NSBFL 7

Blazer vs Hell Fire vs Blizzard

Flip, flip, flip!

my tactics got posted a while back, so go huntin for them

Collision Force will put on its hammer dome and focus on Tom - hopefully the 3mm titanium wont last too long, and if Pure rams me, he should be knocked sideways.

MORD will keep the scoop up so it can turn quickly should MM go for its sides, and just try to damage it with the disc. If I get to his sides or rear, the scoop will come down and I will try to shove.

BR3 will keep at Seggys sides and try to get under and flip him about. If I cant, Ill turn around and bring in the axe.

Star 69 (me) vs Tiger Shark
This robot looks good and could cause star 69 some problems but with the aluminum armour star 69 should hopfuly be able to rip into tiger shark and quickly break it down. Should the spinner fail my storm 2 style drive shold easily push it around

The Deer(4)(me) vs V€™Ger (13)
I do not wana be coming into this fight after the abuse the deer took in the heat final, i think i will try the same tactics as last time if there is a wall go from its behind and slam it into it, if there is a pit or a moat or an exit of no return put Vger into it and hope to survie another round

I cant rememeber what Black is like, but it sounds like one part of the cluster, so I will aim to get underneath and push into hazards etc etc

Yeah, Black is basically half of BCB.

MIDDLEWEIGHTS: Killy has basically owned the Middleweight class in every one of its fights so far. Time to keep that up and make up for my pretty disappointing season thus far :). Basically team up with Davey and hammer Scarlek back to Skaro. :proud:

HEAVYWEIGHTS: OK sort of draw here. The main plan is to scoop up Sonic Boom and see if I can grapple it with the hammer ala Behemoth VS Stinger during Extreme 1. From then on, either bludgeon to death, ram into hazards or Pit. The choice is yours :proud:

Spin up and try and keep up F.B.S.s good win/loss ratio. I think Ill go after Heavy metal Noise and just try and rip it to pieces.

Predictions:
Sonic Boom vs Revenge of the Revenge of the Bludgeonater

Sonic Boom cant damage Revenge of the Revenge of the Revenge of the Revenge of the Bludgeonater even at full power, so I predict a riot.

Dervish VI (3) vs Wedga Revo
Depends on the arena, if its an arena with no walls or low walls than Im pretty sure wedga can possibly survive a couple of hits, allowing for the 3rd seed to be exited from the arena. if its the arena of death, than its dervishs fight.

Stratos-Fear vs Going Crunch (12)
*See Above for prediction*

Star 69 vs Tiger Shark
I predict someone will need the cleaner after this fight to pick up parts of Tiger Shark

Manic Monsoon (8) vs M.O.R.D
Could go either way

Seggy the 3rd (6) vs Battle Raptor 3
*waits for arena draw until picking weapon*

The Deer(4) vs V€™Ger (13)
VGer to wipe the floor with parts of the deer

Now, if there€™s one problem with NSBFL 7€™s fight format this year, it€™s been lack of melees. While drivers might prefer single combat as it negates teaming up and surprise attacks, it does contain about 20% less scope for carnage. Here to sort all those problems though are our mighty middleweights! With three machines to a fight, anything could happen. The first fight is in the Moat, so let€™s meet our first three fighters.

Collision Force is Richard€™s hope for the middleweights, and with a highly damaging dome spinner, and minimal GC, it looks to be a good hope. It has interchangeable domes for either damaging or flipping, and both spin at 3500 RPM so pain could well be happening here. However, if the dome breaks, Collision Force is practically helpless in a shoving match. For this match it will be using the damaging dome.

Tom used to be part of a cluster €˜bot called Tom and Jerry, but the two have had creative differences, and now Tom is looking for success in a solo career. With titanium armouring and a decent flipper weapon, it could do well, but the high GC around the sides could mean Tom gets a face full of frying pan. OK, that didn€™t work. Just pretend it was funny please.

Finally, we have Pure, a lighter incarnation of Dan€™s Pure Evil series. This is the lightest of the fighters in this melee, but with a heavyweight class drive chain, that might not matter. Fast at 18 MPH, and tough using Aluminium Boron Carbide armour, but it€™s only armed with a static spike and it€™s also got the highest GC in the melee.

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Pure starts off the fastest, leaving Collision Force well alone and charging Tom! Tom spins to meet Pure head on, and Pure shoots up the flipper and gets thrown over, scratching Tom€™s paint with the spike as it does so! Collision Force is eager to start attacking Tom as well though, and advances on the cluster part, dome spinning ominously! Tom evades the first attack, but gets slammed in the side by Pure! Funnily enough, this saves Tom€™s bacon, as Pure then takes the blow meant for Tom and is knocked away from the scene of the crime!

With Collision Force momentarily stalled, Tom manages to get underneath it and throw it over! Collision Force rolls back over onto its wheels, and backs away from another attack from Tom and starts spinning up again. Tom thinks better of it, and goes off to attack Pure instead, who funnily enough is also coming over to attack Tom! Once more, Tom is able to catch the incoming Pure on the flipper, and send it away, chasing after to try and send Pure into the moat!

However, Chris notices Collision Force coming up behind Tom, and abandons that line of attack as he doesn€™t want to be bashed into the moat after Pure Collision Force manages to get a blow on Tom€™s side anyway though, spinning it dangerously near to the moat! Pure comes in behind Tom and starts pushing it along the edge of the moat, to where another pitfall lurks and things look bad for Tom as it heads towards the edge! However, Tom spins away from the shove, and heads back towards the centre of the arena while Pure shoots along and nearly drives itself down the moat!

