Ragnabot 3: My Opinions and Awards

For those who haven't, strap yourselves in, because Ragnabot 3 is going to be one hell of a ride! Indeed, with the inclusion of the Series 9 and 10 machines, plus the non-heavyweights and some US 1996 machines, expect some titanic clashes and huge underdog stories throughout. I will be adding my thoughts on each heat, as well as my thoughts on how far the finalists can realistically go. In addition, I have several awards to give out in each heat, including:

Overkill GTI Award: For the machine that stunned us by punching well above its weight. It depends on the robot and how far it made it into the tournament. For example, Overkill GTI winning one battle does not mean it overachieved; but its appearance in the Quarter-Finals of Ragnabot 2.
Kat 3 Award: For the robot that achieved well below expectations going into the tournament. Again, it depends on the robot, this time on how early it exited the tournament.
Rusty Spanner Award: For the robot that disappointed us by exiting anticlimatically. To win this award, the robot must have lost a battle that just deflated me, since it had potential to put on great matches with most other machines. Good example would be a great pre-weight increase machine losing to a reboot flipper via a flip of doom.
Steg 2 Award: For the robot I personally disagree with making it so far into the tournament, regardless of who they are and whether they have "overachieved" or not. To be eligible for this award, I must have disagreed with the outcome of at least two of its battles in the heat, or one in later stages.
Typhoon Award: Awarded to the most successful non-heavyweight machine in each heat. Superheavyweights are counted, because of the disadvantages they face due to being Series 2 era machines.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc Award: For the biggest dream match made possible in Ragnabot 3.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5 Award: For the battle that was hugely contested, where only a difference of two votes or fewer decided the outcome. All battles that end in a judges' decision are eligible here.

Without further ado, let's see what my thoughts are regarding each heat of this series.

Heat A[]

Well, what can I say, a truly explosive start to Ragnabot 3 proper. Starting with a battle between two Classic Era semi-finalists, the star power continued from there. When Firestorm 5 is not even in the top three for its heat, you know this is a Heat of Death. And not only did we get an early clash of titans, with Magnetar sending Aftershock home, we also got our first underdog story, with Spawn of Scutter becoming the first (and hopefully not last) pre-weight increase finalist for Ragnabot 3.

Really, the only problem with the opening heat is that it lacked close battles. Really, Dragbot vs Spawn of Scutter was the only contentious matchup. Still, this is only the first heat; there will be plenty of battles up for debate, I'm sure of it.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Spawn of Scutter, no question. Pretty much, any pre-weight increase robot that escapes the heats is a shoo-in for the award. Honourable mention to Raizer Blade for also putting in a very respectable performance.
Kat 3: Aftershock. Considering how close it came to becoming Audited Series 10 champion, Aftershock not even reaching Round 3 of the heats must be quite the shock. Still, losing to Magnetar is nothing to be too ashamed of, I suppose. Atomic meanwhile suffered a great fall, seeing as it finished fourth in Ragnabot 2.
Rusty Spanner: Steg-O-Saw-Us. The only Jurassic Park machine I actually rate, and it goes out via single flip of doom from M2 in Round 1. Massive shame. Argh! also deserves a mention, seeing that as a Featherweight champion, we might have seen some huge upsets if it wasn't paired against Concussion.
Steg 2: Nobody gets the award here. In fact, the only outcome I disagreed with was Magnetar beating Aftershock, but I accept that it could have gone either way.
Typhoon: Steel Sandwich, for dominating Mr Punch before understandably beating flipped out of the arena by Atomic.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Controversial, but Firestorm 5 vs Atomic. Honestly, while Magnetar vs Aftershock would have been great, I fear that match would have been decided in only a few blows. Firestorm 5 vs Atomic would have been a true nailbiter, and I argue that while Atomic would win in the Series 7 Arena, Firestorm 5 would have overcome its opponent in the Reboot Arena.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: No fight earns the award here.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Concussion: Could be a dark horse for this tournament, considering its design is highly effective against some of the favourites. However, I would argue that its exposed tyres are its main downfall, as even key Classic Era machines can exploit them.
Magnetar: Has to be one of the favourites for Ragnabot 3. The only true opposition it faces are elites like Carbide and powerful flippers that can fully exploit Magnetar's self-righting issues.
Spawn of Scutter: Just based on who else has made it past Round 3, an additional victory may be the best that Spawn of Scutter can achieve.
Firestorm 5: Can it make the top four? Well, it must certainly be one of the great hopes for any Classic Era machine making it that far. Seeing that at least one user thinks that it might actually beat Concussion and even Magnetar, Firestorm 5 is certainly one to watch.

