This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 5

This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 5
This is Fighting Robots title card
Series	Season 1.5
First Broadcast	May 11 2018 (Youku) December 16 2022 (Mech+, English subs)
Original Channel	Youku
Preceded by	Episode 4
Succeeded by	Episode 6

"The Freestyle Fighting continues. [Wu Chun and] Zheng Shuang's alliance seems unbeatable, but one robot will give Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan hope."

— Official Mech+ programme description for This is Fighting Robots, Episode 5

Episode 5 of This is Fighting Robots originally aired on May 11 2018. It concluded the second round of the Freestyle Combat stage, before featuring the opening phase of the multi-round Alliance War stage.

A subtitled English version premiered on Mech+ on December 16 2022, livestreamed alongside Episode 2 of Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars.

Competing robots

• 008
• Anchor and Shield
• Earth Mover
• Greedy Snake
• Lieutenant Bam
• Megabyte
• ORBY Blade
• Red River Hong
• Saturn
• Slash Boy
• Spectre
• Switch
• Tungsten
• Two BBQ
• Vulcan
• Xiake

NOTE: The conclusion to a Freestyle Combat battle between Spectre and White Tiger Guardian was revealed at the start of the episode.

Freestyle Combat, Round 2

Main article: This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 4

Spectre vs White Tiger Guardian

This battle primarily took place in the previous episode, but the Judges' decision was announced, revealing the winner to be Spectre.

Winner: Spectre (Zheng Shuang, 1 point)

Standings

This victory also enabled Zheng Shuang to complete a dominant win in the second Freestyle Combat stage, following on from her victory in the 'first half'. The final points standings for Round 2 were as follows:

Position	Team Manager	Points
1st	Zheng Shuang	4
2nd=	Sa Beining	1
2nd=	Wu Chun	1
2nd=	Zhang Yishan	1

Sa Beining, Wu Chun and Zhang Yishan all finished the round with one point each; both Beining and Chun had an additional second-place finish each, and so were considered joint runner-ups. Despite finishing at the bottom of the leaderboard, Yishan was considered to have finished third, thus only needing to eliminate two robots from his team instead of three.

Eliminations

"I think today our team had a wonderful performance. Certainly, in a match, there will always be winners and losers."

— Wu Chun on the Red team's improvements in the second Freestyle stage

Apologetic as ever, Yishan thanked and bowed to his roboteers, before announcing the eliminations of Sledgehammer and Snow Leopard respectively. Wu Chun praised the Red team's performance throughout this stage, prior to selecting Firefox as his robot to be eliminated.

Moments before Sa Beining was due to announce his decision, Team Red River persuaded him to let them withdraw EarthShaker from the Yellow team. Despite its flipper proving itself to be capable in battle, EarthShaker's exposed wheels were cited as the weakness motivating their decision, as was the team's insistence on safeguarding their fellow teammates' places in later rounds. Beining, in a subsequent speech, praised the high standard of the national Chinese competitors, himself having mostly chosen robots from his home country.

"This sport has not been around in China for a long time. However, we are catching up, and doing our best. Today, we have witnessed great machines, such as White Tiger. I also have machines like BBQ, which make terrified people. So I believe that the gap may exist today, but, I see there are many young people, a kid of 13 years who can already control the machine with excellence... I am very happy that half of the ten groups in my team are Chinese groups. Their performances have been great until today. So I want to tell my Earth Shaker, even if you leave, all remaining groups will carry your dreams, and move forward."

— Sa Beining praises the quality of the Chinese competitors, in addressing EarthShaker's withdrawal (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

The robots eliminated by the end of the second and last Freestyle round were as follows:

Manager	Robots Eliminated
Sa Beining	EarthShaker (withdrawal)
Wu Chun	Firefox
Zhang Yishan	Sledgehammer, Snow Leopard

"Three team managers are searching for answers, looking for hope in despair. This is the trial that good managers must undergo. Every comrade who fought side by side is your strong support. Honor and failure are equally important to you. The remaining 30 robot fighting groups will face more ruthless challenges."

— CH0329

Alliance War

The 30 surviving robots would automatically progress to the first phase of Alliance War, a team-based stage headed by a series of 2v2 battles.

"In the ruthless world of robot fighting, only cooperation can help everyone move further."

— CH0329, introducing the Alliance War stage

Before combat began, CH0329 instructed team managers to 'secure the promotion' of one of their machines. This also involved learning how to operate and control their chosen candidates, ahead of later battles where all four would fight against each other as drivers.

Zheng Shuang was first seen discussing with the Vulcan, Megabyte and Cat King teams; Alan Young advising her that the former would be 'very difficult' to control. Zhang Yishan drew to similar conclusions surrounding the full-body spinner Anchor and Shield, admitting his unease about the looming celebrity-focused melee over footage of his discussions with Weber Robotics.

"If you give me a remote control racing car, I would not feel nervous. But this is a match. I am afraid of damaging their enthusiasm."

