Monsoon

Monsoon
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship III World Championship IV World Championship V (Withdrew) World Championship VI (Withdrew) World Championship VII World Championship VIII (Status pending)
Other Events	BattleBots: Champions II
Other Names	Monsoon 1 (WC III) Monsoon 2 (WC IV) Monsoon 3 (WC V-Present)
Team Information
Team	Team Monsoon
Team Members	Tom Brewster (Captain) Sarah Brewster Sam Griffin (WC III) Tim "Rackers" Rackley (WC III, WC V-Present) Rory Mangles (WC IV, WC VII-Present) Tim Brewster Jane Brewster Kate Brewster (WC V) David Griffin (WC VII-Present) Isabella Holliday (WC VII-Present) Alasdair Sutherland (WC IV)
From	Coventry, UK
Associated Robots	Ragnarök (Tim Rackley) Predator, Two-Headed Death Flamingo (Rory Mangles)
Robot Statistics
Weight	244lbs
Drive	2x NPC-T64 brushed motors
Weapons	Vertical spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Monsoon is a heavyweight robot hailing from the British team of the same name, which debuted in BattleBots World Championship III.

It is a two-wheel drive, black and blue robot armed with a powerful vertical spinner made from HARDOX 500 steel and spinning at upwards of 244mph. For its debut season, Monsoon ran on a pair of NPC-T64 brushed motors and sported an asymmetric bar spinner, though more options were added as its design evolved.

Monsoon during World Championship III hero shots.

The robot was uniquely designed in a way that its weapon module is designed to pivot so that it appears identical even if overturned, and its feeder forks at the front would remain on the floor. Monsoon impressed many in its |debut season, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition before falling to eventual runner-up Minotaur. At the end of the season, Team Monsoon won the Founder's Award, presented by BattleBots co-founders Greg Munson and Trey Roski.

Monsoon during World Championship IV hero shots.

While Sam Griffin and Tim Rackley were absent from the team for World Championship IV, the latter joining forces with Jack Tweedy to compete with Ragnarök, Team Monsoon picked up several experienced builders to compensate. These included long-term competitor Rory Mangles, who previously paired up with Craig Danby and Predator in the previous season. The robot itself had largely retained its look, but had a handful of upgrades to improve its strength and reliability. Notably, Monsoon now had the option of a brushless motor powering its weapon, and it sported a stronger chassis construction which was also wider than before. Additional angles bent into the front armor, with the team stating this was a tactical change to prevent it being a catching point for spinners, as was the case versus Son of Whyachi in the season prior. However, the bot showed up to filming weighing 260lbs (118kg), so had to make compromises and last minute adjustments to adhere to the weight limit. This included swapping the brushless motor for the weapon back out, increasing their spin-up time to eight seconds. As such, the team were only ever able to keep the bot in weight. Monsoon won just one battle in the Fight Night rounds, losing three times before winning a Tag Team battle with Ragnarök which saw Tim Rackley and Tom Brewster reunited once more.

"Buffed up chassis, brushless drive, tweaked armour shape. Mostly a case of “if it ain’t broke”, however almost everything broke."

— Tom Brewster describes changes to Monsoon between the 2018 and 2019 seasons

Monsoon was accepted and completely rebuilt ahead of World Championship V. The robot itself was now considerably smaller and each drive pods now articulated independently. Other improvements included fully brushless drive and weapon systems, a revised weapon mount, numerous armor configurations to suit horizontal spinners, and longer forks added the top and bottom to get underneath opponents more easily. Monsoon now had three main weapon options: the traditional 18kg bar spinner, a newly-cut 17kg bar and a 20kg disk. However, due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Monsoon had no choice but to withdraw their application despite being accepted in the initial roster for the 2020 season.

In 2021, Monsoon was also accepted for World Championship VI, however could not compete due to their NIE Visas being turned down by the state department. Although the team's crate arrived in Las Vegas without trouble, the team were unable to travel and were forced to withdraw from the competition. This was an issue which affected all UK teams ahead of filming for the 2021 season.

Monsoon during World Championship VII hero shots.

Despite back-to-back seasons of being unable to attend, Team Monsoon confirmed their inclusion into World Championship VII in September 2022. This was backed up by BattleBots themselves, who ranked Monsoon as #26 in their Pre-Season Power Rankings. However, their season began with an unfortunate loss to Black Dragon before turning things around with a brutal knockout over Horizon. Monsoon then lost their first Main Event at the hands of Whiplash, but defeated DeathRoll to enter the Round of 32 once again. After causing an upset against Cobalt, Monsoon ultimately fell at the Round of 16 stage to eventual champion SawBlaze.

Monsoon also competed in the final bracket of BattleBots: Champions II, where it took out Gruff in convincing fashion but lost out to RIPperoni in the semi-finals.

Monsoon confirmed its application for World Championship VIII in a 2023 Reddit AMA.

Monsoon in The Pits during World Championship VII.

The size difference illustrated between the second and third builds of Monsoon.

Monsoon's 2020 season reveal to Facebook Supporters.

Monsoon's rebuild, circa 2020.

CAD of Monsoon's 2020 redesign.

Monsoon in the Test Box during World Championship IV.

Front view of Monsoon's CAD ahead of World Championship IV.