Heat B[]

After the explosive start from Heat A, Heat B somehow managed to top that, even with fewer top tier machines. Indeed, the first half of round one was certainly a Heat of Life, with only Drillzilla bucking the trend. Nonetheless, Heat of Lifes are actually starting to become my favourite part of the Arena Forums, because in general, they actually inspire more close decisions than Heat of Deaths do! Heat C of A Fantasy Audited War 3 proved this, and so too did the opening of Ragnabot 3's Heat B, with all bar two robots receiving votes in the first half matches. That an incredible statistic, boosted by Weld-Dor vs Scutter's Revenge, so far the best battle in Ragnabot 3 thus far.

Round 1's second half, and the entirety of Round 2, brought Heat B back down to Earth. Sure, the quality of machines increased, but debates just spluttered to a halt. Credit should therefore go to Indefatigable who in both of its battles inspired some debate in this rather dull period of the tournament. Thankfully, Round 3 resumed the carnage with three compelling clashes and a chance to see either A-Kill or Berserk 2 escape the heats. This helps rank the heat above Heat A.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Berserk 2, for being a pre-weight increase robot to escape the heats, ensuring that we already have more of these machines competing in the finals than in Ragnabot 2! Honourable mentions go to A-Kill for managing to make it to Round 3 despite being an uncompetitive Series 6 machine, and AM CVn for actually winning a battle.
Kat 3: Lizzard, a two-time Dutch Grand Finalist that did not even progress beyond the first round, even if it was because of Panzer Mk 4. Speaking of which, honourable mention to Panzer Mk 4, who would probably be expected to escape the heats as well, being a two-time US champion.
Rusty Spanner: DTK. Gosh, this was so disappointing! Yeah, DTK managed to win a battle, but I am pretty sure most of us wanted to see it go further. Instead, we got to see it slam into the ceiling thanks to Tsunami. Still putting my hopes into Staglet to carry the featherweight pride! Honourable mention to Lizzard, for being wiped out by Panzer Mk 4 and thus being unable to contribute its luck towards Ragnabot 3's entertainment value.
Steg 2: Nobody, although understandably, there were more results I disagreed with unlike last time.
Typhoon: We have a tie here, but because that would be as deflating as the result of Fluffy vs Das Gepäck, I am going to select a winner based on expectations. AM CVn therefore wins this award, because it overachieved compared to honourable mention DTK somewhat meeting expectations.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Honestly, Weld-Dor vs Scutter's Revenge. Series 3, for all its faults, had some excellent battles between two pushers, and both robots here were very competent and would have put on quite the show. Honourable mention goes to Tsunami vs Tough As Nails, which can only be faulted by my concern that Tough As Nails might achieve its tactical victory too early on.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Again, Weld-Dor vs Scutter's Revenge. Honourable mentions Ripper vs Drillzilla and The Darke Destroyer vs Indefatigable were tense encounters also decided by one vote, but not only did the winner gain 15 votes (8-7), but Weld-Dor achieved one of the biggest comebacks in Ragnabot history. Excellent.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Tough As Nails: Put it this way: Tough As Nails is one of the very few machines I would consider supporting against both Carbide AND Eruption. But, it is hindered by the fact that it has been outpushed before, and its vulnerability to overhead weapons. Potential darkhorse nonetheless.
Drillzilla: Drillzilla's weight and armour advantage serves it well. It will do very well against most Classic machines and select Reboot robots. But while I trust it against certain pushers, Reboot and some Classic Era flippers will overpower it. Also, against the Reboot spinners, Drillzilla suddenly does not look quite as tough. Candidate for the Last 16 nevertheless.
Berserk 2: The weakest of the eight machines, Berserk 2 is vulnerable to all flippers, and to be honest almost every potential finalist. Its only hope to progress further is that it ends up in a forgiving melee.
Spawn Again: Spawn Again's reliability is what's going to cost it in my opinion. That said, it is still a candidate for the Last 16 because it would be able to beat the other Heat B finalists at the very least. Still, I wonder; in a melee situation, should Spawn of Scutter and Spawn Again be placed in the same melee, would they team up, or would it be every robot for itself? Curious.

Heat C[]

Heat C brought things back to Earth. I mean, the first round was good; we had some very interesting battles, with Silver Box vs Crusader 2 being the most compelling of the bunch, based on damage potential vs pushing power. Meanwhile, Ms. Nightshade vs Ron and Rohog vs Brimhur showed that battles involving uncompetitive machines can be fun to debate on. However, the second round and especially the third round were a complete bore, since it was obvious for the most part who was going to go through. I did add some countervotes in favour of Derek 2 and Mini Maul, but they were half arsed, considering their opponents (Onslaught and Rohog respectively) could very well have won these battles to be quite honest. Round 3 was the least interesting round thus far, with the four finalists easily overcoming their opponents.