— Zhang Yishan

Wu Chun sought to familiarize himself with the radio control gear used by Xiake, Earth Mover and White Tiger Guardian, in an effort to decide which machine he felt most 'confident' at operating. Sa Beining arranged a Yellow team meeting where Ninja and Shrederator Tiger Claw were considered his most preferred choices.

In broadcast order, the following robots were selected for the manager battles:

Celebrity	Robot
Zhang Yishan	Weber
Sa Beining	Ninja
Wu Chun	Polar Opposite
Zheng Shuang	Cat King

Weber's self-righting capability was again highlighted by Zhang Yishan, with regards to its ability to recover from opponents' attacks.

"Tiger Claw told me very objectively that because this machine spins with a high speed, it requires an experienced person to control its movement. In comparison with Tiger Claw, Ninja is easier to control."

— Sa Beining, explaining the decision-making enabling Ninja to be selected

Accompanied by a scene of Ninja being posed with Paul Streeter and Two BBQ's Song Peng, Sa Beining revealed that Team LOGICOM advised him against nominating Shrederator Tiger Claw, on the basis of its powerful weapon and difficult controls.

The two-part multibot Polar Opposite was announced by Wu Chun as his recommendation, before Zheng Shuang surprised Beining by initially announcing Megabyte as her representative. John Mladenik was unsure about Shuang's decision, believing that she would opt for a 'stronger' competitor. At this point, Shuang changed her mind and opted for Cat King instead. This decision was considered a 'mistake' by Mladenik, as he revealed that the Green team had previously felt Megabyte to be their strongest option. Team Bad Kitty's Martin Mason, however, disagreed, believing Cat King to be less difficult to maneuver than Megabyte.

"Megabyte... can be hard to drive, because it is hard to tell the front. Our robot was the best choice, 'cause it is easy to drive, and we're the best teachers."

— Martin Mason, supporting Zheng Shuang's decision to select Cat King

Rules

"Alliance War is about cooperation and honesty, but it is also a contest. Studying the regulations carefully is the only way to make a beneficial choice."

— CH0329 introduces the rules for the Alliance War battles

CH0329 began explaining the rules and elimination processes for Alliance War, where the other 26 robots would initially compete to secure 'promotion quotas' for the top 13 bracket.

This began with a series of 2v2 knockout battles, where two team managers would unite their respective sides to form one larger team of robots. Robots from the losing side would be instantly eliminated from the competition; the winning side would secure places for their managers' chosen robots in the top 13.

As with Freestyle Combat, a single 'time-out opportunity' was available to both Alliance teams, giving them extra time to work out strategic calls between their associated roboteers.

Following the five 2v2 battles, a further three 'promotion quotas' were decided by head-to-head battles, all between robots not competing in the former stage.

Trap hazard

Though following the same general combat rules as previous rounds, a major difference was the introduction of a trap hazard in the center of the arena. This took a similar form and function to the Pit of Oblivion from Robot Wars; robots could be rendered out of play upon being pushed or driven into it.

The trap would be lowered at the start of each battle, temporarily incapacitating any robot which fell into it. After one minute, it would be fully raised to release the affected machine, which would be allowed to rejoin the fight without penalty. Once this occurred, the trap would reset, instantly eliminating any robot which fell into it at the Judges' discretion.

It was suggested onscreen that the objective was to pit both robots from the opposing 'Alliance' team within the full three minutes. In the event of fights lasting the distance, the team with one machine remaining in the trap would lose automatically. Alternatively, a Judges' decision would be called if no robots were pitted, or both teams had one robot each remaining in the arena.

Alliance Draws

In order to decide the finalized team pairings, all four managers were instructed to enter a 'secret room' where they could discuss possible alliances between themselves.

Zhang Yishan initially expressed apprehension, believing the Alliance War concept to be tailored towards his and Wu Chun's teams. Chun felt that a possible alliance between Yishan and Zheng Shuang was 'an unpleasant idea', as they had previously met each other as pupils at the same school.

Inside, Yishan told Shuang that every male manager wanted to unite with her based on the Green team's performance up to this point. Yishan believed that Shuang's status as a former classmate would be a sufficient reason to pick him. Shuang chose Wu Chun in an attempt to support the Red team's efforts, though Chun insisted to himself to 'be modest' in responding to the decision. A disappointed Yishan addressed that the Blue team had the same number of robots remaining as the Red team, while communicating his annoyance over the decision.

Convinced that the alliance would 'weaken' both Shuang and Chun's overall performances, Sa Beining attempted to dissuade the former from making the decision. In this exchange - titled onscreen as "Mr. Sa's Brainwash Conference" - he considered the strength of Chun's robot roster at the time, and drew attention to potential similarities between drum spinners Xiake and Red River Hong. Chun, however, objected, humorously telling Beining to stop 'brainwashing' Shuang.

Yishan took this opportunity to again persuade Shuang to join forces with the Blue team, using their past status as former classmates as his primary reason. Upon hearing this exchange, Chun also attempted to dissuade Yishan from 'brainwashing' her, but admitted in interviews that his ways of persuasion were not ideal.