Rear view of Monsoon's CAD ahead of World Championship IV.

Monsoon under construction, circa 2018.

Front view of Monsoon's CAD ahead of World Championship III.

Rear view of Monsoon's CAD ahead of World Championship III.

Outside BattleBots

Monsoon is a regular competitor on the UK live circuit, where its spinner is restricted to a 125mph tip speed limit. Since 2019, it has competed at Extreme Robots, where the current version made its competitive debut in 2022.

On October 21-22 2023, Monsoon fought at Extreme Robots Maidstone, taking part in three 'Spinner Battles' against Zadkiel and winning two of them by knockout. The second battle, however, ended without a winner being declared, after Monsoon's asymmetrical bar tore through and got stuck in one of its opponent's wheels, requiring both competitors to be separated. Zadkiel was left partially immobilized, and a planned rematch did not go ahead. These fights were followed by a second Extreme Robots appearance at Cheltenham (November 11-12), where Monsoon won both of its head-to-heads against Ominous and Zadkiel, ripping off the latter's bar spinner in the process. Monsoon finished the weekend by winning an additional three-way melee, over fellow UK vertical spinners Donald Thump and Mongrel.

Captain Tom Brewster competed with Monsoon's predecessor during Series 9 and 10 of Robot Wars, called Tauron. However, it lost all three of its battles across both competitions, one of which included a fight involving teammate Tim Rackley's entry, Concussion.

Monsoon in 2024, at the wedding of Tom Brewster and Sarah Asplin.

Monsoon at Extreme Robots in October 2023.

Monsoon in May 2022.

