Welcome back to the Beat! Last time out we had, bar none, your upset of the year. Fair play though, and OYES Robotics have got a commemorative shirt to… mark the occasion. The next shirt I’ll get is still the HyperShock “Suck Less” shirt. That’s legendary.

Anyway, we can’t possibly have an upset of that magnitude but we do have Minotaur and Cobalt, and the last time they faced off Cobalt’s wedge ended up in the ceiling. I don’t know if that’ll specifically happen, but something will. But first other fights. To the fights!

Bloodsport vs. Gigabyte
Bloodsport: 0-1 (L, KO 0:35 vs. Copperhead)
Gigabyte: 0-1 (L, KO X:XX vs. Free Shipping)

Both these bots could really use a win. Bloodsport got OHKO’d against Copperhead, though that one hit did a number to the dense drumbot as well. But catching fire after one hit’s not gonna win you too many fights. Also, due to changes in suppliers… they couldn’t actually generate the necessary torque to self-right at this point, as what I read. Please keep that in mind.

Gigabyte, on the other hand, did not get a “Hey, look at the other guy” moment. They lost to Free Shipping, which is slightly closer to Original Sin now than it ever has been, but still doesn’t look great with where Free Shipping’s been in the past. Again, John Mladenik is with the Team Carbide/Cobalt side of things, and Brent Rieker’s fighting cancer and all that, so definitely less experience in terms of making the calls on the Gigabyte side, but no less dangerous.

Crazy enough, neither bot spun up to start. Bloodsport was planning to do that as they had the giant plow (which we’ve never seen before from them) but Gigabyte was a bit of a surprise. It was more to try and get some time, and after Bloodsport had committed, Gigabyte backed off and started to spin.

The not spinning was a problem for Bloodsport, as though they reasonably tanked Gigabyte, an unlucky shot off the wedge actually had them flip over. And as I said above, Bloodsport didn’t have enough torque to get themselves back over.

But you know who didn’t know this because we only saw this post this past week? Gigabyte, which knocked the attempting-to-self-right Bloodsport into a coin spin, where it landed on its wheels. It was this point where Bloodsport decided to stop fucking around and spin up.

This was a much better idea as the two bots went weapon to weapon and recoiled to the nearest corners to where they had just been. Bloodsport ended up in one short corner, and Gigabyte hockey pucked to the other.

Bloodsport pursued and still spun. Gigabyte was spinning, but just the robot. Not the shell. Bloodsport kept them in the corner as Gigabyte started to smoke. Bloodsport was only doing slightly better though, losing a belt. But it wasn’t going to matter because Gigabyte was going nowhere.

Bloodsport wins by KO in 2:02. At 1-1, they’re still in okay shape, with a fight against Rotator next as it tries to get its gremlins out. Gigabyte at 0-2 is in some trouble. They get Starchild next, which at least could be a soft landing, but their last fight is End Game.

Claw Viper vs. Overhaul
Claw Viper: 2-0 (W, KO 2:46 vs. Ominous; W, JD 3-0 vs. Ribbot)
Overhaul: 1-0 (W, JD 3-0 vs. Starchild)

It’s rare that we get clamper vs. clamper, so this could be exciting! Chairs not included, we think. Claw Viper’s definitely been the class of the control bots this year, and a win here would put them as the first 3-0 bot of the year, which would put them under “lock” status. You win 3, you’re in. Especially with one of them over Ribbot.

Overhaul got a win over Starchild, so yeah, they could definitely use 3 wins, because I don’t think Starchild’s going to be one of those “high strength of schedule” opponents. Claw Viper could be though, so a win here could be a big swing for Overhaul.

Claw Viper, eternally the speedier bot, used it from the get go to rush, and soon get around Overhaul for the first clamp and tip of the fight. From there Claw Viper certainly had the initiative and could set the tempo, holding onto Overhaul and chasing after letting go.

Until it also ran into a killsaw slot. Come on, I thought we dealt with this last week! Overhaul used this free hit to try and lift Claw Viper, but to minimal avail.

Claw Viper could literally run circles around Overhaul, which pretty much had to park and wait it out. It timed the grab right enough to get a small grasp but Claw Viper got away and flank Overhaul to push it into the screws. Overhaul got out, but Claw Viper was waiting and then followed by taking towards the Upper Deck. Overhaul again got free… so Claw Viper could take it to another corner, this one by the drivers’ booth. Then, because at this point Overhaul was inverted, it used the Upper Deck screws to get free, where it was once again met by Claw Viper, though slowing down ever so slightly. Overhaul used this chance to get under Claw Viper but overbalanced, unable to score the suplex. It wasn’t a total loss because it got into the side armor and did score the flip. Claw Viper opened its jaw as far as it could go to self-right, including a brief handstand, and that was at least enough to get it over.

