Mechanical Maelstrom: Annihilation

Great stuff as always Lewis. :)

Flipper attachment off again...I think I will try my hand at attacking Sheer Heart Attack this time. I may not be able to break the tracks, but with my front shape I can most certainly stop the drum and grapple onto it from the front (though I wouldn't say no to a side grappling either ;) ) and drag it somewhere nasty, preferably the pit. Hell, the forks may hit SHA2's side and interfere with his driving, who knows. Avoid Leprosy Infection for now, and only attack SDU if he's been inverted. Stay away from the pit as much as possible otherwise.

Great battles, Lewis. Nice to see this going again. :)

I think Leprosy Infection could be in danger of going out next.

Thanks for the comments guys :D Grateful for the tactics and predictions too, motivates me to keep writing ><


And so we return to Mechanical Maelstrom for the third round of the third annihilator!

From Enschede in the Netherlands, representing Team Varying Everyday, ranked #6, Sheer Heart Attack 2!

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Jinx!

From Glasgow in Scotland, representing Team Braveheart, Spin Dash Unleashed!

From Onehouse in Suffolk, representing Team Dinowarrior, Leprosy Infection!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Varying Everyday, Team Zlayerz
Booth Blue: Team Braveheart, Team Dinowarrior

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

And the third round gets underway! All the damage from the brutal round that preceded this one has been fixed, particularly for SDU and Leprosy Infection who took some serious punishment. Sheer Heart Attack 2 is also moving freely again now thanks to the fixed track that was damaged by SDU in round 2, and Jinx didn€™t take much damage from CrOokEd EvO, which was the only bot it had much to do with. However, this time around Kody has set his sights on the ranked machine, SHA2, and Jinx goes straight in on the first onslaught of the match!

Martijn is having none of it though and the tank-style steering of Sheer Heart Attack turns to expertly meet Jinx front on and the two collide! The drum of the Dutch machine hits the front spikes of Kody€™s machine and bends them upwards ever so slightly, but this doesn€™t deter Jinx and she drives on forward, pushing SHA2 back and swinging the powerful axe over! It doesn€™t hit the bodywork of Martijn€™s robot though, hitting the floor between the tracks. This hasn€™t been a useless attack at all though, as now Kody has a strong foothold with which to pull SHA around, and that he does, dragging Martijn€™s machine back across the arena and onto the killsaws! BZZT!

Meanwhile SDU is the immediate agressor on Leprosy Infection, charging straight into the front of Chris€™ machine with the saw at top speed and stopping the drum dead in it€™s tracks, ramming Team Dinowarrior€™s entry backwards across the arena and into the spike strip! Not much damage caused to Leprosy Infection, but the drum is stopped by the impact, allowing Steven to worm around to the side of Leprosy and ram the side of it! Leprosy finds itself being driven sideways across the arena now as it attempted to drive away from the wall, but SDU was too quick and attacked the exposed side, now grinding away at the mini-skirts of Leprosy Infection like it did in the last round.

There€™s not much Chris can do to escape as Steven€™s saw does it€™s malevolent work and SDU slams Leprosy Infection into the conjoined pair of Jinx and Sheer Heart Attack 2, causing Jinx to relieve it€™s grip on Martijn€™s robot. He wastes no time and spins his drum back up before turning it into the side of SDU, ripping off one hinge of the side skirt! Jinx however, still has its sight plainly set on SHA2, and brings its axe up and over again, this time slamming down onto the drum itself, stopping it dead in its tracks! This infuriates Martijn, who reverses and gets one of his rear wedges under the side of Jinx€™s front wedge, pinning Jinx on against the wall and holding it lifted up above the killsaws, which rise and flip the raised Jinx onto its side! Kody swings the axe and the force is enough to knock it back onto its wheels, but SHA2 had the drum spinning ready and slams into the base of Jinx as it comes back down, taking a chunk out of the thick polycarb and throwing the Canadian machine back over!

SDU now has a skirt trailing, but that doesn€™t hold Steven€™s aggression back and now he€™s reversing against the drum of Leprosy Infection, which initially started to damage the rear panel of SDU, but was brought to a halt by that machine€™s backward motion and speed, and instead Leprosy is now finding itself again under the control of it€™s Scottish adversary, which slams it into the pit release button!

Meanwhile Kody has again managed to right the turtled Jinx, who is now looking slightly the worse for wear, but nonetheless turns to attack SHA2 again, swinging the axe over and clamping down on the left track of the machine, digging in slightly with one corner of the blade and can now drive Sheer Heart Attack across the Annihilation Stadium. And it seems this could be SHA2€™s final destination, as Kody has one place in mind: the pit!
He turns, SHA2 in tow and drives toward the chasm.

But SHA2 isn€™t the only robot that could go out here, as SDU is still slamming Leprosy around like there€™s no tomorrow. The drum is spinning, but SDU is at the side of Chris€™ machine, and the saw has badly buckled both skirts on one side now, leaving Leprosy with a higher ground clearance and impaired mobility. With such a low clearance of just 6mm it wasn€™t the most manouevrable to begin with and now with a dragging skirt it€™s having real trouble escaping SDU€™s grip, and now Steven has lined Leprosy up for a direct passage to the pit of oblivion!