Robot History

World Championship III
Monsoon vs. Red Devil Monsoon tosses Red Devil into the air. Monsoon destroys Red Devil's saw. Both robots pushing each other around. Monsoon's first opponent was the veteran Red Devil. The British team began strongly as Monsoon's first attack smacked Red Devil into the air. This was quickly followed up by another hit which took off Red Devil's saw blade. However, the impacts took its toll on Monsoon too as its weapon eventually stopped working. This was a result of the weapon spinning the wrong way once Monsoon was flipped and eating a piece of Red Devil, which jammed the weapon. This reduced the match to a pushing match. Monsoon continued to attack as smoke began pouring out from the weapon as it was attempting to spin and managed to prevent much of Red Devil's control by raising its chassis upwards each time Red Devil wanted control. Time ran out just after Red Devil took a shot from the killsaws, and the judges awarded a 2-1 split decision in favor of Monsoon.
Monsoon vs. Petunia Monsoon strikes Petunia and ruptures its hydraulics. Monsoon sends Petunia packing. Petunia burning while Monsoon is no longer moving. Monsoon now found itself up against Petunia, who was fresh off a win against ROTATOR. Monsoon's weapon began to spin up to top speed, and after nearly getting caught by Petunia, took advantage of the Dutch machine driving into the wall by landing a destructive hit on its rear, causing hydraulic fluid used to power Petunia's weapon to leak out. Petunia kept going so Monsoon hit it hard enough to flip it completely over, only to land upright. Even so, Petunia kept coming so Monsoon dealt it another blow and smoke began pouring out of its opponent, which also stopped Monsoon's weapon. Both robots continued to maneuver around until Petunia got high-centered on the arena floor while Monsoon lost traction due to the amount of hydraulic fluid on the arena floor and could no longer move. By the time Monsoon was able to move again it  could only get traction on one side, but by then Petunia had burst into flames and still couldn't move. Petunia was counted out and Monsoon won by KO.
Monsoon vs. Son of Whyachi The first contact between the two bots. Son of Whyachi rips off Monsoon's left-side armor panel. Monsoon smoking and immobile. Monsoon now fought Son of Whyachi, a former BattleBots champion of the Comedy Central era. Monsoon started strongly as they were not taking any major damage from their opponent, however, that quickly changed as Monsoon took a hit from Son of Whyachi that flipped it over. Monsoon quickly self-righted, but then took more hits from Son of Whyachi, the latter of which sent both robots flying into opposite corners of the BattleBox. Monsoon retaliated by landing a hit on Son of Whyachi's hammers that sent its opponent flying but landing upright. This hit took out Monsoon's weapon as it was now bent out of shape and the brackets supporting it had broken, leaving it virtually defenseless to its opponent's attacks. Making matters worse, the next attack took off one of its two front armor panels before Monsoon took the final blow from Son of Whyachi that ruptured its battery and started to fill the arena with smoke. Monsoon was still capable of some movement but its driver opted to just not move as it was unlikely that the movement would've been enough to continue the bout. Monsoon was counted out, giving Son of Whyachi the KO. Monsoon had a 360 degree camera attached for this fight but it got thrown off to the edge of the box by an early hit, however it carried on filming and BattleBots posted the BotCam clips on YouTube.
Monsoon vs. Axe Backwards Monsoon strikes Axe Backwards. Monsoon's next opponent was Axe Backwards, which was still striving for a win. Early on, Monsoon delivered two big hits on Axe Backwards' wheels. After these attacks, Axe Backwards had lost all driving ability but its drum was still working. Axe Backwards was counted out and Monsoon showed no interest in taking a hit to the still-spinning drum of its opponent and took the win by KO. The selection committee determined that Monsoon did enough to make the Top 16 as No.12 seed.
Monsoon vs. SawBlaze SawBlaze's wheel snaps off. Monsoon lands a powerful blow to SawBlaze's primary weapon. SawBlaze immobile with only a few seconds remaining. For its first match in the knockout bracket, Monsoon was drawn up against No.5, Jamison Go and SawBlaze. The match started off poorly for Monsoon as SawBlaze got underneath Monsoon's ground clearance and shoved them around the arena. However, after SawBlaze missed a charge, Monsoon managed to get at its backside and tore into SawBlaze's rightmost tire on that side of the drive then quickly followed with another hit that ripped out part of the saw arm, rendering it useless and leaving SawBlaze to use its dustpan. SawBlaze continued to shove Monsoon into the sides of the arena, until one charge pressed Monsoon weapon-first against the wall, and would have likely broken their spinner had Tim Rackley not turned the weapon off a few seconds before the impact. After Jamison Go released Monsoon, he left the right side of his robot open to attack and Monsoon capitalized, ripping off rubber and immobilizing SawBlaze's right-side wheel, meaning it could only drive in circles.Monsoon continued its onslaught, knocking SawBlaze around before one huge hit on one of their forks caused SawBlaze's right wheel - which was barely holding on from a previous hit - to snap clean off. A combined hit from Monsoon and the kill saws knocked SawBlaze's saw arm over, before Monsoon ripped off more rubber off SawBlaze's remaining wheel, then delivered a massive shot to the saw that knocked it back over into its original position. Another hit by Monsoon, this time on SawBlaze's left wheel, left the saw robot fully immobilized, but it couldn't be counted out as there were less than 20 seconds left in the fight. Team Monsoon attacked the decorative dragon heads on SawBlaze until time ran out. The judges ruled unanimously in favor of Monsoon, allowing them to advance to the Top 8. After the match, Monsoon's performance was revealed to have impressed Ray Billings, who gave Tim Rackley a handshake upon its return to the pits. "That might have been the most brutal fight we've ever done. I am astonished. I mean, we came here thinking 'we're just gonna win one fight and go home', and we're now in the final eight. And I don't know what to say about that!" — Tom Brewster post-fight
