by mossman » Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:42 pm
- Motto: ""These are random thoughts, and I am a random person.""
- Weapon: High-Voltage Electric Cannon
. . . Each robot first arrives at the arena pristine and in top operating condition. Every detail, even down to paint jobs, are meretriciously handled as each robot knows they must attend to every detail in order to be victorious. That all changes after the first match. In fact, often the first blow is enough to completely wipe away the illusion of perfection. Even the greatest of robots is no longer fully functional after the initial battle. The staging area does well to patch the Transformers, but scars remain. For some they find their mobility to the left is not what it once was, and others have less than a full field of vision. These newly developed defects sometimes remain forever, and those who advance further into the tournament simply learn to hide their imperfections as best they can. Those who cannot hide their weaknesses are torn apart by opponents who will jump on any advantage they can spot. So each robot must mask their frailties at all times, as never are they away from prying eyes . . . .
The Autobots of 1987 Bracket
Pre-Match Analysis
Never has the gap between the 1 seed and the 2 seed been as great as the one here. Fortress Maximus is such a strong contender, that whoever is in the second slot is irrelevant. It’s Fortress Maximus versus the field. That field consists of headmasters, Technobots, Throttlebots, Monsterbots, and a bunch of others. The field is tightly knit and should yield plenty of upsets. We saw something similar to this with the ’85 Decepticons, but Shockwave had nowhere near the advantages that Fort Max enjoys. His defeat would be the upset of the tournament, no matter at whose hands the defeat comes. Is it possible that the mighty one might fall?
Notable Results
No. Despite the potential for upsets, only 4 of them actually occur. The most notable was when no. 5 Scattershot could not win a single match versus no. 12 Pointblank. The finals almost produced the upset of the tournament when no. 2 Computron had a 2-1 advantage over Fort Max. The upset was not to be realized however.
Post-Match Analysis
Fort Max didn’t benefit from favorable seeding from any upset, and still pulled off a 12-4 record. The story of the bracket might be that he didn’t dominate as much as was expected, even giving away his very first game of the bracket to Goldbug. Despite Computron’s strong 11-5 performance, the Technobots finished a measly 17-17. Ultimately, this bracket didn’t deliver any memorable moments, giving us what we expected from the beginning.
The Decepticons of 1987 Bracket
Pre-Match Analysis
Up until now, every bracket has featured a clear-cut #1 seed. Not only does this bracket buck that trend, it offers up 4 Transformers who can place a legitimate claim at the top spot. They are Sixshot, Apeface, Snapdragon, and Hun-Gurrr. Beyond those, the field is fairly average and unremarkable. Of note among the masses is supposed foil to Fort Max, Scorponok, who can only achieve a measly 13 seed. This makes the Fort Max/Scorponok rivalry the lamest in Transformers lore. I do not anticipate a Tournament of Champions match between these two.
Notable Results
Despite the relatively even field, the first two rounds only featured one upset, but it was a doozy. No. 15 Pounce went the distance in ousting no. 2 Apeface. Subsequent upsets dislodged both no. 3 Snapdragon and no. 4 Hun-Gurrr. The title match resulted in the most uneven pairing of the tournament, with no. 1 Sixshot using the minimum number to defeat no. 15 Pounce – the same robot who had disposed of the 2 and 3 seeded players.
Post-Match Analysis
It looked like a tight grouping at the top, but disappointing performances of 3 of the top 4 ruined the potential drama in play. Only two combatants stood out. The top seed ran a strong 12-1 run and never seemed to break a sweat. Or leak oil. Whatever. And then there was Pounce who finished 12-8 which is incredible for his seed, racking up 3 consecutive upsets in the process. A distant third place for effort goes to Snapdragon who went 7-4 but could have done so much more.
Conclusion
A Fort Max vs. Sixshot matchup will not stand out as one of the greatest draws in the Tournament of Champions, despite the strong run Sixshot had while Fort Max relatively struggled. Stranger things have happened however, so you never know.
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