ARC

Hartmann's Youkai Bot II	Santangelo
Speed: 4	Speed: 8
Traction: 2	Traction: 7
Torque: 1	Torque: 2
Weapon: 16	Weapon: 1
Armour: 7	Armour: 12
Config: Rorschach in Danmaku (6-Toothed Disc)	Config: N/A

And here we are, at the end...

Keep it simple. Keep spinning as much as possible, keep Santangelo away from bits they can control safely via pivoting, spacing, spacing, spacing. If we deliver a hit, we won't be at full speed immediately. It's a bit tough, but try to angle shots so when we recoil, we end up on the opposite side of the IED to Santangelo, forcing a longer route from them whilst we spin back up. If we land close, keep spinning whilst putting in as much distance as we can.
Let Laz come to us, though don't play too predictably. Keep Santangelo hitting the weapon if they come at us. 4 damage is nothing to scoff at. After a few strikes, bits are going to be missing, even on head-on strikes. If Santangelo starts showing signs of wear & tear, tentatively approach for a killshot, aiming for the wheels or anything else vulnerable that shows itself.
If given the choice when Santangelo comes in, try to orient ourselves to knock back towards the middle of the arena as opposed to the edge, especially in the last minute. We don't need any more scares there, and they're fairly avoidable by considering the direction of our spin. if they're trying for the back, force them to take on the disk again through a pivot. We should be able to spin and pressure enough to strike them before they can hit the wheels.
If the worst comes to it and we get trapped, use the disk's torque to force our drive into a better position, and help push ourselves free, just try to get out ASAP. Focus on getting back to speed to recover whilst running away, perhaps playing it a little close to the IED and hope for a misplay from Laz on the approach to buy us time if we can risk it.

Best of luck, Laz.

Santangelo: 8 speed / 7 traction / 2 torque / 1 weapon / 12 armour

vs

Hartmann's Youkai Bot II: 4 speed / 2 traction / 1 torque / 16 weapon / 7 armour

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This fight comes down to one thing: can I crowd, stuff, and slam him enough to prevent him from landing more than a handful of meaty shots? I know it, he has to know it, so I’m going to base my strategy around that.

The first thing that stands out is that I have 8 speed while he has 4. That’s double the traditional 7-5 brick vs spinner difference and, in those cases, the brick is usually able to crowd the spinner pretty convincingly. The second thing is that he does 4 damage to me. That might seem like a lot, but it’s not threatening imminent damage that will compromise my ability to function unless I’m taking repeated full-power hits to the same area. If you look at the best spinner killers like Sewer Snake and Original Sin, they have thickly armoured plows, but they’re not winning because of that. They’re winning because they don’t give the spinner a chance to consistently get up to speed. Interestingly, Tri’s opted for his 6-toothed disc, which is going to give him less bite per ‘hit’ and consequently separate our bots by less. This plays to my advantage.

The plan is to keep my wedge in his face and to do so relentlessly. The first hit is the worst hit I should be taking. He’s probably going to try to create a good angle through arena positioning and approach direction. I’ve got the better drivetrain and I’ll use it to deny him that. Anyways, try to recoil him towards the walls. I want him going into those and the Mini IEDs and remaining on the same side of the arena as me. Using the Danger Zones and IED to play keepaway is his best bet to get back up to speed, so use my speed and arena positioning to ensure that it doesn’t happen.

Don’t use the flipper when he’s at full power, but once I’ve got my wedge in contact with his weapon and it’s inevitably going to be slowing down, flip to interrupt what are sure to be his many and constant escape attempts. In any case, I have the speed to follow his attempts to hook and squirm away or to an advantageous position for countering. Shove him around, mash him into walls and mini-IEDs, and don’t settle for just pinning and releasing after thirty seconds. I want extended pressure with him grinding ineffectively against my wedge or stopped, like Stinger vs Shrederator or Valkyrie vs Hypershock, capped by an eventual brief pin. Rinse and repeat, smacking him right in the teeth but being careful not to let him stack too many hits in one area. He’s short lengthwise, so flips should be possible and flipping will help with that. During the final minute, keep him between the edges and myself and focus on getting him to recoil into the mini IEDs and/or out. Stay aggressive, avoid baiting by focusing on the blade, and drive smart.

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GL fam.