However, Kody is already there with SHA2 in tow, but Martijn€™s machine is quite far up Jinx€™s frame, and in order to dump the former champion in there without eliminating himself Kody€™s going to have shake Martijn free of his axe! This is easier said than done, as Kody retracts the axe, but can€™t pull it free of SHA2€™s track! It must be buried deeper than we thought, but it doesn€™t matter because here comes SDU, driving Leprosy at full speed sideways into the pit, where it disappears in a puff of smoke! SHA2 is saved by the bell just as Kody manages to drag the axe free, thus dropping it into the pit, but Martijn€™s machine lives to fight another day.

CEASE!

Leprosy Infection is infected and leaves the annihilator, having failed to get it€™s revenge on Spin Dash Unleashed for it€™s Season 1.0 defeat.

Battleboard
Sheer Heart Attack 2 [#6] vs. Jinx vs. Bandwagon 2 vs. CrOokEd EvO vs. Spin Dash Unleashed vs. Leprosy Infection

Oh dear oh dear...looks like I may be the weakest link now. :/

Nonetheless my previous tactics remain; grapple'n'pit SHA2, and attack SDU only if it's been inverted.

And do I even need to say how awesome the battles are? Guess so. Great battles Lewis. :proud:

I actually think Jinx might go out here - with three robots left it's going to leave the two spinners with more room to manoeuvre and as Kody fears it may be the weak link.

Welcome back to Mechanical Maelstrom, where just three robots remain in this, the third annihilator of the series!

From Enschede in the Netherlands, representing Team Varying Everyday, ranked #6, Sheer Heart Attack 2!

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Jinx!

From Glasgow in Scotland, representing Team Braveheart, Spin Dash Unleashed!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Varying Everyday, Team Zlayerz
Booth Blue: Team Braveheart

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

And the match gets underway! Right from the off, Jinx remains aggressive towards SHA2 like it did in the previous round and rams straight at Martijn€™s machine. The ranked robot spins up its drum and turns to meet Kody€™s oncoming attack, hitting the front of Jinx and knocking it up into the air! Not much damage caused to the thick titanium front of Jinx, but points scored for SHA2 and Martijn is about to capitilise upon these points by driving in underneath the flipped up Jinx when SDU comes out of nowhere and slams into the side of the former champion, catching Team Varying Everyday unaware and Steven drives Martijn across the arena and onto the killsaws!

The onslaught was so fast and came from nowhere, so Martijn didn€™t even have a chance to put up a resistance against the Scottish machine. The killsaws rise and throw SHA2 up and over in a shower of sparks, but no serious damage caused by the arena hazards here and Martijn is quickly spinning the drum back up and going back on the attack, turning into the side of SDU and tearing off the side skirt! Steven quickly reverses away from danger, allowing Jinx to come in. Kody spots the opening to attack SHA2 and rams under the side of it€™s adversary, swinging its axe over onto the opposite track and digging the blade in! This won€™t immobilise SHA2€™s track, but it will certainly hinder the machine€™s manouevrability once Jinx tears the axe loose. However, that was a problem in the last round and could be one here!

However, there is an extra factor this time around - Spin Dash! Steven comes flying out of the corner and charges into the side of Jinx, giving Kody the momentum to shake free of SHA2, which is left with a tear in it€™s left track, but now Jinx is under pressure from SDU and finds itself being rammed sideways across the Annihilation Stadium and into the spike strip it goes! The saw of SDU provides some lovely sparks against Jinx€™s titanium armourment for the audience to gape at, but the damage is only cosmetic and SDU can only hold Jinx against the spikes for a certain amount of time. Before this time has elapsed though SHA2 has made its way across the arena and pushes its drum against the side of SDU that it previously stole a skirt from, flipping the Scottish machine up and over in one easy move!

This frees Jinx, who backs away from the spike strip and drives backwards under SDU, pushing it backwards across the arena and into the pit release button! The chasm descends and Jinx spins around, swinging the axe over again and bringing the fearsome weapon to bear on SDU€™s hardox underbelly with a loud CRASH! The damage is probably just cosmetic, but that large dent in SDU isn€™t going to give Steven any points should this go to a judges decision, and it certainly isn€™t an ego-boost of any kind! Jinx however, isn€™t finished and retracts its axe only to swing it over again and deepen the dent in SDU€™s hardox armour, how pinning Steven€™s machine in place before turning around and pushing it towards the pit! SDU was master of the pit in the two rounds that preceded this one, but now the dream is at an end and Spin Dash takes the plunge itself, disappearing in a puff of smoke for the second time in this annihilator, but this time it€™s the only robot in there and is out of the competition.

CEASE!

Spin Dash is spun out; Sheer Heart Attack 2 [#6] and Jinx advance to the annihilator final!

Battleboard
Sheer Heart Attack 2 [#6] vs. Jinx vs. Bandwagon 2 vs. CrOokEd EvO vs. Spin Dash Unleashed vs. Leprosy Infection

w00t, back-up tactics paid off! :proud:

Sheer Heart Attack 2 (6) vs. Jinx

Meep, I'm alone with him now. :| Not much I can do here except remain true to previous tactics of the grapple'n'pit variety. I'll take them from any angle I can get this time. Nothing more, nothing less. Pit pit pit. G'luck Marti.

Keep on truckin', Lewis. :D

And we€™re back for the final of the third annihilator!
Let€™s see how both of our finalists got this far.