Chun next highlighted that Yishan and Shuang were wearing similar jackets in an effort to distract the former. Yishan concluded that none of their astrological signs or blood types matched - taking both Chun and Shuang by surprise - before again speaking about his changed mindset since the start of the series.

Shuang, nevertheless, maintained her initial pick of Wu Chun, suggesting instead that Yishan would be better matched with Beining. As Chun shared his relief, Beining and Yishan entered a 'tacit agreement', immediately discussing ways in which the Shuang-Chun alliance could defeat itself in and outside the arena.

"Yishan and Mr. Sa both have the ability to dissolve negative impacts. But, sometimes, he does not know how to talk nicely."

— Zheng Shuang, speaking about Zhang Yishan

The Alliance teams were therefore decided as follows:

Alliance Team 1	Alliance Team 2
Sa Beining	Wu Chun
Zhang Yishan	Zheng Shuang

Early Strategization

Focus then turned towards strategizing of available robots. Sa Beining asked Zhang Yishan about his line-up - to which Yishan felt he was 'pessimistic' about their overall chances - and zodiac sign, a question previously directed at Chun. It was soon learnt that both Beining and Yishan were born under the monkey sign; and Chun and Shuang the sheep, unintentionally adding another element of unity between these pairings.

Sa Beining: "Two sheep walking on air are self-satisfied. Sheep falls prey to a tiger."

Zhang Yishan: "But neither of us is a tiger."

Sa Beining: "When the tiger is away, the monkey will be the king."

— After Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan are revealed to have been born under the Monkey zodiac sign

On this pretence, Beining briefly boasted that he and Yishan would prevail before each of the pairings was finalized. Though disappointed at not being able to team up with Shuang, Yishan considered Beining to be 'witty and resourceful' ahead of the coming fights. However, roboteers including Wang Xi remained unsure, collectively anticipating a defeat against Chun and Shuang. In spite of his own machine's performance up to this point, Xi added that Two BBQ was the only robot from the Blue/Yellow side considered to have match-winning capabilities.

Once the pairings had been fully decided, each team would be allocated their own 'secret room' to discuss and nominate robots for each 2v2 battle. Their 'first' choices would be declared in these rooms, the second being publicly announced in arena sequences.

2v2 Battles

ORBY Blade & Spectre vs Lieutenant Bam & Switch

Strategy

In the 'secret rooms', Sa Beining insisted on leading Zhang Yishan through the decision-making process, at which point Yishan revealed that Zen Oh had suffered a 'small malfunction'. Beining also alluded to continued problems with his own robots while sharing his disappointment about the combined roster both had.

"There is nothing extraordinary about this cooperation in the first place. And now [Zhang Yishan] has one broken machine, while I have two."

— Sa Beining

Wu Chun and Zheng Shuang were initially seen checking Beining/Yishan's line-up, before focusing on their own selections at Shuang's suggestion. It was agreed between the pair that Shuang would select her robot first, based on the Green team having more potent machines at this stage.

Yishan expressed intentions to pit Anchor and Shield against Shuang's Vulcan, following Beining's suggestion to sort their robots based on design types. Zen Oh's technical issues ruled it out in favor of British hammer bot Switch. Shuang considered Spectre as her first choice. Chun highlighted that the reigning King of Bots champion could take advantage of Switch's low profile, by controlling it into the trap.

Sa Beining: "Great. We get him out. By letting him play first, Zheng Shuang wants to scare us. The key is we are not scared..."

Zhang Yishan: "...we're already broken."

— As Beining and Yishan learn of Spectre's selection (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

Despite Beining's confidence, Yishan asked whether he would be forced to leave the competition should the Blue/Yellow team lose all of their fights. Beining, undeterred, insisted that 'a high spirit' could allow Yishan to overcome this setback and turn his fortunes around.

Chun and Shuang discussed options for their second choice, which was revealed on the whiteboard to be ORBY Blade. Shuang was initially dissuaded from picking the South Korean bar spinner, as Chun learnt from its builder that he needed more time to refine it. Xiake and Red River Hong were two of the alternative robots considered, but Shuang maintained her initial choice of ORBY Blade.

Following an arena sequence in which the managers' robotic chairs were set into their '2v2' formation, Beining announced that he and Yishan's team would be renamed "Fire Brigade" in reference to their red attire. The trap hazard was activated in the arena for the first time, before Lieutenant Bam and ORBY Blade were confirmed as the other two robots to fight. In confidence, Beining light-heartedly mocked the designs of his and Yishan's opponents, likening them to an 'electric fan' (ORBY Blade) and a 'sewing machine' (Spectre).

"Once I saw Shadowhunter's name, I believe no matter who he is, we already have victory in our hands."

