Warrior Clan, originally known as Warrior, was a heavyweight robot built by Team Whyachi which first fought in Season 5.0 before competing in a number of untelevised BattleBots events. It then fought in three BattleBots World Championships, the latter of which as Warrior Dragon.
The original Season 5.0 version, alternatively named Brick, was a four-wheel drive robot featuring tank steering, chain drive and a titanium V-shaped lifting plow as its primary weapon. The plow was also capable of lifting independently using an electric system, with a maximum upper reach of eight inches, and could be fitted with a variety of optional static claws and spiked attachments for extra damage potential. In spite of this, Warrior was not invertible and had no method of self-righting. Propulsion came from two 12hp Briggs & Stratton motors powered by four Hawker batteries, allowing Warrior to reach a top speed of 37mph according to the Team Whyachi website.[1] This version achieved reasonable success on its BattleBots debut, reaching the Round of 64 before being eliminated by Ringmaster.
By the 2004 NPC Charity Open, Warrior was rebuilt into a more compact machine with two internally-mounted wheels, but retaining its ramming focus and durability. However, it would only achieve a 1-2 match record in the main heavyweight division, including a double-knockout against Megabyte which lead to its first loss of the event by a judges' decision.
Following this, another incarnation was built for future events with a drastically different design, fully named Warrior SKF[2][3] (SKF standing for Spinning Kinetic Flipper)[4]. As the name implied, it was a low-profile, circular-shaped robot armed with a front titanium flipper and a 60lb bladed spinning ring around its circumference. Power for the flipper was provided by kinetic energy stored within the rotating spinner. This, through a spiral cam clutch system, allowed it to fire upwards within only 20 milliseconds once engaged.[5][6]
Registered in BattleBots records under the name of its predecessors, Warrior SKF endured a troubled run in the 2009 Pro Championship, forfeiting its first scheduled bout against Emily and achieving only one victory over Agent X on a judges' decision. Though benefiting from Vault's withdrawal soon after, it was eliminated by Root Canal with a 1-2 match record, much like the 2004 NPC incarnation.[7][8]
Warrior SKF returned for the revival of BattleBots on ABC, now a multibot as it was joined by two 15lb 'nuisance bots' - titanium wedgebots armed with flamethrowers. The main robot remained largely the same for World Championship I, defeating fellow legend Nightmare before falling out of the tournament to Ghost Raptor.
For World Championship II, the nuisance bots were replaced by a 9lb flying drone named Warrior Dragon, though the main robot looked virtually identical to its 2015 appearance. Warrior Clan advanced to the Round of 32 before being eliminated at the hands of HyperShock.
Ahead of World Championship III, Warrior Dragon became the robot's collective name, though it was visually near identical to its previous identity as Warrior Clan. Warrior Dragon won just once of its three Fight Night battles and its 1-2 record was not enough to see it advance to the Top 16 again.
The robot has since been retired, as Team Whyachi debuted a hydraulic flipper named Hydra and a dual spinner called Fusion in recent seasons of BattleBots. Different members of the Ewert family split to pilot their own machines, as Warrior SKF, the main robot, was ten years old as of applications for World Championship IV.
The main Warrior robot resides within the Team Whyachi workshop among other retired robots.[9]
Outside BattleBots[]
Prior to appearing on BattleBots, the Season 5.0 Warrior debuted in Season 2 of Robotica as Whyatica, but was eliminated in the fourth episode after being defeated by Jav Man in the Gauntlet and Labyrinth stages.[10]
In 2003, this incarnation briefly competed at North American live events as a multibot with the minibot Ricochet, its best performance being a 4-2 record at Mechwars 6 that April.[11] On their own, the 2004 and SKF versions also fought at War-Bots Xtreme Premier and the 2005 Robotic Revolution - New Orleans event respectively, with Warrior SKF achieving a 3-2 match record in the latter.[12]
In 2011, Warrior SKF received an 'Honorable Mention' in The Combat Robot Hall of Fame, in recognition of its kinetic spinner/flipper design.[3]
Robot History[]
Season 5.0[] |
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Warrior vs. Wham-I-Am Warrior's BattleBots debut occurred in the heavyweight division of Season 5.0, where it initially fought Wham-I-Am in the untelevised preliminary rounds. Information collected by Team Nightmare suggests that Warrior won on a close 25-20 judges' decision, allowing it to progress to the second set of preliminaries.[13] |
Warrior vs. Technofool Next, the Team Whyachi machine was expected to face Technofool. However, Technofool had technical issues and was forced to forfeit, allowing Warrior to progress by default.[13] |
