Copperhead

Copperhead
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship IV World Championship V World Championship VI World Championship VII World Championship VIII (Status pending)
Other Events	BattleBots: Bounty Hunters
Other Names	Night Crawler (Working name)
Team Information
Team	Caustic Creations
Team Members	Luke Quintal (Captain) Zach Goff Casey Kuhns (WC IV) Robert Cowan (WC IV-WC VI) Pete Covert (WC IV) Kimberley Cowan (WC IV-WC VI) Chad New Micah Spinelli Brad Henkel Chris DeCicco (WC VII-Present) Lindsay Baer (WC VII-Present) (WC VII-Present) Jonathan Clark (WC VII-Present) Alec Mallinger (WC VII-Present) Maxwell New (WC VII-Present)
From	Denver, CO (formerly Houston, TX and Erie, CO)
Other Entries	Poison Arrow
Associated Robots	Chopper (Zach Goff) Magnitude (Chad New, Chris DeCicco, Alec Mallinger) Bling Bling (Chad New) MoZar (Luke Quintal)
Robot Statistics
Weight	250lbs
Power	5Ah 6S LiPo batteries
Drive	2x 6384 brushless motors
Weapons	Eggbeater drum spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Not to be confused with the BattleBots IQ middleweight of the same name.

Copperhead is a heavyweight robot built by Caustic Creations, which has competed in every BattleBots season since World Championship IV.

The team previously competed in World Championship II reboot with Poison Arrow, which performed well as it reached the quarter-finals before losing to the eventual runner-up Bombshell.

Copperhead during World Championship IV hero shots.

Copperhead is a two-wheel drive, invertible robot armed with a single-toothed, 50lb spinning drum made from S7 tool steel. The drum could originally reach speeds between 160-180mph, according to the team. The robot's large, chunky wheels are custom-molded from 5" thick rubber, providing solid grip and durability. With the majority of the team hailing from Texas, its name and appearance are based on the copperhead snake. Copperhead featured a button on the back, which was the 'pre-charge circuit'. This charged the capacitors inside of Copperhead and prevents arcing when the team turn the drive and weapon on before a match. However, Copperhead struggled to live to up the hype in its debut year and ultimately failed to make the Top 16 after a rough loss to Son of Whyachi.

Copperhead during World Championship V hero shots.

For World Championship V, Copperhead was heavily upgraded. The pulleys inside the bot now allowed for the weapon to spin up considerably quicker, and a belt guard was added to protect the weapon belt. The weapon was now black in color too. Structurally, the top plate was now made from AR500 steel, and the pre-charge circuit now automatically turned on when the hex-key is put in. Copperhead now had space and weight for alternative options depending on their opponent. This included, but was not limited to: magnets for more down-force, an additional top section for hammers, and additions for horizontal spinners. Copperhead was also accompanied by two minibots, each with four wheels, rectangular orange bodies, and snake head and tail decorations. Copperhead performed considerably better in World Championship V, being one of the few bots to finish the Fight Night rounds with an undefeated 3-0 record and qualified for the Championship Tournament as a result. However, it lost a split judges' decision to Mammoth in the Round of 32, cutting its run for the Giant Nut early.

Copperhead during World Championship VI hero shots.

Copperhead also participated in World Championship VI, but under the captaincy of Robert Cowan as the team's usual captain, Zach Goff, could not attend. For their mascot, the team brought along an albino snow morph red tail boa named Cuddles, which belongs to a local pet shop in Las Vegas which allowed the team to borrow the snake for the competition. Cuddles was only on set for photoshoots and the filming of fights. For the 2021 season, Copperhead appeared largely unchanged, except for minor paint adjustments around the bot. Internally, Copperhead was made much more reliable with its drive system, mainly due to changes in the gearing and bearings used on the bot. The team began with an impressive display against Lock-Jaw in a Main Event win, before backing it up with a knockout on Reese Ewert's Fusion. Copperhead entered the Top 32 after just two fights, defeating Lucky but losing out to Witch Doctor in the Round of 16.

Copperhead during World Championship VII hero shots.

Following Copperhead's exit, Robert Cowan took to YouTube to mention captaincy would be transferred to team member Luke Quintal, also stating Copperhead's intention to apply for World Championship VII. However, Cowan himself would not be captain with the team, stating limited air time for the effort put in as his primary reason for the decision. Luke Quintal revealed the process behind making Copperhead's new wheels, which each consist of 10lbs total of polyurethane mixture. This hardens inside a mold into a solid rubber wheel. Copperhead's 50lb drum was quoted to have a 140mph tip speed for the competition for increased bite, a reduction from previous competitions. Caustic Creations also expanded their team to include several brand new members. Copperhead picked up where it left off in the previous season, winning three consecutive fights against Bloodsport, Triton and Kraken. Its unbeaten run was ended by rookie bot RIPperoni, but Copperhead broke into the Round of 32 regardless. There, it took out ROTATOR, former champion End Game and No.2 seeded Riptide to make the Top 4 for the first time. Copperhead's best season to date ended when it lost to eventual runner-up HUGE in the semi-finals. In a June 2023 Reddit AMA, Caustic Creations confirmed they would be rebuilding Copperhead from the ground up for World Championship VIII. The retired build was later sold to BattleBots collector Lars Bakker. Designed by Zach Goff, CAD was posted publicly of the redesigned Copperhead. Team captain Luke Quintal stated Copperhead's drive and weapon would be twice as powerful as the build which made the previous season's semi-finals. With weapons operator Chad New migrating to Magnitude, it is unknown whether he will continue with Caustic Creations if both robots ultimately compete in future seasons.

Copperhead in the blue square during World Championship IV.

Copperhead ahead of the 2020 season.

CAD of Copperhead, circa June 2023.