— Team Xiake's Zheng Jianfeng, on Spectre's selection for this fight

Combat

Spectre crashes into Switch

ORBY Blade lands a hit on Lieutenant Bam's wedge

At the start of the battle, ORBY Blade spun up its weapon, while Spectre crashed into Switch, sending it recoiling into the air. This also allowed Spectre to grab Switch by its rear wheel, and press it into the arena wall. Switch fled, while ORBY Blade collided with Lieutenant Bam, creating a shower of sparks from the spinner-to-wedge impact.

"Switch escaped from Shadowhunter's mouth. He seems to cry, "Don't bite me.""

— Wang Tao, as Switch is pressured early on by Spectre

ORBY Blade was thrust aside, but landed a second blow on Lieutenant Bam shortly afterwards. In response, Lieutenant Bam dropped its hammer in the path of ORBY Blade's weapon, briefly stopping the bar spinner while causing the South Korean machine to recoil away.

ORBY Blade almost drives into the trap

Spectre grabs hold of Lieutenant Bam

On its escape from Lieutenant Bam, ORBY Blade almost drove weapon-first into the trap, while Spectre continued to hassle Switch. Reversing away from the trap, ORBY Blade backed into Switch with its rear wedge, bringing Switch into the air. Switch drove under ORBY Blade and attempted to use its hammer, but missed its shot. Spectre changed its focus to Lieutenant Bam, grabbing Harry Lloyd's machine from behind, and crushing down onto the top.

Spectre dispatches Lieutenant Bam to the trap

Lieutenant Bam swung its hammer around in retaliation, but Spectre swerved it around, and dropped it directly into the trap. Off-camera, ORBY Blade attacked Switch, which by this point was struggling with major damage to its side and left-rear wheel. Switch became immobilized shortly after, its entire right-rear wheel also becoming detached from within its chassis in addition to the left-rear tire.

Spectre slams Switch into the wall

Spectre took this opportunity to grab hold of Switch, crushing down on the latter while ramming it into the spikes on the arena wall, and then the mace. These were enough to cause the remaining rear wheel to be removed completely from Switch. ORBY Blade voluntarily took a back-seat approach, as the team did not want to hit their own teammate with their bar spinner. Spectre dragged Switch over to the rising trap, but could not push Kevin Cleasby's machine in before the hazard released Lieutenant Bam.

Lieutenant Bam pulls itself over

Switch was nevertheless rendered immobile, but Lieutenant Bam swung aimlessly. Off-screen around this period, ORBY Blade used its spinner to attack Lieutenant Bam once, and then used its rear wedge to push it into a mace on the side of the arena.

"Shadowhunter keeps chasing Lieutenant Bam. Does [Lieutenant Bam] have a chance?"

— Xiao Cang as Spectre resumes its initial attacks on Lieutenant Bam

After striking the floor, Lieutenant Bam's turret became stuck in Spectre's open jaw, and while attempting to retract the weapon, Lieutenant Bam pulled itself over in the grip of Spectre. It quickly self-righted and fled, also managing to land a light blow onto Spectre's jaw using its turret, but the quicker Spectre machine chased it and gripped Lieutenant Bam.

"According to the old saying, heroes won't fall into the same trap twice. If Lieutenant Bam falls again, his alliance will be in danger."

— Wang Tao as Spectre takes Lieutenant Bam to the trap again

Spectre drops Lieutenant Bam back in the trap

Finally, Spectre put Lieutenant Bam back into the descending trap for the second time. Amidst calls from Sa Beining to reverse back out, Lieutenant Bam swung its weapon around aimlessly, and was rendered immobile upon touching the base of the arena hazard. The win was therefore awarded to Spectre and ORBY Blade; Spectre fired its self-righting mechanism in victory while ORBY Blade spun around in circles.

"Obviously against Spectre, I thought it was a silly decision to choose us, they took control of us and threw us in the pit, which I kinda thought they would."

— Harry Lloyd of Lieutenant Bam's team

Having earlier praised Spectre's design during the 'blind selection' process, Beining conceded that the Team Robo Challenge machine was 'too powerful' for him and Zhang Yishan to defeat. ORBY Blade's decision to drive on the 'sideline' was noted by co-commentator Wang Tao, which Wu Chun defended as he advised Team ORBY to 'stay stable' and avoid getting knocked out. Apologizing to the eliminated Lieutenant Bam team, Beining subsequently rued his decision to enter it, as he felt it would have performed well in later rounds.

Winner: ORBY Blade & Spectre (Wu Chun & Zheng Shuang)

Earth Mover & Megabyte vs Anchor and Shield & Two BBQ

Strategy

Going into this battle, Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan were reduced to five and four robots respectively, Zen Oh's issues not withstanding. Beining decided to make their next choice based on Zheng Shuang's option for this match.

"Look at Zheng Shuang's team. My goodness. Tánshè, Megabyte, Vulcan, Sandstorm, any one of these can beat us up."

