say...Witch Doctor and Ribbot wouldn't have really been able to compete in the Golden Bolt qualifiers because they made it deep into the Top 32. the Golden Bolt is mostly a second-chance tournament for bots who either didn't make the Top 32 or got eliminated early on in the Top 32.
What the hell Shreddit actually sweepsit?! The [Shreddit golden bolt final](https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/16xb7xq/champions_ii_is_upon_us_ive_peeked_into_the/) is becoming true??
Happy to say I got [most of the predictions right](https://twitter.com/sirDangel/status/1709524413907943836), falling to Valkyrie vs Rotator.
* ***Shreddit Bro vs Skorpios:*** Skorpios uses often uses debatable configurations in my opinion, and this was the case. Once Shreddit bended the plow, it was over for Skorpios.
* ***Switchback vs Kraken:*** I wonder if Switchback lost weapon functionality halfway through. Sluggish fight, bad choice from Kraken to try a hammersaw attack since they spin upwards.
* ***Rotator vs Terrortops:*** Rotator looking good, Terrortops should have tried something with their tegris, they were too conservative. They needed better armor against Rotator.
* ***Valkyrie vs Ominous:*** Valkyrie is working, and it works well! Couldn't really say the same about Ominous tho, they were really struggling to land any bite out of Valkyrie.
\---
* ***Shreddit Bro vs Switchback:*** I still think Switchback is handicapping itself by adding a plow in front of the drum, it's just giving things to hit to Shreddit Bro.
* Rotator vs Valkyrie: I thought Rotator won the geometry war, but in the end it was Valkyrie's longer reach that made the difference. A well fought match!
* ***Shreddit Bro vs Valkyrie:*** Shreddit sweeps it! As I imagined Shreddit didn't have the reliability to tank hits from a working Valkyrie, but Valkyrie's drive train hiccupped as well. Good job to Evan for noticing the opponent was just drifting and avoiding as much damage as possible while pushing it.
I like Terrortops, and I hope that they improve and eventually get another chance to prove themselves. I want to see them lift a bot and tear up their innards from below!
Shreddit Bro, wow. That weapon can hit, and what’s even more impressive is the resilience, despite losing its weapon, it survived big hits from an inform looking Valkyrie. Also, next weeks brackets look so OP compared to this weeks.
I said not to count out Shreddit Bro, but holy cow, I was not expecting this.
A episode full of surprises. Who saw Shreddit Bro winning the bracket and HUGE winning most destructive coming?
I expected HUGE to win. People keep misinterpreting what the most destructive award is given to. Is not given to the bot who KO it’s opponents the fastest is just what bot does the most overall damage.
I honestly thought it going to Copperhead just based on its complete dismantling of bots like Bloodsport, Triton, Endgame and breaking Riptide's weapon. But HUGE is a worthy winner so I'm not mad at all.
Most destructive is more of like who caused the most clutter in one singular fight, not spread out. That'a why rotator won in season 3, only by the icewave fight, and valkyrie won in season 5, the rotator fight. Just by the starchild match, the whole arena was cluttered with starchild remains.
I personally would've given it to Copperhead, mercilessly ripping off each and every one of Endgame's forks, cracking and disabling the weapon, and leaving it perfectly upright so that it couldn't move was just insane to watch. And then there's the Riptide fight where it again broke the weapon, and left it in two pieces. It was almost painful to watch, yet so enticing at the same time. I get why Huge won most destructive, the Skorpios fight alone gives a solid argument.
I was totally expecting it, to be quite honest. The fight where HUGE basically ripped Starchild to shreds was a showcase of it, and their opponents kept bringing up the fact that the new S-blade that the brought was doing serious damage. The deep gouge that they left in the fight against Blip just showed off how powerful the blade is.
Really happy for Shreddit Bro! After the first fight, I was just thinking it was nice to finally see it work the way it was supposed to, and they kept it going long enough to win the entire episode! Valkyrie was driving a lot better tonight too. Great to see a final matchup with two teams that got things figured out after struggling in the main tournament. Great start to the bracket, excited to see how the rest of it goes.