Robot History

World Championship IV
Copperhead vs. Skorpios Copperhead hits and tosses Skorpios. Copperhead's backside gets hit by Skorpios and flipped over. Up first for Copperhead was a match against Skorpios. When the match began, Copperhead was having trouble getting their weapon up to top speed, which left them vulnerable. However, they quickly resolved the issue and started to attack Skorpios, sending them flying repeatedly and damaging their front forks. As the match continued, Copperhead was still in control until they started to have drive issues, after not applying Loctite to the sprocket on their left side, which came loose after slamming into the screws and left dishing out the big hit that flipped Skorpios over. With the team only being able to gyro around, this left them vulnerable to Skorpios, who got a lucky shot on their only working drive. The weapon disk was bigger than the gap, but it managed to snap the chain, disabling what was left of Copperhead's drive. Skorpios delivered a blow that dented their top plate quite a bit and flipped them over. With no drive left, Copperhead was counted out, kicking off a rough start to the season.
Copperhead vs. Gruff Copperhead gets lifted by Gruff. Copperhead using its drum spinner to flip Gruff over. Copperhead next found itself up against newcomer Gruff. Copperhead began the match by attacking Gruff's lifter, causing minor damage. Copperhead continued to attack and eventually its drum reached top speed. Copperhead was then shoved into the arena barrier by Gruff before causing more damage to Gruff's lifter in return. Copperhead then began to have drive issues due to the gyroscopic forces of its drum and one of its motors cutting out at times due to a faulty temperature sensor but was able to fight on, eventually getting nearly upended against the arena barrier but was able to escape. Both robots survived the battle to a judges' decision but Copperhead was awarded a 2-1 split decision.
Copperhead vs. Chronos The massive collision between Copperhead and Chronos, sending both flying in opposite directions. Copperhead's third fight of its rookie season was against another new robot, Chronos. Copperhead started off the match by chasing after its opponent's minibot, letting its drum get up to speed. Once it reached full speed, it darted over to Chronos, who was also up to full speed. When the two spinners came together, the first hit forced Copperhead to do a wheelie. The second hit proved to be a lethal one as it threw both robots backwards in opposite directions. Unfortunately for Copperhead, it had lost drive on one side and its drum had become dislodged, which were both tied to one of its side wedgelets being bent into the wheel and causing one bolt to come off. This impact had also disabled Chronos' spinning ring, but since Copperhead was unable to move well enough, it was counted out, giving Chronos the win by KO.
Copperhead vs. WAR Hawk Copperhead grinds on the right front of War Hawk. Copperhead chucks WAR Hawk onto the screws. Copperhead was then given a fight with Rob Farrow and WAR Hawk. As the match got underway, Copperhead stayed still, getting its drum up to speed as WAR Hawk approached. Once the Washington bot came close, Copperhead engaged, popping WAR Hawk up in the air. The two bots clashed multiple times, with one engagement sending WAR Hawk reeling backwards. Seeing that its opponent's forks had been badly bent, Copperhead moved to the center of the box, its drum buzzing as it began to take control of the match. Copperhead managed to rip one of the plastic side panels off of its fellow vertical spinner, grinding away at WAR Hawk's armor until it landed a shot that sent the former Top 16 finisher reeling. WAR Hawk landed upside down next to the screws, its forks in shambles and its bar spinner sluggish. Copperhead took this opportunity to chase WAR Stop, its foe's minibot, around the arena, before turning to once again face the main bot. Copperhead used its heavy drum to blast WAR Hawk up onto the screws, which eventually reversed to allow it down. However, WAR Hawk landed in an awkward position, its front wedge against the floor and its back wheels suspended in the air over the screw mount, leaving it unable to move. Seeing his opponent trapped, Zach Goff chased WAR Stop around the arena once again, this time landing a solid hit that bent its wedge and rendering it too immobile. As WAR Hawk was counted out, Copperhead celebrated its victory with a well-earned gyro-dance, its record improving to 2-2 with a KO over one of last season's top-ranked robots.
Copperhead vs. Son of Whyachi Copperhead and Son of Whyachi collide. Copperhead hits and sends Son of Whyachi into the air. Copperhead gets punted out of the arena by Son of Whyachi. Copperhead was initially done with the season, but was given one more chance after Gigabyte had to drop out of its play-in match. In order to make the Top 16, Copperhead had to face off against Son of Whyachi, a rematch from 2016. Things didn't start off well for Copperhead as they weren't moving right at the start, but managed to get going and took a hit from Son of Whyachi, sending both robots into opposite corners of the arena. However, Copperhead began to have drive issues due to a big hit knocking some small bits off a speed control, but with its weapon still working, it forged on anyway. Luckily, Son of Whyachi held back a bit, but this didn't favor Copperhead at all as they eventually took more damage before being thrown out of the arena on impact. With no way out, Copperhead was counted out, giving Son of Whyachi the win by KO and a place in the Top 16.
World Championship V
Copperhead vs. Gigabyte Copperhead decapitates Gigabyte. Copperhead rips Gigabyte's shell away. Copperhead's first match of World Championship V was against Gigabyte, the robot Copperhead was called in to substitute for its 2019 season play-in with Son of Whyachi. Before the match, Copperhead decided to weld in its AR500 bar on, making this version the bot for the horizontal spinners in the tournament. The fight started very well for Copperhead as the first hit was able to get rid of the self-righting stick on Gigabyte and keep the shell spinner in the corner. However, both Copperhead and Gigabyte had traction problems from the impact as both bots meet at the corner. After a few seconds of quiet driving, Copperhead landed a massive hit that resulted in Gigabyte's shell flying off while the main bot was flipped upside down. The shell flew to the very top of the BattleBox where it ended up breaking one of the lights. Gigabyte was counted out, giving Copperhead the win by way of a brutal knockout.
Copperhead vs. P1 Copperhead kicks P1 up into the air. Copperhead's next match was against Brandon Zalinsky's P1. The two robots came together and Copperhead's spinning drum immediately kicked P1 into the air and left P1 temporarily immobile. However, P1 started moving so Copperhead went in and attacked again, forcing P1 to do a full backflip in the air on impact. P1 was no longer moving after this hit and was counted out, meaning Copperhead won the match by KO after just two hits.
