It's a strong and varied line-up, and it includes: one former Robot Wars champion; four former FRA champions; two former Robot Wars Grand Finalists; two robots built by schoolchildren; and an impressive veteran drum spinner. I'll be rating each of their chances out of 10, before delivering my final verdict on who's most likely to claim that last Grand Final spot.
APOLLO (WEEK 1 RUNNER-UP)
The Series 8 champions are among the bigger names in the rumble line-up. Having lost to Behemoth in dramatic fashion in their heat final, they're now faced with having to reach the Grand Final the hard way for the second year running. Apollo definitely has the firepower to see off most of its opponents in the Rumble - my concern is whether it has the longevity.
Like the Annihilators of old, this is going to be a battle of attrition. Apollo, and the other four bots with pneumatic weapons, are going to have to conserve CO2, just as Rapid did throughout its heat, waiting for the prime opportunity to strike. It'll also have to be wary of the various spinners in the Rumble - Apollo can take a few hits, but not much more than that. And as a former champion, it's going to have a massive target on its back.
My prediction: If they can stay out of trouble at the start, and ration out their CO2, they're in with a chance. 7.5/10.
SABRETOOTH (WEEK 1 3RD PLACE)
Gabriel Stroud seemed very confident about his robot's Rumble chances prior to winning the 3rd-place playoff in his heat, so now's the time for him to ante up and show what Sabretooth is really capable of. It was helpless during its fight against Apollo, getting thrown all over the arena and finally ejected, but when it's been on top during battles, the weapon has looked extremely effective. Hell, it's the first spinner to KO Behemoth in Robot Wars history! (And it still lost that fight, which says more about Behemoth's reversal of fortune this series than it does about Sabretooth.)
Sabretooth's 7000rpm drum makes it a potent threat, especially against some of the more fragile robots in the Rumble, like Track-Tion. However, we repeatedly saw it burn out during its heat, which is really not what you want in an endurance battle. Its other key weakness is likely to be the flippers of Apollo, Eruption, and (if it's working this time) Iron-Awe 6, and Gabriel will want to take them out swiftly.
My prediction: Will come out of the traps strong, but overheating weapon motors and high ground clearance will come back to haunt it later. 6/10.
ERUPTION (WEEK 2 RUNNER-UP)
Just as in Series 8, Eruption have fallen victim to the Heat of Death, but this time the de facto second seeds have a second chance. For me, Eruption have to be one of the favourites, if not the favourite: it looked absolutely dominant in its heat, ejecting Aftershock and Crackers 'n' Smash in spectacular fashion and tossing Big Nipper around with reckless abandon, but then suffered an unfortunate defeat at the hands of Carbide.
Like Apollo, Eruption is likely to be singled out as one of the biggest threats, and will have to watch its back. But the truth is, it is one of the biggest threats. We know it can take punishment from its determined performances in its three fights against Carbide to date, and we know the spectacular power of its flipper. It would be a major upset to see it fall early on.
My prediction: It's not a dead cert, but Eruption looks like one of the more likely Rumble winners. 8.5/10.
BIG NIPPER (WEEK 2 3RD PLACE)
This has been a series full of surprises, and for me, Big Nipper is another of them. I honestly expected it to struggle in such a tough heat, especially after an inauspicious group battle performance, but it redeemed itself fantastically - that final hit it landed on Smash will live long in my memory, as will its commanding defeat of Aftershock, when beforehand I hadn't given it a prayer. That new vertical disc is breathtakingly powerful.
So Big Nipper could actually be a dark horse in the 10-Robot Rumble. We know it can dish out huge hits, but how well can it take them? It withstood Aftershock's vertical flywheel without difficulty but was immobilised by a single blow from Gabriel 2, so the axes of Thor and Terrorhurtz might be more immediate threats to it than Concussion and Sabretooth. It also has yet to win a battle against a robot armed with a flipper. They'd better avoid the sides of the arena.
My prediction: Big Nipper impressed me in its heat, and the exquisitely-engineered machine could be one to watch here as well. 6.5/10.
TERRORHURTZ (WEEK 3 RUNNER-UP)
Terrorhurtz is enjoying its best performance since its fourth-place finish in Series 6. It spent its heat dishing out good hits left, right, and centre, and gave Rapid a very hard time before finally getting ejected from the arena. Veteran driver John Reid is also the only man in the 10-Robot Rumble who's experienced anything like this before: Terrorhurtz' predecessor Killerhurtz fought in no less than four rumbles over in BattleBots, as well as the Series 4 Northern Annihilator.