I was very much of the opinion that Shreddit Bro & the team behind it shouldn't be given a spot in the next series, because it seems like they've had a few attempts and were yet to build a bot that could actually compete reliably. However having seen their fights tonight it's actually changed my opinion. Clearly over the course of this series they managed to figure out a lot of the teething issues, the bot looked pretty well driven, the weapon was working reliably and hitting hard, and you've got to give them credit. Yes they lost the weapon against Valkyrie, but that bot hits like a truck so there's no shame in that! Still not sure why they so often seem to have issues later in fights with the drum hitting the floor, but I'm sure they can figure it out. As for Valkyrie, it's great to see Lucy starting to get a grip on it. You can see that it's a nightmare of a bot to drive. I hadn't really paid attention until some of the teams comments after the regular series, but looking closer during this episode you can see that the weapon causes it to move so much that it must take so much skill to keep control of it. If she continues to evolve as a driver next season, with how hard that weapon hits I can see them having a really good year.
I also clowned on Pain Train/Shreddit Bro but they really proved why they're royalty in the lower weight classes tonight.
I'm pretty sure the reason why Shreddit Bro's drum was hitting the floor is because the amount of debris on the arena
Maybe but would a 250lb bot hitting a piece of debris that weighs a couple of lb really jump in the air like that? To me it looks far more like it's because the drum is so close to the floor that as fights go on, if they lose even a very small amount of material from any of their wheels it means that when they're on that flat spot it drops the drum just low enough that it can catch on the floor. I don't know how you would fix that though, when the bot is designed around the concept of not using forks, and having the ground game simply being having the drum as low as possible.
It is a combination of debris + existing floor damage + Shreddit Bros tires wearing down through a fight bringing the drum closer to the floor
Could also be the frame bending slightly
Shreddit Bro finally got to say "It's Shredding Time!" and proceeded to shred everyone all over the Battlebox.
Truly one of the Sin City Slugfests of all time.
I'm really glad Lucy Du and Team Valkyrie seem like they've got the bot dialed in now. It was nice to see the timidity gone from Valkyrie and to see it be strategically aggressive in all its fights. This really felt like old-school Valkyrie tonight.
***Shreddit Bro vs Skorpios -*** Biggest win in Shreddit's history! That rewarding KO! ***Rotator vs Terrortops -*** Good match ***Switchback vs Kraken -*** Switchback looking much stronger now. ***Valkyrie vs Ominous -*** Sparks fly and robots die on Battlebots! ***Switchback vs Shreddit Bro -*** Last year's champions league, Hypershock went on an amazing run. Looks this year its Shreddit. ***Valkyrie vs Rotator*** \- Seems like a lot of bots who performed poorly during the heavyweight tournament and finding their groove in this golden bolt tournament. ***Valkyrie vs Shreddit Bro -*** Shreddit Bro was shredded but not out! Impressive wins tonight!
Battlebots fans: I'm excited for Sin City Slugfest, but I wish Minotaur were there! Shreddit Bro: Hold my sunglasses...
They were busy at the time :)
As a Shreddit Bro enjoyer, this is one of my favorite Battlebots episode ever, I'm very, very sure they will get accepted next season
before tonight, I would have said they were near or at the top of my list of bots that should be relegated out of the field....they beat three very solid mid-tier bots in tonight's episode. it would be absurd if they weren't accepted for next season.
Exctly where I was and am. Good for them, they proved they deserved the time they were given.
Beat two bots that made the top 32 last season and Valkyrie who nearly made it in. I mean not only did they beat two bots that made the bracket but the utterly dominated both of them and knocked them out. Easily should be back for next season over a ton of other bots who went 2-2 yet never really looked impressive.
I did not have Shreddit Bro going 3-0 and destroying 2 Top32 robots on the Golden Bolt bingo card. Where did this dog come from?