Monsoon vs. Minotaur Monsoon is overwhelmed in the opening seconds. Now in the quarter-finals, Tom Brewster had to face Brazil's Team RioBotz and Minotaur. This match was pretty even to start as neither robot was able to get the upper hand. Monsoon holding its own in the opening seconds, with glancing shots doing little more than kicking up the articulating drive pods. Monsoon threw its face into Minotaur's drum, tossing itself over and showing its back end to the Brazilian bot. In these exchanges, Monsoon's weapon belt had been removed and no longer had a working primary weapon. Pushing the British bot around, Monsoon was then toppled onto its side and taken to the arena barrier, where its awkward angle prevented its drive wheels from touching the arena floor. Unable to move, they were counted out, eliminating them from the tournament and ending an impressive debut season for Monsoon. Team Monsoon are presented with their Founder's Award. At the end of the season, Team Monsoon won the Founder's Award for 2018.
World Championship IV
Monsoon vs. Ragnarök Monsoon and Ragnarök collide in the opening seconds. Monsoon returned for the 2019 season and found themselves against former team member Tim Rackley, who had paired with Jack Tweedy and Ragnarök. In response, the team replaced Monsoon's 6mm front armor with 3mm, which gave them the spare weight to add HARDOX plates beneath the plastic top and bottom armor to protect their vital electronics from Ragnarök's weaponry. As the match began, Monsoon was able to pop Ragnarök into the air, but it landed upright after missing their first swing. Monsoon went in with another hit and smoke began to pour out of Ragnarök, now overturned and suffering from Monsoon's assault. They made an attempt to right their opponent to continue the fight, but Ragnarök was counted out, giving Monsoon its first win of the 2019 season.
Monsoon vs. HyperShock Sparks fly as Monsoon and HyperShock's weapons come together. Next for Monsoon was veteran Will Bales and HyperShock. Team Monsoon opted to go with thicker front armor ahead of the fight to protect themselves from HyperShock's own vertical spinner. They faced early pressure from HyperShock as they got under Monsoon and started to tear away at their underbelly. Monsoon was released, but its weapon was now ineffective due to the weapon mount bolts coming loose and leaving the mount to dangle helplessly. This was due to the team using circlips instead of nuts to hold the weapon bulkheads in place, which came loose early in the battle. After the next attack from HyperShock, Monsoon had lost its weapon, the mounting for it, as well as the belt driving it. Monsoon was counted out, giving HyperShock the win by KO. Following this, Team Monsoon were helped by The Chaos Corps in order to prepare for their next matchup.
Monsoon vs. Valkyrie Monsoon and Valkyrie do battle. Monsoon next found itself against Valkyrie, adding extra titanium to its weapon mount to reinforce it following damage caused by HyperShock. Monsoon did rather well to start as they met with Valkyrie's weapon but withstood the early impacts. However, first big hit between the two spinners disabled Monsoon's primary weapon, leaving them to try and push their opponent around for the second fight in a row. Monsoon found itself thrown across the arena by Valkyrie, as it was able to remain aggressive for the bulk of the fight. Monsoon remained mobile but suffered more damage as it kept fighting Valkyrie. They lost their makeshift front wedge and eventually, their weapon system came loose once again. This resulted in Monsoon lifting its underside up, allowing Valkyrie to grind its weapon mount, armor and some of its left tire. Still, Monsoon pressed on to a judges' decision, but they ruled unanimously for Valkyrie. "The brushless motor we used was selected as it was almost a perfect drop in replacement for our existing weapon motor, but at about half the power. The weapon would reach the same tip speed of 250mph, but would take about 9 seconds to do it - the same spin up time as Valkyrie." — Team Monsoon explain why they could not box-rush Valkyrie
Monsoon vs. Bite Force The initial collision that kicked Monsoon onto its back. Monsoon's last chance at getting a win came in the form of the then two-time champion Bite Force. As a result, Monsoon opted for lighter top armor, a heavier weapon bar and the stronger motor from last season. Monsoon started off rather poorly as they were quickly thrown through the air by Bite Force. Monsoon then took a second hit that caused them to hit the arena floor with their bar, chipping the floor a bit, and stop working upon landing. Monsoon was counted out, giving Bite Force the win by KO.
Monsoon & Ragnarök vs. Chronos & MadCatter (Exhibition) Tom Brewster and Tim Rackley reunited. Monsoon inflicts damage to Chronos as both parts of MadCatter try to attack. Monsoon also fought alongside Ragnarök against Chronos and MadCatter as part of a Tag Team exhibition match. As the match got going, Monsoon was immediately on the attack, but not causing much damage. Monsoon then attacked MadCatter and tore off its axe head. Monsoon was then high-centered by MadCatter's minibot before Chronos came in and hit it, but not doing much damage. Afterwards, Monsoon ripped part of Chronos' spinning ring away, leaving it off-balanced and hurt from the attack. Monsoon was eventually left fighting alone as Ragnarök had stopped working, but took out MadCatter's minibot, attacked Chronos and split MadCatter before time ran out. The judges awarded Monsoon and Ragnarök a unanimous 3-0 decision.
World Championship VII
Monsoon vs. Black Dragon Monsoon finally made its BattleBots return in World Championship VII after a two season hiatus. Its first Fight Night opponent was World Championship V semi-finalist Black Dragon. For this fight, Monsoon opted for shorter forks to make greater use of their reach advantage. Monsoon is hit by Black Dragon. Both robots met in the center of the BattleBox and jostled for position, before Monsoon nicked the edge of Black Dragon. The Brazilian bot immediately responded by hitting the front of Monsoon, sending it bouncing into the corner and near the pulverizer. Monsoon repositioned and took advantage of Black Dragon momentarily turning its back to the British bot, hitting its rear panel and tipping Black Dragon over. Monsoon is knocked onto its side. The 2020 season semi-finalist struggled to escape Monsoon as it approached and tore away one of its hinged wedgelets. The remaining wedgelet drooped limply and Monsoon delivered another couple of punishing hits in quick succession, the latter of which tore its other wedgelet off. However, this came at the cost of righting Black Dragon, who got its eggbeater drum spinner up to speed again. By contrast, Monsoon's weapon had suddenly locked and could no longer spin. It danced around Black Dragon before being caught by the weapon, tumbling through the air and landing upright. Unsure how to attack without its primary weapon, Monsoon continued to skirt around the Brazilian bot until it was hit again, this time tipping Tom Brewster's bot onto its side and against its wheelguard. Without a functional spinner, Monsoon could not self-right and was counted out, marking its return with a loss. Post-fight, Tom Brewster of Team Monsoon confirmed that a stray bolt was sucked into the weapon system and damaged the weapon motors, damaging them and thus killing Monsoon's primary weapon.