Terrorhurtz is a strong machine, but it may struggle against this many opponents at once. Its 6mm Armox front is almost impenetrable, but John Reid can't possibly keep it pointed at all nine opponents at once. I fear that sooner or later, Concussion or Sabretooth or someone will get in a good hit on Terrorhurtz' fragile rear, and that will be the end of it. We've also seen it run out of CO2 once already this series - it'll need to be a bit more conservative if it's to go the distance.
My prediction: Terrorhurtz will need to hang back and wait for the herd to thin if it's to stand any chance of winning here. 5/10.
TRACK-TION (WEEK 3 3RD PLACE)
It's hard to truly gauge Track-Tion's chances in the 10-Robot Rumble because, to be perfectly honest, it hasn't actually done anything yet. It was anonymous in its group battle before being thrown out by Rapid, won its Redemption Battle when Apex self-destructed, lost in record time to Rapid in its semi-final, and won its play-off by default when Vulture withdrew. It's only really made it this far through sheer dumb luck.
However, this is where Track-Tion's luck will run out. It's too slow to get out of the way of the other competitors. Its top armour is too vulnerable to the axes of Thor and Terrorhurtz. Its tracks are too vulnerable to the various spinners. It's been thrown out of the arena twice already this series, and Apollo or Eruption could easily make that a hat-trick. It's great to see the schoolkids make it this far, but I'm afraid they will go no further.
My prediction: It's quite saddening that the only newcomer to reach the final 15 is little more than cannon fodder. 2/10.
CONCUSSION (WEEK 4 RUNNER-UP)
Concussion's heat was rather a mixed bag. It won two easy fights, against The Kegs and a weaponless Iron-Awe 6, but twice fell victim to Nuts 2 as the thwackbot pulled off the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. All in all, it wasn't a very convincing performance from the de facto fifth seeds, and leaves me wondering how well they're going to do in the 10-Robot Rumble.
On the one hand, their drum spinner is still a very powerful weapon, and will be a significant threat to the more fragile robots in this rumble. On the other hand, Concussion is looking a little fragile itself - its reliability has never been excellent, and those big exposed wheels now look like good targets, especially for Thor, who'll be gunning for revenge after losing twice to Concussion in Series 9.
My prediction: Like Sabretooth, Concussion just isn't tough enough to survive to the end, but it'll take at least one other bot with it. 5.5/10.
IRON-AWE 6 (WEEK 4 3RD PLACE)
Iron-Awe's long-awaited return has been similarly mixed. On the one hand, after all the hype surrounding its flipper, it's mysteriously and disappointingly failed to work every time it's gone into the arena, only to spring back to life again afterwards. On the other hand, it's still made it this far despite being basically nothing more than a wedgebot, which is impressive in its own right.
If its flipper still refuses to work, then Iron-Awe 6 isn't going to last long against the quality and number of opposition it's facing. If it does work, then the brothers Grimm will be in with a chance, but will have to watch their backs: Iron-Awe isn't the fastest robot in the Rumble, and could easily get caught out by Apollo, Eruption, or one of the drum spinners.
My prediction: So long as the flipper is working now, Iron-Awe 6 could be in with a chance, but either way they're a bit of a longshot. 5.5/10.
THOR (WEEK 5 RUNNER-UP)
Jason Marston is nothing if not consistent. Thor has now reached three consecutive heat finals, and lost all three of them. It put in a good performance this year, dominating Coyote in two consecutive fights before Magnetar stole its thunder in the heat final. Most of its opponents in the 10-Robot Rumble will be wary of its powerful axe, and its new toothed scoop looks like it can stand up to some punishment.
However, like Terrorhurtz, Thor is vulnerable to attacks from the side or the rear. Spinners are still its major weakness, and it may well be dreading the likes of Concussion and Sabretooth. Its CO2 system has been taken out more than once this series, and doesn't look like it'll last the distance. Additionally, its ground clearance at the sides will look very inviting to Apollo, Eruption, and Iron-Awe 6.
My prediction: Outnumbered and outgunned, Jason Marston will have to pull off something spectacular to win this rumble. 4.5/10.
EXPULSION (WEEK 5 3RD PLACE)
Like fellow school team Track-Tion, Expulsion's run to the 10-Robot Rumble wasn't exactly the most convincing. It ended every one of its matches upside-down, and in its play-off it was beset by either control issues or very poor driving, but it did appear to cleanly KO Push to Exit in its Redemption Battle. It also seems to be able to withstand quite a bit of punishment, which is exactly what you want in a rumble.
Expulsion, unlike most of the other robots in this rumble, will be relying on its endurance rather than its comparatively weak firepower. They'll be hoping to weather the blows and stay out of trouble, but with the sheer number of hazards to avoid, sooner or later it's going to run headlong into trouble. I feel that as the numbers thin out, Expulsion will become more and more of a target.
My prediction: Will outlast some of the more fragile competitors, but is unlikely to outlast them all. 4/10.
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