Warrior vs. Bender In the third preliminary round, Warrior fought the horizontal spinner of Bender for a chance to appear in the televised rounds. The Team Nightmare website confirms that Warrior won the match by knockout, securing it a place in the Round of 64.[13] |
Warrior vs. Ringmaster There, it was drawn against the full-bodied ring spinner Ringmaster. During the match, Warrior took several hits from Ringmaster's weapon, sustaining damage to its sides and drive system in the process. Ringmaster won on a 28-17 Judges' decision, eliminating Warrior from the Season 5.0 heavyweight championship.[13] |
2004 NPC Charity Open[] |
Warrior vs. Jack in the Bot A redesigned Warrior would return for the 2004 NPC Charity Open, where its first match put it up against Jack in the Bot. At the start, Warrior went straight at Jack in the Bot, who was only going in circles. As Jack in the Bot was having driving issues, Warrior pushed it to the center of the arena. After this, Jack in the Bot was no longer moving in circles. Warrior then pushed Jack in the Bot against the arena wall and this immobilized Jack in the Bot. Warrior backed up and went straight at the immobile Jack in the Bot again. Jack in the Bot was being counted out and Warrior won by KO. |
Warrior vs. Megabyte This win put Warrior to the next round, where it faced Megabyte. In the match, Warrior box-rushed its shell spinner opponent, but missed and hit the arena wall instead. Megabyte started spinning furiously and Warrior again drove straight at it, which led to a big impact between both robots. Megabyte bounced off the front of Warrior and was spinning out of control, deflecting off the arena wall and landing upside down. The now-inverted Megabyte was bouncing all around the arena in an attempt to back to its feet. Despite this, Warrior was also immobilized after the huge hit, and while still moving Megabyte could not right itself. Both robots were counted out and the match went to a Judges' decision; the decision ruled in favor of Megabyte, putting Warrior into the Loser's Bracket. |
Warrior vs. BladeSpinner In the Loser's Bracket, Warrior fought BladeSpinner. Both robots went straight at each other in the middle of the arena and Warrior immediately stopped moving. BladeSpinner backed up and started spinning its overhead bar. BladeSpinner hit the rear of Warrior and Warrior was still immobile. Bladespinner started pushing the immobile Warrior for a few seconds before Warrior was counted out. Bladespinner won by a quick KO and Warrior was eliminated from the tournament again. |
Mixed Weight Class Rumble Alongside the heavyweight division, Warrior also competed in an end-of-event Rumble alongside The Black Knight, HazMatXD, Mer Madd, the walking robot Russell's Paradigm, and both of the competing Robotic Death Company shell spinners - Megabyte and Super Megabyte. In the beginning, Warrior went straight at Megabyte, who was already spinning. After this, Warrior went straight at the arena wall and immobilized itself. The immobilized Warrior was being pushed by Mer Madd and pushed it against the arena wall. Warrior was there for the rest of the rumble and Super Megabyte was later declared the winner. |
Pro Championship 2009[] |
Warrior vs. Emily Now competing in its SKF version, Warrior returned for the 2009 Pro Championship, where it initially benefited from a bye in the opening round of the Winner's Bracket. This allowed it to be drawn against Team Moon's horizontal spinner Emily in the second round. However, official BattleBots match records suggest that Warrior forfeited this match for unknown reasons, effectively surrendering its place in the bracket.[7][8] |
Warrior vs. Agent X Warrior's first match of the tournament thus took place in the Loser's Bracket, where it faced the invertible flipper of Agent X. Official match records suggest that both robots fought for the whole three minutes, with Warrior winning on a Judges' decision.[7][8] |
Warrior vs. Vault The Team Whyachi machine was next intended to fight Team UI's four-bar flipper Vault. However, Vault had sustained severe damage to its chassis from Tombstone in the previous round, ultimately forfeiting the match according to official match records. Warrior was thus given the win by default.[7][8] |
Warrior vs. Root Canal Warrior proceeded to face Mutant Robots and their 220lb version of Root Canal. In a match documented in BattleBots records to have lasted the full three minutes, the Team Whyachi machine lost by knockout, eliminating it from the 2009 Pro Championship with a 1-2 match record.[7][8] |
World Championship I[] |
Warrior Clan vs. Nightmare Warrior Clan's first match came against a fellow BattleBots veteran, Jim Smentowski and Nightmare. As the fight began, Warrior Clan's minibots drove to the sides of the BattleBox as Warrior, the main robot, met Nightmare in the center. The disk of Nightmare landed several early shots to Warrior's top and the flipper activated but missed.Nightmare then turned and swept up one of Warrior Clan's minibots, punting it across the arena before attacking the top of Warrior again. It then reversed onto the other minibot, launching it into the screws and eviscerating the smaller bot.