Nonetheless, I do appreciate Rohog's run in the tournament. Some like Diotoir believe lower-tier machines like Rohog overstay their welcome after a while. I argue that Ragnabot is similar to the FA Cup, where low level machines NEVER outstay their welcome. Credit to Rohog for its run, but it is not enough to prevent Heat C from being the weakest thus far in my opinion.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Rohog, no question. An uncompetitive Series 5 robot that broke down in seconds in its only battle, was destroyed and was generally behind the times certainly deserves this award when it has somehow outperformed such robots as Aftershock and Lizzard. Honourable mentions go to Hyperactive for finally doing well after many years of bad luck, and Thing 2, for almost doing the same.
Kat 3: Snake Bite. I know some felt Direct Action deserved the award, but after thinking about it, would a one-time loser really be expected to progress further? Meanwhile, Snake Bite qualified for a World Championship and troubled both Crushtacean and PulverizeR, so it really should have done better.
Rusty Spanner: Direct Action earns this award, however, considering how it, a decent enough spinner, was hit by a bulldozing brick called Tricerabot 3.0. Not cool. Honourable mention to Cygnus X-1, which may surprise some. However, I felt that it could have a been a dark horse to escape the heat, so considering it just fell against Tetanus Booster, it very must exited in disappointing fashion.
Steg 2: Again, Nobody won this award.
Typhoon: Mini-Maul, the only candidate for this award.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Victor 2 vs Cedric Slammer. There were very few interesting battles in this heat, so I will give it to a great destruction exhibition instead. In terms of an actual contest, Jellyfish vs Thing 2 could have been a decent "Old vs New" battle.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Crusader 2 vs Silver Box. One of those weird results, where one would not expect Silver Box to challenge, but it ultimately put in a great fight against opposition that ultimately proved too much for it.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Hyperactive: Too fragile to go much further, I'm afraid. Still, with a powerful weapon, it might be able to cause some harm to the less competitive machines that are still in the running.
Tetanus Booster: Tetanus Booster could do well here, considering it has a decent drum, is invertible and has good mobility. However, its struggles against Ewe 2 suggest that any decent pusher or crusher that it comes across will ultimately take its toll on the robot. It stands no chance against a good, reliable spinner.
Tricerabot 3.0: Being a bulldozing brick, Tricerabot 3.0 might be quite the counter to powerful spinners and pushers. Its downfall will likely be against great pushers and especially flippers, with that high ground clearance ultimately proving costly in my opinion.
Cedric Slammer: Seeing as Cedric Slammer has a more secure disc, it should do better than Hyperactive. However, its reliability overall is pretty poor, and with exposed mechanics on both sides, it needs to avoid any damaging opponents at all costs.

Heat D[]

Luckily, Heat D kicked things up a notch with some spectacular matchups. Round 1 was pretty quiet, although Spin Doctor vs Rippa Raptor was one surprisngly close affair between two uncompetitive machines. Comedy was quite the factor here though, with two variants of Team Cold Fusion facing off against each other, both GBH machines beating both Havoc machines in successive battles and Toast voting for W.A.S.P. to keep his streak of voting for the Series 6 machine in consecutive Ragnabot tournaments alive. Round 2, so far, has been my favourite round of the entire competition. Pretty much, with the exception of Flepser vs The Kraken, every single battle where I disagreed with the original consensus were incredibly tense and could have genuinely gone either way. Bulldog Breed vs Pulsar, Hobgoblin vs Pussycat, Beast of Bodmin vs Sniper and Kat 3 vs Revenge of Trouble & Strife all contributed towards an amazing round, even if I did not agree with most of the outcomes.