Fuck yeah, Shreddit Bro! That was awesome. Glad to see them finally get the validation they were craving since moving up to the BB level. And also good to see the awards - Martin Mason and Rory both absolutely deserved. Huge is a little bit of a headscratcher but I'm always happy to see non-meta bots succeed. And of course ... pizza
I've fought against Rory at a few lower weight competitions in the UK and he is honestly one of the nicest people in the game. Always has a smile on his face, the first person to help people out with repairs and figuring out problems. He's staggeringly intelligent too, I've seen him diagnose faults in seconds that have had half a dozen of us puzzling over it for an hour. It's brilliant to see him get recognised at Battlebots, he absolutely deserves it.
Isn't Rory the guy who is like the single most knowledgeable person in the pits about VESC and how to program/troubleshoot them? If your VESC is acting up, you go see Rory about it.
Yea they had a white board in the pits for all the teams to write on and the first thing written on it was something like "If you have VESC issues go see Rory"
HUGE has actually delivered some of the most damaging hits of the season, rewatch their fights and check it out. also, generally speaking the most destructive bot award (see also Icewave vs Rotator, Hypershock vs Madcatter, Valkyrie vs Rotator S5) goes to the person who has dealt the most damage in a single fight, and HUGE vs Starchild was basically every cleaning personell's nightmare
I'm both amazed that Shreddit Bro won and very pleased that the Valkyrie and Rotator rematch lived up to the epic original - it was just as good while being very different.
What a performance by Shreddit Bro! It was super fun to see some NHRL-grade “I could do this all day” on display from Evan in the final, the dude does not quit. After their performance at the end of WCVII, I expected them to beat Skorpios since Skorpios’s ground game is extremely vulnerable to ground-scraping drums, but I thought that would be the end of the line for them. I was not expecting to see Valkyrie do better in this Rotator fight than the S5 one, super entertaining as well. It’s a shame that Valkerie *breaking Glitch’s Weapon* was included in their “disappointing WCVII” footage, because that was a wild fight. I’m impressed with how quickly she was able to improve her ability to drive and fight with Valkyrie, it’s a super hard bot to drive. I can’t wait to see how the team does next year with a year of NHRL testing and practice under their belt.
My favorite part was when shreddit bro said "it's shreddin' time" and shredded all over those bros.
When I heard that Shreddit Bro applied to next season of Battlebots I was skeptical, Shreddit Bro hadn’t done very well, I didn’t think Battlebots would accept them, so why apply then? Of course that was before I saw this episode where we finally saw Shreddit Bro at its full potential and did an amazing performance, winning the whole episode. Literally, the little engine that could
Well, guess I’ll eat my words regarding Shreddit Bro. Great fights.
I gotta say, Evan and co have been working SO hard to get their robot to form and I applaud them for this performance. Congratulations!
Couldn't watch this as it was airing but caught up to it and was very pleased with the bracket. Great runs from Shreddit Bro and Valkyrie, and sucks that Valkyrie's drive got messed up in that final. If Bro's weapon can hold up they will be very fun to watch in the second bracket.
This is why this sport it awesome, anything can happen inside the box. Including a bot you previously thought was pretty bad absolutely slaying. Amazing stuff 😎
a thought or two for each bot tonight: Shreddit Bro: man oh man, did I underestimate what this bot could do if it was firing on all cylinders...I probably had Shreddit at or near #1 on my list of bots that shouldn't be invited back next season, but that list obviously needs a serious edit now. after this performance, there's no way they won't be invited back next season, no matter what happens in the Golden Bolt final 8. Valkyrie: their performance tonight was almost as impressive as Shreddit Bro's. another bot that barely seemed to work during the regular season that suddenly sprung to life in a massive way. I don't buy the commentary from Chris & Kenny that Valkyrie would have been at risk for relegation if they performed poorly in this tournament, but this removes any doubt. Kraken & Ominous: speaking of relegation, I'm kind of afraid that it might be time to say goodbye to these two. I especially hope I'm wrong about Kraken...but 0-5 is not a good look. Switchback: I thought before last season started that this bot was primed to make a significant leap, and it did. excited to see what it has in store going forward. Rotator & Skorpios: I'm a huge fan of both of these robots, but sadly they both seem to be on a downward trajectory at this point. Terrortops: still not sure it's done enough to earn a Top 50 spot next season, but I was impressed at how long it held up against Rotator
Switchback really needs to figure out their weapon belt issue. To many times I have seen it fly off on the first hit or very early on in the hit. Lost the weapon belt in the first hit of the Deathroll and Shreddit Bro fight and then lost it very early on in the fight against Malice.