Copperhead vs. Black Dragon Copperhead takes on Black Dragon. Copperhead was now 2-0 and faced 2019 Desperado Tournament winner Black Dragon. Copperhead opted to stay relatively still as they were hoping to bait their opponent in some form. It didn't pay off however as Copperhead was quickly taken advantage of but managed to recover and dish out two big hits, the latter flipping Black Dragon over. This exchange also favored Copperhead as Black Dragon's weapon belt snapped, forcing Black Dragon's weapon to spin down. Copperhead stayed on the attack, tossing Black Dragon around and delivering them hard into the screws. Black Dragon continued to work and eventually Copperhead began to slow down. With seconds left in the fight, both robots were now weaponless and showing signs of tiredness. The fight went the distance and the judges ruled unanimously for Copperhead.
Copperhead vs. Mammoth Mammoth dwarfs Copperhead as the two come together. In the Top 32 as the No.3 seed, Zach Goff and his team met Ricky Willems and Mammoth, and painted their drum with a mammoth design on the tips. Copperhead started off well, taking pieces away from Mammoth, but quickly lost the use of their weapon and were then at the mercy of their opponent. Copperhead was flipped repeatedly by Mammoth's rotating arm, and the fight quickly turned. Copperhead was able to get its weapon going again with around 30 seconds left and raced to deliver as many shots as possible before time ran out. The judges gave Mammoth a 2-1 split decision victory and spot in the Top 16, eliminating Copperhead from the tournament.
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters
Copperhead vs. Chronos Copperhead twists and launches Chronos across the BattleBox. In addition to the main competition, Copperhead competed in the Son of Whyachi Bounty Hunters bracket, which began with a rematch against Chronos. Copperhead began the fight by hunting Chronos down and landing a glancing hit to slow the ring spinner. Chronos then tried to escape, but Copperhead's next attack send its opponent flying across the length of the box, immobilizing it in the process. Chronos was counted out, and Copperhead advanced to Round 2.
Copperhead vs. Rusty Copperhead's weapon is halted by Rusty's own spike. Next up for Copperhead was fan favorite Rusty, who was still showing visible damage from previous fights. Copperhead attempted to attack head on in the opening moments, but Rusty fired its weapon, locking Copperhead's spinner in the process. Now free, Copperhead returned to the center of the box to spin up and attack Rusty's side, causing damage to its track protection. Rusty was now struggling to drive and Copperhead capitalized, landing a hit which overturned Rusty and sent it sliding towards the corner of the box. Copperhead backed off in anticipation of its opponent being counted out, but Rusty eventually managed to right itself, much to the delight of Chris and Kenny, as well as Pete Abrahamson. Despite this feat, Rusty was no longer able to drive and was deemed immobile. Copperhead won by KO and moved on in the bracket.
Copperhead vs. Gigabyte Sparks litter the BattleBox as Gigabyte lands a big hit on Copperhead. All that stood between Copperhead and Son of Whyachi was a rematch with Gigabyte, who they had de-shelled earlier in the main season. The fight started with Copperhead landing a hit on Gigabyte before it could spin up to full speed, sending it across the box and overturning it in the process. Gigabyte was able to use its self-righting pole to great effect, as Copperhead appeared to struggle driving with the weapon spun up. Both machines were up to speed and Copperhead gave a few tentative hits, before a large impact sent both robots flying to either side of the arena. Gigabyte ricocheted to the corner and spun back up, while Copperhead stumbled back towards the shell spinner. Another big impact from Copperhead saw Gigabyte deflect into the middle of the box, but Copperhead appeared to be struggling. Gigabyte evaded any further impacts and several glancing blows were enough to immobilize Copperhead, which was then counted out.
World Championship VI
Copperhead vs. Lock-Jaw Sparks fly as Copperhead grinds against the plow of Lock-Jaw. Copperhead returned for the 2021 season, and its first fight was a Main Event against Lock-Jaw. As the battle commenced, Lock-Jaw led with its rear plow and approached Copperhead, who veered off to spin up. Lock-Jaw attempted to prevent this, but rode on top of its opponent and buckled one of its wheel hubs. In response, Donald Hutson opted to go weapon-to-weapon, which saw one of his own bot's front forks become bent inwards. Copperhead persisted and delivered small hits leading up a bigger impact which popped Lock-Jaw over. Lock-Jaw continued to tank the punishment, but forced Copperhead to flip over during these exchanges. Copperhead got underneath Lock-Jaw again and delivered a hit to its underside, though this caused it to pop into the air and land weapon-first on top of Copperhead and bounce right side up. This collision took out one of Copperhead's drive chains and a section of one tire. Both of Lock-Jaw's forks had become visibly damaged by this point, however, and its left-front tire was also threatening to come off. All of a sudden, a small fire erupted inside Lock-Jaw and soon after, it lost power to its primary weapon. Upside-down but still fighting on, Lock-Jaw was able to coerce its opponent into the screws with its superior drive power, though Copperhead continued to grind away with its drum. Lock-Jaw remained aggressive, pushing Copperhead into the corner, but only under the pulverizer controlled by the Cowans. With ten seconds to go, a final Copperhead attack saw Lock-Jaw beached on top of its opponent. The fight went the distance, and the judges deemed Copperhead the winner by a 2-1 split decision. Damage to the front of Lock-Jaw after its loss to Copperhead. According to Luke Quintal, who drove Copperhead for this fight, they broke a drive chain thirty seconds into this fight, and suffered issues with their speed controllers throughout as well. This was also not initially intended to be a Main Event, but was promoted to one after filming. He also stated that Copperhead was suffering from issues concerning interference in this battle, as a result of sensor wires and power wires running parallel to each other.
Copperhead vs. Fusion Fusion struggles to escape Copperhead. Copperhead leaves Fusion to be counted out. Copperhead's second fight was against Fusion. This battle was postponed as Fusion's speed controllers caught fire in the starting square as the countdown began. However, it was eventually re-shot a day later. From the off, Copperhead box-rushed its opponent, who led with their drum spinner, landing several shots early on. Although Fusion's drum was not spinning, their horizontal spinner was. After losing wedgelets and finding the space to escape, Fusion turned to deliver a shot with its triangular disk. The two went weapon-to-weapon several more times before Fusion's horizontal weapon was no longer spinning either. Fusion eventually lost its mobility and was counted out, giving Copperhead the win by KO to go to 2-0.
