Here’s a quick fun little exercise – let’s look at the robots with decent to high expectations this season that started the season with a loss. We will peak ahead to their next match and rank accordingly. I’m not going to look at their final two matches, that’s too much.

Here’s the list, and next opponent

• Tantrum (0-1), next Hydra (1-0)
• Rotator (0-1), next Jackpot (0-1)
• Whiplash (0-1), next Hypershock (0-1)
• Blip (0-1), next Huge (1-0)
• Hypershock (0-1), next Whiplash (0-1)
• Ribbot (0-1), next Claw Viper (1-0)
• Glitch (0-1), next Lock-Jaw (1-0)
• Jackpot (0-1), next Rotator (0-1)
• Death Roll (0-1), next Switchback (1-0)
• Bloodsport (0-1), next Gigabyte (0-1)
• Shatter! (0-1), next Beta (0-0)

Let’s point out the obvious…

Panic Bowl #1

• Hypershock vs Whiplash

Panic Bowl #2

• Rotator vs Jackpot

(I guess Bloodsport/Gigabyte could be a third but I don’t care about them right now)

Those are gonna be fun! The first is this Thursday! Yeah!

Very Concerned

Tantrum (Hydra)

Jackpot (Rotator)

Hypershock (Whiplash)

Whiplash (Hypershock)

The former champs get the nod because they’re facing Hydra. That’s terrifying! I think Jackpot is in big trouble against Rotator. Hyper and Whip have their each other, someone is emerging 0-2. Yikes. Especially if it’s Whip, who’s never lost twice in the qualifiers. Evah.

Could Be Worse But You Gotta Win This!

Rotator (Jackpot)

Blip (Huge)

Shatter! (Beta)

Glitch (Lock-Jaw)

Rotator of course is on the other end of Panic Bowl #2. They did beat Jackpot in the playoffs in 2020, I think they’ll do it again. Offense-defense baby. Blip has a very interesting fight against Huge who a) looked great in their first fight, and b) does have a design that offers advantages over a flipper. Still, if Blip gets a good flip in it could be easy to get Huge out of the arena or at least into the screws. We’ll see. I think Shatter! and Glitch can beat Beta and Lock-Jaw, but we haven’t seen Beta lately, and Lock-Jaw seemed at least moderately improved from last season in their first fight which they won. And I mean Glitch can’t reliably move (and depends on miracles(link)), so we can’t circle wins for them. I’m still expecting it.

I Think You’ll Be Ok

Bloodsport (Gigabyte)

Death Roll (Switchback)

Ribbot (Claw-Viper)

I think these three will win their next fights with fairly little stress. Death Roll had a real tough matchup against Cobalt (like fighting a copy of themselves), they should murder most opponents going away. Ribbot has a great track record against mid-tier opponents and opponents without a dangerous weapon, Claw-Viper is both. And Bloodsport should be ok against another horizontal. Gigabyte has been good recently but was not good in their first fight and they’re under new management.

Ok, so it’s really the Panic Bowl participants and Tantrum, and I guess maybe Blip depending on your outlook regarding their fight with Huge (next week, not this one) – those are the ones close to 0-2. Everyone else on paper should bounce back? And if they don’t, they probably suck. We’ll reassess in a few weeks.