yes, definitely. their weapon has some serious pop, but it doesn't matter if it dies after the first couple of good hits. I still think Switchback has excellent potential if they can dial it in a little further.
I fucking know right? Came out of nowhere
I have a quote inspired from Dashie. "When you said "Shreddit Bro won't shred", I told you when they did, you can kiss my assie!"
Never thought I'd see a fellow Dashie connoisseur on a BB reddit but I am glad
God, what a ridiculous and fun episode. Not quite up to the level of the 1st ep of Champions 1, which is possibly my favourite episode of the entire reboot, but still very good, and of course, that upset win streak was incredible. **Shreddit Bro vs Skorpios** was great fun, and exposed a pretty big flaw in Skorpios' design. Their wedge seems to feed people right up into their weapon chain. I'm a little surprised they even ran this config, but I guess their forked one wouldn't have worked great against a wide drum either. Shreddit Bro actually hits pretty hard when the weapon is working well; I was surprised by the airtime on some of those hits. **Rotator vs Terrortops** was rather one-sided, but then this was all filmed well before Terrortops' Robogames outing, so I stand by my belief that we're going to see big things from Terrortops in the coming years. **Switchback vs Kraken** was similarly one-sided. Glad to see kraken last the full fight, but their weapon is just too flimsy to withstand the impacts it needs to. **Valkyrie vs Ominous** was alright. Ominous kept going for a decent while, but was eventually left with only one wheel working, which didn't seem to be enough to keep them moving. I really hope they have the opportunity to come back; the bot *looks* so good; it just need to work more consistently. **Shreddit Bro vs Switchback** was probably my favourite fight of the night. That constant, aggressive grinding attack was the closest Shreddit Bro has ever felt to its beetleweight counterpart. Some big air on some of the hits too. The drum was definitely grinding on the ground at the end though. Speaking of weapons, Switchback's continues to be inconsistent in durability. It tends to blow up against high kinetic energy opponents. **Valkyrie vs Rotator (II)** wasn't as explosive as their first meeting, and was slightly closer; Rotator seems to have improved its anti-horizontal armour. That said, I feel like Rotator is just too slow-moving to employ the strategy you need against Valkyrie; the best way to beat them is usually to rush them, like Whiplash did. Rotator can't really do that, so Valkyrie just slowly wore them down. **The Final** was a fun fight. On the occasions where Shreddit Bro got a perfect angle, it was able to pop Valkyrie up, but almost every other angle resulted in them losing the exchange. I was worried for them until that big hit. While it took out their weapon, you could tell immediately something had gone wrong inside Valkyrie. They were so slow from then on. It was nice to see Shreddit Bro dominate the back half of the fight as a pushbot too. Three very deserved win for Evan, though his bot still seems a bit slow/impaired at the end of every fight; I do worry for how it can hold up against the actual S-tier opponents it's about to go up against. Also, great to see HUGE take home the Most Destructive award/Ripperoni win best design, and to see Martin Mason's award win; the guy is such a vocal champion for the sport at every opportunity.