Copperhead vs. Lucky Sparks fly as Copperhead attacks the front of Lucky. Entering the Top 32 as the No.8 seed, Copperhead met surprise package Lucky in the first round of the bracket. Copperhead began by targeting the front of Lucky, popping it over but Lucky was able to self-right immediately. Lucky attempted to launch Copperhead, but missed its flip and handed Copperhead the opportunity to grind its drum against the front of the Canadian bot as it partially detached a side panel. Lucky was again flipped over, but righted itself and escaped the assault from its opponent. Copperhead continued to slam into the front of Lucky, but it showed no signs of dying as the fight progressed. With a minute to go, Lucky was flung into the air two more times, the latter leaving it upside-down. Lucky again recovered but lost a wheel as Copperhead honed in on its weakened side and remained aggressive as time ran out. Copperhead won by judges' decision and advanced in the bracket.
Copperhead vs. Witch Doctor Copperhead's drum art ahead of the fight, painted by Kimberley Cowan. Witch Doctor looks on as Copperhead is eliminated. Now in the last sixteen, Copperhead met 2019 season runner-up Witch Doctor. Both robots veered to the sides of the BattleBox to spin up before turning to collide. Witch Doctor came out of this initial exchange worse as it was sent into a backflip by Copperhead's drum. As it stuck the landing, Witch Doctor landed on top of one of Copperhead's snake minibots, disabling it completely. Copperhead chased Witch Doctor around the arena as Mike Gellatly attempted to drive into space, but was knocked over by its opponent's weapon. Witch Doctor doubled down on this attack and threw Copperhead across the center of the BattleBox before dealing smaller hits near the blue square's screws. After one more hit to the rear, one of Witch Doctor's disks had chipped but Copperhead suddenly stopped moving. Though its drum continued to spin, Copperhead had lost drive and was counted out, eliminating it from the competition. In the team's post-fight recap, Robert Cowan revealed that debris sticking itself to the magnets within the can of their motors caused its drive to seize up, and that there was no mechanical damage to Copperhead itself.
World Championship VII
Copperhead vs. Bloodsport Returning under the captaincy of Luke Quintal, Copperhead's first Fight Night opponent of World Championship VII was Justin Marple and a new-look Bloodsport. Copperhead and Bloodsport meet in the BattleBox. In this fight, Copperhead quickly took care of Bloodsport, dealing one massive hit which did significant damage to their opponent. Bloodsport turns to face Copperhead. This single impact caused Bloodsport's self-righting pole to detach from the robot and destroying the Nylon box containing the speed controllers for Bloodsport's weapon. Bloodsport bursts into flame. A fire began to erupt from within Bloodsport as it lay immobile and was counted out, sealing Copperhead's first win of the season. Copperhead's damaged frame rail. Copperhead did not come out of this fight unscathed, however, as the entire frame rail on the right hand side had been warped out of shape and was rendered unusable for future fights.
Copperhead vs. Triton Copperhead's configuration for Triton. Looking to go 2-0, Copperhead's second opponent was the new robot from Team Overboard, Triton. Luke Quintal's team welded Copperhead's front forks together to form a wedge-shaped plow underneath its primary weapon. Copperhead disemboweled its opponent. To start, Copperhead and Triton exchanged glancing blows with Copperhead delivering a hit to the right wheel. Triton then delivered a shot to Copperhead causing it to veer to the right. Copperhead recovered and delivered a strike to Triton which caused its internals to spill across the BattleBox floor. The remains of Triton. In the chaos, however, Triton's bar managed to knock one of its own lithium polymer batteries underneath Copperhead, causing it to become high-centered and therefore also immobile. This led to a count-out for both robots and a simultaneous knockout, meaning the fight went to the judges. They ruled unanimously in favor of Copperhead, moving them to 2-0.
Copperhead vs. Kraken Copperhead's penultimate Fight Night opponent was the totally redesigned Kraken. Pre-fight, Luke Quintal revealed his plan to spin the drum a little slower in order to retain more control of Copperhead's drive. Copperhead takes Kraken to the pulverizer. Immediately, both robots spun up and Kraken charged at Copperhead, with its arm lowered. However, it overshot its box-rush, allowing Copperhead to punt it against the screws. Copperhead then managed to get in underneath Kraken's front spikes and ram it against the rails, almost suffering a shot from the 100lb pulverizer. However, Luke Quintal's team accidentally hit their own robot and backed away. Copperhead retreats as Kraken attempts to right itself. Kraken escaped but unbalanced with its weapon spinning, lifting its front off the floor. Capitalizing on this mistake, Copperhead pushed its opponent across the length of the BattleBox before allowing it to slide into the screws. Though Kraken corrected itself, the 2-0 bot grazed its drum against the underside of Matt Spurk's bot. "Kraken's weapon is still active, Chris. But my goodness, Copperhead just has no fear. Luke Quintal in complete control." — Kenny Florian as Copperhead continues its assault Kraken is mercifully counted out. Copperhead continued to attack, grinding the front and then the back panel of Kraken, pinning it against the housing of the screws. This attack appeared to knock Kraken out, as it lay dormant on the edge of the red starting square. Copperhead turned its attention to Wally, Kraken's minibot, before delivering a blow which overturned the main robot again. Kraken swung its arm in a desperate attempt to self-right. It finally did so, but was at the mercy of its opponent as Copperhead dealt a final shot to the head of Kraken. Referee Kathryn Godfrey began a count and Copperhead took the win by knockout, continuing its unbeaten streak. "It has been all about power, precision and perfection from the little drum spinner here in World Championship VII." — Chris Rose as Copperhead's 3-0 record is confirmed
Copperhead vs. RIPperoni Rounding out its Fight Night campaign, Copperhead faced Anna Zolnikov and RIPperoni in a Main Event, looking to finish with an elusive 4-0 record. RIPperoni immediately closes down the angle on Copperhead. As Copperhead got its drum up to speed, it approached its opponent, who arced to the left to spin up its own weapon. This forced Copperhead to turn, but RIPperoni spun to cut off the angle, hunting the 3-0 robot down and ultimately forcing it into the rails. RIPperoni drives Copperhead into the wall. In an impressive showing of control by Frederick Moore, RIPperoni slammed Copperhead into the wall, dislodging a drive chain in the process. Copperhead was now inverted but RIPperoni bounced disc-first into the BattleBox floor before landing back onto its wheels. Chris Rose: "RIPperoni sends Copperhead into the rails! Are you kidding me?!" Kenny Florian: "Copperhead is inverted, and it's hurt, Chris!" — Chris and Kenny react to RIPperoni's early dominance Copperhead is thrown into the Lexan. With its drive now compromised, Copperhead struggled to escape the corner. This offered RIPperoni the opportunity to continue attacking, and it capitalized, slamming its 68lb disk into the back of Luke Quintal's robot and punting it against the wall protection. RIPperoni sets its sights on the minibot as Copperhead is immobilized. This attack righted Copperhead but appeared to have disabled its drive completely. Although its weapon was still functional, Copperhead could not move and referee John Remar counted it out, confirming a first Fight Night loss for Copperhead since its debut season. In spite of this, Team Caustic Creations rounded out their Fight Night with a 3-1 record.
