The 'Shroom:Issue 231/Pipe Plaza
Director's Notes
Hello hello and Happy June everyone!! I hope y'all have been getting some enjoyable weather as of late. We've been getting hit with some rain here the past few days. There was thunder so loud a couple of days ago it even woke me up at six in the morning... Anyways, onto a new Pipe Plaza! These are gonna be pretty short and sweet this time because Zange is tired and wants to go to bed, I'm writing this the night before release and I unfortunately work at both of my jobs tomorrow.
Hooded Pitohui (talk) is flying in as the new writer of The 'Shroom Report! The other cool Pipe Plaza sections you know and love are here and ready for your reading pleasure as well! Don't forget, you can always send us an application to write a very cool Pipe Plaza section of your own! Just head to the sign up page to find out more.
Have a good day, a good read, and a wonderful rest of your month!
Section of the Month
Congratulations to this month's winners! Tying for first place, we have Waluigi Time (talk) with Bonus Bonus Stars and Shoey (talk) with What's in a Campaign?! Taking bronze this time is Fun With Despair (talk) with Poll Committee! Thank you to everyone who votes for their favorite sections as well.
| PIPE PLAZA SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Bonus Bonus Stars | 5 | 31.25% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
| 1st | What's in a Campaign? | 5 | 31.25% | Shoey (talk) |
| 3rd | Poll Committee Discussion | 4 | 25.00% | Fun With Despair (talk) |
NIWA News
Written by: Trig Jegman (talk)
Slow season this time around. Feels like everyone is very busy this time of year. I'm busy with having started a new job. The youths of tomorrow are busy with exams and tests and quizzes and the like. Nintendo is noticeably not busy on making a new Wario platformer. Guess we can't all be winners.
Staff changes
- Hope(N Forever) becomes an administrator on Lylat Wiki
- user:Jdtendo and User:1468z become patrollers on Mario Wiki
- Owencrazyboy17 is no longer staff on Wikirby, and BB101 becomes a moderator
- PrinceBowserJr is now staff on Wiki Mario (FR)
Major developments
- Bulbapedia has a new default layout.
- WiKirby now has temporary accounts for anonymous editors.
Game releases
- Pokémon Champions
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
The following games are slated for release soon:
- Rhythm Heaven Groove
- Star Fox
- Splatoon Raiders
Major releases also include POSTAL: Brain Damaged - These Sunny Daze, Mega Man Star Force: Legacy Collection, and MotoGP 26. StrategyWiki would love to have guides for these games!
Xenosaga: Pied Piper was re-released for Nintendo Switch.
Special thanks to releases for documentation.
Featured wiki projects
With the recent announcement of Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2, Lylat Wiki needs some new hands to get it ready for the modern era. Consider joining it today!
This concludes this installment of NIWA News. For questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, contact NIWA's Vice Coordinator Trig Jegman.
To-Do Tracker
Written by: Camwoodstock, of the Seven Stars (talk)
Howdy! ...Man, what a summer, huh? We say, when it's only June, but, like, can you blame us? Awards season is coming in hot, and both Deltarune Chapter 5 and the finale of The Amazing Digital Circus are releasing in the same week... Actually, as we write that, it isn't out yet, but it'll be out by the time you're reading it. Wonder what it's like?
What we're doing here definitely isn't as bonkers as all that stuff probably is or was, but like that'll stop us. As long as there is a to-do bar, we will continue to be tracking its stats.
Note: All dates here were taken fairly late at night in EST; around 1-3 AM EST.
| To-Do Item | May 20, 2026 | May 27, 2026 | Jun 3, 2026 | Jun 10, 2026 | Jun 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active PipeProjects | N/A | N/A | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Spotlight focuses | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ongoing TPPs | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Unimplemented Proposals | 40+ | 50+ | 50+ | 50+ | 40+ |
| Unresolved Discussions | 238 | 237 | 238 | 241 | 246 |
| To-do Lists | 1,402 | 1,381 | 1,380 | 1,381 | 1,386 |
| Sourcing Issues | 17,229 | 17,190 | 17,032 | 16,989 | 16,981 |
| Wanted Articles | 1000+ | 1000+ | 1000+ | 1000+ | 1000+ |
| Requested Deletions | 6 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 23 |
| Suggested Moves | 47 | 51 | 52 | 51 | 53 |
| Suggested Merges | 90 | 86 | 88 | 86 | 90 |
| Suggested Splits | 78 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 77 |
| Missing Romanizations | 65 | 65 | 103 | 29 | N/A |
| Note Trims | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Meanings | 130 | 129 | 171 | 166 | 124 |
| Image Quality | 3,918 | 3,879 | 3,864 | 3,863 | 3,858 |
| Images Needed | 860 | 873 | 873 | 880 | 904 |
| Media Needed | 596 | 611 | 623 | 640 | 653 |
| Media Quality | 19 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| Unused Files | 400+ | 450+ | 450+ | 450+ | 450+ |
| Files To Be Used | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 |
For some observations for how the numbers have progressed, and some potential targets:
- New item deployed! Indeed, the proposal to resurrect Pipe Projects ultimately passed, and so we now have a tracker for active Pipe Projects. As of right now, it's just the Music crew, though this may change.
