Battlebots: an amazingly fun series that lets fans indulge in their bloodlust, knowing that no humans are harmed in the battle. But plenty of bots are. The series has been going on for several years now, with 2019 having some of the most drastic changes and battles to date.
But with any bot redesign, there comes certain risks. The bot could end up being one of the best bots of the season (which they all hope for, naturally). Or the bot could have major design and functionality flaws, costing them the season. This year, we've seen examples of both. And some of those examples are amazing, but naturally, some are quite painful.
Here is the list of the bots having a brilliant season, and five bots that have had nothing but a bad run this year.
Best: Bite Force
Bite Force has been having another amazing year. The bot has come up against four opponents, and all four it has beaten. Two by knockouts, and the other two by Judge Decision. They're quickly becoming known as being undefeated.
With four wins under their belt, there's no doubt that Bite Force will be making it into the tournament's top sixteen bracket. But we are left wondering who else they'll be up against. We don't envy whoever it's going to be!
Bad Run: Minotaur
The makers behind Minotaur took a major risk in that they completely overhauled their entire bot. Most of the internals were all-new when Minotaur showed up this year. And unfortunately, a lot of those changes resulted in issues.
Minotaur has had six fights this season – a massive number all things considered. Normally, we'd expect to hear that they won all six fights. But this year, they're going in at three and three. At least all three fights they won were knockouts, so they're still looking okay. But it isn't as strong a season as fans had expected.
Best: Black Dragon
Black Dragon has had a strong year. The Brazilian-led bot has had five battles this year and managed to win four out of the five (their one loss going to Texas Twister). So we're talking pretty good odds here. With a ratio of four to one, odds are very good that they'll be making it into the top sixteen of this years' tournament.
Black Dragon has taken down some big names this year, Bloodsport, Captain Shrederator, War Hawk, and Minotaur were all victims to the hungry dragon. And they're not done.
Bad Run: Bronco
Bronco has been a series favorite for years. Last year the crew even had bets going about how high Bronco's victims would get flipped into the air. Between last year and this year, Bronco had undergone some changes. And unfortunately, those changes have not paid off.
Bronco has been put into five fights and based on how those fights have gone...Bronco will not be seeing anymore this year. You see, Bronco lost all five. They went up against Bite Force, Free Shipping, Huge, and Bombshell and lost. This week, we saw a flipper fight when Bronco went up against Hydra. Unfortunately, the veteran flipper did not manage to pull out a win. Here's hoping for a better bot next year.
Best: DeathRoll
DeathRoll is one of the quirkier bots this season, but they are wiping the floor with their opponents. DeathRoll has won every fight they've been put up against (four in total). With those odds, it's safe to say that we'll be seeing them in the top sixteen.
DeathRoll has won by knockout in three of their four battles, with the judges taking their side in the final battle. They've won against names like End Game, Foxtrot, Quantum, and Rotator.
Bad Run: DUCK!
DUCK! is another quirky fan favorite. Last year fans were angered by the way DUCK! was treated during their final battle. And it seems like their run this year has been just as unlucky. They've been in four battles so far, winning and losing two each.
DUCK! is a bot designed to survive – basically the best way to win against them is to throw them out of the ring. While they haven't been knocked out once this season, the judges decided against them twice. With these odds, it's unlikely we'll be seeing DUCK! in the top sixteen.
Best: Hydra
Hydra is a brand new bot from team Whyachi, and this beast isn't even bothering to take names after kicking butt. The new bot is a flipper, but with a few changes to make it different from the veteran flipper so many know and love.
Hydra has been in four battles, and they won all four by knockout. An impressive feat, to be sure. Most recently they won against Bronco, the veteran flipper we mentioned earlier. With this win record, and with their strength of schedule, we have no doubt that Hydra will be continuing their season.
Bad Run: Breaker Box
Breaker Box is a new bot from the same team that brought us the infamous Nightmare. Unfortunately, it seems like Breaker Box has a few kinks it needs to work out, because it has not had a great first season.
Breaker Box has been put into four battles thus far, and realistically they're not going to be in anymore this season. They've lost three of those four battles, winning only against Falcon. This bot does appear to have a lot of potential, it just needs some fine-tuning before it comes back next year. Though we'll never say no to seeing Nightmare again.
Best: Witch Doctor
Witch Doctor is another bot with an amazing record for 2019. It's also a bot that came into the year with a total internal redesign, and it appears to be working out. Witch Doctor has been in four battles – so far – and has managed to get a win all four times.
Two of those wins were knockouts (Captain Shrederator and Gigabyte), while the other two were by judge decision (Shatter and Whiplash). With this record, and with the strength of schedule they've been facing, we've no doubt that Witch Doctor's season is far from over.
Bad Run: Monsoon
Monsoon is another bot that has a decent design, but a bad year when it comes to luck. Perhaps some modifications are in order. Monsoon has been put against four different bots, and three of those bots have walked away victorious. Monsoon's one and only win this season was against Ragnarok (a bot with no wins under it's belt). Based on these odds...Monsoon's season has concluded. But we hope to see it overhauled and back again next year.