Collision Force has also gone to the arena centre to get some spin up time though, and Tom is forced into a cat and mouse game with the dangerous looking spinner€¦ With Tom as the mouse for once! Tom is able to avoid Collision Forces first few attacks, and backs away from another as Pure re-enters the fray! Tom catches Pure on the side and flips it into Collision force! Pure is knocked away with a large gash in the armour! Collision Force is also knocked away, and retreats away from Tom in order to spin up!

Tom goes after Pure again, once more looking to send it into the moat, but Pure ducks and dives around Toms attacks, and the two circle each other, both looking for an opening to get in one finishing attack! Collision Force meanwhile is spun up again, and is heading towards the two, but somewhat sluggishly! In fact the more distance in travels, the slower it moves, until it finally stops moving in the arena centre! The dome is spinning, but it€™ll need a bit more than that to convince our judges that the robot is mobile!

Meanwhile, Tom manages to get under Pure, but is unable to moat it, as Tom is between Pure and the moat! Chris settles for throwing Pure towards the arena centre, and chasing it as it bounces along and flips it again! Pure crashes into Collision Force and is knocked away with a sizable dent in the armour, but that impact doesn€™t seem to get Collision Force going again! Time is up for Collision Force. It€™s counted out, and Richard is signalled to turn off the dome!

Now it€™s between Tom and Pure, but not for long it seems! With no third robot to worry about, Tom is able to chase the deflected Pure across the arena! Dan has scarcely got time to regain control when Tom shoots under Pure and flips it straight into the moat! Tom is through, but Chris wants to grandslam, and goes after the stationary Collision Force to send that into the moat too, but is unable to get under it. Tom backs up and slams in again, moving Collision Force a tiny fraction of an inch, and CEASE is called. Tom slams in a couple more times anyway, but Collision Force is barely moved, so Chris drives Tom into the moat instead.

Well, it turned out that Collision Force€™s wheels had worn down the 1 MM needed to ground the machine, making it unable to move. With Pure in the moat, Tom moves through to the middleweight final!

Well, we€™ve had one middleweight mash-up already. This time, it€™s all about the spinners, as three different types go for it! This fight takes place in the Last €˜bot standing arena, so it really will be about who€™s the biggest damage dealer. Let€™s meet our fighters for today.

Heavy Metal Noise is a real robot, and it€™s fairly similar to Nightmare and Backlash, with its sloped body and large vertical disc. Will its fear factor be the same as Nightmares and Backlashes? Maybe, but it€™ll need to keep its exposed wheels out of harm€™s way.

Evil Scotsman almost didn€™t make it in time, but bolting on the last few bits of armour at the last second it just Scott€™s way. And when you look at the weapon, you€™ll end up wishing he hadn€™t made it in time! The thing is about 60% flywheel! And seeing it€™s being spun by a LEM-130, spin up time won€™t be much of an issue either. However, the armour may be. Whether anyone can get past the disc to attack it is another matter€¦

Fat Billy Sastards is our last entrant for this melee, and the slowest at 8 MPH. That might not worry Matty, as his weapon of choice today is a true full body spinner, which can produce enough power to make any opponent wish Billy would go on a diet:proud: Unlike many F.B.S€™s, it can self right, but manoeuvrability isn€™t Billy€™s strong point. Too many pies I guess:proud:

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Almost immediately, Evil Scotsman€™s flywheel is up to speed, and it€™s prowling the arena looking for something to try it out on! F.B.S is staying out of trouble for the moment, as is Heavy. Evil Scotsman isn€™t having any of that though and goes after Heavy! Heavy turns around somewhat ponderously, and the two flywheels connect in a shower of sparks! When the sparks clear, we can clearly see that Heavy€™s flywheel is buckled, yet still somehow spinning. The distorted gyro force is making Heavy bounce off the floor though, so it€™s turned off, then F.B.S comes in and rips one of Heavy€™s wheels off!

Not to be out-done, Evil Scotsman returns and rips off the other wheel. Then F.B S hits the flywheel again taking that off completely, so Evil Scotsman replies by taking off the front castor and scarring the bodywork. F.B.S replies by taking a slice at Evil Scotsman, missing the body but hitting the disc, spinning both machines away from each other! Evil Scotsman spins back up quickly, and heads after F.B.S, all thoughts of playing with Heavy forgotten, much to the builder€™s relief.

Evil Scotsman hits F.B.S as it tries to dodge, and the full body spinner is bounced away! Evil Scotsman comes in again, but F.B.S spins away, then reverses right at the rear of Evil Scotsman! Evil Scotsman is caught between a wall and a hard case now, as it tries to drive away from danger! However, F.B.S manages to strike the rear, blasting Evil Scotsman into the wall, tearing out a battery and damaging one of the wheels! F. B.S backs up to spin up, but Evil Scotsman is going nowhere, killed in a single blow!

Heavy Metal Noise, silenced. Evil Scotsman not evil enough! Fat Billy Sastards moves through to the middleweight final!

Two middleweights are through to the final, and two want to join them! We head to the Roulette arena now to see which out of these three will make it through.

Killoteeny is a half weight version of Killotine, but definitely not a half arsed version. Everything may have been scaled down, but the axe still leaves many a migraine in its wake. If that should fail it, it can still ram opponents to death. The axe can self right the robot quickly, but with so-so turning, will Killoteeny be given the chopteeny?

We€™ve seen Black already, in the heavyweight division where despite taking a huge slice from Hefty Kick In The Balls and being thrown into the moat, it took no damage whatsoever. That tells you all you need to know about Black€™s armour. The weapon, a set of lifting blades, is less spectacular, but still does the job. Still, with some good shoving power for a middleweight, this might not need its partner to do well.

