The Energon Pub

The story so far . . .

The Autobots dominate the land and the Decepticons dominate the sea. In space the Autobots have a slight edge, while the Decepticons enjoy a slight advantage in the air. Thus, overall the two sides appear evenly matched. With only two parts to go, it’s time to declare a winner. Which side is the strongest? Read on to find out!


Part 5: Bases and Super Warrior Superiority

Now it’s time to look at the big boys. Size matters here, but speed not so much. The Autobots and Decepticons have similar attributes for their large folk but there must be a winner at the end of the day. Who will take home the belt in this battle royale! Let’s look at the numbers:

Category – (Autobot vs. Decepticon)
Count – 6 vs. 9
Strength - 9.8 vs. 9.6
Intelligence - 7.2 vs. 4.4
Speed - 4.5 vs. 3.1
Endurance - 9.2 vs. 8.4
Courage – 10 vs. 9.2
Firepower - 8.8 vs. 8.7
Skill - 8.8 vs. 6.3

The Autobots are outnumbered by 50%, but for once that doesn’t matter. Across the board the Autobots have better attributes, with huge differences in intelligence, speed, and skill. Areas where the Decepticons usually have an advantage, like strength and firepower, are of no use to them here.

And then you have to consider that the mac daddy of all Transformers, Fortress Maximus, is among this group. Sure, the Decepticons have Trypticon to make the battle respectable, but the three next best Transformers are all Autobots: Computron, Superion, and Metroplex. We have a heavyweight champ!

Verdict: Advantage Autobots


Part 6: The Immobiles

Both sides have a number of Transformers whose only mobility is their robot mode. Many of these don’t really matter, such as the cassette tapes of either side. But there are some heavy hitters here too, so we can’t ignore this group. Think of this as the x-factor gang. They can’t get anywhere on their own, but if someone could take them to the field of battle, they could tip the balance. Let’s look at the numbers:

Category – (Autobot vs. Decepticon)
Count – 16 vs. 20
Strength - 6.7 vs. 6.6
Intelligence - 7.9 vs. 7.1
Speed - 3.3 vs. 4.1
Endurance - 7.4 vs. 7.1
Courage - 8.8 vs. 7.2
Firepower - 5.8 vs. 6.5
Skill - 8.3 vs. 8.1

The Autobots have a slight disadvantage in numbers here, but the extra numbers on the Decepticons side are for the weakest Transformers in Generation One, so that isn’t much of a factor. The Autobots enjoy intelligence and courage advantages, but that’s about it. The Decepticons are faster and more powerful. So stat-wise it’s not a slam dunk for either side.

But leader-wise it is. You have to count off Galvatron, Shockwave, and Megatron before you get to the best of the Autobots who aren’t notable enough to list here. Outside the big Decepticon 3, these robots really aren’t difference makers. But when you have a big 3 like that, that’s all you need.

Verdict: Advantage Decepticons



Conclusion

In this 6-part series we saw the Autobots take clear control of land, including bases and super warriors, and enjoy a slight advantage in space. The Decepticons rule the ocean and have a slight advantage in the air, but they also have a strong advantage in the x-factor category. It’s tough to call which side would win in an all-out battle, because both have advantages and the ability to hide their disadvantages. But I said I’d pick a winner, and I’m not going to back out now.

At the end of the day, the Autobots are the stronger of the two sides. To prove this, let’s look at the 10 best Transformers based on their stats. In the top 5 you have Fortress Maximus, Rodimus Prime, Optimus Prime, Hot Rod, and Galvatron. In the bottom 5 you have Trypticon, Shockwave, Megatron, Countdown, and Sky Lynx. The Autobots clearly dominate that top 5, and the Decepticons have the advantage in the lower 5, but not by a landslide. Simply put, the best of the Autobots are superior to the best of the Decepticons with no real advantage for the forces of evil.

So there it is! In a way, nothing changed from 1984 to the end of Generation One. The Autobots rule the land, the Decepticons control the air, and the best of the Autobots beat the best of the Decepticons. How about that!


Be sure to check out my Generation One stat cruncher which I used heavily to create this analysis. You can find it at: http://jeffreylawrencemoss.info/oddsnends.html.


Post script. Another reflection of the dominance of the Autobots can be seen in the 3 main rivalries that defined Generation One. The Rodimus Prime vs. Galvatron rivalry was the most balanced, with the Autobot Protector enjoying only a slight numerical advantage over the Decepticon. Optimus Prime had a larger stat gap with Megatron, which was most evident in speed (how can you have no known weaknesses if your main opponent can move at twice the speed than you?). Then there’s the most lopsided “rivalry” in the series between Fortress Maximus and Scorponok. Not only did Fort Max have 21 more attribute points than his Decpticon counterpart, he enjoyed advantages in every statistic, highlighted by an 8-point gap in speed. In all 3 rivalries, the Decepticons enjoyed only 1 advantage out of 21 compared attributes. No wonder the Decepticons needed to be sneaky and dishonest – that was their only chance at victory.

Mate, not sure what everyone else thought about these but I really enjoyed them. Nice work.

I also checked out your site. Midnight oil kick arse. Power and the Passion (Im from Aus)!

That's funny that you brought that up, because I was just listening to them the other day. I put the songs on shuffle and up popped up the song "Pub With No Beer" which I guess is a cover they performed. I had totally forgotten about that song until that moment, and it was nice because it was like hearing a new Midnight Oil song for the first time in a long time. They were a unique band to the world, not just Australia, and it's a real drag they don't produce music anymore. I know some of the members have gone off and done other projects, but it just isn't the same without Garrett.

Thanks for the kind words about my posts. It was fun to do this. I think one of the most magical parts about the Transformers, for me anyway, was the bios on the back of each box and the accompanying stats.