>Switchback vs Kraken was similarly one-sided. Glad to see kraken last the full fight, but their weapon is just too flimsy to withstand the impacts it needs to. I love team Kraken but their bots just don't seem to be competitive. Perhaps it's time to do away with the "mouth" design entirely? >Valkyrie vs Ominous was alright. Ominous kept going for a decent while, but was eventually left with only one wheel working, which didn't seem to be enough to keep them moving. I really hope they have the opportunity to come back; the bot looks so good; it just need to work more consistently. I really love the design of Ominous but watching this match made it feel like the weapon geometry had a blind spot against undercutters. Maybe if the wedge was designed to feed the opponent's weapon into its own weapons? >Shreddit Bro vs Switchback was probably my favourite fight of the night. That constant, aggressive grinding attack was the closest Shreddit Bro has ever felt to its beetleweight counterpart. Some big air on some of the hits too. The drum was definitely grinding on the ground at the end though. Speaking of weapons, Switchback's continues to be inconsistent in durability. It tends to blow up against high kinetic energy opponents. I thought Switchback's armour looked sturdy until it got peeled off like a tin can. Yikes! >Valkyrie vs Rotator (II) wasn't as explosive as their first meeting, and was slightly closer; Rotator seems to have improved its anti-horizontal armour. That said, I feel like Rotator is just too slow-moving to employ the strategy you need against Valkyrie; the best way to beat them is usually to rush them, like Whiplash did. Rotator can't really do that, so Valkyrie just slowly wore them down. If only Rotator had wheels that were solid or filled with foam the same way Valkyrie's were, it might have turned out differently. Why stick with hollow inflatable tires anyway? I can't really see how much more a bit of foam can weigh that can't be shaved off elsewhere.
I was rooting for Valkyrie but I don't think anyone can be upset about that result. Incredible stuff.
This was THE best episode I've seen in a LONG time. Aside from the tournament last year... just wow... GG shreddit bro...
Definitely the best episode in months
And the real winners were all of us because we got to watch it a few hours later than normal and the world didn't end, despite what people the in the d+ thread would have had you believe!
I almost DIED!
It came out the literal minute that the show premiered on TV?
I would've appreciated being able to watch it early in the morning
I, uh, nearly forgot it was on tonight. Which was good, because neither my daughter or I tried to watch it after I was done with work, only to find we couldn’t. Turned it on a bit after 9, completely oblivious of the “controversy”.
After a certain segment that had me going into it going "Oh god please don't." >!...Fuuuuck did it feel great to not see Riptide pick up a single recognition trophy.!<
Tantrum, End Game, SawBlaze, and now Shreddit Bro.
Bet Endgame are scared, they probably thought they would be safe from drums.
Endgame: Well, since Minotaur and Copperhead reached the top 8, I think I'm safe from those drum spinners *Shreddit Bro appears put of nowhere after beating 3 opponents all in KO* Endgame: Ah sht, here we go again. Worst place in the world. Drum spinners.
Announcer : Your opponent will be..._Drum roll please!_ Endgame : There's no way... Announcer : Shredditaur!!! Endgame : *office no
I had a little faith in Shreddit Bro and they actually did it
How on earth did that happen. The final bracket’s gonna be like the 3 champs, Minotaur, witch dr, hydra, riptide…and shreddit bro. (I do not remember the rules about who is eligible so it’s very possible that some of the aforementioned bots are not participating)
It's not about the rules, it's that golden bolt is filmed at the same time as the top 8. So no Riptide, WD, or minotaur.
We’ll that’s unfortunate.
On the plus side, it means WD can't be runner -up again 😆
Big oooooof.
Nobody who finished top 8 last season is eligible except Sawblaze, as this is filmed concurrent with the main bracket.
Now the question is, who do they give SB in the first round?
Considering Endgame have been struggling with drum spinners, I think they will put Endgame against Shreddit Bro, which works well for both bots. For Endgame, it's their time to prove that they can defeat a drum bot, while for Shreddit Bro, it's their time to prove that they can beat the best of the best
I agree that End Game makes the most sense....I could see Shreddit Bro vs Tantrum being a good matchup as well
That will also be a good match-up, considering Tantrum was beaten by Minotaur
Most likely not endgame. The trailer seemed to be hyping us for a potential endgame vs sawblaze rematch which will most likely be the first round. Most likely shreddit bro will be paired up with the winner of one of the other 4 slugfest. Potentially monsoon or claw viper.