In round 1 Bandwagon 2 was eliminated via default.
In round 2 CrOokEd EvO managed to give eventual finalist Jinx a hard time, but ended up in the pit.
In round 3 Leprosy Infection ended up in the pit too.
And in round 4 Spin Dash Unleashed became the 3rd robot to be eliminated via the pit this annihilator.

So let€™s see who€™ll join Nidhogg Cubed and Gehenna in the annihilator final!

From Enschede in the Netherlands, representing Team Varying Everyday, ranked #6, Sheer Heart Attack 2!

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Jinx!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Varying Everyday
Booth Blue: Team Zlayerz

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

The 3rd final begins and Jinx is the immediate aggressor of the match, driving towards it€™s ranked adversary and swinging the pneumatic axe over, but SHA2 is the quicker of the warring machines and neatly dodges the move before driving back in and clouting Jinx with the spinning drum, flipping it up into the air and buckling one of the front spikes! Kody grimaces and retracts Jinx€™s axe, but takes the opportunity to attack while SHA2€™s drum is spinning back up and rams underneath Martijn€™s machine, pushing it back against the spike strip before whacking down with the axe again, this time striking the track directly and digging in slightly with the sharp corner! It€™s not a great hold, but a grip is a grip and now Jinx reverses back across the arena, SHA2 in tow!

Martijn tries to worm free, and by moving the tracks and spinning the drum he does successfully loosen Kody€™s grip, but doesn€™t quite free his robot. Kody slams backwards into the pit release button though, and it€™s this collision that knocks Martijn off Jinx€™s axe, leaving him free to reverse away before driving back in on the attack and this time flipping the Canadian machine up and over as well as continuing to buckle the fork further! However Jinx is quick to self-right and Kody is again on the attack quickly, this time driving underneath the damaged track and bringing the axe down onto SHA2 again, but he was too far underneath this time and the 32cm height of SHA2 means the axe arm of Jinx clangs noisily against the front of SHA2€™s track, but does no damage.

This gives Martijn an easy escape and he backs off Jinx€™s wedge before hitting the pink machine with the drum again and flipping it straight onto its back! Jinx self-rights, but Martijn moves in again while Kody is dazed and strikes the front panel, breaking the some of the bolts on the front and ripping up the front wedge slightly! The damage is only cosmetic right now, but this leaves Jinx open to further attack later in the match. Kody doesn€™t intend on letting Martijn exploit anything though and Jinx moves in on the attack again, hitting SHA2 with its axe squarely on the drum, stopping it in its tracks with a sickening bang!

Martijn reverses to freedom, but the drum doesn€™t seem to be spinning back up! It would seem a chain was knocked off by Jinx€™s awesome strike, and now the former champion has been rendered weaponless! Kody sees an opportunity to cause further damage and rams in underneath the defenceless tracked machine, again using Jinx€™s axe as a clamping device and hitting the empty space of air between SHA2€™s tracks, the arm hitting the stationary drum. No damage is done by this manouevre, but it gives Kody the perfect platform from which to pilot SHA2 towards the pit, and he does so, releasing the axe upon arrival there to let SHA2 fall neatly into the chasm!

CEASE!

Sheer Heart Attack 2 [#6] is jinxed; Jinx advances to the annihilator finals!

Battleboard
Sheer Heart Attack 2 [#6] vs. Jinx vs. Bandwagon 2 vs. CrOokEd EvO vs. Spin Dash Unleashed vs. Leprosy Infection

Next time on Mechanical Maelstrom, the predecessor to two-time competitor The Zodiac makes it€™s debut in the form of #7 ranked Corona! This deadly ring spinner is matched against 5 deadly newcomers including famed (and first ever in Mechanical Maelstrom) realie Iron Awe 5, but who will prevail?

Annihilator 4
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

:) great fight Lewis, a most unexpected but well deserved result too...congratulations Kody! and commiserations to Marti!

As far as this next one goes, I must apologise for the way the first round has turned out as I tragically mistook ISRRNY for a Tears for Fears album, and in my excitement of attempting to play it my CD drive inadvertedly destroyed the robot...I hope you can all forgive me for my crass mistake, I was overcome by the urge to hear Shout in glorious stereo :( and as for the second round, I think the spinners will be in trouble with three flippers in there...but things will be chaotic enough that they'll both survive the round, and I feel Die-Reverta-Tops is the weakest of the three flipping machines - either it or possibly Iron Awe to go out.

How'd I survive that one? O_O Great fight Lewis and Martijn, was totally expecting a loss. :proud:

Unfortunately, I'm not so sure Corona has an easy time here either. PsycloniZer is better off because it's invertible...I may as well get stuck in. Any wedges that come near I will try to hit on a corner, preferably spinning into the side of the corner so I don't hit the wedge and go up it. Avoid Psy for now.

G'luck lads and lass. :D

If it bothers me: Flip it.
If it looks at me funny: Flip it.
Basicly, if it bothers me, or has a ground clearance, flip it, unless it seems like it wants to tear me a new one somehow, then by all means run away until I can flip it. XD

Good battle, Lewis, and well done to Kody, a nice surprise there. :)

Corona vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. Iron Awe 5

It is no secret that spinners struggle in melees, so I am going to propose a team-up with Kody. If we work together, one of us can attack while the other is spinning up. We can defend each other to make sure that we remain spun up throughout the battle, and as each round passes, it should get easier. Then we can have a cool FBS vs. FBS final (like MDU vs. CrankShafted, only not as good :P). What do you say?

