The machines basically break into four categories, allocating capacity among the four following variables: Speed; Offensive capability; Agility; Design. There are the ramps, which seek to flip opponents; the smashers, which seek to smash opponents; the defensive boxes, which are just trying to survive and have no offensive capability; and the driller/sawers, which try to drill into opponents' circuitry. One machine had pincers, and another was essentially a steel barrel with a hammer attached. Given the rules, the ramps were the most effective: hard to stop, yet capable of offensive maneuvers. Mainly, though, they had fewer moving parts to foul up and it was almost impossible to break through their outer skin.