Drama Isn't Good for Strong Teams
The third set of the match opened with Wizard Air White Witch’s choice… the latter!
Third set: DFL V-Killer versus WIZ Baekto.
Baekto was an extremely standard four-wheel-drive vertical spinner. A vertical spinning blade sat at the front of its rectangular body. Sloped armor designed to burrow under opponents could be swapped for a wedge when needed. The blade support used a truss structure. Above it rose supports shaped like rabbit ears, each ending in a small plastic wheel to help the machine move when inverted by combining with the rear drive wheels. The blade itself was on the smaller side with average RPM. It was a robot that relied on high stability and relentless chaining attacks.
Baekto charged head-on. V-Killer didn’t get shoved back nearly as far as expected.
While the commentators cracked Red Cross jokes, the match exploded.
0:32. It was a match that brutally exposed Moon Naru and V-Killer’s catastrophic low point. Their peak might match the world’s second-ranked K2, but their floor was as shallow as the East Sea. No matter how bad the matchup, the performance had been shockingly helpless.
Fourth set. Diafle’s choice… the latter!
Fourth set: WIZ †Avenger versus DFL Neptune.
†Avenger was a two-wheel-drive lift-type robot shaped like a church cross. The dagger symbol came from three overlapping reasons: the common word “Avenger” was on the banned list, its cross-like appearance, and the fact that its debut team had been Hallelujah Robotics—currently known as RVGL Resistance—whose owner was a cult preacher. The chassis formed a cross with drive wheels on the horizontal arms. The entire lower section of the cross operated as a powerful lift and also served as a self-righting mechanism when flipped.
Neptune could still drive when only slightly raised. The reverse slope on the underside of its armor prevented the wheels from losing contact immediately. Once fully airborne, however, every robot was helpless.
1:03. †Avenger had proven itself a defender worthy of a championship-contending team. It wasn’t quite a Himalayan wall, but it was at least Alpine in stature.
The rookie team Diafle Monarch, which had been stirring up a storm, had successfully pushed Wizard Air White Witch to the brink at 0-2. WIZ, which had seemed on the verge of being swept away helplessly, clawed back to a 2-2 tie in a combined time of just 1:35 across the two sets. With a loss-loss-win-win-win pattern staring them down, a reverse sweep on the horizon, what choice would they make?
1:22. KonKoard running on genuine screws proved as immovable as a great mountain.
“That terrible performance was definitely because of the counterfeit screws.”
Moon Naru—the miserable display against V-Killer had clearly been an abnormal state.
All five sets had ended quickly in a refreshing match. It had looked like Diafle Monarch might land a decisive blow, but Wizard Air White Witch refused to allow the upset. While it was thrilling to watch a strong team produce drama, it was never a good thing. It meant they had been pushed to the edge of defeat.
The two women of the same age, best friends Kang Cheong-hyeon and Yu Se-yang, were chatting away.
“Cheong-hyeon, that was so much fun today! How can a brand-new team be this strong?”
“You were great too, Se-yang~! Naru’s V-Killer is the one that flips bad matchups on their head!”
“You said you felt embarrassed wearing cute clothes. How do you feel about the uniform now?”
“Speaking of which, you’re twenty-eight years old and your robot concept is still rabbit magical girl?”
Moon Naru was seeing Kang Cheong-hyeon use such a warm, sisterly tone for the first time.
“It’s my first time hearing unnie talk like that.”
“Se-yang is my friend of the same age. Her debut just came a lot later than mine.”
Yu Se-yang had debuted in the first half of the 2021 season with Wizard Air White Witch. She had already been twenty-five—practically a veteran—at the time.