Poll: Dumper effectiveness at Championship
 

The effectiveness of the herder/dumper bots at a regionals was discussed in this thread. Now it is time for the Big Show. My question to you is:

How do you think the dumper bots will fare at the Championship Event?

Will they hold their own with the Top Shooters in the FIRST World? Will they continue to be a model of consistency in 1-point scoring? Or will they yield their balls to their 3-point shooting partners?

Above I have a checklist of accomplishments. Check off which ones you think a dumper bot at Championship will achieve. And of course post why you choose what you did (because this thread will be be pretty boring if you don't :D ).

Note: I define a dumper bot as a bot whose primary method of scoring is in the 1 point corner goals. For example, 254 sometime scores in the corner goal, but is not a dumper bot because their primary method of scoring is the center goal.

Clarifications on poll: Some choices obviously belong together. #1 is also a top 8 seed. All Einstein Alliances were division Alliances at some point. Please make your choices consistent (don't pick options on Einstein and not in division). Options with to "score in auton, then D" and "as defensive specialist" still allow for the dumper to score some during human control mode, but primarily defense.

Re: Poll: Dumper effectiveness at Championship
 

Defense is very important in this game; that's been proven (to me at least) over and over this year. Bots that can play good defense will be very important...and since many of them typically focus on dumping, dumpers will be important.

Re: Poll: Dumper effectiveness at Championship
 

"Fluking" seeds in this game is primarily through autonomous sucess (look at the high seeded regional teams, a majority of them had consistant auto modes), and dumping is the most conistant, and hardest to defend, auto feature this year. So, by nature, I think that 2 or 3 dumpers will find there way into the Top 8 in each division, whether they deserve it or not, but the #1 seed is pushing it.
When placed into a roll in the elimination rounds, especially if one can manage to get to Einstein, it will HAVE to be a defensive roll. If you give teams like 25, 1114, 229, 254, etc etc etc 15 balls via the corner goal, they can turn around and score those 15 balls for 45 points (or close to it). It will be quite capable for alliance, especially in Newton and Curie, to have 3 very legit shooters, or 2 and a decent shooter/defensive bot.
Keep in mind, some of the shooters are also excellent defensive bots, such as 111, so the need for a defensive specialist is questionable.

Re: Poll: Dumper effectiveness at Championship
 

I think that dumper bots can make it to the top eight in all the divisions. However I doubt any will be the first seed and I doubt that any alliance led by a dumper will win a division. A dumper bot can win it all just as any other robot can. However, for an alliance to be successful, the dumper bot must compliment the shooters. That is an alliance with a good shooter that is a floor loader should have a good human-player loading dumper and an alliance with a good human-player loading shooter needs to have a good floor-loading dumper.

In my opinion great shooter > great dumper > average shooter > average dumper. At nationals there are a much higher number of great shooters than at the regionals so dumpers will have a harder time. Still, there will be many times when an alliance captain is making their first or second pick and the best robot available will be a dumper.