Copperhead vs. ROTATOR In the Round of 32, Copperhead took the No.10 seed and met Victor Soto's No.23 seeded ROTATOR. Copperhead and ROTATOR collide. Leading with its forks, ROTATOR approached Copperhead as both robots got their high energy kinetic weapons up to speed immediately. However it was Copperhead who got the better of the early exchanges, sliding underneath Victor Soto's robot but balancing the weight of its opponent on its still drum. ROTATOR swung itself around to face its opponent before going weapon-to-weapon. This saw ROTATOR get popped into the air, but landing unharmed. Copperhead expertly avoids ROTATOR's disk. As Copperhead was slow to turn, ROTATOR slammed its horizontal spinner into its vulcanized rubber tire, tearing a small chunk away. This did not affect Copperhead's ability to drive, however, as it countered by striking ROTATOR's forks with its drum. ROTATOR attempted to swipe at Copperhead again, but the No.10 seed used the gyroscopic forces of its weapon to throw itself over and upright again, effectively evading ROTATOR's destructive spinner. Copperhead pops ROTATOR into the air. ROTATOR then drove at its opponent, but Copperhead turned before impact and forced another weapon-to-weapon collision. This again favored the vertically-spinning weapon as Victor Soto's robot was flung into the air - its wheelguard now partially detached. Copperhead honed in on this damaged side, peeling the armor away further as ROTATOR's left wheel was now exposed. As Copperhead drove up the forks of ROTATOR, the former Most Destructive Robot award winner struggled to capitalize as its drive and weapon both appeared sluggish. Copperhead rips a second fork off ROTATOR. Now at the halfway mark, Copperhead continued to bite at the forks of ROTATOR and even tore one off, but its right side of drive appeared to have seized up. Luke Quintal was forced to arc his way towards ROTATOR, showing damage but satisfying the new mobility rules for World Championship VII. ROTATOR itself was reduced to a pushbot with no signs of life in its horizontal spinner, but drove into the actively spinning drum of Copperhead and lost another of its forks. As ROTATOR drove over the killsaws in the closing seconds, the fight went the distance. Copperhead took the win by a unanimous judges' decision to move into the Top 16.
Copperhead vs. End Game Caustic Creations enter with their joke forks. In the Round of 16, Copperhead next fought the No.7 seed and reigning Golden Bolt champion End Game, who ended Tantrum's title defense in its last fight. Ahead of the fight, the Copperhead team made a tongue-in-cheek reference to End Game's ground game by equipping card forks to the outside of its frame. Copperhead is thrown into the air early on. As Copperhead drove straight at its opponent, End Game took a more tentative approach as it sought out which robot had the superior ground game. This was quickly answered as the disk of End Game kicked Copperhead upside-down. Now inverted, Copperhead faced the 2020 season champion again and drove up its wedges, sending itself twisting through the air but landing upright. As it rides up the front of End Game, Copperhead is sent bouncing across the arena. Undeterred by this, Copperhead again attacked the front of End Game, tearing away the front of its left-side fork but seeing itself punted again by the powerful vertical spinner as Luke Quintal's robot bounced across the BattleBox. It again landed upside-down, and End Game's disk made contact once again, throwing Copperhead near the entrance to the short corner. Chris Rose: "Copperhead starting to chip away at the front end of End Game, and Kenny, there's currently no life from End Game's weapon! The question - have they shut it down, or has Copperhead broken it?!" Kenny Florian: "Hard to say, but it does not look good. You can see them trying to get it spun up... no luck. And here's Copperhead getting underneath End Game." — Chris and Kenny react as the momentum shifts to Copperhead Copperhead rips wedgelets away from End Game. This head-on impact appeared to seize the vertical spinner of End Game, whose entire front end was now vulnerable to attacks from Copperhead's own primary weapon. The No.10 seed took a noticeable chunk out of the narrower end of End Game's now-disabled asymmetrical disk before honing in on the wedgelets. As Copperhead continued to attack, more of End Game's wedgelets were torn from their mounts. Shortly after, the remaining fork on Jack Barker and Nick Mabey's robot was ripped away as damage began to mount up against the former Giant Nut winner. The entire row of wedgelets to the left of its primary weapon had gone, leaving a flat front. Copperhead removes more of End Game's front wedges. Copperhead approached End Game again, getting underneath the side and spinning it around so it could get to its opponent's back before driving it into the rails. Although End Game was able to push back, proving its drive was still fully functional, the No.7 seed lost more of its front end as just three of its twelve wedgelets remained. Copperhead had managed to tear these off as well before long, before punting End Game into the shaft of the pulverizer and ripping one of the orange mounting plates from the front and exposing the robot's vulnerable billet frame. End Game fights back despite losing its weapon. End Game continued to face Copperhead and ram its front into its opponent, with the hope of breaking the weapon of Luke Quintal's machine and balancing the damage score with ninety seconds remaining. However, Copperhead was relentless with its attacks – its drum spinner showing no signs of slowing down. The drum caught End Game's front, tossing it over before Quintal drove the former champion back towards the Upper Deck. End Game self-rights. With its disk out of commission, End Game was forced to use its self-righting mechanism for the very first time in order to remain in the fight. Though parts of End Game littered the BattleBox at this stage in the quarter-final match, it was still able to shove Copperhead back against the Upper Deck. "They just look like a rectangular box at this point. They started with [piano] keys; they started with forks; they started with an able weapon and they have none of that right now." — Chris Rose as the fight enters its final minute End Game ends the fight on its face. However, the snake-themed robot tore away the other mounting panel from End Game, stripping its front bare. This was followed up with an attack which spun End Game in the air horizontally, a move Copperhead's weapon operator Chad New cheered on in the final minute of the fight. As his bot's primary weapon continued to buffet End Game, the No.7 seed turned to escape but became caught on the floor and fell onto its face. End Game waved its fern-shaped self-righter in the closing seconds while Copperhead celebrated a likely victory. The clock ticked down, however, denying Caustic Creations a win by knockout. In spite of this, Copperhead took the unanimous judges' decision and moved into Top 8.