Whether Kody accepts my proposal or not, I think I am going to target Die-Reverta Tops in this round. If I can get a few decent hits in on that 8mm thick Titanium, I could cause some damage.

heheh, I admire your current pace Lewis even though that means I'm sometimes too late with my tactics :lol: your fights are fantastic regardless, and Jinx and Kody did really well there, well done!

the next fight should be good with 2 such FBS's, good luck all

Actually, the team up with Andy sounds good, I'll go with that. :)

Annihilator 4
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, ranked #7, Corona!
This scarily powerful ring spinner is ranked #7 having made two previous appearances in Mechanical Maelstrom as it€™s former incarnation, The Zodiac. In Season 1.0 it was controversially defeated in the eliminator by eventual bronze medallist Spin Dash Unleashed, who we saw in the last annihilator, but in Season 2.0 it ripped its way through the first 2 rounds to reach the heady heights of the quarter-finals before it was stopped by Hypertension MK3, again the eventual bronze medallist. This time around he€™s got 3-wheel omnidrive and another incredible spinning weapon, but will even poorer pushing power than before boot it out of the competition?

From Patricia in Canada, representing Team Alt, Lime-y!
This bright green wedge flipper is a newcomer to Mechanical Maelstrom, but it sure does pack a punch. The rear hinged flipper can tip over 800kg of robot, and the 5mm hardox armour will take some punishment, that€™s for sure. It also looks like it has an excellent srimech to me, so don€™t count on taking this thing out by turning it over, and the powerful lynch motors provide plenty of speed and horsepower for the drive. However, less fruitful is the four wheels packed into a long narrow body, will that set-up prove too difficult to drive?

From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team ???, PsycloniZer!
This cylindrical ring spinner has three hammers protruding from it that are joined by a framework that gives them all support to do damage and keep the robot stable. These hammers spin up to a top speed of 2500rpm in just 3 seconds, and due to their design this robot should be very efficient at keeping the others at bay, at least moreso than other, more traditional ring spinners like Corona. This bot is well armoured, well controlled and compact, but I worry is the 10mm ground clearance too high in a fight full of so many flippers?

From Onehouse in Suffolk, representing Team Dinowarrior, Die-Reverta Tops!
This standard wedge flipper packs one major innovation - a roller on top of the wedge that serves to carry the robot away from danger so that it can self-right. Wouldn€™t it have made more sense to make it invertible though? Anyhow, other than that it€™s your standard wedge flipper affair. The 8mm thick titanium armour is tough, and the paintjob is nice, but the whole robot is still €œvery much experimental€ apparently. Meh, it€™s a wedge, with a flipper, what could go wrong?

From Norfolk in England, representing Team Orr/Team Awe, Iron Awe 5!
... Another wedge flipper? But this one€™s real! ;) But that doesn€™t mean he€™s anything to sniff at. With all round hardox armour, full pressure flipper and compact chassis Iron Awe 5 is more than capable of holding his own in the vapourbot world. The classic Iron Awe face is painted on the front and this is coming from over 10 years of robot combat experience with predecessors that competed on Robot Wars like Iron Awe, Axe Awe and Iron Awe 2. However, with Bosch 750w motors in the drive it€™s underpowered in comparison to a lot of it€™s vapourbot adversaries.

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Zlayerz, Team Alt
Booth Blue: Team ???, Team Dinowarrior, Team Orr

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

All 5 robots get off the mark very quickly, and the rev of spinning weapons can be immediately heard in the arena as the ranked Corona and newcomer PsycloniZer get their rings going. The flippers aren€™t exactly hanging around either though, as Lime-y heads in on the attack of Die-Reverta Tops straight away and rams under the 10mm side ground clearance of Chris€™ machine as it went on the attack of Corona. Tracy fires the flipper of Lime-y, easily turning Die-Reverta Tops up and over in one easy move! Chris is quick to escape though, reversing across the arena on his roller before firing his own flipper to self-right, but now he€™s out of the picture while Iron Awe 5 launches a sneak attack on Lime-y and runs in underneath, firing the flipper to toss Team Alt€™s entry up and over while the weapon was fired!

Lime-y soon self-rights though, only to be pushed underneath by Die-Reverta Tops, who fires its own flipper, throwing Lime-y up and across but not over before PsycloniZer comes running in from the side, slamming into the titanium side armour of Die-Reverta and sending it spinning across the arena into the spike strip! Chris attempts to escape quickly, as no internal damage seems to have been caused, although there is a sizeable dent in the side of Chris€™ robot. However, Corona has followed PsycloniZer€™s lead and rams into the already damaged side of Die-Reverta Tops, spinning it around again and deepening the dent in its side, knocking it sideways as it does so!

Team Dinowarrior is certainly under pressure right now, they aren€™t the only ones! Lime-y has taken revenge on Iron Awe 5, managing to sneak in underneath the corner of it€™s front wedge and Tracy fires the flipper again, easily turning the yellow realie onto its back swiftly and easily! Robert Grimm€™s machine is fast to self-right though, and pushes against the side of Lime-y as both robots reset their flippers. Lime-y then turns against the side of Iron Awe 5 and they circle each other, neither being able to get their flippers into play. However, the seconds tick down, and Lime-y breaks ranks, reversing just enough for Iron Awe 5 to sneak underneath the corner of the front wedge, pushing Lime-y back a few metres before firing the flipper and throwing it backwards across the arena, but not over, and they€™re too far towards the middle of the stadium for Lime-y to be thrown out.