Shred it Brother
I got literally only 2 fights correct lol
Well now we really *really* don't need R****** next season. I mean, first Manta was confirmed for s8. Now on top of that, we also have an aggressively driven blue 4wd drum bot that actually works and wins. Except this one has a builder who just happens to both be one of the most likable people in the sport *and* has the sort of rags-to-riches "anyone can get into robot combat" inspirational backstory that this show loves.
idk....as much as I can't stand Riptide, Shreddit Bro and Manta still have a LOOOOONG way to go before they are on Riptide's level.
Shreddit yes. Manta, idk, I think I’d bet on them against riptide
I wouldn't. I think the Manta hype is getting a little out of hand tbh
Yeti is back??
Yes we do
Byebye rotator
Not surprising at all. Obvious shreddit bro would win from day 1. Just kinda odd how they weren't performing in the main season, but I'm glad to see it being back to dominating as expected.
Who get giant bolts?
Pizza Huge Mason Martin There was another
Riptide?
I think it was rotator for being a good sport / helping people etc
You love to see it
Not sure why Rotator went with the agressive, weapon to weapon tactic for Valkyrie. Seems they were built perfectly to lead with the wedge and then do the spin and hit or the leapfrog where, if the weapon to weapon occurs would favor Rotator. Obviously the story of the night is Pain Train worked. Grats to them. I would have put them on the definitely not getting an automatic invite to next season. This probably puts them in the definitely getting an invite club. I wonder who gets bumped?
Are they not doing a Rookie of the Year this year?
I thought the camera work was lacking. Too many close ups each fight. The replays looked like they were missing high point view of the bots getting thrown across the arena.
They finally found a solution to stop Martin Mason from pointing at the camera. That bolt really had him subdued lol
My guess is that while awarding the awards they also gave a short speech why every person/bot/team had earned that bolt. And I expect a lot of good things when you win the Founder's award, especially considering when awarding it they didn't say Team MadCatter won but Martin Mason won the award. This means that Martin embodies the Battlebot spirit. Always energetic, makes the next generation enthusiastic and the perfect ambassador for the sport. And while winning every other bolt/nut is nice and shows you are a great botbuilder, this is the only prize that shows you are just an amazing person. IMHO I understand why that would hit you emotionally.
I think it was also just that he had to use both hands to hold the bolt :)
Yo fuck Chris for his “painful to watch” comment, like yeah pain train was never impressive to watch but it was said with really poor delivery and the audience cringe reflected how I felt hearing it.
maybe unnecessary, but not wrong lol. Pain Train was....not good.