— Sa Beining (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

The circular shapes of Saturn, Shrederator Tiger Claw and Anchor and Shield were highlighted by Wu Chun, as he and Shuang examined the remaining Beining/Yishan line-up. Shaung asked Chun about Earth Mover (referred to in Mech+ subtitles as Bulldozer), to which Chun replied that it did not have a 'very powerful' offense aside from its pushing and clamping capability. Believing that Earth Mover's strengths were something the opposing team lacked, Shuang selected it to fight on Chun's behalf.

Yishan agreed to let Beining choose from his roster, the pair ultimately picking Anchor and Shield as their first option. Upon learning of Earth Mover's selection - effectively setting up a grudge match between the two - Yishan believed it to be 'weak'.

Meanwhile, Chun and Shuang discussed strategies on how to defeat Anchor and Shield. While Shuang was confident about an 'easy' win against the blue and silver machine, she expressed more concern towards the possibility of Two BBQ being drawn; a sentiment acknowledged by Chun.

"I am afraid [Sa Beining] will send Two BBQ. That's too despicable. Even if he does send Two BBQ, it won't matter much."

— Zheng Shuang

Prior to the second robots being announced, Wang Cong asked the team pairings on which managers were leading the discussion processes at this point. Chun acknowledged Shuang's 'research'-driven approach towards individual robots, opting to listen to her reasoning and recommendations. Sa Beining, meanwhile, reiterated that he and Zhang Yishan had to factor in the number of robots remaining on their respective sides, which was again stated to be 'a few'.

As Shuang expected, Two BBQ was nominated by Beining as his and Yishan's second machine. Megabyte was thus chosen to partner Earth Mover for the combined Red/Green team effort; a strategy also anticipated by Beining.

"Zheng Shuang has so many great machines. We are mentally prepared, we won't be surprised by any of her choices."

— Sa Beining, shortly after Megabyte is confirmed to fight (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

Combat

Prior to the match starting, Sa Beining discussed tactics with the Angry Sea Duo team, which resulted in Anchor and Shield focusing its efforts on Earth Mover. Two BBQ thus took on his recommendation to fight Megabyte; Beining added to Song Peng that it did not need to knock out both opponents, for his and Zhang Yishan's team to win under the Alliance War rules.

"Who makes the best bulldozer? Please ask Zheng Shuang and Wu Chun."

— Wang Tao, over replays of Earth Mover's initial deflection of Anchor and Shield

Earth Mover deflects Anchor and Shield into the trap

The collision between Megabyte and Two BBQ

In the opening moments, Earth Mover drove head-on into Anchor and Shield. However, Beining's plan backfired when the collision sent Anchor and Shield careering into the trap, less than three seconds after the battle started. Meanwhile, Megabyte and Two BBQ cautiously approached each other as they got their spinners up to speed, initially hesitating to land an attack. This was until Megabyte hit the front of Two BBQ as the latter spun over the fire pit. The collision was enough to not only send Two BBQ spinning, but also sever its weapon belt and break its bar spinner in half.

"Megabyte is so powerful. Two BBQ is under attack. The sparks turned him into a BBQ."

— Wang Tao, following Megabyte's damaging impact on Two BBQ

Two BBQ causes Megabyte to recoil towards - and over - the trap

Anchor and Shield rises back into contention

Though Song Peng confirmed that his machine was now 'broken', Two BBQ reversed, turned round and drove into Megabyte. Though throwing itself into a mace and on its back, it caused the American machine to recoil towards the trap. As it skirted over the trap, Megabyte clipped the far edge, causing it to be thrown upwards and sent bouncing onto the battle rings. With its weapon and drive disabled, Two BBQ was now officially considered immobile, though Sa Beining, Zhang Yishan and several roboteers were still enraptured by its self-sacrificing maneuver.

"Two BBQ knocked himself against Megabyte. Two BBQ's suicidal attack brings hope back to [Beining and Yishan's] team"

— Wang Tao, over replays of Two BBQ sending Megabyte towards the trap

Megabyte causes damage to Anchor and Shield as well as an inverted Two BBQ

Sparks fly as Megabyte continues hitting Anchor and Shield

Upright and seemingly unscathed, Megabyte waited in the corner to get its shell spinning as the trap raised to release Anchor and Shield. Anchor and Shield immediately darted forwards and attempted to evade Megabyte, only to bump into the walls and mace, while withstanding numerous blows from the American machine.

Sparks and shrapnel flew as Megabyte continued to hit Anchor and Shield, as well as destroy the rest of Two BBQ’s spinner. Eventually, Megabyte proceeded to shepherd Anchor and Shield into a corner, immobilizing it with several more powerful blows.

Sa Beining: "During the first minute, BBQ fought on his own."

Zhang Yishan: "We have nothing left to play with."

— The Yellow/Blue team discuss their loss (Mech+ subtitles)

After the battle, Zhang Yishan and Sa Beining bemoaned the lack of power and communication between their roboteers, contributing to their collective loss. Meanwhile, Robotic Destruction Company congratulated the Earth Mover team, with Zheng Shuang twice hugging John Mladenik in triumph. Once the result and eliminations were formally announced, Shuang and Chun joined Beining and Yishan in congratulating the Two BBQ team, the former impressed with their machine's attack on Megabyte.