- Sourcing Issues has hit another milestone, as another thousand is peeled away! And, quite quickly, too, having hit the 17,000s mark back around March 18th of this year, and taking only 3 months to reach the 16,000s. Nicely done!
- Note Trims has had a surprisingly consistent presence, staying above 1 entry every month. These should be easy to deal with by people familiar with the subjects; calling for anyone who knows enough about Gloomy Galleon, New Super Mario Bros., or Virtual Console to potentially sort these out!
- Unknown Meanings have sat at over 100 all month long. Many, many Polish name meanings remain at large. If anyone has any pointers, it would be appreciated!
- Media Needed managed to not only breach 600, but 650 entries. If you think you have what it takes, we're sure the Pipe Projects crew wouldn't mind the assistance in wrangling samples together.
Poll Committee Discussion
Hey folks, it's Koopa here. I'll be writing this month's Poll Committee Discussion! I'm actually returning from a vacation right this second, so this whole section has been written 40,000ft in the air! Is that a first for the Shroom? Probably not but still, neat! Anyways let's get started and analyse these polls!
Archives
Which Koopalings boss battle in Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is your favorite? (Ninja Squid (talk), May 10, 2026)
| Which Koopalings boss battle in Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is your favorite?
|
|---|
| I have not played this game. 50.94% (1,061 votes) |
| Ludwig 13.59% (283 votes) |
| Lemmy 8.69% (181 votes) |
| Larry 6.14% (128 votes) |
| Morton 5.42% (113 votes) |
| Iggy 4.66% (97 votes) |
| Roy 4.66% (97 votes) |
| Wendy 3.41% (71 votes) |
| I didn't like any of the boss battles. 2.50% (52 votes) |
| Total votes: 2,083 |
Mario has had many one-time companions during his many adventures. Besides swappable partners (Goombario, Vivian, etc.) who is your favorite? (Koop (talk), May 24, 2026)
| Mario has had many one-time companions during his many adventures. Besides swappable partners (Goombario, Vivian, etc.) who is your favorite?
|
|---|
| Cappy 25.38% (653 votes) |
| F.L.U.D.D. 18.23% (469 votes) |
| Bowser Jr. 9.29% (239 votes) |
| Tippi 8.82% (227 votes) |
| Baby Luma 7.23% (186 votes) |
| Olivia 5.79% (149 votes) |
| I have no opinion 5.48% (141 votes) |
| Huey 4.55% (117 votes) |
| My favorite is not listed here. 3.89% (100 votes) |
| Prince Florian 3.26% (84 votes) |
| Snoutlet 2.76% (71 votes) |
| Prince Dreambert 2.10% (54 votes) |
| Stuffwell 2.06% (53 votes) |
| Kersti 1.17% (30 votes) |
| Total votes: 2,573 |
Analysis
Which Koopalings boss battle in Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is your favorite? (Ninja Squid (talk), May 10, 2026)
This first poll was created by Ninja Squid (talk) and relates to the somewhat recently released Nintendo Switch 2 version of Super Mario Bros. Wonder which features new battles against the Koopalings in Meetup at Bellabel Park. Personally I never got very far into Bellabel Park but I plan on picking it back up after I finish Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, because of this I unfortunately probably won't have too much to say about these results. Anyhoo let's take a look at the results!
Perhaps surprisingly, coming in first with a whopping 50.94% of the votes (1,061 votes) is 'I have not played this game'. Rather interesting, I've noticed this is a pattern with Switch 2 games specifically. Considering the console has sold well however, this result is still a surprise to me. Of course there are other reasons for this turn out, NS2 editions are infamously marketed rather poorly, last month Fun With Despair even mentioned how awkwardly named they are.
In second place with 13.59% (283 votes) is Ludwig! Honestly this comes as no surprise, after all Ludwig has previously come first in 'favourite Koopaling' polls so it makes sense those votes would probably translate over to here too.
