When it started back in 1984 it was all so easy. The Autobots were the cars, and the Decepticons were the planes and stationary objects like a gun and a tape player. You knew the Decepticons ruled the air, and the Autobots were tops on land. The two sides were fairly evenly matched, except that Optimus Prime was clearly the best of the bunch, and sheer numbers put the Autobots on top.
But by the time Generation One ended, it was way more complicated than that. The Autobots had a fleet of jets at their disposal and the Decepticons had a bevy of cars to throw at their opponents. It wasn’t all about land and air battles, with space, the ocean, and mobile bases thrown into the mix. Once it was all over, there were at least 285 transformers with their own stats – and that’s not including the reissues, battle patrols, mail-in toys, mini-spies and others.
I’ve always wondered which side fielded the strongest team, and where their strengths and weaknesses were. Well, the wait is over. With all the stats in hand, I have created an analysis of the two forces which I will share with you now in six parts. The objective? In a battle across the globe, which side would win? Read on!
Part 1: Land Superiority (excluding bases)This is an analysis of the alternate modes of the transformers, so I’m not counting characters like Megatron or Perceptor who are essentially immobile save their robot form (they’ll get counted later). This is about the Autobots and Decepticons who can move across the land and engage each other on the open road or field of battle. Let’s look at the numbers:
Category (Autobot vs. Decepticon)
Count -
100 vs. 65
Strength - 6.6 vs.
7.1Intelligence -
7.1 vs. 6.4
Speed -
5.3 vs. 4.5
Endurance - 7.4 vs.
7.5Courage -
8.3 vs. 7.7
Firepower - 5.8 vs.
7.0Skill -
7.6 vs. 7.3
For the Autobots, they have a clear and strong numerical advantage. They can throw wave after wave of robots into the mix and win a war of attrition. However they also have notable advantages in intelligence, speed, and courage. The Decepticons are stronger and enjoy more firepower, but that isn’t enough to tip the scales in their favor.
In addition, check out the list of Autobots who are all better on average than the best Decepticon on the field which is Scourge: Rodimus Prime, Hot Rod, Countdown, Optimus Prime, Sky Lynx, Springer, and Skyhammer. Holy cow! That’s a who’s who of Autobots stacked up against the who’s next of Decepticons.
Verdict: Advantage 
AutobotsPart 2: Air SuperiorityThe Decepticons were the clear leaders here when it all began, but that pecking order was challenged when Jetfire arrived. Couple that with the appearance of the Aerialbots, rule of the airspace was suddenly up for grabs. So where do we stand at the end of Generation One? Let’s look at the numbers:
Category (Autobot vs. Decepticon)
Count - 30 vs.
46Strength - 6.0 vs.
6.6Intelligence -
7.4 vs. 6.8
Speed -
7.1 vs. 6.5
Endurance -
6.9 vs. 6.8
Courage -
8.5 vs. 7.4
Firepower - 7.1 vs.
7.2Skill -
7.7 vs. 7.5
This is a close one! The Autobots are smarter, faster, and more courageous. The Decepticons have the numbers, with 50% more troops (although I’m including the Insecticons who had limited ability in the air). They’re also stronger, although I’m not sure that’s much of an advantage in flight.
In terms of the top leaders on each team, there really isn’t that much separation between the two sides. The Autobots can throw up Springer, Skyhammer, Jetfire, Broadside, and Whirl against the Decepticons Snapdragon, Skywarp, Sixshot, Apeface, Cyclonus, and DoubleDealer. There’s no clear advantage there. In the end, the number of Decepticon robots is the most compelling factor in play.
Verdict: Slight Advantage 
DecepticonsNext Time: analysis of ocean and space superiority
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
