Seeding is the name given towards a list of preliminary ranks given to top performing BattleBots competitors to typically keep the best robots apart until the latter stages of a knockout tournament.
Seeds were originally given to robots based upon their pedigree and offensive potential, but were later performance-based, decided after each robot developed a win/loss record.
Season 5.0[]
In Season 5.0, a list of 30 seeded robots was devised for each weight division. Rather than determine which bots would skip the preliminary rounds based on a previous win total, as was the case during the first four Comedy Central seasons, this was now done by win percentage from the three previous competitions.
The Top 24 seeds of each class were given an initial first round bye. In the case of any unexpected withdrawals, the next highest ranked robot would replace it and every other robot would move up a seed.
World Championship I[]
For World Championship I, all robots which had qualified for the bracket phase of the tournament were each given a ranking, largely based on how they had performed and how likely they were to win the competition. This also determined who would fight each other in the bracket phase, with the highest seeded bots matching the lowest seeded bots, and so on. Robots selected as Wildcards were also seeded, although this rarely affected their rank. Often, they outranked robots that won their battles if they proved to be more impressive in their losses.
World Championship I Bracket[]
The World Championship I tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Tombstone |
9. Witch Doctor |
Trivia[]
- 5 of the Top 8 seeds reached the Quarter-Finals, including all of the Top 4 seeds. This wouldn’t happen again until World Championship VII.
- Overhaul (11) over Lock-Jaw (6) was the biggest upset in the Round of 16.
- Witch Doctor (9) and Overhaul (11) were the only Wildcard bots to make it past the Round of 16, with both losing in the Quarter-Finals.
- Ghost Raptor (10) over Icewave (2) was the biggest upset in the Quarter-Finals, and ultimately the largest upset of the season.
- Icewave was the only Top 4 seed this season to fail to reach the Semi-Finals.
- Bite Force (3) defeating Tombstone (1) in the final was the first of only two instances where the lower seed won the Giant Nut. This would later occur again in World Championship VII.
- Overall, there were four upsets this season.
World Championship II[]
World Championship II kept a similar seeding system to the previous competition. Though this proved to be the first time the #1 seed would ultimately win the competition, notable runner-up Bombshell was originally a Wildcard selection, and was seeded #19 as a result. The nature of the seedings led to several upsets, such as #30 seed Red Devil taking out #3 seed Witch Doctor, and #25 seed Nightmare ending #8 seed Icewave's run for the Giant Nut.
World Championship II Bracket[]
The World Championship II tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Tombstone |
17. Lock-Jaw |
Trivia[]
- 9 of the Top 16 seeds reached the Round of 16.
- However, only 3 of the Top 8 would make the Quarter-Finals.
- Three Wildcards – Bombshell (19), Nightmare (25), and Mega Tento (28) – made it to the Round of 16.
- Bombshell (19) proved to be the most successful Wildcard in history, finishing as runner-up in the final. It would also be the lowest seed at #19 to reach the final until World Championship VI.
- Red Devil (30) over Witch Doctor (3) was the biggest upset in the Round of 32, the first of two occasions this would occur. Witch Doctor was the only Top 4 seed to fall in the opening round.
- Warhead (23) was the first British bot to pick up a tournament victory, upsetting Complete Control (10) in the Round of 32.
- This was the first of two seasons where the defending World Champion did not receive the #1 seed, with Bite Force being ranked at #4, lower than its previous ranking in World Championship I. This would later happen again to Tantrum in World Championship VII.
- Bite Force (4) losing to Chomp (13) was the first of three occasions where the defending World Champion would lose in the Round of 16.
- Tombstone (1) was the only Top 4 seed to reach the Semi-Finals, and the only #1 seed to win the Giant Nut without being a defending World Champion.
- Overall, there were ten upsets this season.
World Championship III[]
In World Championship III, the Fight Night format was introduced, which allowed each robot to have up to four matches to impress the selection committee, where the most impressive robots would get into the Top 16. While seeding and selection remained the same, this season added new elements to guarantee spots in the Top 16. Partway through the season, a Desperado Tournament was held, where eight robots who had a poor start to the season fought in a mini bracket for a guaranteed spot in the Top 16. Of the eight competing robots, Lock-Jaw won the tournament.