In third place with 8.69% (181 votes) is Lemmy! Which again, similarly to Ludwig lines up with the previous 'favourite Koopaling' poll. Going forward the poll deviates from this pattern, however as I don't have a lot to say I will simply list the rest of the results.
In fourth was Larry with 6.14% (128 votes)
In fifth was Morton with 5.42% (113 votes)
In sixth was a tie between Iggy and Roy, both with 4.66%! (97 votes)
In seventh was Wendy with 3.41% (71 votes). This one also lines up with the communities' general opinions on the Koopalings, as she ranked the bottom of that poll too.
In eighth was 'I didn't like any of these boss battles' with 2.50% (52 votes). Seems like the vast majority of people who played this game seemed to enjoy at least one of the battles.
An interesting result, I can't say I was expecting over half of the votes to be for one option but I love to be surprised. Onto the next poll!
Mario has had many one-time companions during his many adventures. Besides swappable partners (Goombario, Vivian, etc.) who is your favorite? (Koop (talk), May 24, 2026)
This poll was created by me, Koopa! And it's actually one I had in my head from before I even joined the poll committee so I'm glad to be writing about it now.
In first place, to my absolute delight, is Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey with 25.38% of the votes (653 votes). Besides any Koopas, Cappy is my favourite Mario-series character so seeing that other people share that love for him makes me happy, though I can't say that I'm particularly surprised as Super Mario Odyssey is one of the most popular Mario games, and at least when it comes to the mainline series Cappy is easily the most developed companion and actually feels like a standalone character working with Mario rather than just a gimmick.
In second place, with 18.23% of the votes (469 votes) is F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine. Arguably Mario's original one-time companion (unless you count the Lakitu Bros. but that's a topic for another time), F.L.U.D.D. is an all-time classic character and it's completely understandable to see why they are such a popular choice. Because of them, Super Mario Sunshine is an incredibly unique game and even though they aren't an incredibly defined character, F.L.U.D.D. will still chime in on things every now and then and again proves they are more than a mere gimmick.
In third place is an interesting one, it's Bowser Jr. from Bowser's Fury with 9.29% of the votes (239 votes). Now obviously, this one is a little different because Bowser Jr. is an already existing main character in the overall Mario series, and whilst this isn't his first time appearing as an ally to Mario (that would be in Paper Mario: The Origami King) it is definitely the most impactful time. Bowser Jr. is a popular character so it's again, not a surprise that he made it into the top three.
In fourth place, with 8.82% of the votes (227 votes) is Tippi from Super Paper Mario, or also known as Lady Timpani. I have to admit, I expected Tippi to perform a lot better on this poll. Not to say that she didn't perform well, but I know how popular of a pairing Tippi and Count Bleck are, but alas she just missed out on the top three by a few votes.
In fifth place, with 7.23% of the votes (186 votes) is Baby Luma from Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, and yes I will acknowledge that technically speaking the Baby Luma is not a one-time companion as they appear in both Galaxy games, however for the sakes of the poll they have been considered one (the Galaxy games are so similar anyways).
In sixth place, with 5.79% of the votes (149 votes) is Olivia from Paper Mario: The Origami King. Another one of my favourites on this list, Olivia is a delightful character! She has a decent number of fans too, so her placement on this poll is not surprising to me.
I'm going to speed things up for the last few as I don't have a lot to say going forward.
In seventh place, with 5.48% of the votes (141 votes) was 'I have no opinion'
In eighth place with 4.55% of the votes (117 votes) is Huey from Paper Mario: Color Splash!
In ninth place with 3.89% of the votes (100 votes) is 'My favourite is not listed here'. There were a few characters that were not included on this poll (such as the aforementioned Lakitu Bros.) or some I may have forgotten about when writing the poll, those missed characters would be included here!
In tenth place, with 3.26% of the votes (84 votes) is Prince Florian from Super Mario Bros. Wonder
In eleventh place, with 2.76% of the votes (71 votes) is Snoutlet from Mario & Luigi: Brothership
In twelfth place, with 2.10% of the votes (54 votes) is Prince Dreambert from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
In thirteenth place, with 2.06% of the votes (53 votes) is Stuffwell from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
and finally in fourteenth place, with 1.17% of the votes (30 votes) and probably to the surprise of absolutely nobody, it is one of the least popular Mario characters I have ever seen: Kersti from Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Honestly I'm shocked Kersti got even 30 votes but I am not one to judge.
Also worth saying, I'm surprised all of the M&L companions ranked so low. I can't personally comment as the only one I have played is Superstar Saga but it still caught me off guard.