Lastly is Scarlek, a pushing wedge robot with a rear horizontal spinning bar. It prefers to shove robots around with the 0 GC wedge, but will smash them up instead if it needs to, and with good Ti armour, it looks tough to beat. However, random time travellers in blue police boxes could prove to be its downfall:proud:

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Scarlek doesn€™t have much time to get going before Killoteeny slams into it and brings the axe down on top! Black joins the fray not long after, sliding under Scarlek and lifting it up! Killoteeny€™s axe knocks it off the lifter though, but Scarlek has no time to get away before Killoteeny is under the side and shoving it to the PPZ! Black follows once more, as Scarlek barely avoids an intimate collision with the Militant, and instead gets lifted over by Black again!

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Killoteeny smashes into Scarlek again and hammers in with the axe a few times! A few of the blows miss as Scarlek tries to wriggle away from the team up and officially get into the fight, but Black herds it in close where it can€™t do anything! Finally, Scarlek succeeds in getting under Bblack and pushing it over a pit, but Matt€™s luck isn€™t in as a different pit opens! Killoteeny charges in and starts battering away at the top of Scarlek again, but Scarlek turns and hits the front of Killoteeny with the bar!

Killoteeny is knocked away, but Black is also freed by this, and gets under the side of Scarlek, lifting it over onto a pit! Instantly, the team up is ended when Scarlek vanishes down the hole and it€™s every €˜bot for him€¦ Errr€¦ Itself. Black spins around and charges Killoteeny, getting under the front and lifting up, so the flailing axe hits thin air! Black overturns Killoteeny into the PPZ, and pins it as Uncle Tomahawk goes to work! Killoteeny is held in place for a few seconds before Dave backs off to let Killoteeny self right, which it does so, landing right on the lifting blade!

Black takes Killoteeny over a pit, which doesn€™t open! Killoteeny€™s axe flails madly in mid air, as it€™s taken over a few more pits! The first pit doesn€™t open, nor does the second, and then Black is forced to release Killoteeny or be disqualified! Black does so by rolling Killoteeny onto a third pit, but that doesn€™t open either! Killoteeny self rights, and then immediately turns and axes Black, the axe head just rebounding off the armour!

Still, Killoteeny is able to escape the blade of Black long enough to scoot under it and shove it into the PPZ! Black is thrust onto the flipping plate of Flipup, and is sent hurtling along the arena, where it bounces over one pit, which doesn€™t open. It€™s debateable if Black would have gone down anyway, it was going so fast. Blak then rolls over another pit which also doesn€™t open, giving Dave precious seconds to get in control, and incidentally away from Killoteeny, who swerves over a pit in an attempt to get at Black faster! This gambit proves un-costly, as a different pit opens.

However, Black has time to swerve around to meet Killoteeny, and although the axe bounces off Black€™s armour again, it€™s Killoteeny who gets lifted up and rolled onto a pit, which fails to open and send Killoteeny to its doom! Killoteeny self rights, but it immediately shoved into the PPZ, but escapes before any house robots can get near! Black gives chase and rolls Killoteeny over again, pushing it over a pit as it self rights! Yet again, Steve€™s luck is in and he€™s still in the game, but with points to make up as the match is in its last minute!

He does so with a vengenge, slamming into the side of Black and hammering away at the unyielding armour! Black is pushed over a pit, and it seems Dave€™s luck is still in as well, but maybe not for long as Black is sent into the PPZ! Black is slammed right into the wall and held, but it€™s Killoteeny who takes the axe blow from Uncle Tomahawk, as it€™s also in the PPZ and fair game! Killoteeny backs off, and Black is able to escape as well by driving around the house robot, despite taking an axe blow as well.

Black drives in around to Killoteenty€™s side, and rolls it over again, and yet again shoving it over a pit before it can self right! Yet again, Killoteeny is spared, and self rights off the pit! Now the pit is between Killoteeny and black, and Dave is unwilling to take a chance, and so drives around the pit. Steve also thinks he pushed his luck too far going over a pit the last time, and he also drives around. Amusingly, they both go the wrong way, and so the pit remains between the two machines! Killoteeny drives around again, while Black reverses to try and catch Killoteenty unawares! This he manages, but CEASE is called just as Black lifts Killoteeny over onto the pit again. Killoteeny once more fails to vanish, but it doesn€™t matter this time and we€™re off to a judge€™s decision!

Control: Although both machines were well controlled, Killoteeny spent a lot of time being pushed around and rolled over. Black: 3. Killotenny: 2

Damage: Black is undamaged, but Killoteeny did put a few dents in Scarlek during the brief team up. However, Killoteeny isn€™t looking too healthy either due to a couple of encounters with our very own axe wielding house robot. Black: 4. Killoteeny: 1.

Aggression: Both were pretty bloody minded, but as stated earlier, Black was in control for a healthy portion of the match. Black: 3. Killoteeny: 2.

Overall: Black: 10. Killoteeny: 5.

Not too close. Killoteeny, given the chop! Black goes through to the final!

And so, the last middleweight melee is here. With one spot left open, and three robots interested, you just know it€™s going to be carnage:proud: We stay in the roulette arena for this.

Blazer, entered by Andy but built by Alan Young, is a good looking flipping machine, capable of flipping with 500 KG€™s of force, which is more then enough for a 50 KG machine. Along with enough gas for about fifty flips, this is one machine that won€™t be running on empty too soon. However, lightweight aluminium armour could prove a tasty snack for those evil spinners.