Meanwhile, Die-Reverta Tops is still struggling, as although it managed to drive on the attack of Corona and flip it up and over PsycloniZer came racing in and knocked into the damaged side for the second time, this time buckling it further and causing to Die-Reverta Tops to vent a hell of a lot of CO2, as it would seem the gas supply has been ruptured by that hit! Chris panics and reverses away from it€™s spinning adversaries, but straight into the path of Lime-y, who rams underneath the rear ground clearance and fires its flipper, toppling Die-Reverta over sideways! Chris€™ machine rests on its back, now without a srimech, but it drives back and forwards on the roller, trying to make some sort of aggressive movement towards Lime-y, but Tracy has backed off to the side and is out of Chris€™ path of attack!

Quite a humilating situation for Christopher Mason and his team actually, as his roller device keeps him in the match, but without being able to do anything at all. He€™s now at the mercy of the spinners, and Corona moves in, having self-righted from the last onslaught and slams into the side of the inverted machine, actually cleaving a large gash through the side armour on this fourth combined impact, and knocking Die-Reverta Tops into the spike strip. PsycloniZer is now spun up again though and as Chris reverses away from the strip Andy makes contact with the wedge shaped machine and knocks it back against the spikes again, and unfortunately for Chris the spike has gone right through the gash in the side of Die-Reverta Tops, impaling the insides on the spike!

Chris groans with antagonisation at this endless torture, but in comes Corona for another hit, slamming against the undamaged side of Die-Reverta Tops and knocking it off the spike, spinning it around and exposing the damaged side to PsycloniZer! However, there€™s no movement this time, and we can only guess that the connection from the roller to the batteries inside the machine has been knocked loose by these endless onslaughts, now rendering the Team Dinowarrior robot immobile.

CEASE!

Die-Reverta Tops is sent back to the stone age; the other 4 robots advance to round 3!

Battleboard
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

Great battle Lewis :) and it would indeed have made more sense to make it invertible I think...and I genuinely have little idea who will be the next one out. It'll be madness. XD

Another great battle!

Corona vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Iron Awe 5

Okay, I say we continue with the same tactics, only this time target Iron Awe 5. It'll be a tougher nut to crack, but I think we can knock it out with shock damage.

Yay! :proud:

All balls on the Roaming Robots champ! :proud:

w00ty battles as always Lewis

And we€™re back for the third round of the 4th annihilator!

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, ranked #7, Corona!

From Patricia in Canada, representing Team Alt, Lime-y!

From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team ???, PsycloniZer!

From Norfolk in England, representing Team Orr/Team Awe, Iron Awe 5!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Zlayerz, Team ???
Booth Blue: Team Alt, Team Orr

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

The match is underway and the bots are off, the spinners both revving their weapons up to speed and looking in the direction of Iron Awe 5. Lime-y starts more warily, waiting away from the center of the arena, waiting for the other bots to make their move first. Iron Awe attempts a box rush of PsycloniZer, but Andy€™s machine deftly dodges the manouevre and slams into the side of IA5, spinning the reigning UK champion around with a knock from one of those hammers, leaving Jack€™s entry feeling rather dazed and confused! Corona moves in while PsycloniZer is spinning up and hits Iron Awe from the other side not getting through the hardox bodywork yet, but knocking both itself and Iron Awe 5 a few metres away from each other!

Lime-y comes in on a sneaky attack on Corona before it can spin up again, gently pushing it€™s flipper in underneath the bright robot€™s body and firing its flipper to turn it over quickly and easily against the spike strip! PsycloniZer moves in again on Iron Awe 5 though, hitting the front wedge of the Grimm machine and spinning it right around! However, the realie appears to be standing up well and rams in underneath PsycloniZer, firing its powerful flipper and throwing Andy€™s machine high into the air, but it comes crashing down just inside the arena wall! That€™s given Team ??? a little shock though, reminding PsycloniZer of the power of IA5€™s flipper.

Meanwhile Corona has self-righted from Lime-y€™s ninja-like onslaught and now spins up again, aiming for a run-up attack on Iron Awe 5. Kody does this and charges across the arena at full pelt, but IA5 dodges! This doesn€™t cause the omni-directional bot to falter though and Corona slams into IA5 sideways, buckling the corner of the front flipper quite badly! And Jack doesn€™t have any time to recuperate as PsycloniZer comes running in from behind full speed into the yellow machine and with a huge sound of clanging Iron Awe is thrown away again, but PsycloniZer is also dealt its fair share of kinetic energy and bounces away from it€™s adversary.

Lime-y sees a chance to attack Iron Awe 5 now though and pushes in under the corner of the front wedge, Tracy firing the flipper to turn Team Orr€™s entry up and over onto its back! IA5 does a fantastic flip in the air to self-right, but finds itself once again with two spinning opponents baying for blood. Or bolts, perhaps. And they€™re going in on the attack again, Corona shooting sideways, but IA5 turns to meet it and this time gets up a bit of a ram beforehand, bumping Corona up into the air due to the wedge shape as they meet, but the front wedge receives further damage from the impact and Iron Awe is certainly looking the worse for wear now!

