The Top Picks
Triple Six
The combination of an OOTA zone, the powerful flipper, and Danielle's experience should make this one a real force to be reckoned with. I have slight doubts about the slightly slow drivetrain and only the flat wedge edge to use against all the ones with varying options; but it hasn't let that stop it previously, so I'm expecting good things here, too!
Xtreme Pneumatix
A relatively simple but proven-reliable flipper with good stats all-round and the forks for multiple opponents that should be able to handle most things okay. It's ranked a bit lower due to the questionable ability to function properly upside-down (self-righting, attacking, etc.) despite its invertibility, but we've seen it do well, and I think it's got what it takes to do it again.
「Tower Of Gray」
Standing tall over here is this guy, with some great-looking and versatile weapons that have proven their reliability in the past; and that Whoops!-esque ramming plate will be a superb asset against the big spinners. The low torque might let it down when it's trying to control bots, however, and I'm not sure how effective the pusher will be with the arena walls as high as they are, but it's very well done all-round otherwise. Look for this one to do well!
Encyclopedia Dramatica Evaccania DOOM
It's statted similarly to OREO Hurricane below with the enormous deathspinner, but I think the ability to drive off wedges with the rear wheels, focus on being an invertible drum (with the wheels) and having the assortment of wedges will make all the difference by comparison. It suffers a bit from weak drivetrain, but that drum looks extremely dangerous!
Middle Of The Road
Not-A-Jules-Bot
It's an Alex MW bot plsban You saw nothing. :v Anyway, this one looks fierce with the Hypershock-like combination of the control spinner/lifting arms and some very decent attack/defence stats. It does look a little slow, though, so that and the newer driver may affect its chances somewhat. Hopefully though, it can prove me wrong!
Netherworld Dwellers
An unusual Ultraviolent-esque multibot with probably the first chainsaw we've seen on ARC in some time; and more than likely since the early days of Robot Wars. :v I feel it'll depend a lot on using the right config for the right time, but Yuyuko looks good with those lifters (if somewhat vulnerable to flanking with no corner wedges and the low top speed), and I'm intrigued to see what Youmo can do with that chainsaw.
Powershaft
Who's the bot that won't cop out when there's danger all about? SHAFT! Really liking the look of this one, nice Hypershock/Witch Doctor-esque VS with a good drivetrain for its type and a strong interchangeable weapon. I do wonder how much it'll stand up to the heavy-hitters at only 6 armour, but should at least do quite well against the non-spinners with some good planning.
Thundersnow
Without blowing my own trumpet too much, I was very happy with how this guy came out; especially with the power and the versatility from its options. I do worry quite a bit about the verts, but if it can deal with those, then hopefully it'll be in with a shout!
Corona
Viiiiiiiiiirus Alert! Classic Electric Boogaloo-esque vertical bar with good damage potential, but I suspect that one extra torque point might've been better spent on the weapon or traction when it's not going to be doing a whole lot of pushing. That being said, it should do pretty well if it can bring that spinner into play as much as possible.
Long Shots
Phaedra
I really like the idea of a shuffling flipper, and the levels of armour and flipper power certainly look the business. The low pushing power and torque/acceleration could really let it down though, and I wonder how vulnerable it'll be to wedges and flanking with those exposed sides/corners.
OREO Hurricane
The One-Man Cookie Apocalypse! The very powerful bar can do some real damage if it gets in, but that's a very big if in this case; with the enclosed wedge-friendly wheels and amount of faster, more armoured bots that could smother it if it isn't careful.
Long Arm Of The Law
This one's definitely an intriguing design; big Splinter-esque three way clamp with a hard-to-hit main body. The stats aren't terrible either, so you know what? Despite the general meme-worthiness of Pat's Legobots, this one could pull off an upset or two if controlled right.
BOX REMASTERED
BOX THINKS BOX IS A PRETTY COOL GUY. EH KILLS ROBUTTS AND DOESN'T AFRAID OF ANYTHING. BOX HAS ARMOUR THAT CANNOT BREAK. SRIMECH OF BOX IS ANOTHER STORY. WEAPON OF BOX ABOUT AS USEFUL AS ASHTRAY ON MOTORBIKE. BOX MUST OUTLAST PUNY SPINNERS TO WIN.
Triple Six
The combination of an OOTA zone, the powerful flipper, and Danielle's experience should make this one a real force to be reckoned with. I have slight doubts about the slightly slow drivetrain and only the flat wedge edge to use against all the ones with varying options; but it hasn't let that stop it previously, so I'm expecting good things here, too!
Xtreme Pneumatix
A relatively simple but proven-reliable flipper with good stats all-round and the forks for multiple opponents that should be able to handle most things okay. It's ranked a bit lower due to the questionable ability to function properly upside-down (self-righting, attacking, etc.) despite its invertibility, but we've seen it do well, and I think it's got what it takes to do it again.
「Tower Of Gray」
Standing tall over here is this guy, with some great-looking and versatile weapons that have proven their reliability in the past; and that Whoops!-esque ramming plate will be a superb asset against the big spinners. The low torque might let it down when it's trying to control bots, however, and I'm not sure how effective the pusher will be with the arena walls as high as they are, but it's very well done all-round otherwise. Look for this one to do well!
