- "Select Destruct-A-Thon shows will include fights with robots trying to prove their worth to be on the BattleBots television show and next World Championship. We’re calling this BattleBots Proving Ground! Come watch as rookie bots battle to impress the Selection Committee; Established veterans try out new weapon systems, or bots on the bubble battle to stake their claim for a World Championship position. Don’t miss it!"
- — Website description[1]
BattleBots Proving Ground, also known simply as Proving Ground or Proving Grounds, is the name given to a series of fights taking place at BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon shows.
Beginning in May 6, 2023, various live shows play host to fights between non-ShowBots looking to test their new designs against other non-ShowBots ahead of applying for a main competition. With no application process for the live shows, this allows teams an opportunity to impress outside of a regular season, typically fighting the same opponent twice over the course of a weekend's shows. Proving Ground fights typically take up the fourth fight in the Destruct-A-Thon schedule.
Teams use a portal known as the BattleBook to sign up for and schedule Proving Ground fights. Applications are monitored and, if deemed appropriate, accepted and cleared for teams to state their upcoming availability. Teams may then sign up for what become official Proving Ground battles listed on the BattleBots website. According to competitors, Proving Ground fights are expected to be filmed and uploaded to the BattleBots YouTube channel at an undetermined time.[2] As yet, they have only been made available to Facebook Supporters and select fights have been uploaded by team pages. The first Disarray vs. Pteradominator battle was uploaded for Facebook Supporters on June 6, 2023.
In a September 2023 episode of the Behind the Bots podcast, Greg Munson teased the idea of Proving Ground evolving to allow for knockout tournaments for the chance to qualify for future World Championships.[3] It was later confirmed that Proving Ground had a ranking system, with the top-ranked robots in the eyes of the Selection Committee qualifying for the next World Championship. It is not known exactly how many places will be allocated to Proving Ground competitors, though Craig Danby believed it to be six in a March 2024 episode of the Outside of the Box podcast.[4]
With the introduction of BattleBots FaceOffs, Proving Ground fights are on hold until further notice.
Proving Ground Schedule (2023)[]
Proving Ground Schedule (2024)[]
Date | Proving Ground Fights | |
---|---|---|
January 27, 2024 | Traves T. vs. Swamp Thing | |
January 28, 2024 | ||
OverKill vs. Hellfire | ||
February 3-4, 2024 | Traves T. vs. Apex | |
March 9-10, 2024 | Disarray vs. Orbitron | Disarray vs. Orbitron |
March 16-17, 2024 | Maximum Paralysis vs. Slammo! | Maximum Paralysis vs. Slammo! |
March 23-24, 2024 | Magnitude vs. Taco Tuesday (draw) | Magnitude vs. Taco Tuesday |
All Star Week[]
In April 2024, a special week of fights took place, headlined by the return of Team RioBotz and Minotaur. The week saw the Brazilian team fight four times over the course of the week and win three of these, ending All Star Week with a 3-1 record and a Giant Washer award.
Dates | Proving Ground Fights | |
---|---|---|
April 11-12, 2024 | Minotaur vs. Claw Viper | Minotaur vs. Claw Viper |
April 13, 2024 | Claw Viper vs. Banshee | Minotaur vs. Lucky |
April 14, 2024 | Lucky vs. Banshee | Minotaur vs. Traves T. |
BattleBots FaceOffs[]
In mid-2024, mini tournaments consisting of seven groups of four opponents were confirmed to take place towards the end of the year. These would follow a similar format to Proving Ground battles, but would introduce a round robin format rather than repeated battles across a weekend.
Main article: BattleBots FaceOffs
References[]
- ↑ https://battlebots.com/tickets/
- ↑ https://hypershock.tv/blogs/inside-the-bot/dat-faq
- ↑ Behind the Bots - BattleBots Champions II Preview with BattleBots Co-Creator Greg Munson!
- ↑ BattleBots Proving Grounds Discussion on Outside of the Box
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