Monsoon vs. Horizon Monsoon with its plow attachment. Monsoon's second Fight Night opponent was rookie Horizon led by Joshua Kong, who came off a disappointing loss against SHREDDIT BRO! in its opening battle. To counter its opponent's dual horizontal spinners, Monsoon debuted a plow configuration which wrapped around its front and protected the frame from direct hits. Monsoon box-rushes Horizon. Straight away, Monsoon opted to box-rush its opponent, and although Horizon's disk spinners got up to speed straight away, the British bot honed in on the chassis and threw Horizon over. Its taco-shaped self-righter allowed Horizon to roll back onto its wheels, but Monsoon's assault was unrelenting. Using its 42lb vertical spinner, it dealt a blow to one of the horizontal discs before repositioning itself to strike the chassis again, tearing one of its side panels away and flipping Horizon over again. Monsoon charges into Horizon. Monsoon followed this up with a hit to the rookie bot's exposed underbelly leaving a gash through the baseplate as Horizon was punted towards the pulverizer. One of its discs spun helplessly, but Horizon was otherwise immobile. "Stuck on its head, kinda laying dead or... playing dead by the pulverizer. Who knows?" — Chris Rose as Horizon is stuck against the BattleBox Monsoon leaves Horizon stranded. Referee John Remar asked Horizon's team if they could show any movement, and a count began soon after. "They were just totally and completely outmatched here. Welcome to the heavyweight division, Josh. No mercy from Monsoon." — Kenny Florian in the post-fight highlight reel Post-fight, an emotional Tom Brewster celebrated Team Monsoon's first win since 2019.
Monsoon vs. Whiplash In its first ever Main Event, Monsoon went up against World Championship V runner-up Whiplash. The team debuted their single-toothed disk called Mauler for this clash, which could spin at up to 200mph. In stark contrast to its previous fight, Monsoon was slower out of its starting square as Matt Vasquez initiated a box rush. This resulted in Whiplash getting to the front-left side of the British bot and ramming it into the rails. "This is what they do best - dictate the action and control their opponents." — Kenny Florian Monsoon flips Whiplash over early on. As Monsoon escaped the short corner, Whiplash worked its forks underneath again, but could not achieve the same power behind its push as it got caught on the BattleBox floor. Both robots met in the center of the arena, and as Monsoon unbalanced, it pivoted weapon-first into the floor and bounced away. Whiplash gave chase, but suffered a blow to its front which overturned the 2020 season runner-up. Monsoon collides with Whiplash. Whiplash immediately self-righted before driving Monsoon into the screws, then achieving the same feat on the opposite side of the BattleBox. Matt Vasquez then drove the British bot into the short corner again, but its top panel had been peeled up from Monsoon's vertical spinner, and the disk of Whiplash was not spinning. Kenny Florian: "Now did Whiplash shut down their weapon, or was that the result of Monsoon's big shot?" Chris Rose: "Well, we know how big of an affect the loss of a primary weapon can have on the scorecards, so keep your eyes trained on that vertical disk of Whiplash. Very important." — Kenny Florian and Chris Rose assess the functionality of Whiplash's vertical spinner Monsoon escaped once more, driving to the opposite corner of the arena before it dealt a head-on attack to the front of Whiplash once more. Tom Brewster's bot bent up one of its opponent's front forks, but found itself driven back towards the short corner. Whiplash pins Monsoon against the rails as it suffers a blow from the pulverizer. With Monsoon unable to escape for the time being, the Vasquez family activated the pulverizer, which landed several shots to the top of the 1-1 robot. It eventually did retreat, but drove into a slot in the killsaws and saw its escape impeded. Monsoon peels up the armor of Whiplash. Monsoon then grazed its weapon against the front of Whiplash as the latter pushed back, forcing Monsoon into the Upper Deck. However, this attack cost Whiplash its right-side fork, which gave way as both robots now appeared to be suffering from drive issues. Late on, Whiplash powered up its vertical spinner to show functionality to the judges as the Main Event went the distance. "It's up to you - you're the captain." — Tim Rackley to Tom Brewster as Team Monsoon consider an Appeal Whiplash took the win by split judges' decision. Although Team Monsoon issued an Appeal, this was unsuccessful as judge Lisa Winter revised her score to make this a unanimous decision in Whiplash's favor.
Monsoon vs. DeathRoll Monsoon equipped with its Snoot setup. Monsoon's fourth and final Fight Night opponent was another international bot returning to BattleBots after a three year absence, DeathRoll. Monsoon was armed with a new "Snoot" configuration consisting of a small wedge feeding into its vertical spinner. Monsoon stares down a hurt DeathRoll. DeathRoll rushed out of its starting square to approach Monsoon with its weapon up to speed. However, it was Monsoon who was able to deliver the first hit of the match - a glancing blow which knocked the Australian bot upward. Monsoon followed this up with an attack which threw DeathRoll into the corner. Monsoon then became unbalanced as its weapon bounced against the BattleBox floor before it eventually landed upright. Monsoon lands one final shot to DeathRoll. DeathRoll appeared hesitant to escape the corner, keeping its primary weapon pointed at Tom Brewster's machine. Knowing it needed to remain aggressive, Monsoon went weapon-to-weapon with the former semi-finalist before grazing its side armor. "DeathRoll is hurt, Chris. I'm not sure it can move." — Kenny Florian As Monsoon's Rory Mangles instructed his team to hang back, it became clear that DeathRoll's drive had been damaged in the earlier attacks. There was no life in the Australian robot, despite the team's best efforts to avoid a count-out. DeathRoll was deemed immobile, confirming a 2-2 Fight Night record for Team Monsoon.