Round 3 was pretty lame again, which was shame since there were some potentially interesting matchups in there. Nonetheless, Kat 3 escaping the heats was an amazing experience seeing how unlucky my second favourite machine has been over the years. Overall, thanks to that second round, Heat D certainly challenges Heat B as being the best heat in Ragnabot 3 thus far.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Kat 3, for escaping a heat. No more words. G.B.H. had an exceptional run for a Series 2 robot though.
Kat 3 Iron-Awe 6 There are actually several candidates here: frenZy and Splinter certainly underachieved for not even getting past the first round, while Pulsar should also be displeased with its run. Despite this, Iron-Awe 6 takes the award because although it may be lacking its flipper, it was a legend on the live ciruit and so should have been expected to live up to its previous performances.
Rusty Spanner: frenZy. frenZy has always been a compelling, if somewhat controversial robot when it comes to debating its battles. So to see it being shut out by Terrorhurtz was a massive shame in my opinion. Speaking of which, Iron-Awe 6 deserves a mention seeing as its lack of flipper generally makes its battles tense... well, they would have been had Iron-Awe 6 not come across Terrorhurtz, that is.
Steg 2: Again, Nobody! I am fairly certain a robot WILL win this at one point, though. Please don't be Steg 2 itself...
Typhoon: Nobody, seeing as robots like Thud and Tentoumushi crashed out in the first round.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Hobgoblin vs Pussycat. Some great matchups in this heat, but the new breed vs old guard honestly would have been quite the battle. Could Hobgoblin have pulled off a Fluffy by ripping off Pussycat's discs? Or would it pull off a Fluffy by breaking down? Who knows! Splinter vs Iron-Awe 6 would have made for a rather strange but still good pushing battle.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Kat 3 vs Revenge of Trouble & Strife. Some almightly close battles here, but this fight earns the award since it was the most likely to actually go to a judges' decision. And honestly, if Kat 3's axe tip did not break off as I expected it would do here, the judges might have had a tough time deciding a winner.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Pussycat: Pussycat is still a resilient force despite the presence of Reboot robots. I honestly expect to see it pull off more upsets, but its exposed wheels and the presence of good flippers will ultimately cost it.
Terrorhurtz: One of the few machines that could beat Carbide, Terrorhurtz is still a favourite to claim the title. Reboot flippers are arguably its greatest threat here, although so far none have reached this stage.
GBH 2: GBH 2 is a tough bugger, but its flippers and control are honestly not the greatest. Getting past the next round might be its last challenge.
Kat 3: Its shape might actually be its most valuable attribute here, seeing how difficult it is to grab and flip. That said, poor control, an inaccurate axe and its overall bad luck will probably reduce its chances considerably.

Heat E[]

Heat E certainly loves UK champions, as the first three machines drawn into this heat shared this crown. Sadly, we would be losing two of them straight away, with Chaos 2 and Panic Attack facing off in a dream match and Roadblock losing a lame match to a favourite of mine, Arnold, Arnold Terminegger. Regarding the Chaos 2-Panic Attack match, I honestly would back Chaos 2 against any version of the Series 2 champion, considering the self-righting issues and somewhat exploitable ground clearance it had. Round 1 was a quiet round overall, introducing a relatively balanced heat that included such names as Mortis, King B Remix, Steel Avenger, two Judge Shreds and... Foxic. Yeah, let's just skip over that one quickly. Despite the lack of competition, Round 1 certainly had the most controversial battle thus far in the tournament, since although Mortis beat Tiberius, had Adster (and Toast) voted a few minutes earlier, the outcome would have changed. Oh well, I agree with Jimlaad on this one, considering you should ideally vote as soon as possible.

Round 2 was an improvement. Although there were some "squash" matches (a wrestling term describing matchups that end with one wrestler destroying and quickly defeating another), there were some compelling matchups to be seen here. This included Foxic vs Steel Avenger (potential vs reliability), Arnold, Arnold Terminegger vs Ewe 2 (one decisive flip vs relentless offence) and King B Remix vs Rick (based on Remix's drivechain issues and Powerworks' previous encounter with Rick). Round 3, though, was even better, as amazingly all four battles were close calls to say the least since each side had great arguments. Mortis vs Steel Avenger was based on armour vs axe power, Ninjitsu vs Arnold, Arnold Terminegger focusing almost entirely on durability, King B Remix vs Chaos 2 on whether the latter would overflip, and Judge Shred 3 vs Gravedigger, a battle of aggression vs damage potential. Overall, this was a fun heat after we got past round 1, although this heat would become the first where I will be awarding the coverted Steg 2 Award... Let's get to them.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Ninjitsu. No real surprises in this heat, but Ninjitsu deserves the award over Gravedigger and even pre-weight increase Mortis, since the spinner had the poorer track record in real-life. Still, the fact Groundhog won a battle surprises me greatly.
Kat 3: Panic Attack won more accolades than Roadblock, so in the battle of the underachieving UK champions, the Series 2 champion edges out the Series 1 king.
Rusty Spannner: Roadblock, because at least Panic Attack lost a dream match to Chaos 2. Roadblock lost a lame duck match to Arnold, Arnold Terminegger, which was a massive shame since based on its Ragnabot 2 battles, it could have had decent matches against newer machines.
Steg 2: King B Remix becomes the first machine to earn this title. Yes, I like King Buxton, but I honestly could not vote for Remix against durable opponents, since that drivechain was doomed to break at some point. While I understand it beating Depoppesaurus Rex, I strongly disagree with it beating Rick.
Typhoon: Nobody, with poor showings from such non-heavyweights as Beef-Cake and Broadsword.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Chaos 2 vs Panic Attack, no question. I must say though that Mortis vs Tiberius and Mortis vs Steel Avenger were also great clashes, considering how unpredictable the Series 2 semi-finalist was throughout Robot Wars.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Mortis vs Tiberius. Whilst King B Remix vs Rick had more votes (6-5), Mortis vs Tiberius was decided only through a discounted vote. So there we go.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Mortis: While it is a pre-weight increase machine, Mortis' strong armour will serve it nicely in the later stages. What will probably cost it are the low ground clearances of the other, newer machines out there, which will probably damage a track and easily allow good flippers and spinners to show off their potential. Still, I back Mortis to become the last pre-weight increase machine left in the tournament.
Ninjitsu: Unreliability and a high ground clearance are going to let down this American spinner greatly. The only way I can see it progressing is through beating vulnerable machines, including ones with exposed wheels and those that are pre-weight increase.
Chaos 2: Now Chaos 2's overflip weakness is probably going to cost it against the bulky Classic Era machines and especially against the bulkier Reboot machines. That said, there are a decent number of opponents that are vulnerable to quickfire attacks Chaos 2 is known for, so it is a candidate for reaching the Semi-Finals in my opinion.
Judge Shred 3: While Chaos 2 struggles to self-right, Judge Shred 3's ability to self-right is allegedly even worse. Avoiding good flippers is crucial for it to progress, although I honestly do not trust it against any decent spinner or axe at this point.