Lime-y moves in on the attack of the damaged IA5, seeing an easy way through the match by following the team-up and drives at the front of Jack€™s machine. He moves forward to meet the attack, but due to the mangled front can€™t get underneath Lime-y and so is flipped up and over again. He self-rights, but now in comes PsycloniZer, hoping to end this all-kill-Iron-Awe-5 day and slams into the side of the realie, knocking it into the spike strip, from where it doesn€™t move freely. It would seem a motor connection has been knocked loose, as the bot can only move slightly, and can€™t get away from the spikes, so the audience count it down and out of the match. A sad end for the UK Champion really, it never had a chance.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

CEASE!

Iron Awe is ironed out; Corona [#7], PsycloniZer and Lime-y progress!

Battleboard
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

Another most excellent fight :)

I think the FBS/FBS final plan will probably hold, unfortunately for Tracy - Lime-y to be eventually immobilised and go out.

Hehe...

Corona vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer

Sorry Tracy, but you're next! :proud:

Keep with the same tactics and try and set up this FBS vs. FBS final.

Tactics - kill Lime-y. I'm sorry for going after you, Tracy, but I'm not sorry for wanting to advance. :P

Although I'm kinda nervous for my own safety here because PsycloniZer doesn't need a srimech.

Additional tactics - When not spinning, hide behind PsycloniZer :proud:

I hate you guys. :sad:
..... :lol:

Attack Corona. Kody deserves it. If PsycloniZer gets in my way and it isn't suicidal for me to attack, get him too. If the situation gets too hopeless, drive into pit myself because I don't want them to have the satisfaction. :proud:

Additional tactics - to start out, block path to pit release button, hand controls to my second-in-command and tell him to circle that area, then bolt before Tracy can run over and hit me :crazy:

j/k :rofl:

Welcome back to Mechanical Maelstrom for the 4th round of the 4th annihilator!

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, ranked #7, Corona!

From Patricia in Canada, representing Team Alt, Lime-y!

From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team ???, PsycloniZer!

Roboteers standby!

Booth Red: Team Zlayerz, Team ???
Booth Blue: Team Alt

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

And the match begins! The spinning team-up gets off the mark quickly, revving up their respective spinning rings and PsycloniZer homes in on Lime-y immediately! Andy rushes forward on the onslaught, slamming the pensive Lime-y head on and spinning it around in a circle! However, Tracy takes this opportunity to drive in underneath the temporarily stationary PsycloniZer and drives it across the arena flat out into Corona, which was spinning at full speed!

There€™s an almighty crash and PsycloniZer is thrown off the wedge of Lime-y while Corona flies backwards into the spike strip! That was a clever assault Tracy pulled off there, but unfortunately for her both machines are well-armoured and appear to be undamaged. Lime-y continues her attack and drives in underneath Corona, pushing Kody up against the spikes and firing her flipper in an attempt to toss the orange machine over the barrier!

However, the blade of Corona was under a spike and so Kody€™s machine is merely flipped up and over rather than out of the arena, and it swiftly self-rights. Meanwhile PsycloniZer has spun back up and comes running across the arena at the back of Lime-y, slamming into Tracy€™s robot and causing it to fly across the arena sideways and onto the killsaws! Lime-y is popped up into the air, but not over in a shower of sparks and Tracy quickly recovers, reversing backwards into the pit release button!

The pit descends and the spinners move in for another onslaught, Corona edging towards Lime-y, but Tracy turns to meet the onslaught and Kody backs off, too afraid to launch a full frontal onslaught on the wedged machine. This however, gives PsycloniZer a chance to run in and Andy slams into the green machine again, this time putting a noticeable dent in the side of the robot and knocking it into the arena wall.

Corona jumps on the bandwagon and whacks into the damaged Lime-y, managing to make a small laceration into the titanium armour and leaving Tracy€™s robot looking the worse for wear! And what doesn€™t help this image of being the losing robot is the lack of movement from Lime-y... She€™s not going anywhere, and this causes the audience to count her down and out!
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Lime-y€™s down and out, due to the removable link having fallen out after the repeated bashings from PsycloniZer and Corona!

CEASE!

Lime-y turned sour; Corona [#7] & PsycloniZer advance to the annihilator final!

Battleboard
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

w00ty fight Lewis! :proud:

I would have to go for PsycloniZer to win this, because of the extra reach from the hammers.

w00t! :proud: Unfortunately since Jinx is the final I don't think I'm gonna get a second bot in but we'll see. :P

Corona vs. PsycloniZer

Psy definitely has a reach above my own blades, therefore I can't hit him but he can hit me. However he's way above his head if he thinks he can damage my ring that much with all that armour on it. Shock damage won't happen either if I'm spinning. My omni-drive also is a factor too...if he hits me, I'm gonna get launched and most of the impact will merely send me flying, and he'll take the recoil. However, the thing I really wanted to do is get between two of the hammers and push him. Omni-drive bots aren't good pushers. Sigh.

So my tactics are basically being a bit of a coward and running away, dodging around hazards, opening the pit and trying to lure him down it, you get the idea. Hopefully due to my omni-drive I should have enough control to avoid hitting hazards myself. Move in between his hammers when he's not spinning, and smash him one.