Shortly after, the lone robot Warrior drove to the center of the arena, tanking several glancing shots from Nightmare before using its front wedge to upend Jim Smentowski's machine, much to the excitement of Clint Ewert. Though Nightmare did not have a conventional self-righting mechanism, it attempted to use a combination of one drive wheel and its primary weapon to flip itself back over. In doing so, Nightmare clambered over its opponent, eventually ending up underneath the pulverizer, where the Ewert family pinned it in place. Nightmare escaped, but as the fight ticked past the halfway point, drove itself on top of the screws, beaching itself atop the hazard with none of its drive wheels touching the floor. Nightmare desperately spun its blade, but was stuck as Team Whyachi began to celebrate. Nightmare was ultimately counted out, meaning Warrior Clan advanced in the competition. |
Warrior Clan vs. Ghost Raptor Now in the Top 16, Warrior Clan faced Ghost Raptor, who forwent its spinning weapon to lead with its lifter.Ghost Raptor was fastest out of its starting square, driving to one side before drifting around to scoop up Team Whyachi's flamethrowing minibot, immobilizing it instantly. The rest of Warrior Clan tried to attack Ghost Raptor, though as the remaining minibot got underneath Chuck Pitzer's heavyweight, Warrior itself drove flywheel-first into the wall. Ghost Raptor looked to capitalize on this driving error but could not get underneath Warrior. Likewise, the flywheel-powered flipper was unable to get leverage under the frame of Ghost Raptor. As Warrior avoided several blows from the pulverizer, its outer ring ground to a halt, meaning its flipper was now also out of action. The Ewert family's robot was still able to initiate a pin in the corner, and continued to get underneath Ghost Raptor, despite its opponent's best efforts to flip Warrior. Now in the final thirty seconds of the battle, Warrior began to smoke and stopped moving over the killsaws. Ghost Raptor drove head-first into the BattleBox before returning to its immobile opponent, getting to its side and charging into the wall late on. Referee John Remar initiated a count-out and Ghost Raptor won by knockout with three seconds remaining on the clock. Warrior Clan was eliminated from the tournament. |
World Championship II[] |
Warrior Clan vs. Splatter Warrior Clan's first match of the 2016 season came against Splatter.The Vasquez family's robot led with its back end as it approached Warrior Clan before swinging itself around to face the main robot. Warrior managed to land several minor attacks with its spinning ring as Splatter struggled to get its weaponry into play and lost its rod extension. Warrior then got underneath Splatter from the front and popped it into the air, before deflecting it away again as Splatter looked to fight back. As the Warrior Dragon drone hovered, the main robot cut into Splatter's flank as it tried to get its lifter into play. With its arm fully swung over, Splatter tried to pin Warrior momentarily, but without its spinner working, could not cause damage to the Team Whyachi robot. Warrior instead slid underneath and drove Splatter back towards the paddle hazard. Both robots found themselves in an embrace as referee Michael Ayers counted the pin, until they separated. At this point in the fight, Splatter's arm was unable to retract, which affected its weight distribution. Warrior was positioned under the back end of Splatter, lifting its wheels off the ground. As such, both robots were stuck and the referee had to pause the match. The fight resumed with 49 seconds remaining and Warrior got its ring back up to speed, attacking Splatter again, whose arm was now in its retracted state. Warrior shepherded Splatter to the corner, where both robots struggled for mobility as the fight came to an end. Warrior Clan won on a unanimous 3-0 judges' decision. |
Warrior Clan vs. HyperShock This win put Warrior Clan to the Round of 32 as the No.22 seed, where it faced No.11 seed HyperShock. Before the match began, Warrior Clan's opponents added a rake to one of the arms used for self-righting in order to try and reach Warrior Dragon.Warrior was charged down by the on-rushing HyperShock as the drone took flight. The vertical spinner dealt several shots to the sides of Warrior, but then drove over the flipper as HyperShock's aggressive start continued. Appearing to drive away from Warrior, HyperShock began circling the main robot as it lined up an attack on the drone and swatting it out of the air.