Copperhead vs. Riptide Advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time in its career, Copperhead took on the No.2 seed Riptide, who had not yet been beaten this season. Ahead of this fight, it was revealed that Riptide captain and driver Ethan Kurtz had contracted COVID-19, and was forced to isolate at this late stage. Due to this, Copperhead's opponent was driven by 17-year-old Felix Jing. "Riptide has been so dominant. I mean, they fought a bunch of amazing robots and the fight was over in a matter of seconds. At the same time, no one they've fought so far is as durable as Copperhead. So the safest option for us is just to go weapon-to-weapon, and don’t let them hit our backside, and our wheels and our chains, because that's where Copperhead's vulnerable. We don't think they're gonna break our weapon. We think on a mega impact, we're more likely to break their weapon. I wish I could be in the stands to watch this, because this is gonna be a real slugfest... you know, it's not going three minutes. It's going to be spectacular. It's going to be the perfect match for the fans." — Luke Quintal Copperhead is launched into the Lexan wall. Copperhead moved tentatively out of the red square, turning right as Riptide sped and clattered sideways into its spinner. Flicking Team Break32's machine upwards, it quickly engaged in a series of weapon-on-weapon blows between itself and Riptide. At first, Copperhead bore the brunt of Riptide's eggbeater, whose third strike tossed it onto the Upper Deck. Having landed upside-down, it drove off and tumbled down into the top-left pocket, landing upright. Seconds later, Riptide charged in, throwing Copperhead into the nearby bumper through hitting its front-right corner. Copperhead was again flipped over as a result, but had succeeded in ripping off its opponent's inner-front fork during this attack. As Riptide's eggbeater began spinning up faster, Copperhead dodged and twice sniped its right-hand side. A further bump from Riptide re-righted Caustic Creations' machine, which took three more hits from the former's eggbeater. Kenny Florian: "What a start for Felix Jing! These are knockout shots, Chris!" Chris Rose: "Unreal! You can just hear the energy coming off these machines!" — As Copperhead takes an early pounding from Riptide's eggbeater Copperhead's weapon grinds the front of Riptide as it pushes back. The second and third blows threw Copperhead into the wall bumper and Lexan; sparks flew from beneath Riptide as it shuffled back and forth within the pocket. Another spinner-on-spinner collision followed, resulting in Copperhead being thrown at an even greater height against the Lexan. Though Copperhead landed upside-down with a thump, and initially struggled to self-right, the exchange alone was sufficient to instantly disable Riptide's eggbeater and split one end of it in half. Once re-righted, Copperhead rammed and repeatedly churned away at the front of Riptide, while the latter proceeded to pin it against the Upper Deck screw mount. Kenny Florian: "Uh-oh, look at this! Riptide may be shut down after that shot!" Chris Rose: "Uh-oh!" Kenny Florian: "The bar is split in half on Riptide, Chris! That eggbeater is actually split in half!" Chris Rose: " That is enormous news, because Luke Quintal said "Our weapon does not die. We don't know if the same can be said for theirs." Unreal!" — As Copperhead churns away at a now-weaponless Riptide While being pushed along the inner perimeter, Copperhead broke free and bumped Riptide along towards the center. In the resulting head-to-head engagement, it proceeded to rip two more of Riptide's front forks off, while again grinding away at its eggbeater. By then, it was gradually pushed back over the bottom-left killsaw slots, then the control booth bumper. Sparks flew as Copperhead broke free from Riptide, only for the two robots to lock forks again near the center. Riptide shoved Copperhead back into the control booth bumper; Copperhead's eggbeater again made contact, flipping Riptide over almost instantaneously. Kenny Florian: "Copperhead trusted so much in their durability so far. They have been correct. Riptide, though, pushing them around!" Chris Rose: "Ho-hoh!" Kenny Florian: "Copperhead has to stay aggressive and try to earn some points, in the Control category." Chris Rose: "There's a shot! And now Riptide is on its head!" — As Copperhead is pushed, but flips Riptide over Copperhead delivers glancing blows on an inverted Riptide. Though its opponent was still able to drive in the inverted position – steering to and from the bottom-right paddle - Copperhead capitalized by hitting its eggbeater a few more times. Both robots locked together again over the nearby killsaw slots, with one minute and 30 seconds remaining. Copperhead lands a counter-shot on Riptide, but loses its wheel. Copperhead reversed, taking a brief nudge from Riptide before luring it across the BattleBox perimeter. When the two competitors met each other in the center once more, Luke Quintal's machine flicked Riptide upwards, then proceeded to turn, churn and push it under the bottom-left pulverizer. Backing away into a gyro-dance, Copperhead landed more hits to Riptide's back panel and weapon bulkhead. By that point, the damage was extensive enough to leave Riptide dragging its eggbeater along as Copperhead pursued it towards the Upper Deck. Copperhead inflicted extra blows to its opponent's eggbeater, a large blue chunk of which was ripped off and left on the BattleBox floor. "Just a little over a minute to go and... Copperhead just all over Riptide. Riptide... needs some kind of a miracle to pull this one off!" — Kenny Florian, as Copperhead pressures and keeps tearing chunks from Riptide's chassis and weapon Riptide pins Copperhead late on. Another hit from Copperhead threw Riptide back upright. Seconds later, Copperhead was pushed back into the center red square screw mount by Riptide, though it continued to land damaging blows, and proceeded to throw Riptide into a 360-degree flip. This was also enough to completely remove Riptide's last-remaining fork. As it moved out of the red square, however, Copperhead's right axle broke, causing the wheel on that side to fall off. Kenny Florian: "Oh no! Copperhead just lost a wheel!" Chris Rose: "Oh my goodness, the right wheel just fell off! Maybe a result of the violent early collision? Who knows?" Kenny Florian: "Riptide may have an opening here!" — As Copperhead loses a wheel and a traction advantage over Riptide Now incapacitated on one side, Copperhead turned into, and was pushed back across the arena by Riptide. Stopping short of the bottom-right pulverizer, Riptide shoved Copperhead underneath the hazard as it retracted, though Copperhead escaped by crab-walking across the front of the control booth. Copperhead turned its spinner into an oncoming Riptide; sparks flew as it was knocked back by the collision and rounded up by the Team Break32 machine once more. "All Copperhead has to do is get to that ten-second mark, and crab-walk around the arena, to get to a decision!" — Chris Rose, as a one-wheeled Copperhead tries to hold its ground in the final twenty seconds Both robots survive to a judges' decision. Riptide kept pushing Copperhead across the BattleBox, steering and pressing it spinner-first against the middle mount for the blue square screws. With less than twenty seconds remaining, both robots quickly separated, with Copperhead