User blog:O Raz3r O/Series 10 Predictions

Now that we have all the info and images of Heat 1's competitors, I believe it's time to start make my own predictions for this series. I've waited a long time for this.

Heat 1
6 - Apocalypse It looks like I'm not the only one getting Splinter vibes here. Armoured in HARDOX and titanium, with three axes to go with it, a top speed of 18mph and a team that has experience from beyond the TV, Apocalypse looks like a solid machine on paper. However, its weapons simply don't look strong enough. Axes have fallen out of favour due to being unable to cause real damage, and the vertical one doesn't look like it'll cause much damage to any of its opponents. The clusterbots are too small to grab, Apollo and Behemoth can flip/push their way out, and Sabretooth and Donald Thump may well damage the horizontal axes. I hope it does well, but I'm fearful for it.

5 - Sabretooth Crucify me. Sabretooth caused one of the biggest shocks of Series 9 when it beat Terrorhurtz, but can it replicate its heat final performance? Well... I really don't like the look of that ground clearance, which is begging for a flip from Behemoth or Apollo, and means it can be pushed easily by the wedge of Apocalypse. It's the slowest robot in the heat, but at least the drum still looks potent, and it might flip over some opponents, with Apocalypse and the Swarm looking most vulnerable. It struggled with being inverted, but that problem has been solved this year. It beat Terrorhurtz after John Reid made a driving error, having been easily pushed around early on, and TMHWK didn't exactly have the best armour. Perhaps I just don't want to raise my hopes? I hope they defy me, but I just don't know.

4 - Donald Thump Looks can be deceiving. Believe me. When I first heard the line-up, I thought "Donald Thump? That's a stone-dead last joke-bot.". Thinking about it made me think harder though. I imagine there may be some backlash for this machine, but while the design is fun, I'm not here for politics. I'm here for the machine. Politics and comedy aside, that spinner can't be ignored - it looks powerful and sturdy. It'll do well to avoid the flippers though, because I'm fairly sure it cannot self-right. Its armour isn't as tough as many other opponents' either, but HARDOX should still offer some protection. It's comparatively light compared to the other heavyweights too.

3 - The Swarm A machine from Team Big Brother that I look forward to seeing? Some things do change... It's like no other competitor we've seen in the UK. Simply having 4 machines against you is worrying enough, but when they all share the same goal and tactics, that's terrifying for a single machine, and should not be underestimated. Roboteers are getting better and better at making small, yet deadly, machines, and I don't think this is an exception. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and together they could be vey interesting. Duck and Blenda look to be the strongest clusterbots, and the aggression points this team should score should be... excessive. When it comes to flippers, they'll sail through the air though, and I just wonder how well they'll stand up to the spinners. A real maybe, maybe-not competitor here.

2 - Behemoth If it weren't for one of the most stupid decisions in all of Robot Wars history (the grabber, not the Judges' Decision. That was fair to me), Behemoth would have reached the heat final, and probably would have been in one of the best positions to get the wildcard, what with still working properly, being a popular machine, and scoring a decent number of points. Alas, it wasn't to be. This time, the modifications are minor again, but the robot is still the same as ever. The axe is probably going to act more as a grabber or to score aggression points than cause real damage, but the scoop is still very, very low, and is still the PRIMARY WEAPON. Its armour should stand up to the spinners, they can launch the clusterbots, and bulldoze Apocalypse. Things look good for Behemoth this year. However...

1 - Apollo ...Apollo is in its heat, with a point to prove after Series 9. Apollo really should cream this heat; it's beaten Behemoth a couple of times with ease in live events, and the rest are a category below Behemoth. Apocalypse's weapons are too feeble, and it can't really grab Apollo thanks to its shape. Sabretooth's ground clearance is too high, and its drum isn't on Carbide's spinner level. Likewise with Donald Thump, who doesn't have a tested srimech either. The Swarm will fly higher than Apollo 11. Behemoth's tendency to miss flips and its ground clearance round the sides will be an issue. It's been shown to dominate melees and head-to-heads alike, and it should do so again here. Watch as it crashes out in the Redemption Knockouts or something...