Watch the first moment your plan stops working, rather than only the knockout. Track range, turning, resource downtime, module destruction and control timing, then change one thing that addresses the earliest decisive problem.
Follow one weapon through the fight
Ask when it first gets into range, whether it faces the target and how much time it spends firing. If it stays silent while moving, start with range and turning. If it pauses after repeated attacks, inspect heat and energy.
Damage delivery matters too. A projectile bouncing off a Reflector is a different failure from a saw that never reaches the enemy. Identify the actual interaction before selecting a counter.
Find the first decisive module loss
A broken mobility module can turn a fast approach into a slow chase. A lost defense can expose the core to the next exchange. A broken weapon can remove a synergy or change which range the surviving equipment wants.
Look just before that event. Did a Rage attack land, did a side change expose the rear, or did ordinary pressure wear the module down? The answer helps separate a timing mistake from an equipment durability problem.
Run a controlled comparison
Choose one hypothesis and one change: hold Dash for the warning, replace a reflectable weapon, remove a short-range secondary, or adjust the Brain. Keep the opponent and the rest of the setup as similar as possible.
Battle rolls and action timing can produce close-result variation, so a narrow win is not a universal guarantee. Compare the behavior you meant to improve: more contact time, fewer overheats or a module surviving the critical exchange. This gives you a lesson even when the final result remains a loss.