"It felt sad. I really think they are great. They should stay."

— Zheng Shuang on the eliminated Two BBQ

Winner: Earth Mover & Megabyte (Wu Chun & Zheng Shuang)

Vulcan & Xiake vs 008 & Greedy Snake

Strategy

"Our choices are fewer and fewer. Huge differences in strength make it hard to win by faith only."

— Sa Beining

Reflecting on his side's two losses up to this point, Sa Beining admitted that he could no longer rely on 'faith' alone to succeed. Beining ruled Golden Hoops and Chronos out of the 2v2 stages after Zhang Yishan insisted that he made the first choice once more.

Zheng Shuang maintained that she and Wu Chun would not be 'soft' with their next robot pairing. Chun again highlighted Xiake and Red River Hong as primary options, the former being selected under Shuang's 'plan', alongside the undercutter 008 from Beining's roster.

008's nomination took both Shuang and Chun by surprise, while Yishan believed that he and Beining needed a direct counter for Xiake's drum and pushing power. Yishan mentioned the key strengths and weaknesses of Greedy Snake, which could struggle against 'tall objects', and Saturn, which was more suited to defending from overhead weapons than against vertical spinners.

Amidst continuing frustrations between the Blue and Yellow managers, Yishan asked Beining whether he needed the optional time-out. Beining asked Yishan to pick a robot from his own line-up, which was revealed to be Greedy Snake. At this point, Wang Xi - accompanied by the captain of Slash Boy - entered the room to begin discussions on strategies for the coming match.

Greedy Snake and Saturn were both considered to join 008 in battle; Beining bringing up the possibility of them facing Shuang's Vulcan. Xi offered to speak with Team Far North about which robot they would feel would be the better teammate, while also believing that neither machine would succeed on the basis of its large, deflective 'shovel'. Tánshè was briefly mentioned as an equally powerful opponent. When Beining and Yishan opted to pick a robot with a higher success rate, Xi recommended Greedy Snake - itself a King of Bots top-8 finisher - as the stronger choice.

"When we desperately need to win, I give the chance to Greedy Snake, because [Wang Xi] was very calm during the discussion. He does not have any negative energy."

— Zhang Yishan

As the negotiations concluded, roboteers from the Slash Boy team arrived to report technical issues with their machine, to Beining's despair.

Sa Beining: "Another one is burnt? What is the problem? "

Zhang Yishan: "Self explosion."

Sa Beining: "Did they intend to test my mental condition?"

— As Slash Boy is revealed to have malfunctioned

Coincidentally, Shuang predicted Greedy Snake to be the second robot chosen by Beining and Yishan, with Chronos and Golden Hoops also being potential guesses. On this basis, Vulcan was nominated to fight on her and Chun's side; Chun confident that it would 'scare' Beining and Yishan.

Wang Cong: "Mr. Sa and Yishan, how sure are you of winning this round?"

Sa Beining: "One saying states, one can never be fully satisfied, just wish no regrets in one's heart."

— Prior to the Yellow/Blue team learning of the Red/Green robot draws

This proved to be true during the arena announcements; Yishan admitted that he 'totally collapsed' in the knowledge of Vulcan's dominant form in Freestyle Combat. Shuang, on the other hand, remembered that Greedy Snake was a 'strong opponent' over highlights of its preliminary group battle. Nevertheless, she believed Vulcan to be Greedy Snake's best possible counter in this match-up.

Combat

Zhang Yishan: "It is not possible to lift it up."

Sa Beining: "Just follow our strategy."

Zhang Yishan: "No other possibilities. To be honest, I don't want to be discouraging, but objectively speaking, we cannot win. We just cannot win."

Sa Beining: "We just wish for a miracle. Some incident."

— Zhang Yishan and Sa Beining share continued doubts

Going into this battle, Yishan remained pessimistic about his and Beining's chances, believing Vulcan to be too big for Greedy Snake to lift and carry in its 'snatch' weapon. While they remained 'desperate', Wu Chun told Zheng Shuang about Greedy Snake's strong track record, to which Shuang alluded to its King of Bots loss to Thunder and Lightning in believing that Vulcan would prevail against it.

008 smokes prior to the start

Compounding Yishan and Beining's problem was an overheating speed controller for 008's flamethrowers. This caused the UK undercutter to smoke from its starting position, though ultimately this would not affect its drive or main weapon. Wang Xi, believing the issue to be a 'short circuit', still considered this a 'major blow' to his machine's chances of progression. However, Gary Cairns of Team Far North would report that the smoke eventually cleared, allowing 008 to fight on as normal.

"For those wondering, the smoke coming out the top of 008 was the speed controller I had running the 4 heater nozzles for the flame thrower at the back. The setup for this battle was a lot longer than normal so they were running for longer. I saw the smoke coming out, still had drive and disc and knew it wasn't going to get any better so shrugged my shoulders and got on with the match."