Another good flipping weapon is owned by Hell Fire, representing Team Hell for the middleweights. This robot€™s weapon isn€™t as strong as Blazers, but the rear saw on the back should make up for it. The armour is similar to Blazers though, so there€™s not really much between these two machines.

I€™ve already mentioned Alex€™s opinion on normal designs haven€™t I? Good. Then maybe Blizzard won€™t come as much of a surprise to you. Running on two screws, which it also uses offensively and defensively, Blizzard could be one slippery bugger to get hold of. Will originality reap rewards though? We€™ll find out soon!

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The two flipping machines start off the quickest as Blizzard moves accelerates slowly, gathering speed and traction as it goes along. Hell Fire heads for Blazer though, deciding on a policy of better the devil you know. As Andy and Alan haven€™t concocted a plan more complex than €œKill€, they decide to go for Hell Fire, and the two flippers meet head on, with Blazer coming out the better and throwing Hell Fire over! Blizzard is still approaching, carefully navigating around a pit and then finally getting up some speed, and heading for the two flippers!

Blazer flips over Hell Fire again, which lands on a pit, only being saved from an early exit by pure luck! Hell Fire self rights, only for Blizzard to smash into it from behind, scratching up the rear but not doing much else apart from stalling itself. Hell Fire spins around before the odd machine can escape and flips it over onto a pit, which it vanishes down! Dave and Hell Fire don€™t have much time to celebrate, as Blazer slams in from behind and send Hell Fire down the same pit before it closes!

It was a brief fight, but Blazer was hotter than Hell Fire, and certainly too hot for the Blizzard to survive. Blazer through to the middleweight final!

Coming up sooner rather than later, the first two last 16 battles:

Sonic Boom vs Revenge of the Revenge of the Bludgeonater - Last bot standing

Dervish VI (3) vs Wedga Revo - Last bot standing

I think Franky needs a new keyboard :proud:

Predictions for Dervishs match

Wedga has little hope in this arena, so Dervish to whip up a storm and do some funky dance moves to win :)

RotRotB tactics above ^

And BOO! HISS! to Dave for breaking Killys winning streak :lame:

No trouble in guessing who IM supporting in this middleweight final :rofl:

This has not been my tournament...

Gee, Tom, I wonder :P

Heres something for a laugh. Everyone take a guess at which of the last 16 is going to be the next champ, but keep the guesses a secret from me, and organise it so someones got all the guessed names in a word document. Then when the finals over, post the guesses and well see how far what actually happens differs from the predictions:proud:

Tactics for next two upcomming matches:

Flip.

Im getting good at this RP stuff...

Hmm, Stratosphere looks tough, i think if i can flip him so that his wheen lands on Crunch, thats probably my best bet. Split from the off, keep away from the flipper if at all possible.

Tactics for Dervish: Try and go for the sides and back. Stay away from the flipper if at all possible.

Sorry, didnt see Sonic Boom on the same post :)

Tactics for Sonic Boom: spin on the spot, hopefully knocking something inside ROROTB loose.

(Forum wouldnt let me edit for some reason)

The forum normally allows edits within 10 minutes of the post.

After sixteen heats, and sixty four hopefuls being whittled down to just sixteen, we€™re ready to get on with the next part of the NSBFL campaign. In the heats, the axle €˜bot Sonic Boom smashed and battered the good Call Out Hook into submission, then caused the first shock of the tournament by upsetting champ Achilles on a judges decision! Revenge of the Stupidly Long Name took out fifteenth seeds Love Bite after a few blows broke it, then pushed Glasgow Kiss into the moat after another dominant fight. If either of these two machines missed each other, it could do serious damage to a wooden floor. Thankfully we€™re using the metal floored Last €˜Bot Standing arena.

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Sonic Boom is off so fast, it practically leaves its own Doppler effect! The axle €˜bot goes in for an overhead slam on the side of ROTROTB, but is soon scooped up onto the dustpan scoop, and the nitrogen slams down, missing the small target of Sonic Boom, but managing to latch onto Sonic Boom and stop it escaping. ROTROTB starts pushing Sonic Boom around, but with nowhere but the walls to push Sonic Boom, lets go. Immediately, Sonic Boom rushes away, only to come in again with another overhead slam! ROTROTB spins around and the hammer shoots, again missing Sonic Boom and hitting the floor!

Sonic Boom spins away from ROTROTB and slams in repeatedly at the top as ROTROTB spins around and again slams the floor with the hammer, bouncing up in the process! Sonic Boom keeps up the barrage of attacks, missing some but still keeping up a better hit to miss ratio than ROTROTB, reversing away from ROTROTB as it turns around and attacks the floor again, mistakenly believing Sonic Boom to be there. As before, the tenacious axle €˜bot comes in while Steve is retracting the axe and sorting out his aiming to slam in at the top of ROTROTB, but not doing much to the hardox armour. On the other hand, the paint job is starting to look rather suspect.

Rather than trying to nail Sonic Boom with the axe again, ROTROTB scoops it p onto the dustpan and pins it against the wall, then firing the axe, hitting the wall instead of the floor for a change! ROTROTB backs off to get a better shot in, but Sonic Boom again spins away from the attack, almost getting clipped by the hammer as it does so! Almost doesn€™t get you anywhere though, and Sonic Boom escapes by just driving over ROTROTB and starts slamming into it from behind! Sonic Boom is forced to retreat however, as the hammer almost nails it on the way back! ROTROTB reverses at Sonic Boom, but the axle€™ bot gets away faster and spins on the spot! By the time ROTROTB is caught up enough to fire the hammer, it€™s knocked away and once more attacks the floor instead!

