The Energon Pub

. . . News of the prior day’s events are well known by all the participants. Autobot and Decepticon alike seek out as much information of the first battles as possible, trying to attain any advantage they can. It is futile. There are no secrets to learn, nothing to change the odds in any appreciable way. Each robot must battle another in an open area with no place to hide nor any foreign object to help. Each robot is left with their own two hands, combined with whatever additional appendage or skill is at their disposal . . . .


The Autobots of 1985 Bracket

Pre-Match Analysis
As we move along, our brackets become more diverse, and this is certainly true here. There are more mini-Autobot cars and medium-sized ones, but they are also joined with larger members such as Perceptor and Blaster, among others. This bracket features the Dinobots, whose leader Grimlock assumes the top seed. Despite this lofty standing, the Dinobots have not generally seeded well, and 3 of the 5 members can likely expect an early exit from the festivities. Grimlock will also face a very tough challenge to advance. Seeded below him are Whirl, Jetfire, and Omega Supreme, and any of them can realistically expect to advance.

Notable Results
There were a hand-full of upsets in the first round, highlighted when no. 20 Seaspray swept no. 13 Powerglide. The second round featured no upsets or five-set matches. In the third round, no. 5 Perceptor shocked no. 4 Omega Supreme in 5. It would not be the last surprise of the bracket. No. 3 Jetfire ripped off two upsets, taking out no. 2 Whirl in 4 games and then using the same number to best the top-seeded Grimlock in the final.

Post-Match Analysis
The Dinobots were as ineffective as advertised. Combined they went 17-21, with Grimlock providing 10 of the wins and Swoop contributing 4 more. Blaster looked really good, finishing 8-3 and almost upsetting Grimlock. Jetfire went 12-4, which is respectable but not dominant. Still, it was enough to represent the bracket in the Tournament of Champions. It is likely he will be there as one of the weaker seeds, if not the weakest.


The Decepticons of 1985 Bracket

Pre-Match Analysis
More jets, 7 real pests in the Insecticons, 6 Constructicons plus Devastator, a couple of Triple Changers and Shockwave. That’s your ’85 bad boy line-up. It’s a tightly knit field, so upsets are expected. However it’s not so tight at the top. Shockwave has a clear advantage, and the potential for other upsets may actually make his path easier.

Notable Results
There were 19 matches and over half of them were upsets. The biggest in the first round was when no. 10 Devasator fell to no. 19 Scavenger. Yep, that’s right, in this tournament a robot can sometimes match up with himself, or at least part of himself. Chop Shop pulled off two notable upsets as the 11th seed took out the 7th and 3rd seeds (Barrage and Ramjet respectively). The biggest upset occurred when no. 18 Bombshell was down 2 games against no. 2 Astrotrain and then went on to take 3 matches in a row. Despite Chop Shop’s success in upsets, Shockwave took the final over him in straight sets.

Post-Match Analysis
Shockwave dominated, clearly taking advantage of the upsets to finish a strong 12-1. The Insecticons really made a mess of things, finishing a combined 34-31 despite the highest-seeded Shrapnel making an early exit. Every other Transformer or group did average or worse, with the Constructions leading the bottom at 21-27.


Conclusion
Shockwave advanced as expected, but he will face a very unexpected Jetfire. Will Shockwave push forward once again on the back of prior upsets? That will be revealed in the Tournament of Champions.

Roadbuster wasn't a 5 seed?