— Gary Cairns explains the smoke pouring out of 008 before the start

008 immediately attacks its teammate

Xiake destabilizes 008

In the opening seconds, Vulcan darted out of its starting position while 008 and Greedy Snake collided, to Sa Beining's frustration. Greedy Snake attempted to lift 008 in response, without success, and bumped into an approaching Xiake. Moments later, Xiake drove drum-first into 008’s disc, lifting the Scottish machine upwards. This caused 008 to recoil violently as its disc made contact with the arena floor.

Greedy Snake approaches Vulcan as 008 (top-right) takes flight

Xiake drove into 008 a few more times; one more collision with 008’s disc sent it cartwheeling into and out of the trap, while Greedy Snake drove into Vulcan. Upon landing, 008 caught fire - to shock and delight amongst the team managers - and was left spinning across the arena on its disc with a bent right axle.

Xiao Cang: "He is knocked into the trap. Fire! Fire!"

Wang Tao: "Fire! Fire! Natural incident. Greedy Snake is under the siege by Vulcan and Xiake."

— As 008 cartwheels and catches fire

Greedy Snake drives itself into the trap

With its 'snatch' weapon now raised, Greedy Snake pushed Xiake and the stricken 008 across the arena, only to drive itself into the open trap. This self-inflicted error delighted Zheng Shuang even more - compelling her and Wu Chun to celebrate - while Wang Xi, Zhang Yishan and Sa Beining all aired their frustrations. Despite 008 no longer showing movement, the match was effectively paused while Greedy Snake sat in the trap. Xiake and Vulcan waited on opposite sides of the arena during this interval.

Xiake looks on as Greedy Snake grabs and carries Vulcan into the wall spikes

In a sequence punctuated by the Terminator theme, Greedy Snake was raised back up by the trap, allowing it to rejoin the fight. Wang Xi's machine wasted little time in lunging at, grasping and lifting Vulcan up, carrying the Team Robots Live! machine into the wall spikes and one of the hammers. Vulcan shook itself free onto Xiake as Greedy Snake drove away; it and Xiake took turns at bumping into Greedy Snake as the black and green machine avoided them.

Xiake attacks - and damages - Vulcan's stabilizer

While doing so, however, Xiake inadvertently hit Vulcan twice with its drum. The first blow broke the linkage for the latter’s rear stabilizer, prompting Zheng Shuang to warn her teams to be 'careful'. As Zhang Yishan and Sa Beining celebrated their opponents' self-inflicted attacks, Xiake recovered by violently throwing Greedy Snake onto its back.

Greedy Snake is thrown over by Xiake's drum

A head-on collision with Greedy Snake throws Xiake into the trap

Greedy Snake self-righted next to the wall spikes, sustaining a ram from Xiake and axe blows from Vulcan, while pushing the British machine against the corner. Greedy Snake next attempted to grab Xiake from the side as the trap descended, before the two machines separated and rammed each other head-on. The collision was enough to allow Greedy Snake to deflect Xiake into the trap, eliminating the red drum spinner instantly.

Greedy Snake, in the process of throwing Vulcan over

Zhang Yishan erupted into joy once Xiake was pitted, as Greedy Snake and Vulcan fought on in a one-on-one clash. Weathering more axe attacks from Vulcan, Greedy Snake grabbed and turned the British machine over, forcing the latter to self-right. Rearing up on its damaged tail - and amidst further rallying cries from Yishan and Beining - Vulcan attempted to strike Greedy Snake’s weapon several more times. However, Greedy Snake again grabbed and maneuvered it back towards the arena corner.

Vulcan tries to axe Greedy Snake's weapon as it is grabbed and pushed back again

An enthralled Yishan left his seat to cheer Greedy Snake on, which Sa Beining called to dump Vulcan into the trap. Their remaining representative succeeded in lifting Vulcan once more while pushing it against the wall spikes. Both competitors remained locked together in the final ten seconds, during which Vulcan desperately swung its axe multiple times at reduced pressure.

Zhang Yishan: "I was very excited. Since the program started this was the most exciting moment. My hands turned numb."

Sa Beining: "This is a hard-won victory, a long-awaited victory. The first two rounds for us are huge blows. This victory is timely."

— The Blue and Yellow team managers reflect on an important Alliance War win

Under the Alliance War rules, 008 and Greedy Snake were automatically declared the winners once time ran out. Yishan and Beining hugged each other in excitement and jubilation, as did the roboteers for their respective entries. The members of Team Xiake entered a disagreement concerning Zheng Jianfeng's tactics; specifically with regards to Xiake engaging in the fight after Greedy Snake's initial trapping.

"I let people down and feel guilty about it. It is due to our own mistakes; our teammates are suffering from it. I am sorry."