In Episode 17, two play-in matches were held for the #15 and #16 seeds. End Game, Brutus, and WAR Hawk fought in a rumble for the #15 seed, and after Brutus had its front-end ripped off and End Game was flipped, WAR Hawk won by knockout. Afterward, a six robot rumble named the Last Chance Rumble was held for the #16 seed between Bombshell, Gigabyte, Valkyrie, Red Devil, Lucky, and DUCK!. In controversial circumstances, Bombshell won in a unanimous judges' decision against DUCK!, allowing it to take the #16 seed despite finishing 0-4 in the regular season.
Desperado Tournament I[]
The Desperado Tournament I Bracket.
Seedings[]
|
5. Hypothermia |
Trivia[]
- There were no upsets in the Quarter-Finals of the Desperado Tournament, with all Top 4 seeds advancing.
- The only upset of the entire tournament was Lucky (3) over Gigabyte (2) in the Semi-Finals.
- The tournament favorite, Lock-Jaw (1), became the first ever Desperado Champion.
World Championship III Bracket[]
The World Championship III tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Tombstone |
9. Lock-Jaw |
Trivia[]
- Only 3 of the Top 8 seeds reached the Quarter-Finals. However, 2 of the Top 4 seeds made the Semi-Finals – Bite Force (3) and Minotaur (4) – with both encountering each other in the final.
- Tombstone is the only bot to receive the #1 seed three times in a row.
- Bombshell (16) defeating Tombstone (1) in the Round of 16 was the biggest possible upset of the tournament. To date, it’s also the only time the defending World Champion and runner-up have encountered each other again in the following season.
- This is the only season where the #1 seed failed to achieve a single tournament victory.
- Lock-Jaw (9) proved to be the most successful Desperado Champion, reaching the Semi-Finals of the World Championship tournament.
- Minotaur (4) became the first international bot to reach the World Championship final, finishing as runner-up.
- Bite Force (3) became the only bot to reclaim its World Championship title, and to date, it remains the only bot to win the Giant Nut twice with the exact same ranking.
- Overall, there were six upsets this season.
World Championship IV[]
In World Championship IV, the Fight Night format returned once again, and offered a Top 16 at the end of the Fight Night rounds. As well as this, the Desperado Tournament returned for a second season, won this time by Black Dragon. After a handful of robots had similar records at the end of the regular season, notably sporting 2-2 finishes, Episode 14 kicked off with a series of play-in matches, which secured places for Quantum, Yeti, Lock-Jaw, HUGE, Blacksmith, Son of Whyachi and Minotaur. A single play-in rumble was also held between Uppercut, Railgun MAX and Bloodsport for the #16 seed in the bracket, which was won by Uppercut.
Desperado Tournament II[]
The Desperado Tournament II Bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Minotaur |
5. Gruff |
Trivia[]
- Despite finishing as runner-up in the first Desperado Tournament, Lucky (8) received the lowest ranking in its second attempt. It was also the only bot to compete in both tournaments.
- For the second consecutive Desperado Tournament, there were no Quarter-Final upsets.
- The only upset in the Semi-Finals was Black Dragon (3) over War Hawk (2).
- Once again, the #1 and #3 seeds met in the final. However, this time the tournament culminated in an upset, with Black Dragon (3) beating Minotaur (1) to earn an automatic bid to the World Championship tournament.
World Championship IV Bracket[]
The World Championship IV tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Bite Force |
9. Lock-Jaw |
Trivia[]
- 6 of the Top 8 seeds reached the Quarter-Finals, with only two upsets in the Round of 16.
- Minotaur (14) over Hydra (3) was the biggest upset in the Round of 16, and therefore the whole tournament.
- Lock-Jaw (9) was the only bot to receive the same ranking as the previous season.
- This is the only World Championship tournament where no upsets have occurred in the Quarter-Finals or Semi-Finals, with all high seeds advancing.
- Death Roll (6) was the only bot outside the Top 4 to reach the Semi-Finals this season.
- This is the only season to date where the #1 and #2 seeds have fought each other for the Giant Nut, with Bite Force (1) successfully defending its World Championship title against Witch Doctor (2).
- Bite Force is the only #1 seed to complete a title defense in the World Championship tournament. It is also the only bot to have reached the final three times, winning the Giant Nut in every instance.
- Bite Force is also the only #1 seed to face the toughest possible final four, beating the #4 and #2 seeds in its title defense.