A re-righted Claw Viper locked itself back in and got an honest to goodness lift, to the point the Claw Viper “Idiot Strap” actually came loose. Of course, nothing happened with the exception of the killsaws doing some damage… to Claw Viper, but the fight was in the last few seconds and it would go to the judges.

Claw Viper wins by unanimous decision and moves to 3-0. They’re definitely in the tournament, but a win over HyperShock in their last fight to go 4-0 would be huge for seeding. The 1-1 Overhaul fights Cobalt next.

Horizon vs. Monsoon
Horizon: 0-1 (L, JD 3-0 vs. Shreddit Bro)
Monsoon: 0-1 (L, KO 2:05 vs. Black Dragon)

Well, this also looks potentially worrisome. Granted, we said that about Ripperoni and End Game. But Horizon also didn’t show too much against Shreddit Bro in a relative snoozefest.

Monsoon had a pretty good fight against Black Dragon… until Tom Brewster ran over a bolt and killed the weapon motor. That pretty much turned the fight and killed all momentum. For this fight they’re in their anti-horizontal setup, which means the normally pivoting chassis actually locks via large wedge.

They rushed to stick that wedge right in Horizon’s face, and in a matter of seconds had Horizon pinned up against the wall as Monsoon’s weapon popped it multiple times. Horizon was pinned enough that it couldn’t start spinning, making it a sitting duck for Monsoon as it returned, taking pieces of something off Horizon and flipping it over before punting it across 6 feet. And it was only that far because they had put a giant gash through the bottom plate. It’s a minor miracle the batteries didn’t come out, because LiPo fire. One of the disks on Horizon was spinning, but nothing else.

Monsoon wins by KO in this 51 seconds. At 1-1 they needed this one, as a desperate Whiplash is next. Horizon gets Shatter! in their next fight.

Starchild vs. Mammoth
Starchild: 0-1 (L, JD 3-0 vs. Overhaul)
Mammoth: 0-1 (L, KO 1:45 vs. Valkyrie)

Well, they wanted to do HUGE vs. Mammoth, Part 2, but without doing HUGE vs. Mammoth. So instead here’s an equally large robot. Though noted thwackbot Starchild isn’t HUGE, and as we previously mentioned, lost to Overhaul. Meanwhile Mammoth didn’t get much of a grasp on Valkyrie, except when Valkyrie got stuck in Mammoth’s struts. So two big bots looking for a first win on the year.

It was as gangly of a start as possible with two large in size robots but Mammoth got under Starchild for a throw. And, like the HUGE fight, as Starchild’s spinning weapon contacted Mammoth’s lifter, the two bots went flying and Mammoth flipped in the air, landing on Starchild. Which wasn’t good because they didn’t land on their wheels and had to flip back over. But the softer lifter, or less torque, or whatever, wasn’t lifting as easy. Brandon Zalinsky’s bot had a chance here but missed hitting juicy bits, or any bits at all, with the arm. Mammoth was able to get over, though its rear supports were noticeably mangled. It got a smaller lift in on Starchild before the bots moved back toward the middle.

Mammoth got another lift in and didn’t go flipping but that was because Starchild got caught in the chain. They were hoping to break it, but no luck there. Guest commentator Anna Zolnikov (captain of Ripperoni) noted that this had to be one of the greatest sticks we’ve ever seen, and this was going to need an unstick, or the two were going to potentially be counted for one. But just then (or thanks to TV magic and Trey Roski’s crowbar) they got unstuck. (I’m gonna say crowbar.)

Starchild was driven right into Mammoth’s pulverizer, which pinned the thwackbot into place for Mammoth to strategize the attack, stalking Starchild, getting modest flips in and generally pushing Starchild around for the last minute and change before it went to the judges.

Damage: There wasn’t a whole lot of damage, so the bends to the weapon and struts will do it. 3-2, Starchild
Control: With the exception of the time it was flipped, Mammoth was in control. 3-0.
Aggression: See control. 3-0

Mammoth wins by unanimous decision. They’ll fight Death Roll next. Starchild gets Gigabyte next, and that’ll be a must-win for both.

Triton vs. Copperhead
Triton: 0-1 (L, KO 1:12 vs. Lucky)
Copperhead: 1-0 (W, KO 0:35 vs. Bloodsport)

Triton got a big hit or two in on Lucky’s plow, but showed its issues, namely traction, in a loss that saw it managing to successfully do the thing. Sure, it’s this year’s Tombstone, but the glass cannon-ness may be even more magnified. I mean with Tombstone, until the last two seasons, it was a tank. I mean, it kinda had to be. But all the new tech and updates still need to work nice (which Ray will have a chance to check out with The Mortician, the 120 lb. version, at Robogames). Anyway, the big thing that worries me on Triton is the traction on those wheels. They’re like castor wheels, and if you can’t take a hit, you gotta at least be able to stick and move.