— Zheng Jianfeng reflects on the strategy that cost Xiake and Vulcan the fight

Jianfeng, owing up to his mistake, apologized to Alan Young from Team Robots Live! Young was unsure at the time about the rules concerning Greedy Snake's pitting, seeking clarification from Jianfeng on this issue. Needless to say, 008 and Greedy Snake were still formally announced as the winners, earning Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan their first victory as an Alliance team. Though chastising his roboteers for the 'risk' Team Xiake took, Wu Chun still felt a degree of responsibility in losing what he considered his most 'reliable' machine.

"I’m sure they’ll go on there and win the competition, and they’ll get their revenge for me going out, don't worry."

— Alan Young of Team Robots Live!, anticipating redemption from Zheng Shuang and Wu Chun

Winner: 008 & Greedy Snake (Sa Beining & Zhang Yishan)

Red River Hong & Tungsten vs Saturn & Slash Boy

Strategy

The loss of Xiake and Vulcan was still felt by Chun and Shuang, the latter considering it a 'pity'. Chun was down to two robots by this time - Red River Hong and White Tiger Guardian - as was Zhang Yishan (Zen Oh and Saturn). Sa Beining - with four robots still available - assured Yishan that they only needed to push their next opponents into the trap to succeed.

Red River Hong (Chun) and Saturn (Yishan) were the first to be picked, after which Chun noticed the availability of the similarly-designed Zen Oh and Slash Boy. Chun, perhaps in realization of this, chose Tungsten, a decision Shuang agreed with as it would give the duo a direct counter against either of those horizontal spinners. Unaware of their opposition's plan, Yishan remarked that he and Beining could not 'find the right solution' against Red River Hong's drum spinner.

"Well, I think we’ve got pretty good odds… we’re pretty confident going into this."

— Dave Moulds, on Tungsten’s selection for the coming 2v2 round

In the arena, Sa Beining remained confident about a repeat victory for him and Zhang Yishan. Zheng Shuang remained modest before Slash Boy was confirmed as the second machine to fight for Yishan and Beining. Tungsten's selection put the latter two at mild unease, Yishan admitting his dented confidence and, again, the comparative weakness of the Blue/Yellow roster. Mark Lumb and John Mladenik were among the roboteers to comment on the Alliance team draws and general strategies behind these.

Combat

Tungsten is knocked into the trap by a blow from Slash Boy

Red River Hong throws Saturn upwards with a powerful ram

Immediately, Tungsten drove towards Slash Boy, only to suddenly turn round and lift itself close to the edge of the trap. As a result, it sustained a side-on blow from Slash Boy which knocked its onboard camera off, and threw it into the trap, temporarily removing Tungsten from the battle. Meanwhile, Red River Hong ploughed into Saturn, throwing the British ring spinner upwards and causing it to shed several pieces of debris as it flipped over.

"Nice… good job, guys!"

— Sam Smith praises the Red River Hong team for their attack on Saturn

Wu Chun backs Red River Hong as it flips Saturn

Saturn delivers an axe blow on Red River Hong

Despite encountering difficulties with its axe mechanism, Saturn righted itself, and collided with Red River Hong a few more times. Each collision allowed Red River Hong to repeatedly flip Saturn upwards and over, as the latter's top shell began to separate from its base. Saturn responded by landing an axe blow on Red River Hong’s top armor, only to be thrown through the air several more times by the Chinese drum spinner.

Red River Hong splits Saturn apart

With one more blow, Red River Hong threw Saturn over again, causing the top half of the shell to detach completely to Wu Chun's satisfaction. Although Saturn self-righted and repeatedly fired its axe, it lost drive power and was soon deemed immobile. While Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan were anguished by this, Team Titanium took Saturn's dismantled state in amusement.

"Not all the wires have gone. Well, [the axe] is still goin’!"

— Mark Lumb, as a dismembered Saturn tries to use its axe in vain

Tungsten attacks Slash Boy in return for its earlier pitting

At this point, Tungsten was raised out of the trap, dodging an approaching Red River Hong to attack a stationary Slash Boy. From Team Carbide's control area, Sam Smith advised Dave Moulds to look out for shrapnel, before Tungsten ripped several shards away from the side of Slash Boy, itself suffering drive issues. The same attack flipped Slash Boy up against the wall spikes, after which it was completely immobilized.

Tungsten attacked Slash Boy once more to cement its and Red River Hong's victory, gyro-dancing over the arena floor as Slash Boy was deemed to have been knocked out. While Wu Chun, Zheng Shuang and their roboteers celebrated - Sam Smith reflecting on Tungsten's improved driving - Zhang Yishan assigned himself responsibility for his and Sa Beining's loss here. The Slash Boy team, disappointed with this loss, were seen covering their machine up and leaving the pits area (maintenance zone).

"We think, ‘aww, we’re going home now’, and we were very disappointed."

— Mark Lumb comments on Saturn’s elimination

Winner: Red River Hong & Tungsten (Wu Chun & Zheng Shuang)

Trivia

• EarthShaker's withdrawal marked the second occasion in which a competitor robot pulled out of This is Fighting Robots, after Mad Moustache in the preliminary stage.