- Overall, there were only two upsets in the entire tournament, the smallest of any World Championship.
World Championship V[]
The Desperado Tournament was dropped for World Championship V. However, the bracket had been expanded to allow 32 bots into the bracket again, much like World Championship II. With only three fights per bot in the season, many 2-1 and 1-2 bots made up the bottom half of the bracket. Despite this, several lower-seeded bots made a deep run for the Giant Nut. Notably, despite being kept apart in the bracket, none of the top four seeds actually made the World Championship Semi-Finals, with #6 seed End Game defeating #8 seed Whiplash in the title decider. Episodes dedicated to the Top 32 stage covered different quadrants of the field, slowly but surely revealing who would fight in the last sixteen.
World Championship V Bracket[]
The World Championship V tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Hydra |
17. Gigabyte |
Trivia[]
- Due to Bite Force withdrawing from the season, Hydra was the first bot since Tombstone to receive the #1 seed despite not being a defending World Champion.
- This is the only season so far not to feature the defending World Champion.
- SawBlaze (7) was the only bot to retain its ranking from the previous season.
- 8 of the Top 16 seeds reached the Round of 16, marking a record number of upsets in the opening round.
- 5 of the Top 8 seeds reached the Quarter-Finals, but this was the first season where none of the Top 4 seeds would make the Semi-Finals. This would happen again two seasons later in World Championship VII.
- Mammoth (30) over Copperhead (3) was the biggest upset in the Round of 32, the second time this occurred after World Championship II.
- Tantrum (18) over Bloodsport (2) was the biggest upset in the Round of 16, and Tantrum would again score the biggest upset of the Quarter-Finals over SawBlaze (7).
- Whiplash was the first #8 seed to win a fight in the World Championship tournament, eventually finishing as runner-up to End Game.
- End Game (6) was the first international bot to become a World Champion.
- This was the first of two occasions where the #8 and #6 seeds faced off in the final, which would also occur in World Championship VII.
- Overall, there were thirteen upsets, tied for the most of any season with World Championship VII.
World Championship VI[]
World Championship VI was similar to the previous season, with 32 bots being selected for the bracket following the conclusion of the Fight Night rounds. However, the lowest two seeds were determined by two play-in matches held between four robots on the cusp of earning an automatic spot into the tournament. Hydra defeated Defender and Skorpios got the better of Malice to secure the final places in the bracket.
As well as this, #9 seed Glitch, who was yet to lose a fight at the time, had to forfeit their place in the Round of 32. They were replaced by Mammoth, who was deemed the highest ranking robot not to have lost a play-in battle.
World Championship VI Bracket[]
The World Championship VI tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. End Game |
17. Bloodsport |
* Mammoth replaced Glitch in the Top 32 after the Combat Robotics at Berkeley team were unable to repair their robot in time.
** Hydra and Skorpios defeated Defender and Malice respectively in their play-in matches.
Trivia[]
- This is the only World Championship tournament to date where a bot has had to withdraw from the bracket, with Glitch (9) being replaced by Mammoth as a substitute.
- 11 of the Top 16 seeds made it to the Round of 16, a record for the Top 32 bracket.
- However, only 2 of the Top 8 seeds – SawBlaze (4) and Blip (7) – reached the Quarter-Finals, the poorest success rate of any World Championship to date.
- SawBlaze (4) was the only Top 4 seed to reach the Semi-Finals.
- Hydra falling to the #31 seed is the lowest drop in seeding for a previous #1 seed.
- HiJinx received the #29 seed for the second season in succession, making it the only bot from World Championship V to retain the same ranking.
- Hydra (31) over Ribbot (2) is the biggest upset in the history of the World Championship tournament.
- Hydra would also score further upsets over Black Dragon (18) and Blip (7), making it the lowest seed to ever reach the Semi-Finals at #31.
- This is the second season where the #16 seed defeated the #1 seed, with Minotaur (16) upsetting End Game (1) in the Round of 16. This happened previously in World Championship III.
- Witch Doctor (24) became the first bot to finish as runner-up twice. It is also the lowest seed to have reached the final of a World Championship tournament.
- To date, Tantrum (11) is the lowest seed to win the Giant Nut.
- Overall, there were twelve upsets. (Witch Doctor did also advance through the opening round as a #24 seed, but through beating a substitute robot, technically making it not an upset.)