Conclusion
That wraps up this months Poll Committee Discussion! I'll admit I didn't get to talk as much as I wished I could, but being 40,000ft in the air and all.. I did what I could! Anyways, it was a blast returning to the Shroom. See you next time folks! (Well... not me specifically, but whoever decides to write the next one of these).
The 'Shroom Report
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello, all you readers of The 'Shroom! I'm Hooded Pitohui, flying in to take over from Waluigi Time (talk). I have to give him credit for revitalizing this section and keeping it going for so long, as well as allowing me to borrow his format. I wanted to pick up where he left off, so let's keep the stats flowing! Following in my predecessor's footsteps, let me give my thanks to MightyMario for updating the spreadsheets.
For new readers or anyone needing a refresher, please open the box below.
First-Time Writers lists everyone who wrote their first section for The 'Shroom in the previous issue.- New Sections lists recurring sections that started their run in the previous issue. This includes returning sections that previously went inactive.
- Guest Sections lists one-off submissions from the previous issue.
- Milestones covers certain section numbers reached in the previous issue. Writers are mentioned for every 10 sections written in a team and every 50 sections written overall, teams are mentioned for every 100 sections, and The 'Shroom itself is mentioned for every 500 sections. Additionally, established writers are mentioned the first time they contribute to a particular team.
- Most Sections Written lists the current all-time record holders.
| Section | Writer |
|---|---|
| The Death of the Player | Koops (talk) |
| Writer | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Boo1268 | 10 Palette Swap sections |
| ClawgripFan9001 | 100 overall sections |
| FunkyK38 (talk) | 220 Palette Swap sections |
| Hypnotoad (talk) | 230 Critic Corner sections |
| Roserade (talk) | 110 Fun Stuff sections |
| Shoey (talk) | 110 Fake News sections |
| Sparks (talk) | 40 Strategy Wing sections |
| Waluigi Time (talk) | 80 Main/Staff Sections |
| Yoshi18 (talk) | 10 Critic Corner sections |
| Team | Writer | Number of Sections |
|---|---|---|
| Main/Staff | Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) | 142 |
| Fake News | Waluigi Time (talk) | 188 |
| Fun Stuff | Shoey (talk) | 172 |
| Palette Swap | FunkyK38 (talk) | 220 |
| Pipe Plaza | Yoshi876 (talk) | 128 |
| Critic Corner | Hypnotoad (talk) | 230 |
| Strategy Wing | Hooded Pitohui (talk) | 198 |
| Overall | Yoshi876 (talk) | 747 |
| Out of the 314 writers in 'Shroom history to date, 57 one of them, or 18.15%, have only written a single section. Of these writers, the majority (56.14%, or 32 out of 57) wrote for the main team. The two years which had the most one-time writers are 2016 and 2023, with 7 one-time (or 12.28% of the the total) writers each. 2012, 2013, 2022, and so far 2026 are tied for the fewest one-time writers, with only one writer apiece. |
A Section of Muppetational Origins
(once again I would like to thank the Muppet Wiki for being a valuable resource of information and images!)
Hello and welcome back to a new edition of A Section of Muppetational Origins! This is Zange, and I am here to tell you all about the origins and history of another wonderful Muppet. I almost didn’t have time to write this yet again because 1. LIFE, and 2. the Muppets (yes, a duo!) I originally wanted to write about this month would have taken me a lot more time than I am currently working with. However, I remembered a rather relevant event happening this year and decided to pivot so y’all don’t have to wait two more months for Muppets since I had to miss April! Anyways, last time we covered the absolute diva Miss Piggy. This time, since it so happens to be the USA’s 250th, we are covering the most patriotic of the Muppets, resident culture advocate Sam the Eagle!
Sam the Eagle finds his origin in 1975 with The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, the second of two pilots produced for what would become The Muppet Show. In this pilot, he teams up with host Nigel and the hip Floyd Pepper to keep the show running smoothly from the control room. He also expresses concern and suspicion about the Seven Deadly Sins Pageant that is to be hosted at the end of the special, giving a sneak peek at the role he would hold in The Muppet Show once it went to production. Interestingly, Sam also seemed to have a more positive (or at least, less negative) relationship with Nigel in this pilot than he would go on to have with Kermit.
Sam also made some appearances in the first batch (later to be titled Muppet Picker Upper) of Muppet Meeting Films. These were short films licensed out to companies with the purpose of showing them during meetings to break up the monotony of it all. In these short films, Sam finds it demeaning that he has to introduce Kermit (apparently a bald eagle introducing a frog is below him), and is appalled when Kermit offers to make him an honorary frog.