Good luck Andy, should be good, and wonderful writing as ever Lewis. :D

well, Gehenna's already through as well Kody so having a bot already through isn't going to stop you :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by super_sporty

well, Gehenna's already through as well Kody so having a bot already through isn't going to stop you :P

---

...ah, I forgot about that. :P

Corona vs. PsycloniZer

Joey and Kody are right, I should be able to out-reach Corona and hit it before it hits me. So that is exactly what I will do - spin up and cause chaos! There is little chance of causing physical damage to Corona's spinning ring, but I think this match will come down to internal shock damage. I have the advantage there though, since it ultimately comes down to whether I can knock Corona out before I knock myself out. I think I should be more manoeuvrable too, so I will try to use that to my advantage to select when and where to strike, as it sounds like Corona is going to spend the match running away and trying to lure me into trouble. I'm looking forward to it whatever happens, so good luck Kody! :)

Time to wrap up another annihilator! :P

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, ranked #7, Corona!

From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team ???, PsycloniZer!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Zlayerz
Booth Blue: Team ???

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

The two robots spin up and move towards one another across the arena, Psy being the quicker to run across the arena on the attack, but Corona uses that omni-drive to zig zag out of the way and drive around AJ€™s machine! PsycloniZer isn€™t falling for that though and reverses back into Corona, causing a clash of spinning weapons! Corona has the lesser traction and is flung across the arena into the barrier, while PsycloniZer is moved towards the spike strip.

However, both machines appear to be undamaged and go back on the attack, the whir of spinning weapons creating a threatening atmosphere in the arena as the two collide again, and on this occasion there is a huge clash as the 15kg hammer of PsycloniZer collides with one of Corona€™s blade head on! Unfortunately for Kody€™s robot the weight of AJ€™s hammer causes the blade of Corona€™s shell to fly off, leaving the orange FBS crippled and unbalanced.

Kody€™s far from finished though, and as the attack flung him in the direction of the pit release button he guns that omni-drive and slams into it, causing the chasm to descend. Andy looks on warily for a moment, but then spins up the ring and goes in the direction of Corona, who tries to spin up, testing the waters of the newly damaged weaponry. Corona looks nastily unbalanced though and begins to hop on one side slightly, just as Andy comes in on the attack! The two robots collide and Corona€™s underbelly is hit by the hammer of Team ???€™s entry, flipping it onto its side, causing the remaining blade to hit the steel floor with a large THWACK, sending Corona rolling up and flying against the wall like a hockey puck!

Psy didn€™t get off scot-free either though, because as the blade travelled around it came into contact with one of Psy€™s arms, bending it slightly! This leaves both robots with impaired weapons, and due to the nature of those weapons, impaired balance! Corona meanwhile has landed on its top, and is trying to use the pneumatic srimech to self-right. However, this close to the wall it flips up and back down uselessly, failing to successfully tip itself back over. Psy goes on an investigative nudge anyway, just as Corona finally finds the power to tip itself back over, as it had worked further and further away from the wall until it could successfully right.

The two spinners are now face to face, neither with a fully operational weapon. Andy gives spinning up a stab as Kody did, but the spin merely causes the hammer to knock against the floor and Psy jolts up, allowing Corona an opening to ram in underneath. The omni-drive may not have much traction, but now the sloped side of Corona is under Andy€™s robot and Kody powers forward. However, PsycloniZer€™s hammer sticks in the floor, causing it to merely flip over when Corona pushes forward, regaining its traction and also removing the hammer-to-floor problem as the bent arm now faces the ceiling.

This makes the fight a straightforward, one that the 4WD magmotor powered drive of PsycloniZer will be victorious in. The 3 A28-150s that drive Corona aren€™t the problem, but the omni-drive struggles to work against PsycloniZer€™s drive and Andy slowly but surely pushes Corona back across the arena and into the pit, where it disappears in a puff of smoke.

CEASE!

Corona [#7] bites the dust; PsycloniZer advances to the final!

Battleboard
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

Next Time: The #8 ranked Traffic Warden returns to pit more opponents, along with 5 feisty newcomers!
Traffic Warden [#8] vs. Under Pressure vs. Magnitude vs. Cyrilium 5 vs. Gravity vs. Macduff the 5th

ugh :P

Macduff - go for whomever looks like they could cause me the most problems later on, pit them

good fights Lewis

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to Mechanical Maelstrom: Annihilation!

Today we begin our fifth annihilator of the series, and begin the search for another robot to join Nidhogg Cubed, Gehenna, Jinx and PsycloniZer in the final!

So with no further ado, let€™s get the match underway.

From Glasgow in Scotland, representing Team Braveheart, ranked #8, Traffic Warden!
This rigid U-shaped machine competed in Mechanical Maelstrom Season 2.0 and did very well, reaching the quarter-finals before it finally fell to Wedga Triton. This time around the bot hopes to be even more successful, and sporting a 38HP Etek drive, 3000psi hydraulic clamps and excellent traction on the arena floor can anyone stop this beast? Well, it does have a 10mm ground clearance all round, and that could be a problem.

From Enschede in the Netherlands, representing Team Varying Everyday, Under Pressure!
This is another horizontal clamping machine, but still it is quite different in design to it€™s opponent in that it has pointed claws for piercing the opposition€™s armour as opposed to flat clamps. Also though there are wedges on said claws to help it get underneath the enemy€™s side clearance, removing their traction and allowing Under Pressure to take them wherever Martijn pleases. However, these wedges won€™t work upside down and although the robot is invertible it can€™t self-right, so this one should watch out for the flippers.