ROTROTB spins around and scoops Sonic Boom once more, and the hammer flashes down, finally managing to hit Sonic Boom! The part hit in question is the axe pole, and when the hammer rises again to fire once more, no damage is seen on Sonic Boom€™s equally tough armour! Still, the hammer catches Sonic Boom again on the pole before it can get away, slamming ROTROTB on the top as it gets away! ROTROTB gives chase, but all its attacks miss and hit the floor, and the hammer looks to be moving slower now! Seeing this, Dan quits holding back, and Sonic Boom really goes to town with the overhead slams on ROTROTB! With the axe not moving fast enough to do enough damage, sonic Boom pretty much ignores evasion, and slams into ROTROTB!

ROTROTB is pushing Sonic Boom all over the arena, but that doesn€™t seem to matter as Dan seems content to let him! Sonic Boom is staying right in ROTROTB€™s face (if it had a face anyway. Shut up) and keeping up with the slams even as ROTROTB shoves it around! Eventually, ROTROTB starts to behave like its axe and moves slower and slower, prompting Sonic Boom to attack with even more frenzy, and within almost a minute, ROTROTB has stopped completely! Sonic Boom does a victory twirl in the centre of the arena as ROTROTB is counted out, eventually tipping over and spinning on one wheel alone!

When examined, it later turned out the repeated hammer blows from Sonic Boom caused ROTROTB€™s batteries to give out, cutting essential power to the motors. Maybe we€™ll see Revenge of the Revenge of the Revenge of the Bludgeonater in NSBFL 8, but for now Sonic Boom crashes on!

Conitnueing the last sixteen, we re-introduce Dervish VI, the first seed to escape its heat! In that heat, they had a narrow fight in a rematch against Bisyamonten, who proved to be a tougher challenge this time around. However, things were looking up for the seed when it sliced El Persistence into submission. Wedga Revo is also looking in strong form though, as in its heat it overcame Veg 2, and proved it had no fear of high energy spinners when it made Archangel of the Abyss fall. We stay in the somehow undamaged Last €˜Bot Standing arena for this fight.

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Dervish is up to speed almost immediately, but Wedga charges straight at the drum anyway! Wedga is bounced up, but stopped from bouncing too high as the bottom lip of the scoop hits the bottom of the drum, causing Dervish to be bounced up as well by its own power! As soon as Wedga hits the ground, the flipper fires, sending Dervish into the air! Dervish smashes back to the ground, bouncing on its wheels, only for Wedga to come in with another attack, once more getting under the drum, pushing and flipping Dervish for all it€™s worth!

Dervish against flies up high and lands less than gracefully, and spins around to get an attack on Wedga€™s side! Wedga takes the hit and is bounced over, effortlessly self righting away from Dervishe€™s next charge€¦ Kinda. Dervish goes straight under Wedga as it self rights, and Wedga lands smack bang on top of Dervish, before rolling off again, onto its base, andy notes with relief. Wedga quickly spins around though, and gets under Dervish€™s drum once more! Dervish bounces itself into the air, as it seems Wedga has gotten underneath the downward spinning part! As soon as Dervish hits the scoop again though, it€™s sent flying for a third time and crashes into the wall as it comes down! In fact only the uber-high walls of this arena stop the fight from coming to an end right there!

Undeterred, Wedga comes in again as Dan reverses Dervish€™s direction of spin, but gets caught un-spun up as Wedga slams into the drum, pushing Dervish back into the wall and flipping! Dervish is shot up the wall, and lands on top of Wedga! Wedga reverses, causing Dervish to roll off and back onto the scoop, where the seed is shoved back into the wall! Despite the last €˜bot standing arena being nice for spinners, the seed is really up against it here, as Wedga throws it across the arena once more! Wedga gives chase, but Dervish spins away just in time, slashing into Wedga€™s side and bouncing it up! Dervish moves forwards to attack again, taking a chip out of the base plate and sending Wedga completely over where it self rights!

Despite controlling the fight thus far, Wedga is looking a bit damaged now, as the side armour has been crumpled. Still, Wedga escapes another attack from Dervish, spins around and slams under the drum again, using the hardox scoop to its full! Dervish is tossed up high once more and crashes into the ground! The drum is spinning, but Dervish doesn€™t move to escape as Wedga comes in and throws it up high again, and it looks like the seed isn€™t going to bloom! Dervish just sits there spinning its drum, and the count down begins! Leaving nothing to chance, Wedga comes in again and throws Dervish up! Despite moving very fast, this doesn€™t count in Dervish€™ favour as the countdown ends, and the former semi-finalist is no more!

Dervish suffered a case of a crushed gearbox in one wheel, and dislodged batteries in the other if you€™re wondering, proving you don€™t need a spinny thing storing 100 plus KJ€™s of energy to do damage. Wedga Revo is causing a Revo-lution as it moves into the quarter finals!

Coming up next time Im well enough to write:

Stratos-Fear vs Going Crunch (12) - The moat
Star 69 vs Tiger Shark - Classic

Crud, the moat, i did not want this arena. Ah well.

I need to keep away from that flipper if at all possible, my one way of attacking the wheels would be to flip it onto Crunch, which is doable.

I need to split and keep away from it if i can until i am able to get my shot in, if i go near the moat, i need to make sure that i am able to escape.

Ah well, at least GCs record of always getting past the first stage still lives.