Monsoon vs. Cobalt Monsoon with its longest forks for Cobalt. Entering the Top 32 as the No.24 seed, and notably without their Appeal, Monsoon faced the No.9 seed, Cobalt. Tom Brewster's team equipped Monsoon with its longest forks for this all-important battle, looking to equal Cobalt's long, curved forks. Pre-fight, Tim Rackley backed his team's captain as the better driver out of him and Cobalt's Dave Moulds. "Gonna be a messy one..." — Tom Brewster anticipates a destructive battle ahead Monsoon throws Cobalt through the air. Both robots met in the middle of the arena as Cobalt got the first hit of the match, tipping Monsoon back before chasing Tom Brewster's machine. In its eagerness to pursue its opponent, Cobalt drove itself into the Upper Deck but recovered to deliver a second blow to Monsoon. Monsoon pursues Cobalt, but is then struck by its opponent The No.24 seed tipped itself back to square up to Cobalt again, looking to take advantage of its superior weapon reach. Monsoon was driven back into the blue starting square, but retaliated with a couple of attacks on Cobalt which sent it bouncing across the BattleBox as the No.9 seed struggled to right itself. Eventually landing on its wheels, the fight moved to the center of the arena again and Monsoon dealt a glancing blow to the front of Cobalt. "In the face... COME ON TOM!!" — Tim Rackley as Monsoon asserts itself Monsoon and Cobalt come together. By this stage, both outer wedgelets on Cobalt had been torn away, buts its long forks - and more importantly for Dave Moulds and Sam Smith, their vertical spinner - remained an active threat Both robots drove directly at each other, forcing a stalemate until Monsoon backed away. However, Monsoon remained the aggressor, toppling Cobalt again and forcing it into the corner before Dave Moulds escaped further punishment. Cobalt got its left-side fork under the frame of Monsoon, but its pivoting chassis and weapon system meant it was unaffected by this momentary breach. Monsoon's devastating knockout shot. Cobalt turned to face Monsoon once again, but lost one of its remaining forks in the process. The No.9 seed then drove Monsoon back towards the Upper Deck, where it lay dormant for a second. In this moment, Cobalt turned in place, lifting its right side off the floor and leaving itself vulnerable. Monsoon gave chase and as Cobalt spun back around, Tom Brewster's robot struck the exposed left-side of Cobalt's front, tearing into its HARDOX wedge and sending the green and black robot spiralling through the air. Cobalt bounced around but landed inverted, its weapon lacking the ability to act as a self-righting mechanism. With just over half the fight gone, a count began and Monsoon returned to the center of the BattleBox, sealing an upset win for the No.24 seed. Damage to Cobalt's wedge post-fight. Post fight, Tim Rackley spoke highly of his team's captain, reaffirming his praise for both Tom Brewster, and their Round of 32 opponent. Tim Rackley: "Do you know what? The best bit for me is - I keep telling Tom he's a great driver - and that guy there, Dave Moulds, is one of the best drivers the UK has ever seen..." Dave Moulds: "Thanks, man." Tim Rackley: "And for this young man to do that... it's really good." — Team Monsoon shower praise on both drivers post-fight
Monsoon vs. SawBlaze Now in the Round of 16, Monsoon fought the No.8 seed SawBlaze, in a rematch from this exact stage in World Championship III. For this battle, it entered the arena with its 42lb asymmetrical bar spinner and hooked forks, along with extra 1/2-inch thick plating to the top and base. "Uh-oh! Tom Brewster shows SawBlaze his side. Gets scooped up! Let's see how slippery Monsoon is..." — Chris Rose as SawBlaze controls Monsoon in the opening seconds Monsoon throws SawBlaze through the air. The two competitors immediately sized each other up in the center, though Monsoon was scooped up and pushed around in circles by the faster-attacking SawBlaze. In this exchange, it took a direct blow to its right-rear corner from SawBlaze's hammer saw. As Jamison Go's machine reared up onto its bar spinner, Monsoon threw it into a somersault, almost taking out one of its wheels in the process. Monsoon drove into the front of a recovering SawBlaze, locking forks and being pushed back towards a nearby Upper Deck screw mount. Kenny Florian: "What a counter-shot by Monsoon!" Chris Rose: "That bar did some damage, it looks like! SawBlaze took a shot!" Kenny Florian: "Well, this is where SawBlaze has to hold back on that weapon. If they go weapon-to-weapon with Monsoon right now, they will be in big trouble. This is a game of inches with SawBlaze trying to land a strike, and dodge Monsoon's disc." — As Monsoon comes under further pressure after flipping SawBlaze over Both robots locked together again, with Monsoon trying to push SawBlaze as the latter backed up towards the control booth. As the pair separated, it tried to get around the side of SawBlaze, but was blocked by the latter's right fork, and proceeded to ram its opponent twice as it headed back towards the center. On each occasion, Monsoon was collected again by SawBlaze. The second collision caused Monsoon to rear up over SawBlaze's right fork; from this position, it was pushed and lifted onto its side by the gyroscopic forces of its own bar spinner. Monsoon tried to break free over the bottom-right killsaw slots, but flipped over as its spinner made contact with the BattleBox floor. SawBlaze takes advantage of a driving error by Tom Brewster. SawBlaze pushed Monsoon against the blue square screws, though this allowed Monsoon to respond by slicing up and dislodging its left "eyelash". Monsoon, however, took another hit from SawBlaze's hammer saw, which dug into the front of its right-most baseplate. Dragged back towards the killsaw slots, it broke free and re-righted itself under its own momentum. Darting towards the center, Monsoon turned around to face its spinner at an approaching SawBlaze once more. After being scooped up and nudged by its opponent, Monsoon landed a direct hit on SawBlaze's right fork, only to then immediately drive up the same fork and be pushed back into the Upper Deck screws. During this moment, its bar clipped SawBlaze's fork and right "eyelash", though Monsoon was unable to drive away before getting pushed back to the red square. Monsoon again lifted onto its sides through gyroscopic procession, while dealing more glancing hits to its American opponent's front forks. One such attack beside the red square lead to a crucial error from Tom Brewster's machine. While speeding away, Monsoon drove over and wedged itself into the top-left killsaw slots, immediately up-ending it. Monsoon came under further attacks from SawBlaze, which pushed it forwards and again caused its bar spinner to graze the BattleBox floor. SawBlaze twice swung its hammer saw onto Monsoon's right-hand side, causing light damage to one of the wheelguards. A third swing ripped the top-right fork off Monsoon's weapon