Encyclopedia Dramatica Evaccania DOOM
It's statted similarly to OREO Hurricane below with the enormous deathspinner, but I think the ability to drive off wedges with the rear wheels, focus on being an invertible drum (with the wheels) and having the assortment of wedges will make all the difference by comparison. It suffers a bit from weak drivetrain, but that drum looks extremely dangerous!
Middle Of The Road
Not-A-Jules-Bot
It's an Alex MW bot plsban You saw nothing. :v Anyway, this one looks fierce with the Hypershock-like combination of the control spinner/lifting arms and some very decent attack/defence stats. It does look a little slow, though, so that and the newer driver may affect its chances somewhat. Hopefully though, it can prove me wrong!
Netherworld Dwellers
An unusual Ultraviolent-esque multibot with probably the first chainsaw we've seen on ARC in some time; and more than likely since the early days of Robot Wars. :v I feel it'll depend a lot on using the right config for the right time, but Yuyuko looks good with those lifters (if somewhat vulnerable to flanking with no corner wedges and the low top speed), and I'm intrigued to see what Youmo can do with that chainsaw.
Powershaft
Who's the bot that won't cop out when there's danger all about? SHAFT! Really liking the look of this one, nice Hypershock/Witch Doctor-esque VS with a good drivetrain for its type and a strong interchangeable weapon. I do wonder how much it'll stand up to the heavy-hitters at only 6 armour, but should at least do quite well against the non-spinners with some good planning.
Thundersnow
Without blowing my own trumpet too much, I was very happy with how this guy came out; especially with the power and the versatility from its options. I do worry quite a bit about the verts, but if it can deal with those, then hopefully it'll be in with a shout!
Corona
Viiiiiiiiiirus Alert! Classic Electric Boogaloo-esque vertical bar with good damage potential, but I suspect that one extra torque point might've been better spent on the weapon or traction when it's not going to be doing a whole lot of pushing. That being said, it should do pretty well if it can bring that spinner into play as much as possible.
Long Shots
Phaedra
I really like the idea of a shuffling flipper, and the levels of armour and flipper power certainly look the business. The low pushing power and torque/acceleration could really let it down though, and I wonder how vulnerable it'll be to wedges and flanking with those exposed sides/corners.
OREO Hurricane
The One-Man Cookie Apocalypse! The very powerful bar can do some real damage if it gets in, but that's a very big if in this case; with the enclosed wedge-friendly wheels and amount of faster, more armoured bots that could smother it if it isn't careful.
Long Arm Of The Law
This one's definitely an intriguing design; big Splinter-esque three way clamp with a hard-to-hit main body. The stats aren't terrible either, so you know what? Despite the general meme-worthiness of Pat's Legobots, this one could pull off an upset or two if controlled right.
BOX REMASTERED
BOX THINKS BOX IS A PRETTY COOL GUY. EH KILLS ROBUTTS AND DOESN'T AFRAID OF ANYTHING. BOX HAS ARMOUR THAT CANNOT BREAK. SRIMECH OF BOX IS ANOTHER STORY. WEAPON OF BOX ABOUT AS USEFUL AS ASHTRAY ON MOTORBIKE. BOX MUST OUTLAST PUNY SPINNERS TO WIN.
"Can't Spell Roll Without LOL" Tier
SnooBot
Fetch me the Problem Stick! The Bambino-esque SnooBot's stats are okay for what they are, especially in terms of drivetrain, so it's probably the best of the Dream Team bots. That's not saying much, though; the bar is pretty much a Pool Noodle even to the lowest-armoured bots, the armour won't hold up to many of the spinners, and you can flip it. So go nuts!
Nick Cage
The deformed bastard child of a shopping cart and comical levels of overacting that the Scrap Daddy guys kept locked in the attic for the best part of thirty-three years, I can at least say it's... interesting? The cage-flamethrower-lifter weapon works against smaller bots, but seeing as these bots are all large and almost all of them have the means to wedge/outpush it, break through the mesh and/or flip it over? It'll more-than likely get about as high as the man's average Rotten Tomatoes score.
Mimi-Chan
The classic meme-bot of ARC (or should that be a Dank Mimi?), and all the stupidly-quick-but-no-stats-otherwise-oh-God-what's-even-happening joy that she brings to the table! Fun to watch certainly, but performance wise? In a nutshell...
SnooBot
Fetch me the Problem Stick! The Bambino-esque SnooBot's stats are okay for what they are, especially in terms of drivetrain, so it's probably the best of the Dream Team bots. That's not saying much, though; the bar is pretty much a Pool Noodle even to the lowest-armoured bots, the armour won't hold up to many of the spinners, and you can flip it. So go nuts!
Nick Cage
The deformed bastard child of a shopping cart and comical levels of overacting that the Scrap Daddy guys kept locked in the attic for the best part of thirty-three years, I can at least say it's... interesting? The cage-flamethrower-lifter weapon works against smaller bots, but seeing as these bots are all large and almost all of them have the means to wedge/outpush it, break through the mesh and/or flip it over? It'll more-than likely get about as high as the man's average Rotten Tomatoes score.
Mimi-Chan
The classic meme-bot of ARC (or should that be a Dank Mimi?), and all the stupidly-quick-but-no-stats-otherwise-oh-God-what's-even-happening joy that she brings to the table! Fun to watch certainly, but performance wise? In a nutshell...