Copperhead, as we mentioned, had a barn burner against Bloodsport. Or at least a Bloodsport-burner. They’ve been as brickly as you can get, where apparently they’re still on their first frame. This is Copperhead’s fourth season and they’re still on frame 1? That’s amazing, considering they’ve fought Son of Whyachi, Gigabyte, and Witch Doctor, among many others. Maybe not the full gamut of heavy hitters, but that’s not like they’ve been fighting nobodies.

Copperhead didn’t quite rush, but Triton certainly wasn’t up to full speed at first contact, and the combination of whirl and hum filled the air as both bots were up to that deadly speed. Triton was moving around a lot better as well, as the two had gone glancing weapon to weapon and Triton was back across the floor quickly.

Turning was another story. Triton overcorrected and went ass-first into Copperhead’s drum, and that’s not a good plan for a glass cannon. The whole back armor exploded off with the innards coming out of it.

Fight over? Yes, but not in the way you’d expect! Because Copperhead also got itself high-centered on one of Triton’s batteries… it’s a double KO!

As per rule, the fight goes to the judges and to the surprise of absolutely no one, Copperhead wins by unanimous decision… also in 35 seconds.

So if you’re keeping score at home, that’s 3 KOs in 2 fights in 70 seconds for Copperhead. They’ll be rewarded by fighting the stalwart Kraken, while Triton will face Glitch.

Lucky vs. Kraken
Lucky: 1-0 (W, KO 1:12 vs. Triton)
Kraken: 0-1 (L, JD 3-0 vs. Beta)

Speaking of Lucky, here’s Lucky, at the moment the only remaining undefeated flipper. Not Hydra, not Blip, not Banshee, but Lucky! So that’s nice for the Canadians. Having a champion RC driver in Matt Olson has definitely helped. Sure, one-time driver Gary Gin is a legendary driver, but he’s the embodiment of chaos, while Olson’s more methodical approach has been great for the flipper.

Meanwhile, Kraken has had gremlins switching to brushless motors. Matt Spurk actually wrote a thing about changing to brushless, and after this fight they had a firmware… downgrade… because the newest update for the VESCs (variable electronic speed controller) works great with their original intended vehicle, which are electric skateboards but had a bug that made it a pain for fighting robots. To quote the Facebook post: “If you’re riding a skateboard, you want a smooth acceleration and constant speed. Bot builders want instant acceleration, stopping, and direction changes. Imagine riding a skateboard that accelerated, stopped, and reversed directions instantly. I see a head injury in your future.”

Y’know, it’s not rocket science. Because Matt Spurk is a rocket scientist, so that’s relatively easy for him. Unfortunately Kraken is 0-1 due to a close unanimous decision loss to Beta, and close doesn’t count it in rocket science or BattleBots.

By the way, this is actually a rematch of a 2019 basement fight that Lucky won by decision. But yeah, Kraken’s basically got one good drive side here. So Lucky could drive toward the Upper Deck to initially flip Kraken, which went the hard way, over the screws, to get off. To get back on a second time. And then also a third.

It didn’t get too much better for Kraken, getting thrown into the Lexan some times. Yeah, nothing too crazy in this one.

Lucky wins by unanimous decision and is 2-0. They get Shreddit Bro next and could be 3-0 before a tough one against Cobalt. Kraken will try and have its drive working against Copperhead, but even with one set of drive, didn’t kill the Kraken!

Main Event: Minotaur vs. Cobalt
Minotaur: 2-0 (W, KO 1:20 vs. Tantrum; W, KO 2:01 vs. Free Shipping)
Cobalt: 1-0 (W, KO 1:27 vs. Death Roll)

The last time these two bots fought was phenomenal. As I said at the head, Minotaur took Cobalt’s wedge and sent it into the ceiling en route to the KO victory. This time out, they have forks.

And either of these bots could plausibly win this fight, and/or the Giant Nut. Not only that but they’ve gone a combined 3-0 so far, with Minotaur dispatching defending champ Tantrum in its first fight.

Let’s watch the fight:

Wow. What a fight. Cobalt had this nearly throughout as those forks were absolutely the right call, getting under Minotaur seemingly at will. Losing that first one, no problem, still getting under. The second one immediately turned the tide though as once Cobalt lost its ground advantage it had no way of getting its weapon to hit first, and getting flipped the second time killed the momentum.

Minotaur wins by KO in 2:54. 3 fights, 3 wins by KO. They’re obviously in, with just a fight against Witch Doctor to wait for. And you have to wonder, assuming that Witch Doctor gets by Gruff… does the winner of that fight get the 1 seed?

There’s things to do before that though. Like next week’s sibling fight. What do I mean? Well, you’ll see. See you next week!