Heat F[]

All sixteen Round 1 battles were released at once, which probably promoted a chaotic environment when it came to voting. Still, it was probably worth releasing everything in one go, since this was one of the least exciting opening rounds in Ragnabot 3. Most could be described with "flip of doom" or "Don't bring wheels into the arena. The only interesting battle in Round 1 was JAR vs 259 Middleweight, focusing mainly on JAR's power, anti-spinner wedge and, of course, unreliability. You have to have a very unreliable machine if 259 is somehow more likely to survive to a judges' decision.

Round 2 was better, but not by much. While Weber vs Series 7 Dutch Twister was good, and Series 8 Shockwave vs Dantomkia is a match I wanted to see in real-life, the rest of the card, with the exception of Mean Streak vs T.R.A.C.I.E. was again pretty boring. Then again, at least most of the battles there were based on factors outside a lack of srimech or presence of exposed wheels. Sadly, Round 3 was awful, since only one battle, Ceros vs Vulture, was not unanimous, and even then that was based on one vote only. Overall, Heat F is so far the worst Ragnabot 3 heat thus far. Maybe even a contender for the worst in Ragnabot history?

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Zorro. I completely understand Diotoir's skepticism over this Team Ming machine, as it hardly showcased its potential in its only televised battle. Still, because of this, it is a slam dunk winner of this award. 259 Middleweight beat two Reboot machines and had a small chance of escaping the heat, so I congratulate it as well.
Kat 3: Dantomkia honestly had little competition in this heat... yet it faced the only opponent that could have beaten it, losing to Shockwave and thus falling Round 2.
Rusty Spanner. Dominator. To be fair, many of the squash matches had a loser that was not going to contribute much towards Ragnabot 3's entertainment value anyway. But I guess the Series 3 Pinball runners-up was an exception, based on how aggressive it was in its only televised appearance. Losing quickly to Shockwave was not exactly a thrilling way to go out. NAMAZU has always been a robot I admire, so it losing easily to Dantomkia was pretty disappointing as well.
Steg 2: Nobody, which was quite obvious considering how many squash matches there were in Round 1 and 2, plus the lack of competition in Round 3.
Typhoon: 259 Middleweight. Again, it reached Round 3 by beating two Reboot opponents. Nice work. Kick Robutt may be a superheavyweight, but it came from Series 2, so it deserves an honourable mention, especially since I feel confident in saying it would survive to a judges' decision against Vulture.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Shockwave vs Dantomkia, with this battle easily standing out against the rest. Weber vs Twister was the only other battle that I would have wanted to see in real-life.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Weber vs Twister brought some life into this dull heat, with just a single vote deciding the outcome.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Shockwave: It was a darkhorse in Series 8 and I argue that it can live up to the darkhorse status in Ragnabot 3. While Shockwave was quite rightly replaced by Aftershock, it was still an elite-tier machine for its era. I think it can pull off some shocks here... get it?
Zorro: A spinner of unknown quality with battery issues and a non-functional srimech. It needs some luck to progress any further.
Twister: Twister was unlucky to fall in the first round of Series 7, so I expect to see it doing decently here, with a good spinner and invertability being on its side. That said, the fact its spinner stop functioning in its Series 7 battle is troubling, so it needs to avoid fellow spinners or any machine that is relentless in its offence.
Vulture: Another potential darkhorse, Vulture was not the greatest Series 10 machine, but it certainly can trouble older opponents. That said, most Wiki users are not keen on this machine, so expect some controversial matchups later on.