again shuffling back and forth to maneuver out of the square. However, this was not enough to prevent it from being rammed, then pushed backwards over the bottom-left killsaws by Riptide. Copperhead grazed the front of Riptide one last time before the end buzzer sounded, which prompted the two competitors to separate almost instantly. Caustic Creations and Team Break32 quickly celebrated, with Chad New encouraging the audience to cheer and chant in support of Copperhead. All three judges' score cards, including Derek Young's after the Appeal. In the resulting split decision, judges Lisa Winter and Fon Davis both voted in favor of Copperhead, provisionally giving it the win and a place in the semi-finals. Both teams exchanged handshakes following the conclusion of post-match interviews, though Team Break32 later issued an appeal to contest the decision. Ultimately, Derek Young - who had initially scored in Riptide's favor – reassessed the Aggression points he had given out to both machines, awarding a 2-1 score in that category in favor of Copperhead. Copperhead's decision was thus converted into an unanimous one. Copperhead's drive shaft post-fight. Caustic Creations' victory was met with unanimous support from other builders, who cheered and chanted Copperhead's name as it was being wheeled back into the pits. Kenny Florian: "Luke, Chad... congratulations, guys! You were one of the few teams brave enough to say "Hey, you know what? We want a shot at Riptide!" Why were you confident heading into this fight?" Luke Quintal: "Yeah, I mean... Copperhead's drum is just a brick of metal. We don't think it's goin' anywhere. [Riptide's] weapon is crazy powerful, but it has some thin sections around it. You know, it's a beater bar, it stores a lot of energy, but it's just not as tough as Copperhead's." — Post-match interview
Copperhead vs. HUGE Copperhead was now in the semi-finals, where it took on another unbeaten robot, No.6 seed HUGE. For its arena entrance, a pair of HUGE eyes and a red cap decoration were temporarily added to the robot, the eyes being fixed to two points on its eggbeater. "There's two robots in this competition I was most afraid of. One was End Game, the other one is HUGE. So after taking out End Game, I felt, you know, maybe we could go all the way. Copperhead has exposed chains on the top. It's really hard for us to cover those up, so that's a major vulnerability. Our strategy in this match is actually to... spin our weapon backwards, and just run into HUGE. When you spin down, while they're spinning up, you're actually multiplying that impact by two. And very few robots are designed to take that kind of impact. Our number one goal is disable their weapon, and if we can accomplish that, I think we can get the win." — Luke Quintal Copperhead finds itself between HUGE's wheels. Initially, Copperhead crept out of the red square, but missed its attempt to target the right wheel of the faster-starting HUGE. Driving in between the wheels of Jonathan Schultz's axlebot, it took a direct hit from the side which briefly flicked both robots upwards. Copperhead initiated a series of weapon-on-weapon blows, pushing and deflecting HUGE backwards in the process. "That's the impact Luke was looking for... but he can't take too many of those overhead shots! Copperhead is exposed up there!" — Kenny Florian, as Copperhead tries to attack HUGE's bar and wheels Copperhead gyro-dances on one wheel with one side of drive damaged. Gyro-dancing near the bottom-left killsaw slots, Luke Quintal and Chad New's machine again tried to attack HUGE's right wheel. This proved costly, however, as HUGE landed a direct hit to Copperhead's own right wheel, immobilizing it on one side. HUGE drives over Copperhead as it continues to struggle. Copperhead weaved and gyro-hopped on its left wheel for several seconds, though it was unable to stop HUGE from slamming into its eggbeater. This impact tore out one of its drive chains, proving one of Luke Quintal's concerns going into this match. HUGE was launched upwards in recoil, though Copperhead took another overhead blow as the former bounced back onto the BattleBox floor. Copperhead weaved across the center in pursuit of HUGE, but took more damaging blows from HUGE's bar spinner as the two competitors met once again. From that point, it struggled even more to maintain forward movement, only being able to drive around on its left wheel. Chris Rose: "And Copperhead definitely hurt! Just gotta crab-walk it now! HUGE continues to attack! His weapon is still spinning, but Luke Quintal has lost the drive of the right side!" Kenny Florian: "We've sene this before from Copperhead. The weapon is virtually indestructible, but the drive has a tendency to die - and die quickly!" — As a limping Copperhead takes more blows from HUGE's spinning bar HUGE gyro-dances over the top of Copperhead. Another weapon-to-weapon hit was exchanged, before Copperhead briefly clipped and bumped the right wheel of HUGE as initially planned. However, it again steered itself directly into the path of HUGE's bar spinner, which took a slice out of its left wheel. This pattern continued for some time, Copperhead taking several more blows from HUGE even as the latter gyro-danced on top of it. Copperhead proceeded to flip itself over through gyroscopic procession. However, while trying to self-right, it got itself stuck on its side, exposing its baseplate and front forks to more direct blows from HUGE. Chris Rose: "Woah, woah, woah, WOAH, woah - that's a terrible spot for Copperhead to be in! WOW!" Kenny Florian: "Just so much gyroscopic action there from Copperhead. They have no control. HUGE looking to take advantage of it..." — As a gyro-dance from Copperhead leaves it in more peril HUGE collects Copperhead between its wheels. HUGE collected and turned Copperhead around in circles. Though the Caustic Creations machine managed to turn upright, it was steered and pummelled into the bottom-right corner while taking further blows from HUGE's weapon. Landing upside-down, Copperhead survived the nearby pulverizer and finally self-righted; another weapon-on-weapon exchange followed instantaneously. Copperhead, spinning back into the corner, began smoking, the blow from HUGE causing its eggbeater to stop rotating completely. Copperhead, immobile by the driver's booths. Weaving precariously close to the pulverizer, Copperhead took another hit from an approaching HUGE, which again completely drove over it. Pirouetting towards the control booth, it again found itself steering into its opponent's path as the match entered its second half. HUGE struck Copperhead's rear-left corner, the attack punting Copperhead back towards the booth. At once, Copperhead became fully incapacitated, a moment instantly prompting Team HUGE to celebrate. Kenny Florian: "Jonathan Schultz is already cheering, Chris, with his team!" Chris Rose: "Yes, Copperhead... the drum is dead! The wheels are dead! Their chances at a berth in the finals... dead!" — As Copperhead lays immobile following a final blow from HUGE John Remar began the count-out, while Copperhead's snake-themed minibot was targeted and decimated by the soon-to-be-victorious HUGE. Copperhead as a whole was soon eliminated by knockout, marking the end of its World Championship VII run.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 16
• Losses: 8