World Championship VII[]
Once again, World Championship VII saw robots fighting for places in the Top 32, but without the play-in matches seen for the #31 and #32 seeds.
World Championship VII Bracket[]
The World Championship VII tournament bracket.
Seedings[]
|
1. Minotaur |
17. Malice |
Trivia[]
- 9 of the Top 16 seeds reached the Round of 16, a small decline from World Championship VI.
- However, 6 of the Top 8 seeds made it to the Quarter-Finals, a success rate equal with World Championship IV.
- This is the first time since World Championship I where all of the Top 4 seeds reached the Quarter-Finals. However, all were defeated at this stage, marking a first in the World Championship tournament.
- Ribbot (28) over Quantum (5) was the biggest upset in the Round of 32 this season.
- Ironically, Ribbot (28) over Hydra (4) became the biggest upset of the season, a complete reversal of their previous encounter in World Championship VI.
- Witch Doctor (3) received the highest ranking of any bot to suffer a loss in the qualifying round to date.
- Beta (13) and Lock-Jaw (14) both received the same rankings as they did in World Championship V.
- Tantrum (26) has the dubious honor of receiving the lowest ranking of any defending World Champion. To date, it remains the only World Champion to lose a qualifier fight and never receive the #1 seed.
- By beating Tantrum, End Game (7) became the only former World Champion to eliminate a defending World Champion.
- This was the second time the #8 and #6 seeds fought each other in the final, with SawBlaze (8) defeating Huge (6) to win the Giant Nut. This happened previously in World Championship V when Whiplash (8) fought End Game (6), but with the #6 seed winning the title instead.
- This is the second time that the lower seed won the title fight, with SawBlaze (8) beating Huge (6). This last occurred in World Championship I.
- SawBlaze (8) became the first World Champion to win the Giant Nut with its lowest tournament ranking.
- Overall, there were thirteen upsets, tied for the most of any season with World Championship V.
Other Trivia[]
- Tombstone is the only robot to have been handed the #1 seed on more than one occasion, receiving it three times in a row.
- Despite winning three Giant Nuts, Bite Force has only been given the #1 seed once.
- To date, seeds #1, #4, and #7 are the only seeds never to be upset in the Round of 32.
- Only once has the #2 seed made it further than the Quarter-Finals, with Witch Doctor achieving this in World Championship IV.
- Bite Force is the only #3 seed to have progressed past the Quarter-Finals, winning two Giant Nuts with this ranking.
- Out of all seeds, the #4 seed has reached the Semi-Finals the most times, with four appearances. (Bronco in World Championship I, Minotaur in World Championship III, Tombstone in World Championship IV, and SawBlaze in World Championship VI.) However, the #4 seed has yet to win the Giant Nut.
- Bite Force and SawBlaze are the only bots to defeat the #1 seed en route to the Giant Nut.
- No bot has ever eliminated the defending World Champion and won the Giant Nut in the same season, with Chomp, Bombshell, Minotaur and End Game all losing their very next fights.
- Controversy surrounding selection for the #32 seed in World Championship V led to Brandon Zalinsky of P1 starting a #JusticeForP1 hashtag on their social media, as P1 was the only 2-1 bot not to qualify for the tournament, being snubbed in favor of 1-2 HyperShock. (Ironically, P1 would later upset HyperShock as the #20 seed in World Championship VI.)
- The first four World Championships were won by either the #1 or #3 seed.
- So far, Tantrum (11) is the only bot seeded outside the top eight to have won the Giant Nut.
- Out of all the World Championship finals to date, only twice has the lower seed won the Giant Nut: Bite Force (3) in World Championship I, and SawBlaze (8) in World Championship VII. All other finals were won by the higher seed.
- The #16 seed has defeated the defending champion twice – Bombshell (16) over Tombstone (1) in World Championship III, followed by Minotaur (16) over End Game (1) in World Championship VI.
- Tombstone and End Game are the only #1 seeds to lose in the Round of 16.
- Tombstone, Hydra, and Minotaur are the only bots so far to be granted the #1 seed without being defending World Champions.
- Bite Force, Tombstone, and Witch Doctor are the only bots to reach the final of the World Championship tournament more than once. Bite Force is the only bot, however, to have reached the final three times.