HyperShock became entangled in Warrior Dragon and was almost overturned, but recovered and used its rake to pin the drone against the BattleBox floor. It then used its weapon to disable the drone, warping its frame before delivering an explosive knockout shot. With the drone now out of commission, Warrior Clan was reduced to the main Warrior robot, which still posed a threat with its spinner and flipper weaponry. This was proven as Warrior's spinning ring tore away part of HyperShock's lifter, leading the Miami representatives to drive away from their opponent, using the fallen drone to separate itself from the Ewert family's robot. HyperShock raised the remainder of its lifter in order to lead with its drisk, striking Warrior's back and peeling up its top armor.
Warrior stood its ground near the middle of the arena, looking to overturn HyperShock and test its ability to self-right with its rake attachment. However, HyperShock circled Warrior with its weapon spinning before landing another damaging blow to its back. Though this hit appeared to disable HyperShock's drisk, Warrior was visibly slower than before and ground to a halt soon after. Using its flat back end, HyperShock shoved Warrior towards the pulverizer. A count started and Will Bales' machine turned its attention back to the drone, driving it towards the opposite pulverizer as a knockout was declared. HyperShock took the win as Warrior Clan was eliminated from the tournament bracket. |
World Championship III[] |
Warrior Dragon vs. Chomp Now known as Warrior Dragon, their first opponent in 2018 was a previous season's quarter-finalist in Chomp. When the match began, Warrior Dragon was quick to topple Chomp and take advantage of its slow self-righting method. Chomp got back over quickly, however so Warrior Dragon toppled it again. This time, Warrior Dragon wasn't about to let Chomp fully self-right so it stayed underneath its opponent before backing away. Partway through the match, Warrior Dragon began emitting smoke and had lost the use of its flipper, which had also gotten bent upwards. Time ran out and Warrior Dragon won on a 2-1 split judges' decision. |
Warrior Dragon vs. ROTATOR Up next for Warrior Dragon was ROTATOR, which had come off of a loss against Petunia. Warrior Dragon decided to include its drone for this fight. When the match began, things were about even, though Warrior Dragon was taking the better of the collisions. Partway through, Warrior Dragon lost the use of its weaponry so it resorted to using what it had left and pushed ROTATOR into the arena screws. The drone tried to come in close to burn it but ROTATOR's upper bar was spinning and the drone was pulled into to it, causing it to crash right by the screws, where it stayed for the remainder of the fight. Both bots escaped but Warrior Dragon was now pretty much defenseless and taking damage from its opponent and the arena hazards. Smoke began pouring out and Warrior Dragon was almost motionless as time was winding down. Time ran out and the judges awarded a split 2-1 decision to ROTATOR. |
Warrior Dragon vs. Warhead Next for Warrior Dragon was a BattleBots veteran in Warhead. When the match began, things were pretty even but Warrior Dragon took the first hit from Warhead that didn't seem to cause much damage. Warrior Dragon got into Warhead again and did its best to avoid the flames being thrown at it but wasn't able to mount a proper attack. Luckily for Warrior Dragon, Warhead's spinning dome hit the casing for the screws and roughly half of it broke off, leaving Warhead badly off-balance and struggling to make any sort of attack. However, Warrior Dragon's ring spinner had stopped working, leaving its flipper out of action as well. Both robots spent the rest of the fight struggling to accomplish any sort of attack, but Warrior Dragon took some light hits from its crippled opponent before time ran out. The judges awarded a 2-1 split decision to Warhead, marking the third time it went through a split decision in the same season. This would prove to be the robot's final televised battle. |
Results[]
WARRIOR | ||
Season 5.0 | ||
Heavyweight Championship Round of 64 | ||
Preliminary Round 1 | vs. Wham-I-Am | Won (JD) |
Preliminary Round 2 | vs. Technofool | Won by forfeit |
NOTE: Technofool forfeited due to technical issues | ||
Preliminary Round 3 | vs. Bender | Won (KO) |
Round of 64 | vs. Ringmaster | Lost (JD) |
2004 NPC Charity Open | ||
Heavyweight Championship Eliminated in Loser's Bracket (1-2) | ||
Winner's Bracket, Round 1 | vs. Jack in the Bot | Won (KO) |
Winner's Bracket, Round 2 | vs. Megabyte | Lost (Double KO, JD) |