Very early on in The Muppet Show, Sam established himself as the show’s moral censor and connoisseur of all things cultural. He would take pleasure in introducing the singing duo of Wayne and Wanda, claiming them to be the good, clean entertainment that the rest of the show is lacking. Unfortunately for Sam, this act would usually end in chaos. He would also take frequent part in the Panel Discussions, a sketch that would only appear in the first season.
Starting in the second season, Sam would occasionally deliver editorials and speeches about how the United States and the world were being ruined by “weirdoes” - notably also the same word he used to describe the rest of the Muppets - to various effect. Probably the most notable of these is a speech where Sam is speaking against nudity before realizing that he, too, is naked underneath his feathers.
Sam had differing relationships with the guest stars of the show depending on how ‘cultural’ he perceived them. He lauded stars such as Rudolf Nureyev, Liberace, and Lou Rawls (or at least, he sung their praises before they got on stage to perform, and then he changed his mind and decided they were just as weird as his fellow Muppets) while showing heavy disapproval towards Elton John, Spike Mulligan, and most notably Alice Cooper, among others.
Despite claiming himself to be a consumer of cultural content, Sam doesn’t seem to be very knowledgeable about what he considers to be fine culture. He called Beethoven his favorite playwright and not only did he call Rudolf Nureyev his favorite opera singer (Nureyev was a ballet dancer), he kicked Nureyev out upon arrival to the Muppet Theatre because he didn’t recognize him!
Throughout his entire history as a character, Sam has remained very American and patriotic, with one notable exception: In The Muppets Christmas Carol, Sam portrays the teacher of a young Scrooge, at one point proclaiming that business is “the American way”. Upon being prompted by Gonzo, Sam retracts this statement and changes it to “the British way” since the story takes place in England. That’s probably one of the funniest moments of that whole movie but I imagine Sam has some thoughts about that…
The Sam the Eagle puppet has stayed fairly consistent for all 51 years of his existence, although at one point in the early 2000’s he did sport some more hair (er, feathers) than usual due to concerns about being bald, despite being a bald eagle. I guess bald eagles find Propecia useful too?? His performer history has remained consistent as well, with Frank Oz performing him until retiring from his Muppet Show characters in 2000 and Eric Jacobsen officially taking over in 2005. In that gap it’s worth noting that Kevin Clash, most known for being the original performer of Elmo, performed Sam a handful of times - one of which was a voice only appearance in the video game Muppets Party Cruise.
In the modern day, Sam’s role in the Muppet ensemble has remained largely the same, though it has flexed a bit depending on the needs of the media. In 2011’s The Muppets, he is seen hosting a corner called “Everything Stinks” for a news channel in a montage where Kermit and Walter reunite the Muppets who have gone on their separate paths. In Muppets Most Wanted, he takes the role of a CIA agent, which is somehow an excellent fit. In the 2015 television series The Muppets, he works in Standards and Practices for the network that airs Miss Piggy’s late night show. It’s been fun to see Sam adapt to differing roles that still work with his character, and I really hope they do it again in the future. Until next time, keep believing and keep pretending!
What's in a Campaign?
Hello, and welcome back to What's in a Campaign?, a section where I take a look at various competitors from the hit show Robot Wars. Last month, we took a look at a trio of sort-of-competitors-but-not-really in the form of Series 1's Stock Robots. This month, we're going back to rookie campaigns as we take a look at Series 3's Gravedigger!
Built by Jonathan Chaplin and his father Dave Chaplin (with a mysterious third team member Owen Ramsey listed but not appearing), Gravedigger is, to be blunt, just Cassius from Series 2 with a new coat of paint. It's not literally Cassius, but basically team looked at Cassius and went "wow that kicks ass, I bet I could build that!" and then they did! Which, hey, if you're going to plagiarize, you should plagiarize from the best! Gravedigger features a hydraulic-powered front-hinge lifter ram arm on a wedge that it uses to flip over its opponents. It's a concept that's on its way out and which will be replaced by the traditional flipper panels seen on robots such as Chaos 2, but it's still an effective weapon here in Series 3.
"Hey, can I copy your homework?"
"Yeah, but don't make it obvious."
Gravedigger has light armor, as is the style of the time, and considering they're mostly going against things like spikes and regular pickaxes, that's fine. Being powered by two 1hhp motors unfortunately leaves it with a low top speed of only 5mph. If they were aiming to clone Cassius, Gravedigger did a hell of a job!
As a reminder, all pictures are sourced from the fantastic Robot Wars Wiki. Somewhat surprisingly, there isn't a full compilation of Gravedigger Series 3 fights, so it'll be split across two videos this month.