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship IV	Gruff (Undercard Match) WAR Hawk (Undercard Match)	Skorpios (Undercard Match) Chronos (Undercard Match) Son of Whyachi
World Championship V	Gigabyte (Undercard Match) P1 (Undercard Match) Black Dragon (Main Event/Undercard Match)	Mammoth
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters	Chronos Rusty	Gigabyte
World Championship VI	Lock-Jaw (Main Event/Undercard Match) Fusion (Undercard Match) Lucky	Witch Doctor
World Championship VII	Bloodsport (Undercard Match) Triton (Undercard Match) Kraken (Undercard Match) ROTATOR End Game Riptide	RIPperoni (Main Event/Undercard Match) HUGE

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"This bot will crack your back like a boa constrictor. Its hybrid drum is a pain inflictor. And it won't run away from a big fight. I-I-It can't, snakes don't have legs. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"This bot sssslithers into the box. It'ssss savage and ready to sssstrike. Sssstand back, or ssssuffer its bite. It'ssss COPPERHEAD!"

"This bot is one vile reptile. It's got a bite with more poison than Bret Michaels. Every rose has its thorn, but this bot will leave you torn. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"It knows more about Poison than Bell Biv DeVoe. Trust me, you don't want to make this bot your foe. It's driving you out of your mind. One wrong move and you're dead. Never trust a big drum and a smile. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"Snakes? Why did it have to be snakes?! You don't want to hear Faruq scream! Good thing, it's only, a machine... WAHHHHHH! It's COPPERHEAD!"

"This bot's one of our best, but I know what you're thinking. The best copperhead's on the penny and his name is Abe Lincoln. Well let's grab a coin and play a game, you choose a side. Flip it up and catch it, heads he wins, tails you die. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"From Loveland, Colorado, first name Copper, last name Head. It's about to make you dead. It's COPPERHEAD!

"From Loveland, Colorado, don't hiss it off. Bringing its bite game to the fight game. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"From Loveland, Colorado, it only speaks one language. Fang-lish. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"This bot may be tiny but if it manages to land shots, you're going straight out of the park like that movie The Sandlot. Yeah, yeah. This little thing is a beast winning all of its brawls, so you better jet or you'll be screaming "You're killin' me, Smalls." Give it up for COPPERHEAD!"

"Muggsy Bogues, Yoda, and that dude Peter Dinklage, three total powerhouses despite their shrinkage. Don't be fooled by his size, he'll still rip you to tatters. He might not be big but he's huge where it matters... *Audience boos* What? I meant his motor... what do you all think? Man, you guys are nasty. Give it up for COPPERHEAD!"

"From Erie, Colorado, once bitten, twice you die. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"This snake is made of metal and has one in its name. It's a hardcore thrashing killer, bringing Megadeth and pain. It's more poisonous than Anthrax. It's disturbed and kills with quickness, so don't let it sink its teeth in you or you're sure to get down with the sickness. Oh, ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! It's COPPERHEAD!"

"From Denver, Colorado, the killer snake that can make you break, give it up for COPPERHEAD!"

"This bot's a real snake, he should be in Congress, except for the fact he's actually making progress. He'll crack you in the teapot dome, and the shock that he delivers, will lead you to one big crash, and drown you in the Chappaquiddick River. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"There's no better sound in Vegas than the clack of rolling dice. But you'll be screaming, 'Oh, craps,' when you see this snake's eyes. He'll rattle for the Strat to Caesars. His fangs give seizures that make you die. Don't worry. He'll make it quick. He's got tickets for Magic Mike Live. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to meet the true and perfect union of your backside and this bot's teeth. Its quick and fatal venom will go directly to your heart. There's no divorcing this serpent's fangs. It's till death do you part. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"From Aurora, Colorado. He'll put you in a Mile High vegetative state. It's COPPERHEAD!"

"Luke Quintal is a quick and accurate striker. Down in the pits, he's a real pit viper. This snake has a bite for which there's no cure. He doesn't shred his skin, but he will shred yours. It's COPPERHEAD!"

See Also

• Spicy Newt (Clash Bots)

Trivia

• During the auction for Son of Whyachi's 2019 season parts, team member Robert Cowan received one of the weapon's arms.
• Copperhead is the second bot to defeat and lose to the same opponent in the same season.
• Caustic Creations were the first team in BattleBots to bring a live snake to a competition.
• Zach Goff also designed a heavyweight robot for the BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon live shows, named Chopper.