...I dont like NSBFL 7 any more :lame:

Great fights nonetheless, Franky :proud:

Well, we€™re a quarter of the way through round 2 already, and we€™ve seen yet another seed fall early. Speaking of early falling seeds, that€™s what Stratos-Fear caused in the heats when with two massive flips it ended Sheer Hell€™s attack on the title, and the life of one of my cameras. It then went to flip BIACS-Le into submission. Going Crunch is a seed still in the running though. In their first battle, they looked to have a tough opponent in Beta, but due to control issues with a too powerful weapon and no magnetism in a wooden floor, the Battlebot never got going and the fight went to an early judges decision, which Beta lost on control. Next came Panicking, who fell to some good teamwork. Now we move into the moat to see who moves on, and whose dreams are over.

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Well, Stratos-Fear quickly gets to top speed heading towards the cluster €˜bot as it splits, and the two sections head for both sides of Stratos-Fear! Going manages to avoid the front flipper and wedges itself between the flipper itself and the wheel pod, while Crunch is staying away from Stratos-Fear for a moment while it makes sure to spin up! Ignoring the spinner part for now, Stratos-Fear tries reversing and turning around to get Going on the flipper, but Going stays in its little niche, getting under Stratos-Fear and flipping!

Due to the relative sizes of the machines though, Going can€™t get Stratos-Fear fully over, instead just bouncing it up! Going gets its entire body under Stratos-Fear though, grounding the larger machine! Not for long though, as Stratos-Fear€™s massive flipper fires, flopping Stratos-Fear off of Going, and onto Crunch! The spinning shell of crunch spins Stratos-Fear straight back off again, and any damage incurred from that is hidden for the moment. Going wedges straight under the rear of Stratos-Fear though, and tries to flip the full body flipper up!

If it couldn€™t manage from the side though, it certainly can€™t manage from the rear, as Stratos-Fear is again merely bounced up, and drives forwards off Going€™s wedge, and circles around to attack Crunch! The wedge is momentarily under Crunch, but before it can be fired, one of Crunch€™s teeth hits the wedge of Stratos-Fear, sending the smaller machine away from the attack! Going once more gets to that gap between the flipper and the wheel pod, and try as he might, Scott can€™t seem to bring his flipper to bear on the much smaller machine!

Going is stuck in there though, managing to avoid the flipper simply by keeping in Stratos-Fear€™s blind spot! Now Crunch comes in while Scott€™s distracted with Going and slams into the other wheel pod, bouncing away but not seeming to damage Stratos-Fear at all! Stratos-Fear starts to turn to attack Crunch, but a flip from Going bounces Stratos-Fear up, killing its momentum for the moment! Going once more drives fully under Stratos-Fear, and Crunch comes up behind the fearsome flipper robot with its shell not spinning! Going manoeuvres under Stratos-Fear and flips again, tossing it onto Crunch!

Once more Stratos-Fear is beached, but the tactic that saw off Panicking isn€™t working here, as once more Stratos-Fear frees itself with its huge flipper! However, this leaves Stratos-Fear facing away from the cluster €˜bot, allowing Crunch to easily get away in order to spin up, while Going distracts the larger machine by slamming in from behind and bouncing it up! Stratos-Fear escapes though, and chases after Crunch! Crunch strikes the side of the flipper, but Stratos-Fear isn€™t knocked away by this, and succeeds in getting the lip of the flipper under Crunch!

The flipper fires and Crunch flies straight up in the air, spinning around as it does! Crunch doesn€™t hit the ceiling, but it doesn€™t look far off before it comes down, finally landing with a huge crash on its back! Wasting no time, Stratos-Fear gets under Crunch once more, and now it€™s fully on the flipper, it€™s flipped up and along, and it travels the entire length of the arena, over the moat, slamming into the audience protection screen before bouncing back into the arena! Crunch isn€™t moving though, so it might as well have landed in the moat!

Stratos-Fear turns to face Going now, who is charging in, in a belated attempt to save its twin! Going backs off as that huge flipper comes its way, and goes for the side of Stratos-Fear again! Stratos-Fear turns though, and Going shoots straight up onto the wedge! Chris slams Going into forward gear, hoping to get Crunch along and off the flipper before Scott hits the fire button! It doesn€™t work, but amazingly it works just well enough to keep Going in the competition! With Going near the rear of the flipper, it€™s instead pushed off and onto the floor behind Strato-sFear, as Stratos-Fear flops over on top of Going!

Going reverses and turns, pushing Stratos-Fear in a circle so Stratos-Fear is facing the moat! Stratos-Fear self rights off of Going and barely avoids moating itself! Going turns around to get under the side of Stratos-Fear though, bouncing it up and once more getting under it, flipping it towards the moat! The lip of Stratos-Fear is over the moat, and Going comes in with a flip to the rear to try and finish the job! Stratos-Fear is bounced towards the moat, and most of the flipper is over the moat! Still, the weight at the rear is stopping it seems perfectly balanced, with half in the moat and half in the arena! Then half a second later, it slowly starts to tip forwards! The wheels are frantically reversing on Stratos-Fear, but it slowly tips over so only two wheels are on the floor and it can€™t get enough purchase to get away before Going can come in with another flip to the rear to finish the job!

On paper, with that flipper and middleweight opponents, there was no way Stratos-Fear would lose here. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall! Stratos-Fear, grounded! Going Crunch moves through to the quarter finals!

We€™re here for another round 2 clash in NSBFL 7 now, as perhaps two of our biggest surprise packages meet to see who gets shocked out, and who goes on to try and score another upset. Star 69 caused a huge upset in the heat when it beat former champ Hell Machine in the closest decision in the series, then in the final spun the highly fancied Son of Ripper into the moat. Tiger shark started as it meant to go on against Drilla Killa 7, then used its high acceleration to good effect in taking Push-Ish to another very close decision. One of them will live to fight another day, one has just gone a fight too far. We go to the Classic arena to find out which is which!