Heat G[]

After a bad last heat, Heat G was... honestly not much better. Round 1 still had a large number of squash matches, but the presence of Das Gepäck vs DisConstructor and Plunderbird 2 vs Killertron were breaths of fresh air. Honestly, I would have loved to have seen those two battles in real-life, especially the latter, a Classic Era grudge match that sadly never happened. Unfortunately, things did not pick up much afterwards. Although DisConstructor vs Arena Cleaner was a great battle focusing on control, damage potential and durability, the other matches in Round 2 and 3 were very one-sided. I tried to establish some opposition, but alas none of these countervotes proved popular. Not a great heat, although I am not sure whether Heat F or Heat G is worse.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Revolution 2. To be honest, Revolution 2's success in this heat seemingly came out of nowhere! In fairness, it had no real opposition, but considering its unreliability and poor record in Arena Forum tournaments, it deserves this award. Well done to the relatively unknown Shear Khan, as well as Miss Ile for somehow winning battles.
Kat 3: General Chompsalot 2 was a two-time runners-up, so it underachieved greatly by becoming a Round 2 dropout. Meanwhile, Plunderbird 2 went from Audited Series 2 champion to Ragnabot 3 Round 1 dropout, a huge change in fortune.
Rusty Spanner: The Executioner wins in a fairly weak heat, because its Ragnabot 2 performance suggested it could have generated some fiery debates in this tournament. Alas, it merely became another victim of bringing wheels into the arena, losing to S3 in Round 1. Thor 1995 was officially the last of the "Original Trio" consisting of itself, The Master (who also went out in Round 1 of this heat, but at least had a good match against Shear Khan) and La Machine (who also gave its opponent, Steel Avenger, a decent challenge). Thor sadly was unable to do so against a strong General Chompsalot 2.
Steg 2: S3, although I understand why it progressed despite my countervotes. I still argue that General Chompsalot 2 and S.M.I.D.S.Y. would win by preventing S3 from gaining the space it needs to deliver attacks, but those two machines were quite fragile, which could have resulted in them breaking down after a few hits. So, S3's progression is understandable, but still worthy of this award.
Typhoon: Nobody, not a great heat for the robots of different weight categories.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Plunderbird 2 vs Killertron or any combination of Plunderbird and Killertron variants would have resulted in a great Classic Era matchup. DisConstructor was the MVP of this heat, though, since Das Gepäck vs DisConstructor and DisConstructor vs Arena Cleaner are genuinely battles that should result in a close call in both.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: No fight earns the award here.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Arena Cleaner: Toast believes that Arena Cleaner deserves to be in contention for the top ten best ever Robot Wars machines. I question that, since although it has a clear damage and weight advantage, I doubt its control, exposed wheels and vulnerable weapon belt. Still, expect it to wipe the floor (get it?) against most Classic Era and some Reboot machines.
S3: S3 needs breathing space for it to succeed. It will more than likely get the space it needs judging on the robots that have escaped the heats thus far, but any good machine that can act as a close quarters brick will prove too much for it.
Sabretooth: Another potential darkhorse, Sabretooth has damage potential and agility on its side. Control and reliability? Not so much. Candidate for the Semi-Finals, though.
Revolution 2: A glass cannon is unlikely to progress much further now that the remaining opponents are more durable and can dish out just as much punishment as Revolution 2 can, if not more. Needs a bit of luck to progress any further.

Heat H[]

Thankfully, Heat H was a much better heat. While there were many squashes again in Round 1, the battles that were contested were fairly interesting! A Series 2 encounter between Ivanhoe and Tender Caress was amazingly compelling on the proven track record vs potency card. By contrast, Weeliwako vs Hippobotomus was great simply because it featured a slightly below average Series 3 axlebot vs a super uncompetitive for Series 5 plastic sandpit. Round 2 was also an improvement; particularly, I enjoyed Hypno-Disc vs Wild Thing since this was a battle of strong power vs superior durability, which I feel could have gone either way in real-life. That said, although I appreciate the fact Rabid M8 vs Spin Doctor was close, it is so far one of my top battles where I disagreed with the outcome. I think the exposed wheels card was a tad too focused, considering Spin Doctor had an easily breakable chain that could be removed in just one or two hits from the axlebot.