From Pontefract in West Yorkshire, representing Team Picus, Magnitude!
This seemingly ordinary wedged flipper sports a unique innovation in the lifting tusk built into the front wedge. This electrically powered mechanism serves to lift an opponent up, allowing Joey to push as far underneath the opposition as he pleases before firing the flipper and sending them over the fence! The tusk can also press down into the floor to help breach tough ground clearances, and the 1000psi nitrogen flipper should see plenty of robots go up and over, but is the 3.25mm hardox armour thick enough to deal with the hydraulic crushers?

From Richmond Upon Thames, representing Team Orr, Gravity!
This machine is Dutch by nature, but now it represents Jack Orr, who resides in England. The powerful pneumatic flipper proved deadly in the final series of Robot Wars as it tossed Hydra, 13 Black and Dantomkia out of the arena on its path to the second round of the semi-finals where it finally fell to then-reigning champion Tornado. The flipper is no less deadly than it was back then, but the armour is no thicker either and the rear ground clearance remains unprotected.

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Macduff the 5th!
This 6WD rambot features not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5 interchangeable weapon set-ups that range from lifting forks to a pneumatic flipper to a hardened steel spinning drum. Since no set-up has been specified the forks, the main set-up, will be used for this match. The main weapon of this machine though is the ramming power supplied by the lynch motors in the drive that run at an immense 49.5v, giving all the speed, acceleration and torque neccessary.

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Braveheart, Team Picus
Booth Blue: Team Orr, Team Zlayerz, Team Varying Everyday

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

And they€™re off! Macduff is the immediate aggressor in this match, circling the arena in an attempt to get around to the rear of Under Pressure, but Martijn€™s bot turns to meet the onslaught, deterring Kody€™s attack. Traffic Warden meanwhile heads out into the centre of the arena to meet Gravity, who rams in underneath the ranked machine and fires the powerful flipper, but due to the huge width of Team Braveheart€™s entry the warden is merely flicked sideways into the air before landing unhurt on its 4WD and going on the attack of Gravity, grasping the realie in its clamps and ploughing it across the arena onto the killsaws with the superior drive power and traction! However, Traffic Warden is too wide to squeeze Gravity into the corner and so is forced to leave the Dutch-built bot just outside of the saws. Jack is definitely scared off by that onslaught though and doesn€™t attempt a follow-up attack on Traffic Warden.

Meanwhile Magnitude is also on the prowl, pushing in underneath the side of Under Pressure, who is pre-occupied with Macduff the 5th. The lifting tusk of Joey€™s machine works excellently, lifting one side of Under Pressure up into the air, but before Magnitude can captilise on this Macduff rams in, taking Under Pressure off Magnitude€™s own tusk and using its forks to hold Martijn€™s wheels off the ground as it slams Under Pressure into the pit release button! The siren wails and the chasm descends, but the momentum carried by Macduff into the wall has knocked Under Pressure free of its opponent€™s grip and now the big white claw turns its attention to the side of Macduff, getting underneath and squeezing the blue rammer gleefully! The thick titanium holds fairly well though and the forks of Macduff dig into the floor, not allowing the wedged arm of Under Pressure a chance to get in underneath. This leaves Martijn in half control of his opponents machine, but Magnitude sees the opportunity for destruction and rams in underneath, firing his flipper to toss the conjoined pair high into the air!

They come crashing down onto the arena barrier with a slam Under Pressure€™s grip being broken in the impact and causing the Team Varying Everyday entry to slide over the barrier and onto the camera tracks, soon followed by Macduff, but it was Martijn€™s robot that landed out first and so Under Pressure is the bot unfortunately eliminated from the first round of the annihilator.

CEASE!

Under Pressure finally caved; Traffic Warden [#8], Magnitude, Gravity and Macduff the 5th advance!

Battleboard
Traffic Warden [#8] vs. Under Pressure vs. Magnitude vs. Cyrilium 5 vs. Gravity vs. Macduff the 5th

More tactics/predictions for next round pretty please? ;)

Damn, meant to post tactics for this. Awesomness all the same, Lewis. :D

Of the remaining bots, Gravity is probably the easiest to grapple. Quickly clamp the bugger and attempt a repeat of its World Championship qualifier with Tough as Nails. Anyone else want to help out? :P

I can try Steve - I'll try and keep Gravity busy and possibly flip it into the Warden if such an opportunity should arise.

Great fights Lewis :)

Macduff the 5th - Whew! The bot I didn't like facing is out. Now, on to next round...wait, you're all picking on Gravity?! Well I need to get Traffic Warden out since he can clamp me, so I'll team up with GRAVITY to try and get rid of Traffic Warden. Sound okay, Jack?

I'll use the solid lifting wedge here and try to lift Traffic Warden off its wheels, then pit it. If Magnitude decides to try and protect it, get around to its sides, and lift it over, but I'd really, really prefer getting rid of Steve here.

Good stuff again, Lewis! :)

sounds good to me!

Thanks for the quick response with tactics guys, interesting ones as well ;)

Really keeps up my motivation levels :)

More great battles! :) This next round should be interesting...

Thanks Andy :) and yeah, those were my thoughts looking at these tactics........ :| :lol: