User blog:DasQBert/Top 10 Glass Cannons of Robot Wars

Glass cannon: a machine that has high offensive power but low durability or defensiveness. For fans of the US show Battlebots its arguably most famous robot is a prime example of this: that being Nightmare. However Robot Wars is no exception to this. For this list we're going over the most destructive machines that seem to have a major flaw that prevents them from going far. Of course for the most part this will be spinners, but I'll have a few other types of machines in here. So let's begin starting with

Number 10
Spawn Again

As far as track record goes, this one may seem odd. After all, they only failed to reach the semi finals once out of the three series it was in. But the fact is Spawn Again, despite being a solid flipper, was very unreliable. Extreme 1- Conked out in the Tag Team Terror. Series 5- Easy run at the Semis then bit the dust against Razer and lost in the loser's melee. Series 6- Struggled in its heat, and with a lucky flip was able to win against Supernova only to be dominated by Terrorhurtz. Extreme 2- Won against an aged Hypno Disc but lost to Razer again. Series 7- Pneumatic system EXPLODED. Only time as far as I know that ever happened. But here's the thing, when Spawn Again was working it was very powerful for the time, it just always seemed to crumble in most cases once it had to go on the defensive.

Number 9
Corkscrew

In Series 3 a machine called Sir Chromalot entered, designed off a truck wheel hub. However, the design was relatively ineffective safe to say despite some great characters. But we're not here to discuss that machine, no we're here to discuss the OTHER robot based on a truck wheel hub: Corkscrew. Entering Series 5, 6 and Extreme 2 (also Series 7 with Corkscrew Too but it did naff all so isn't applicable for this list) it proved to be destructive against machines like 13 Black, Bondi Titch, and Kronic. However, it did not have a srimech as exploited by Dominator 2, it did not have much pushing power as exploited by Crushtacean and worst of all, when faced against another powerful spinner it crashed out as exploited by Fluffy. Corkscrew draws parallels with another machine that being Typhoon 2. But the thing about Typhoon 2 is that it's designed in a cone shape to keep it grounded and low, whereas Corkscrew's vertical design causes this exploitation. Also lest we forget about the pit fiasco in Series 6.

Number 8
Cyclone

The only American robot on this list, Cyclone comes from the same family tree of robots as the Battlebots machines Beta/Alpha/Gamma/Ghost Raptor. However Cyclone is unique, the only Team Raptor robot that used a spinning weapon (well... one that actually worked) and was a one time annihilator champion. And yet it made this list: here's the thing, Cyclone is good when it makes contact but it made it through the annihilator on virtue that it took out the only other dangerous machine, Hyperactive, out early. Sure Brute was a solid pusher but it too wasn't totally resilient. And in fact, Cyclone almost went out at several points getting more and more sluggish and catching internally on fire. And shall we also mention how Probophobia KOed it very easily by removing its link. There's bad link design, and then there's that!

Number 7
Twister

No not the poor younger brother or Berserk 2... or this team's entry into Series 7 that didn't hold up... no we're talking the windmill shaped Dutch Series 2 machine. Watching through the Dutch Series 2 this machine was explosive, tearing through opponents to the finals only to have its major flaw exploited: if it was unbalanced, even a little, it was game over. Think about why no one has made a design like Twister again, because of how easy it is to off balance the machine. It doesn't take a large flip or massive wedge to send a machine like this off kilter, all it takes is a bit of off balance and physics do the rest.