Still, not that it mattered! Round 3 was fairly boring, but at least with the pairing of Dominator 2 and Anarchy, we got a surprise heat winner in Texas Tornado. Let's see how far Kerry Von Erich will go into this tournament...

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Tip-Top. Yeah, unlike Toast, I am not completely sold on Tip-Top. Great disc, but an unfortunate means of drive means that it could be easily pushed onto the flame pit where its petrol engine will burn. Still, great to see it somehow reach Round 3! Texas Tornado was a nice surprise to see escaping the heats, while although I disagree with Spin Doctor beating Rabid M8, Round 3 is quite the achievement for it.
Kat 3: Wild Thing. You know what, I should have named the "Kat 3" award as the "Wild Thing" award instead, because at least Kat 3 escaped a heat back in A Fantasy Audited War 2. Wild Thing has continually bombed out well before it time, like it has done so here. Son of Armageddon, being a German Grand Finalist (and a competent one at that, I am looking at you Tyke!) perhaps should have progressed further than it did too.
Rusty Spanner: Wyrm. Below average for Series 9, but with such an anti-spinner front plate, it certainly could challenge some Classic Era machines. Cue TR2.
Steg 2: Nobody, which is not surprising considering I agreed with consensus. Still strongly disagree with Spin Doctor beating Rabid M8, though.
Typhoon: Nobody, another poor heat for the different weight category machines.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Hypno-Disc vs Wild Thing. While some Hypno-Disc supporters brushed off any claims this would be a close battle, I strongly disagree. I think this would be a nail-biter, considering Hypno-Disc would probably dominate at first, but begin to struggle midway. Would Wild Thing turn the tide of battle? Who knows? Dominator 2 vs Anarchy would have been interesting, simply to see Dominator 2 face off against another powerful axe.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Ivanhoe vs Tender Caress, a hidden gem if I don't say so myself. I think Ivanhoe would win ultimately, but do not underestimate Tender Caress' speed and damage potential.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Dominator 2: Could be a dark horse for being the Classic Era machine that makes it the furthest into the tournament. With a powerful axe, great agility and exceptionally strong armour for the era, Dominator 2 will not be a pushover for even the best Reboot machines. One to watch.
TR2: Ultimately, TR2's main weakness is facing more powerful flippers than it. It faces Apollo or Eruption for example, and it is doomed. That said, with great fundamentals, control and strong armour, expect it to go far.
Hypno-Disc: I honestly think Hypno-Disc might be a candidate to exit the next round. With many robots equipped with strong armour, and with many deadly weapons to face, Hypno-Disc may get outclassed here. Still, it will be no pushover, and will take out any overachievers without breaking a sweat.
Texas Tornado: Might be lucky to escape the melees, to be honest. With a glaring weakness in that vulnerable aerial, a melee environment could spell doom for it. Requires some luck to get any further into the tournament.

Heat I[]

Despite featuring my old nemesis (no, not the prequel to Diotoir!), I am happy to proclaim Heat I as the best heat in Ragnabot 3 so far and perhaps one of the greatest of all-time. After a slow start (with only Death Trak's comeback against Lateral Thought bucking the trend), the second batch of Round 1 battles kickstarted an incredible heat. Starting with UFO's comeback against Mega Morg, we bore witness to some of the most unlikely occasions where victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat, which include the following:

UFO vs Mega Morg: From 3-0 down to a relatively comfortable 8-5 victory, UFO was just getting started in giving us our moneys' worth.
Rhino vs I Bot One Beta, two unreliable machines, but with I Bot One Beta gaining the upper hand initially due to its damage potential and awkward shape. Eight countervotes condemned the German machine, however!
Bunny Attack vs Bottweiler, a topsy-turvy match where it appeared Bunny Attack's proven track record would prove too much for the unknown potential of the superheavyweight, until two late votes gave the superheavyweight the victory... by a Judges' decision!. Our first one in this tournament!
UFO vs Hodaf The Bad. What a battle between two Series 7 machines that certainly held more potential than their actual results suggest. UFO against snatching victory from the jaws of defeat for the second consecutive time.
Typhoon vs Steg 2. Still bitter about this outcome for obvious reasons. Steg 2 can do absolutely nothing against Typhoon, in my honest opinion. Great comeback regardless.
Mechaniac vs Reactor 2. A close battle based on whether Mechaniac's better flipper would be nullified because of its inability to self-right. Luckily for the Austrian robot, most people agreed its flipper would save the day, after some initial opposition.
The Revolutionist vs Mechaniac. But unfortunately for the Austrian machine, its good flipper could not help it against the fact it struggled against powerful spinners, even ones that have no srimech.