assembly, while violently throwing the whole robot free from the killsaw slots. Ironically, this had the unintentional effect of breaking the gearbox for SawBlaze's weapon arm. Monsoon turned around and attempted another head-to-head exchange, only to be rammed into a red square screw mount by SawBlaze. This knocked Monsoon onto its side, with SawBlaze briefly pinning it in place against the bumper before taking another hit as it reversed. Monsoon, toppling spinner-first onto the floor, kicked itself onto and inched itself from the nearby paddle, as SawBlaze applied further pressure. The paddle itself briefly fired outwards, as SawBlaze again scooped Monsoon up and tried to use its flamethrower on the latter's front-left corner. "Jamison Go in control, taking Monsoon into the corner. Tom Brewster did such a masterful job at drivin' in his upset at Cobalt, but here's SawBlaze scoopin' him up!" — Chris Rose as SawBlaze steers Monsoon between the top and bottom-left corners Monsoon is left to be counted out. As Monsoon was being pushed further into the pocket, it was thrown onto its left-hand side by the paddle itself, which also disrupted SawBlaze's attack. Monsoon landed on the nearby bumper, taking more shards out of SawBlaze's right "eyelash" in the process. After a few seconds, it was nudged free from the bumper by SawBlaze, which proceeded to slam and flip it under the pulverizer on the bottom-left corner. Despite the pulverizer being operated by Team Monsoon themselves, the hazard activated, clipping and disabling Monsoon's bar spinner as it tried to drive away. Chris Rose: "And Monsoon takes some friendly fire from the pulverizer!" Kenny Florian: "And Monsoon looks ROCKED! Their weapon... is no longer spinning! That pulverizer shot may have taken it out!" — As Team Monsoon's pulverizer inadvertently disables their robot's own bar spinner Both competitors separated, with Monsoon retreating back to the center. Another head-on collision ensued, which was enough to flip it onto its side. Monsoon - now weaponless - was unable to self-right from this position, despite efforts by Tom Brewster to twitch it back and forth using its individual wheel pods. Brewster confirmed Monsoon's immobility to referee John Remar, who proceeded to count it out. Monsoon lost by knockout and was eliminated from World Championship VII as a result. While disappointed with this outcome, Team Monsoon still shared celebrations with the victorious Team SawBlaze; Brewster was briefly seen shaking hands with Jamison Go shortly before the latter team's post-match interview. Team Monsoon would not end trophyless, however, as team member Rory Mangles was presented with the Excellence in Sportsmanship Award.
BattleBots: Champions II
Monsoon vs. Gruff Monsoon returned for the final bracket of BattleBots: Champions II, where it took on Gruff in the opening round. Tom Brewster shook hands with his opponents and expressed being a "big fan of Gruff" during the readying sequence, but backed his team to secure a first round win. "So we had a really great win back in World Championship VII. I think we've got some good momentum going forward, so I'm pretty happy here going into this that we should do quite well. Our first fight tonight is Gruff; they're a very tough opponent. So they can take the hits and we can deliver the hits, so I think we can keep delivering those hits and as long as we can keep them moving, keep them rolling around, we should be fine to win this one." — Tom Brewster expresses pre-fight confidence Monsoon is kept at bay by Gruff's flamethrowers. Both robots were fast out of their starting squares and Monsoon got its weapon up to speed while Gruff ignited its flamethrowers. Monsoon attacked head on and Gruff lifted its forks in retaliation, but failed to gain purchase on the British bot. Monsoon and Gruff become entangled. However, on its second attempt, Gruff snagged part of Monsoon and hoisted it in the air, acrobatically throwing itself over in the process. "What a lift by Gruff, that was beautiful!" — Kenny Florian Monsoon landed near the Upper Deck and quickly retaliated, striking Gruff and flipping it over before following this up with an attack which threw it toward the screws. Gruff's lifter was now snagged in the hazard and Tom Brewster's team capitalized, popping Gruff into the air vertically as it did not immediately self-right. Still inverted, Monsoon targeted the exposed rear of Gruff, throwing it into the air and onto the screw housing. Gruff emits smoke. Gruff was now smoking, and this became more severe as Monsoon delivered glancing blows to its side, igniting a fire and darker smoke to plume from Sam McAmis' machine. Gruff inverted and smoking. Monsoon took the win by knockout and moved into the semi-finals of the Sin City Slugfest bracket.
Monsoon vs. RIPperoni Next up for Monsoon was another powerful vertical spinner in RIPperoni. The team opted for their asymmetrical weapon for this battle. Before the match, Tom Brewster emphasized the importance of driving during the battle, planning to pick his shots carefully and target RIPperoni's larger sides. Monsoon gains the upper hand. When the battle began, it was Monsoon who landed the first blow, sending RIPperoni flipping over itself in midair. It followed up with another glancing blow as the pizza bot tried to recover, tearing up its wedge attachment. RIPperoni fled across the arena, trying to reset itself, but Monsoon was in hot pursuit. Sliding into the corner, Monsoon exchanged another massive blow with its opponent. "They have dominated the first thirty seconds of this fight, will they be able to hang on for another two plus minutes while cooking?" — Chris Rose laments Monsoon's sudden unfortunate turn Monsoon catches fire. This proved to be its undoing, however, as a fire began raging inside of the British machine. Although its blade remained spinning at full speeds, its drive was noticeably damaged, and Monsoon was forced to crabwalk as it tried to escape the corner. RIPperoni retreated again, trying to find an angle of attack without taking a hit from Monsoon's weapon, but was unable to engage even when Monsoon was briefly trapped over the killsaws. "Is that chicken on your pizza? C'mon!" — Tim Rackley taunts the RIPperoni team over their hesitation The knockout shot. Unfortunately for Monsoon, its opponent did not make the same mistake twice. When its forks once again became slotted into the killsaws, RIPperoni rushed to engage, striking the front of Monsoon hard. The British brawler tried to stay squared up, but a series of hits culminated in Monsoon being flipped over in the corner. RIPperoni looks on as Monsoon is stuck. Unable to self-right after becoming stuck on its side, Monsoon was counted out and fell out of the Slugfest bracket.