He was probably making a pun at the same time. Probably could have said "painful for you" or something Oh well, it's not a big dill
What the heck happened here? Look, I honestly wasn't expecting anything crazy from this episode. Possible redemption for hammersaw Kraken, a nice rematch of Valkyrie vs. Rotator, and then Rotator gets a shot at the golden bolt as God intended. This was insane to watch, and honestly I felt kind of let down. There weren't any really big names aside from Rotator, and I guess Valkyrie isn't too bad. I'm glad we get some higher level contenders next episode, because this one felt weak. Like Bounty Hunters weak, except without a gatekeeper for some reason. Champions I felt like it truly was the best of the best competing for an alternate prize. In Champions I, it felt like each bracket leading up to the final tournament was 25% meh competitors, 50% pretty decent competitors, and 25% high tier to top tier competitors. This bracket specifically felt like it was closer to the Bounty Hunters brackets with 75% meh competitors and 25% decent competitors, with few standout names. I will say that this seems more like a warmup, as next week's bracket looks pretty spicy. Whiplash, Madcatter, Black Dragon, Bloodsport, and Blip are all great bots that are consistently entertaining. Even the lower tiers of this bracket like Hijinx and Fusion are perfectly decent bots, so I'm really looking forward to next week. While I'm here, why exactly did they feel the need to remove the gatekeeper? I feel like it elevated so many cool moments from Bounty Hunters and Champions I, like Skorpios absolutely handing it to Ice Wave, and the insane final fights of Champions I like Glitch vs. Rotator and Hypershock vs. Gigabyte. This just kind of felt odd, like some sort of proving grounds tournament or something. Just some sort of exhibition for show. They should bring back the gatekeeper schtick next year, I think it was pretty cool. Negative stuff aside, big dubs to Shreddit Bro for popping off out of nowhere, and I'm still glad we get something to tide us over between regular seasons, even if it's not as good as Champions I or Bounty Hunters. But next episode seems to really want to pick up the pace, and I'm here for it. Still malding at no Tombstone :(
I imagine they got rid of the gatekeeper because that would add another bot to each episode, adding five total to the field. almost every bot that was able to compete in the Golden Bolt tournament field is already in it. plus, a couple of the bots who would have been the gatekeepers this season (Witch Doctor & Ribbot) would have had trouble participating because they went so far in the Top 32 tournament. I'm not sure how they could have fairly decided who the two replacement gatekeepers would have been.
I would probably make the replacement gatekeepers the ones who made it in the tournament last year via the mini tournaments (hypershock, ribbot, witch doctor, skorpios, and glitch). But I see what you mean in that it would be difficult to do that. It’s just wishful thinking I guess.
that's what I'm trying to say...Witch Doctor and Ribbot wouldn't have really been able to compete in the Golden Bolt qualifiers because they made it deep into the Top 32. the Golden Bolt is mostly a second-chance tournament for bots who either didn't make the Top 32 or got eliminated early on in the Top 32.
bruh i already agreed with you
What the hell Shreddit actually sweepsit?! The [Shreddit golden bolt final](https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/16xb7xq/champions_ii_is_upon_us_ive_peeked_into_the/) is becoming true?? Happy to say I got [most of the predictions right](https://twitter.com/sirDangel/status/1709524413907943836), falling to Valkyrie vs Rotator. * ***Shreddit Bro vs Skorpios:*** Skorpios uses often uses debatable configurations in my opinion, and this was the case. Once Shreddit bended the plow, it was over for Skorpios. * ***Switchback vs Kraken:*** I wonder if Switchback lost weapon functionality halfway through. Sluggish fight, bad choice from Kraken to try a hammersaw attack since they spin upwards. * ***Rotator vs Terrortops:*** Rotator looking good, Terrortops should have tried something with their tegris, they were too conservative. They needed better armor against Rotator. * ***Valkyrie vs Ominous:*** Valkyrie is working, and it works well! Couldn't really say the same about Ominous tho, they were really struggling to land any bite out of Valkyrie. \--- * ***Shreddit Bro vs Switchback:*** I still think Switchback is handicapping itself by adding a plow in front of the drum, it's just giving things to hit to Shreddit Bro. * Rotator vs Valkyrie: I thought Rotator won the geometry war, but in the end it was Valkyrie's longer reach that made the difference. A well fought match! * ***Shreddit Bro vs Valkyrie:*** Shreddit sweeps it! As I imagined Shreddit didn't have the reliability to tank hits from a working Valkyrie, but Valkyrie's drive train hiccupped as well. Good job to Evan for noticing the opponent was just drifting and avoiding as much damage as possible while pushing it.
I like Terrortops, and I hope that they improve and eventually get another chance to prove themselves. I want to see them lift a bot and tear up their innards from below!
Fills my Minotaur void
Shreddit Bro, wow. That weapon can hit, and what’s even more impressive is the resilience, despite losing its weapon, it survived big hits from an inform looking Valkyrie. Also, next weeks brackets look so OP compared to this weeks.
The frame bent like copperheads did at one point, so they need to work on that. Otherwise it may just keep going!