And we also need to consider the fact that even Razer was troubled by Crackers 'n' Smash, Spike troubled Rhino initially and also Short Circuit vs V-Max, a battle that I feel SHOULD have joined the list above in terms of closeness. Alas, it was not to beat. Despite this, there really was only one thing that I particularly disliked about this heat, enough for it to end up as my Rusty Spinner award. Still, an excellent heat that sets the bar much higher than before.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Short Circuit, a robot that was unimpressive in its only televised battle, who is now more highly rated than ever since the discovery of its win over Atomic. Its run probably would not have happened if we did not learn about that fight's context. I hate to say this, but Steg 2, being a pre-weight increase machine, deserves an honourable mention here, as does Death Trak, because it is Death Trak we are talking about here.
Kat 3: Crackers 'n' Smash, the only real machine that underachieved quite frankly, being a Reboot machine with potential against older opposition.
Rusty Spanner: UFO. After appearing in two nail-biting battles, it was a massive, massive shame to see UFO become just another victim of Razer. Really, the only sour point of this entire heat.
Steg 2: Nobody, not even Steg 2 itself amazingly.
Typhoon: Typhoon gets its own award! It had some competition from Bottweiler, but I ultimately pick the middleweight, because it at least had a competitive Round 2 battle, unlike the superheavyweight.
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: UFO vs Hodaf The Bad. A tough pick here, as both Crackers 'n' Smash vs Razer and Mechaniac vs Reactor 2 would have been ones to watch too, in my opinion. However, a battle between two similarly matched good Series 7 opponents narrowly edges the others out.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Bunny Attack vs Bottweiler, for actually ending a judges' decision. Yes, UFO vs Hodaf The Bad picked up more votes, but the former was the first to end in a judges' decision in this tournament, so it gets edged out.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

Razer: The upgrades should mean that even Tornado will struggle to challenge it. However, Razer is starting to show its age, considering how vulnerable it now is to the latest spinners and flippers. Expect it to go far, though.
The Revolutionist: The lack of srimech and high ground clearance will spell doom for the American machine. Its armour and spinner will be its finest qualities here, and it is going to need to use them (plus a bit of luck) to progress any further.
Steg 2: Poor control and slightly exposed wheels have no place in the later rounds. Steg 2 is going to struggle, unless it faces a srimechless machine.
Short Circuit: Its win over Atomic can only carry it so far. Poor reliability and weapon durability will see it struggle against most of the machines still left in the competition.

Heat J[]

After one of the greatest heats in Ragnabot history comes... one of the most boring. Far, far too many battles ended in a whitewash for me to care about this heat. Nonetheless, there were some bright spots, namely in close battles between Six-Pac vs Mastiff and Dutch Series 2 Twister vs Coyote, and The General, the pioneer of the Don't bring wheels into the arena quote, lost its exposed wheels against the aforementioned Twister. Apart from that, there is nothing of interest in this heat. Want more proof? I did not make a single opposing vote for the entire heat, the first time this has happened to me in Ragnabot history. Avoid this heat at all costs.

Awards[]

Overkill GTI: Maximum Torque, a robot with no wins and two losses to its name, henceforth meaning it reaching Round 3 is quite the accolade.
Kat 3: Bigger Brother, for somehow not escaping a very weak heat.
Rusty Spanner: Nobody. At least Bigger Brother's loss to Thor happened later on, and was a surprise in a fairly uneventful heat.
Steg 2: Do me a favour!
Typhoon: Vector of Armageddon, a wee bit lucky to get this award, since it beat Armadillo. Yeah...
Razer vs Hypno-Disc: Twister (Dutch) (D2) vs Coyote, which honestly could genuinely go either way. Would Twister break the pipes and destroy its opponent's wheels? Or would Coyote grab and control its opponent? Quite interesting.
Storm 2 vs Firestorm 5: Six-Pac vs Mastiff narrowly wins over Twister (Dutch) (D2) vs Coyote, due to Mastiff's strong comeback.

Thoughts on the Finalists[]

√3: The trio have got heart, but their small size will count against them later in the competition. However, I am confident it will actually progress through the melees, considering that one needs to take out more than one of the trio. Not confident in it getting any further, though.
Thor (10): Thor's inability to win a heat shows it probably is not among the Reboot elite. That said, it can pretty much take out anyone outside the elite without much trouble. Expect it to make it far into the competition.
Twister (Dutch) (D2): This Twister has the Series 7 machine's flaws, plus instability and no invertability. Not confident in it making much more progress, but its powerful spinner should be its trump card here.
The Brute: Exposed wheels and high ground clearance makes it vulnerable to the majority of opponents here. Nonetheless, its pushing power and relentlessness should give it the edge against less durable opponents.