Like most newcomers in Series 3, Gravedigger qualified through the audition process, which in Series 3 was a Gauntlet run to make sure the robot worked. It's a strange qualifier if you ask me since Series 3 completely moved away from the Gauntlet and the Trials of Series 1 and 2 and was instead solely a combat show, but, hey, that's what the producers wanted! Placed in Heat F, Gravedigger's first opponent was Manic Mutant, featuring, of course, a spike disc at the rear. Awesome, I'm sure that'll do a ton of damage! They also have a lifter that I'm pretty sure won't successfully lift anything!
The fight (20:23) starts with Manic Mutant darting off the line and missing Gravedigger. Despite being slower than Manic Mutant, Gravedigger is still able to get around and "bash" its front into the side of Manic Mutant. The two robots break apart for a second until the faster Manic Mutant manages to get its lifter under the backside of Gravedigger, and wouldn't you know who won the pony? The lifter isn't doing anything! Oh, also, despite the fact that Manic Mutant is pushing Gravedigger from the front, Gravedigger is outpushing Manic Mutant even while running in reverse, forcing Manic Mutant to break away and try something else. Gravedigger isn't doing a whole lot of movement though, and Manic Mutant comes in with a mighty slam to the side of Gravedigger, pushing them about the arena.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, the spinning spike disc that looks like it comes from a child's toy set? Yeah, it's not spinning. Gravedigger gets away and both robots charge at each other, with Manic Mutant driving up Gravedigger's wedge. Because Manic Mutant isn't centered, Gravedigger isn't able to use its lifting arm to topple Manic Mutant (this is the main reason why these lifting arms fell out of favor for rear-panel and front-panel flippers.). But then Gravedigger quickly makes my last sentence and my remarks about front lifting arms in general look foolish! It immediately repositions Manic Mutant under its lifting arm and topples them, easily winning the fight and going on to the second round!
Unfortunately for Gravedigger, its foe in the second round is the vaunted Mortis, a top eight finisher in Series 2 featuring twin weapons. Mortis has an axe and a lifting arm, and unlike most robots that try this, Mortis' weapons actually work and are effective! Mortis is considered the favorite to win this heat and is one of the favorites to win the whole tournament! The Heat Semi-Final (27:23) starts with Mortis immediately getting to the side of Gravedigger. Advantageously positioned, Mortis begins (as Johnathan Pearce likes to say) pepper popping it with repeated axe blows!
It doesn't do much damage to Gravedigger, which is pretty common with Mortis' axe because the team traded power for the ability to launch a flurry of quick blows. This works well on a lot of early Robot Wars robots, but can leave Mortis struggling to damage robots with better armor! Mortis keeps up the attack as Gravedigger flees, landing even more axe blows on the fleeing Gravedigger before getting behind it and nearly toppling it with its lifting arm. This wouldn't have been a KO blow because, much like Cassius, Gravedigger should be able to self-right with its arm, but it's a moot point anyway. In the process of lifting Gravedigger, Mortis pushes it into the CPZ, where Shunt shows Mortis what an axe should do and plants its axe right into the lifting arm of Gravedigger, buckling some of its armor.
Gravedigger manages to escape Shunt while Mortis makes a tactical error. Attempting to attack Gravedigger while they're inside the CPZ, Mortis gets stuck on the stupid pneumatic arena spike, allowing Shunt to axe Mortis. Seeing their chance to turn this fight around, Gravedigger charges in and, thanks to a well-timed bounce from the arena spike, gets Mortis completely on top of them. Using the mighty lifting arm, they throw Mortis onto the plow of Shunt!
Now, Mortis' arm is a srimech, so they would have been able to self-right, but it doesn't matter because Shunt's forward driving manages to push Mortis back on its tracks. A real fun moment in this fight happens right after Mortis gets flipped over; they cut to a shot of the backstage where all the roboteers are cheering on Mortis while it's being flipped. The two robots meet face-to-face, with Gravedigger getting the better of Mortis and beginning to push it towards the pit. Mortis manages to get away briefly before again getting to the side of Gravedigger, attacking them with their axe. Unfortunately, it seems Mortis has been reduced to moving in circles, because at some point after being righted by Shunt, its right track seized up. This is one of the big flaws with tracks as opposed to wheels. While they give you more grip and therefore more pushing power, they can either be severed or seize up. When that happens, you'll be reduced to spinning in circles and will technically be considered immobilized (like what happened to Suicidal Tendencies against Wheely Big Cheese in its Series 4 Heat Final).