Loser's Bracket, Round 2 | vs. No opponent | Bye |
Loser's Bracket, Round 3 | vs. BladeSpinner | Lost (KO) |
Rumble | ||
Rumble | vs. The Black Knight, HazMatXD, Megabyte, Mer Madd, Russell's Paradigm, Super Megabyte | Lost |
WARRIOR SKF | ||
BattleBots Pro Championship 2009 | ||
Pro Championship 2009 Eliminated in Loser's Bracket (1-2) | ||
Winner's Bracket, Round 1 | vs. No opponent | Bye |
Winner's Bracket, Round 2 | vs. Emily | Forfeited |
NOTE: Warrior SKF forfeited this match for unknown reasons | ||
Loser's Bracket, Round 3 | vs. Agent X | Won (JD) |
Loser's Bracket, Round 4 | vs. Vault | Won by forfeit |
NOTE: Vault forfeited this match due to irreparable damage previously sustained against Tombstone | ||
Loser's Bracket, Round 5 | vs. Root Canal | Lost (KO) |
WARRIOR CLAN | ||
World Championship I | ||
World Championship Tournament #7 Seed, Round of 16 | ||
Qualifier | vs. Nightmare | Won (KO) |
Round of 16 | vs. Ghost Raptor (10) | Lost (KO) |
World Championship II | ||
World Championship Tournament #22 Seed, Round of 32 | ||
Qualifier | vs. Splatter | Won (KO) |
Round of 32 | vs. HyperShock (11) | Lost (KO) |
World Championship III | ||
Fight Nights 1-2 | ||
Fight Night #1 | vs. Chomp | Won (Split JD) |
Fight Night #2 | vs. ROTATOR | Lost (Split JD) |
Fight Night #3 | vs. Warhead | Lost (Split JD) |
Competitive Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 9
- Losses: 9
Exhibition Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Total Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 9
- Losses: 10
Competition | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
Season 5.0 | Wham-I-Am Technofool (Forfeit) Bender |
Ringmaster |
2004 NPC Charity Open | Jack in the Bot | Megabyte BladeSpinner Super Megabyte (Rumble) |
Pro Championship 2009 | Agent X Vault (Forfeit) |
Emily (Forfeit) Root Canal |
World Championship I | Nightmare | Ghost Raptor |
World Championship II | Splatter | HyperShock |
World Championship III | Chomp (Undercard Match) |
ROTATOR (Undercard Match) Warhead (Undercard Match) |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]
"From the great state of Wisconsin, where they know beer, brats and killer bots. Get ready to have a triple bypass. It's WARRIOR CLAN!"
"From the cheese state of Wisconsin. Its a veritable triple threat. In queso emergency, you can always call on WARRIOR CLAN!"
"It's the Braveheart of bots and you're about to get kilt! It's WARRIOR CLAN!"
"From the cheese plate of Wisconsin, Brie-ware. Nacho average bot, so you cheddar watch out! It's WARRIOR CLAN!"
"Warriors come out and slayyy-y. This dissipating baddie will make you cry out for daddy. It's WARRIOR DRAGON!"
"Warrior the Magic Dragon lived by the sea, and it frolicked in a fiery mist in the land called "Please help meeeee". It's WARRIOR DRAGON!"
"This bot will cook you like a rotisserie chicken. Get ready to take a lickin' from the fire spittin' WARRIOR DRAGON!"
Trivia[]
- Warrior Clan is one of six robots to compete in the original BattleBots series on Comedy Central (where it competed as Warrior before being turned into Warrior SKF), and the reboot. The others are Warhead, Complete Control, Moebius, Son of Whyachi and Nightmare.
- All of Warrior Dragon's fights which went the distance were decided by split decision.
- Alongside Plan X, Warrior Clan was the first multibot design to appear in the BattleBots reboot, debuting in the opening episode of World Championship I.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 http://www.teamwhyachi.com/warrior1.html
- ↑ 'RioBotz Combot Tutorial Summarized - LaunchBots', Marco Antonio Meggiolaro (summarized by Kevin Berry), SERVO (May 2010), pp.31-33 (p.31)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'The Combat Robot Hall of Fame ®', Team Run Amok website
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/kufbbs/comment/git51s2/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/4xa4kn/comment/d6dqcbf/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://eu.usatoday.com/videos/news/2015/06/26/29351879/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Official BattleBots 2009 Championship Match Results
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Official BattleBots 2009 Championship match schedule
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bynbPO_h2c
- ↑ 'Tournament Tree - Robotica Season 1 [Season 2]', Team Run Amok website
- ↑ BotRank.com listings for Warrior/Richochet
- ↑ BotRank.com listings for Warrior
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 'May 2002 BattleBots San Francisco-Heavyweight Robots', Robotcombat.com (Team Nightmare)
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