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Tiger Shark begins offensively, charging under and flipping Star 69 over! Martyn regains control quickly though, and uses Star 69€™s equally good acceleration to get away from another flipping attempt! Tiger Shark gives chase, but Star 69 keeps away from the real machine for just long enough to get up to speed, then suddenly reverses straight at Tiger shark€™s front! The flipper arm fires, but it€™s too late and Star 69 makes contact! Both machines are spun away, and Tiger Shark€™s flipping arm has been torn off!

Tiger shark backs off, but not letting up, Star 69 comes in with a side attack, tearing a gash in the armour and spinning Tiger Shark away! Again Star 69 comes in and slams Tiger Shark€™s rear, knocking it into Uncle Tomahawk€™s CPZ! The axe smashes down on Tiger Shark, slicing the top armour, and Tiger Shark really looks up against it, having lost its weapon and some armour, and the match isn€™t even a minute old! It backs out of the CPZ to show willing, but perhaps this isn€™t the best move, as Star 69 has been taking the time to get the ring fully up to speed!

As Tiger Shark reverses away from the house robot, Star 69 takes a running slam into its side! Tiger Shark is blasted away, with a sheet of armour being all but torn off! Tiger Shark crashes into the arena wall, the useless sheet hanging off and exposing the innards! Tiger Shark isn€™t moving at all, so is counted out. Uncle Tomahawk comes in to attack again, but Flipup comes in and pushes it away with the bucket scoop! Flipup€™s driver feels enough is enough for Tiger Shark, so pushes it over the pit, which is then lowered, taking Tiger Shark out of the competition!

Tiger Shark started well, but just couldn€™t compete. Star 69 moves up the charts!

Coming up some time in the future:

Manic Monsoon (8) vs M.O.R.D - Unimmediate Peril

Seggy the 3rd (6) vs Battle Raptor 3 - Roulette

Wooty fights, and LMAO at the thought of Crunch hitting the safety glass and bouncing all the way back to the arena :D

Whats the roulette like?

Posted by frank:
Roulette

A circular arena, with a PPZ like in series 1 and 2 of the real wars, in which roam all the house machines. There are also six pits in this arena, arranged in a circular fashion. When a robot goes over one, it activates a sensor, and one of the six pits will open, so you have a one in six chance of going bye-byes if you go over a pit. These open trap-door fashion, so if you are caught there€™s no appeal. It is possible to OOTA machines here.

Seggys tactics...

...Skirts for this fight and drum.

The main aim is to use my extra speed to keep to the sides of Richards machine and ram it, lifting it up and try to pit it, or if that fails, feed to the house robots.

In summary: Keep to the sides, hit into the sides to lift/flip it over, continue ramming until pit or house robot.

We€™re halfway through the second round now, and two more machines are still on their quest to become the next champ. In the heats, MORD bounced around, flipped, stacked and finally sent 360 out of the arena. It then met Die-Ceratops Invertus in the heat final, managing to send it down one of the Roulette€™s pits. Manic Monsoon looked to have met a tough opponent in Orka MK 3, but after a seesaw pushing match, Orka was grounded by its too low ground clearance. That was the only luck it needed, as it flipped over the Srimech-less Agitator in a matter of seconds. We move into the Unimmediate Peril arena for this match up.

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MORD drove in with the scoop already raised, hoping to use the flywheel in this match up and also hoping the extra manoeuvrability will give it an edge. Monsoon charges forwards, but MORD just manages to turn and drive forwards out of the way! Both robots spin to face each other, and Monsoon charges straight at MORD! Richard manages to turn MORD so that the spinning flywheel faces Monsoon, and both machines are spun away by the blow, ending up side to side!

With the flywheel stalled, MORD lowers the scoop and tries to get under the side of Monsoon, but the skirts get in the way, and Monsoon is pushed sideways a little before driving away and coming in at MORDs front, managing to slip under the scoop and push MORD backwards into the wall! Monsoon backs off to attack MORD again, but MORD spins away from the attack, and Monsoon just barely stops before it crashes into the wall, turning around and getting under the side of MORD before it has a chance to get away, lifts it up and pushes it around before tipping it over completely!

This doesn€™t bother the invertible MORD, but Richard needs a vital split second to change directions on his controls, and Dan uses that time to get under MORD again and slam it into the wall! The scoop on MORD rises and MORD spins around and hits the side of Monsoon with the flywheel, bouncing the pusher away! MORD reverses and spins up the flywheel again, dodging Monsoons charge and hitting the side again! Monsoon is spun into the wall and MORD attacks again, managing to buckle one of the skirts! Monsoon replies by turning around and getting under the flywheel and lifting MORD over!

Mord lands awkwardly due to the scoop being up, and seems to have become immobilised on its own scoop! Monsoon backs off, sensing victory, and MORD doesn€™t seem to be moving! The countdown starts, and finally the scoop of MORD moves, tipping MORD onto its side, where it rolls over onto its wheels! Immediately, Monsoon is back on the attack though, shoving MORD backwards! MORD is slammed hard into the wall and bounces off, managing to run away from Monsoon, before spinning to face it! Monsoon charges MORD head on, but the scoop on MORD€¦ Lowers?