Gravedigger decides it doesn't want to test whether the judges will rule Mortis immobilized or not. Instead, seeing that Mortis is a sitting duck, Gravedigger charges under the side of Mortis! Mortis topples them over with their arm before pitting them, earning one of the biggest upsets in Series 3 and moving on to the Heat Final! This is much to the surprise to the team, who admit that they thought Mortis was going to completely trash them! Oh, also, for some reason, despite winning the damn fight, the House Robots lay a big beatdown on Gravedigger! Shunt puts its axe right through Gravedigger's armor! Boys, what are you doing!? If you break Gravedigger here, your Heat Final is gonna suck!!!
In the Heat Final, Gravedigger faces off against The Darke Destroyer! Hey, we looked at this robot before! That's good news for Gravedigger, I'm pretty sure! The Heat Final (38:39) starts with both robots driving around each other and looking for an opening. The first opening goes to Gravedigger, who manages to get part of its wedge under The Darke Destroyer before pushing them around the arena. They fire their lifting arm, and I don't know why! The Darke Destroyer clearly isn't in the range for it! The Darke Destroyer manages to do a small amount of damage with its spinning, helicopter-style blade as it gets off the wedge of Gravedigger.
Gravedigger charges at The Darke Destroyer, just barely missing getting under it with its wedge. I'm not gonna lie. There's a whole lot of nothing happening in this Heat Final. Gravedigger keeps trying to get under The Darke Destroyer but can't, probably because the teams were building robots that weren't as low to the ground. Since the Gauntlet was the audition, they didn't need to worry about those types of things, so Gravedigger's wedge is just a little bit off the ground, lowering its ability to get under things. As a result, Gravedigger mostly bumps and pushes The Darke Destroyer around in a boring fight. They manage to push them onto the flame pit and into the clutches of Dead Metal, who uses the circular saw to put a nasty gash into The Darke Destroyer.
At one point The Darke Destroyer stops moving, allowing Gravedigger to get an unobstructed attack on its side, but they still can't get under The Darke Destroyer, who comes back to life after being bumped! Finally, Gravedigger gets to the back of The Darke Destroyer and gets in a mighty chuck, throwing The Darke Destroyer pretty far. The Darke Destroyer manages to land back on its feet… but falls right into the clutches of Dead Metal, who snags it by the back as it tries to get away. Unfortunately, since The Darke Destroyer's back is so low, Dead Metal isn't actually able to do anything!
Gravedigger and its foe meet side-to-side, both trying anything to get an advantage in the waning moments of this fight. Gravedigger, using its more conventional shape, gets the upper hand and pushes The Darke Destroyer into the arena wall. Seizing the advantage, it finally manages to get itself under the front of The Darke Destroyer and uses its lifting arm to throw The Darke Destroyer onto its back. The Darke Destroyer can't self-right, so Gravedigger moves on to the Series Semi-Finals.
Gravedigger gets placed in Semi-Final B for reasons I don't know. I'm pretty sure that F is in the first half of the alphabet, so you'd think they'd be in the first Semi-Final, but whatever. Gravedigger's opponent is the equally-surprising Steg-O-Saw-Us. Originally a reserve, Steg-O-Saw-Us (who doesn't have a saw, by the way, instead having a lifting tail) replaced fellow dinosaur robot T-Wrecks. Steg-O-Saw-Us dominated its heat using not its lifter, but rather its pushing power. It even defeated beloved What's in a Campaign? favorite Napalm in the Heat Final in one of the most destructive fights in Series 3, a fight which is even perhaps the most destructive fight not done by Hypno-Disc!
The Semi-Final (13:40) starts with the two robots driving around each other until Gravedigger scores an early attack. It briefly manages to get to the back of Steg-O-Saw-Us, nudging it into the flame pit. Steg-O-Saw-Us is much faster than Gravedigger and drives all around the arena looking for an opening, but it doesn't find the opportunity. The slower Gravedigger gets its wedge slightly under Steg-O-Saw-Us, pushing it briefly, but in the process Gravedigger pushes Steg-O-Saw-Us away, allowing Steg-O-Saw-Us to get to the side of Gravedigger. Steg-O-Saw-Us uses its position to push Gravedigger around a little bit. The two robots meet front-to-front and surprisingly Gravedigger wins the pushing battle, pushing Steg-O-Saw-Us the length of the arena into the arena wall near Sir Killalot's CPZ…
Sir Killalot pushes Steg-O-Saw-Us up the wedge of Gravedigger, and Gravedigger takes immediate advantage by flipping Steg-O-Saw-Us onto its side. For a second it looks like Steg-O-Saw-Us is going to topple right onto its back, but in a stroke of luck for Steg-O-Saw-Us and misfortune for Gravedigger, the tail (I think) of Steg-O-Saw-Us manages to keep Steg-O-Saw-Us from turning over. When Gravedigger charges forward in an attempt to topple Steg-O-Saw-Us through sheer pushing power, Steg-O-Saw-Us lands on its wheels and the fight keeps going.