Results

Competitive Wins/Losses

• Wins: 10
• Losses: 8

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 0

Total Wins/Losses

• Wins: 11
• Losses: 9

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship III	Red Devil (Undercard Match) Petunia (Undercard Match) Axe Backwards (Undercard Match) SawBlaze	Son of Whyachi (Undercard Match) Minotaur
World Championship IV	Ragnarök (Undercard Match) Chronos & MadCatter (Exhibition Tag Team Match)	HyperShock (Undercard Match) Valkyrie (Undercard Match) Bite Force (Undercard Match)
World Championship VII	Horizon (Undercard Match) DeathRoll (Undercard Match) Cobalt	Black Dragon (Undercard Match) Whiplash (Main Event) SawBlaze
BattleBots: Champions II	Gruff	RIPperoni

* Monsoon's rehearsal match "win" over Red Devil is omitted from its win/loss record.

** Whiplash was declared the winner of this battle on a split judges' decision. Team Monsoon appealed this decision, but were unsuccessful and the decision was revised to be unanimous.

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"This high-pressure fighter is gonna make it rain. The forecast, rowdy with a 100% chance... of pain. Seek shelter, it's MONSOON!"

"Coming across the pond like James Bond, ready to send you to 00-heaven, and leave you shaken, not stirred, it's MONSOON"

"Hi. It's Faruq, your friendly weatherman here, and I'd just like to say... GET INSIDE YOUR DAMN HOUSE!! HERE COMES A MONSOON!!!"

"It's a British invasion. I Am the Walrus. I am the A-man and this is the robot... MONSOON!"

"This bot will leave you washed up. Prepare to cower under its tidal wave of power. It's MONSOON!"

"ARR! A storm's a brewin' so batten down the hatches. This bot's forecast is to destroy all of its matches. It's the stormin' deformin' - I don't think it's Mormon - MONSOON!"

"If this bot was a lip-syncing pop duo, he'd be Milli Va-killi. When you feel his pain, blame it on the rain. Girl you know you're through, ooh-ooh-ooh. It's MONSOON!"

"Pain pain, go away. Kill again some other day. If you precipitate, then you'll seal your fate. Prepare to get soaked 'til you croak, by MONSOON!"

"From the UK, it smacks your bot with its spinner and totally wrecks it, and creates a disaster that's way worse than Brexit. What, too soon? It still don't care, it's MONSOON!"

"If this bot were a nanny, it would be Mary Choppins because it's Super-deadly-crash-and-twist-and-crush-you-alidocious. It's MONSOON!"

"It's the perfect storm. It brings the thunder, boom boom boom. It's MONSOON!"

"This bot comes from the UK, but its entire foreign policy is to use its vertical blade to leave Americans lying horizontally. It's invaded the States and has its residents running, yelling to their neighbors, 'The British are coming! The British are coming!' Give it up for MONSOON!"

"If you're a climate change denier, this bot is coming at your door. It won't knock on it. It'll burst right in till it's flooded all three floors. You'll be sitting on your roof watching your TV float right on by. And I'll wave to you from this episode, saying, 'I told you it wasn't a lie.' It's MONSOON!"

See Also

• Tauron (Robot Wars)
• Concussion (Robot Wars)
• The Alien (Robot Wars)
• Nuts (Robot Wars)
• Drizzle (Bugglebots)

Trivia

• Monsoon was one of just four robots of the 2018 season's Top 16 to not have any of its fights featured as a Main Event. The others were Son of Whyachi, ROTATOR, and WAR Hawk.
• In his build log, Tom Brewster confirmed Monsoon is essentially the design that would have fought as Tauron Mk. III if Robot Wars had been renewed for another series.
• Monsoon was erroneously revealed to Facebook Supporters as being entered under Team Revolution ahead of World Championship IV. However, this was the team responsible for entering ROTATOR.
• The 2019 season build of Monsoon was auctioned in parts on eBay in August 2022.
• During BattleBots Resurrection, it was revealed Team Monsoon were loaned a motor from Team HyperShock during World Championship III. When offering to pay for it, the HyperShock team agreed they could have it for free.