Monsoon charges straight into the scoop, and with the extra weight MORD now has more leverage than Monsoon! This causes Monsoon to go over the lip of the scoop! The scoop rises, and Monsoon is tipped up, but not over! MORD drives forwards to try and make Monsoon tip over, but can€™t seem to manage it, so Richard compromises by shoving MORD backwards into a wall, stacking it! The lifter on Monsoon tips MORD off the wall, but straight back onto MORD€™s scoop! Now MORD is under Monsoon more fully, Richard is able to fully lift Monsoon over!

The siren wails and the house robot for this fight is Bane, but neither roboteer pays it much heed as Monsoon self rights. MORD attacks the arm as it raises though, trying to stop Monsoon from righting itself. The blow knocks Monsoon over, but the lifter stays raised, apparently broken! This doesn€™t stop Monsoon using the rest of the scoop to shoot under MORD though, smashing it into the nearby wall! Bane is approaching now, and Monsoon hurriedly gets away from the house robot, which decides to target MORD!

MORD manages to just slip around Bane though, and as Bane begins the process of turning ponderously around, Monsoon goes in for slam on MORD! MORD spins around though, and manages to get under the damaged skirt to tip Monsoon over again! The weight causes the lifter to retract, but as Dan finds out to his dismay, the lifter still isn€™t working, so he€™s resigned to trying to finish off MORD without it. Richard doesn€™t intend to give him that chance though, and rams under Monsoon, trying to feed it to Bane!

The fingers close in on Monsoon, but as ever it can€™t seem to do much against the hardox armour, and Monsoon is actually able to use its high power to tear itself out of Banes grip, and slam into MORD€™s side! MORD is robot-handled sideways and slammed hard into the wall, and Monsoon looks to be going for a breakdown kill here, as another siren wails and the pit descends! MORD gets away from between the wall and Monsoon, but Monsoon is right behind MORD, and catches it from behind, shoving it scoop first into the wall!

MORD is bounced away from the wall, and ends up with a few precious seconds fpr Richard to work out which way MORD is running, while Monsoon sorts itself out and spins to face MORD again! MORD spins away from the next attack just in time, and Monsoon ends up slamming into the side of Bane! Bane turns around to attack Monsoon, but Monsoon has gotten itself into Bane€™s blind spot, and Banes own fingers are stopping it from getting Monsoon! Monsoon slips around the rear of Bane, only to be caught by MORD, which charges the pit head on, pitching first Monsoon down it, then itself!

Well we have a double pitting, but Monsoon was the first down, meaning it€™s out! MORD makes other robots die, and it€™s through to the quarter finals!

Our second round two match for today features two of a dying breed - this wars seeds. In the heats, Seggy the 3rd managed to toss over Flipping Hell, which then destroyed itself with one massive self right, then managed to break the weapon and then the hopes of the Doomsday Project. Battle Raptor had a tough opening match against Hacked off Ha-Ka. After taking damage from the vicious axe, it managed to push it into the pit. Crush 2 wasn€™t nearly as much of a challenge. It soon found itself flipped and then pushed into the moat. For this fight, Seggy is using the drum and skirts, and we€™re using the Roulette arena.

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Battle Raptor is running reverse in this fight, as Richard wants to use the axe against the skirted Seggy. Dave isn€™t planning on giving him a chance to though, and after a short time of running away to let the drum get up to speed, hits Battle Raptor with a huge side slam, the drum first bouncing Battle Raptor up and then knocking it over with another hit! Seggy keeps the pressure on though, pushing Battle Raptor over a pit, which doesn€™t open!

Battle Raptor escapes and self rights, only for Seggy to smash in and knock it back over again, taking it over another pit, only once more it fails to open! Battle Raptor is beached on top of Seggy now, who quickly reverses to make Battle Raptor fall off, then charge into it again to push it back on the pit that failed to open just now! Once again, Richard€™s luck is in, while Dave€™s has yet to be seen. Maybe it was late out of bed?

Whatever, Battle Raptor has a few seconds to get away from Seggy and self rights, but once more, Seggy smashes into the rear of Battle Raptor! The axe fires, denting the armour, but Seggy ignores that and pushes it towards another pit! Battle Raptor turns to avoid the pit, but Seggy keeps pushing it and slams it into the PPZ instead, and Battle Raptor is quickly overturned by the bucket scoop of Flipup! Battle Raptor self rights, but Seggy is in there again, pushing Battle Raptor over a pit! Dave€™s luck is still in bed though, as Battle Raptor fails to drop down!

With the pit temporarily safe, Seggy charges over it and pushes Battle Raptor along, the momentum causing Battle Raptor to fail at self righting as it does so! Battle Raptor finds itself over yet another pit, but yet again is still in the fight! Finally, Battle Raptor gets under Seggy€™s front, taking a hit on the scoop from the drum and flipping Seggy up and over! Seggy turns so that Battle Raptor€™s next flipping attempt is deflected by the side skirt, and Seggy then reverses away from Battle Raptor and pushes it into the PPZ!

No house robots are nearby, so Battle Raptor easily gets out again, but this gives Dave time to get Seggy lined up to shove Battle Raptor over another pit, taking a hit from the axe as it does so! This doesn€™t matter though. Dave€™s luck is finally out of bed, washed, dressed and in the area, and Battle Raptor drops down the pit and out of the competition!

And that€™s why the dinosaur is extinct. The reign of Seggy the 3rd continues!

Coming up next time, the final two round 2 matches:

The Deer(4) vs V€™Ger (13) - Roulette
Annoying Box Rush vs Flaming Hell - The moat

Remember, if youve forgotten what the arenas or house robots are like, you can find the info in the very first post of this tourney.

Wooty fights Mr Goacher.

*Goes back to reviewing albums*