Both robots disengage from each other and meet in the middle of the arena. This time Steg-O-Saw-Us gets the upper hand, landing several small bumps on Gravedigger for sweet, sweet aggression points before getting to the side and pushing Gravedigger around briefly. The two robots meet side-to-side, spinning around in a circle with each one looking for just a little bit of an opening on the other. Steg-O-Saw-Us breaks away and Gravedigger attempts to make them pay, pushing them just a little bit before bumping them in the side. A panel comes loose on the top of Gravedigger, which will surely count as damage points for Steg-O-Saw-Us. Gravedigger forces its way behind Steg-O-Saw-Us, pushing them into the flame pit and towards the arena wall.
Gravedigger gets under Steg-O-Saw-Us and flips them onto their side! But then fucking Matilda comes in with her tusks and rights Steg-O-Saw-Us immediately! This is the kind of House Robot interference I hate. Yes, Steg-O-Saw-Us probably landed in the CPZ. The camera angle isn't the best, but it looks like Steg-O-Saw-Us just barely landed on the outside edge of the CPZ. Even so, they shouldn't be charging in and righting robots! The same thing happened earlier in the series in the Behemoth vs. Pitbull fight, and it ended up costing Behemoth a trip to the Semi-Final! Steg-O-Saw-Us takes advantage of its new life by using its lifting tail to push Gravedigger around the arena. Meanwhile, Shunt just comes into the arena but doesn't do anything? Get out of here! This isn't your CPZ!
The fight goes to the judges as the two bump into each other. Looking at style, damage, control, and aggression, the judges go for Steg-O-Saw-Us. This is a pretty controversial decision. Even Johnathan Pearce said he thought Gravedigger was the more aggressive robot and all the highlights of the fight before the decision was announced were focused on Gravedigger. I gotta be honest. I don't agree with the judges at all. Keeping in mind that this is a five minute fight edited down to a two and half minutes so there is always the possibility that Steg-O-Saw-Us did way more and it just wasn't shown, it looks like Steg-O-Saw-Us does basically nothing in what we do see? They push and bump Gravedigger a little bit, but they don't get any good slams. They don't push them into the House Robots and they don't even push them into the wall. Conversely, Gravedigger does all of those things and lands two successful weapon attacks, one of which should have ended the fight!
I just don't see how Gravedigger didn't win this. My only guess is that it's a combination of stuff that was edited out and the fact that Gravedigger can't really do damage while Steg-O-Saw-Us knocked that panel off. There are also a couple of tears on the front and side of Gravedigger, but I don't really think counting those against it ss fair since Gravedigger already came in with scratches. However, since damage was by far the highest-weighted category, that means Steg-O-Saw-Us would have won almost all the damage points, which I'm guessing just ended up swamping Gravedigger's wins in the control and aggression categories. If that's the case, then sure, Steg-O-Saw-Us gets over the top with damage points, making it the winner of the fight. But to be honest, I don't agree. I think Gravedigger dominated the fight and honestly got robbed by the judges! The YouTube comments section for this fight also agrees, with almost all of those who commented on the fight thinking Gravedigger got jobbed!
It's rather unfortunate that Gravedigger lost their Semi-Final match on a judges' decision. Had they won, they probably would have been a Grand Finalist. There second Semi-Finals opponent would have been Beast of Bodmin, the worst of the robots entered by the Roadblock team and a robot Steg-O-Saw-Us went on to defeat with ease. Unfortunately, the bad times would continue for Gravedigger. Given the thirteenth seed in Series 4, Gravedigger went with an interesting front-arm flipper design. This one was designed to also have a rear lifter, allowing Gravedigger to flip robots from both sides. Unfortunately, they encountered problems with it before their first round fight in Series 4 and it didn't work. Even more unfortunately, their first round opponents were Thermidor 2 and Kronic the Wedgehog, two flippers who made quick work of the seeded Gravedigger.
In Series 5, Gravedigger, now sporting an axe, first faced off against Tornado. Spoiler alert! It didn't go so well for Gravedigger! Gravedigger would become maybe the only robot to win a heat and then return for multiple Series only to fail to win another fight. It's too bad, because Gravedigger was a good machine and deserved better than what it got. That's all for this month. Join me next month when I look at another robot.
| The 'Shroom: Issue 231 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
| Specials | Community Awards Dossier |
