Re: Is Defense key to this game?
 

Defense is key in this game, as much as it is in any game where there are a limited number of scores that can be achieved.

When you say "lifting takes 1 robot out for about 25 seconds, and 2 for about 15." I agree with you, based on what I've seen. When you say "in that time, the other team has the capability to beat them through tubes." I disagree strongly for several reasons:
1. It's hard enough to score undefended when you're in practice matches. Now add in the fact that you're looking at 60 points staring you in the face. Add to that typical end-game pressure, and the fact that you're making a choice to forgo your own ramps if you take too long.
2. Have teams been frequently looking at an open string of 4 on their side, just waiting for people to leave them alone so they can turn it into 64 or 128 points? Effective teams have limited the scoring opportunities on the rack. Your alliance of three that can all place a ringer in the final 20 seconds doesn't usually have the luxury of extending an already long row. There really aren't that many places left, as it turns out.
3. Even the best tube scorers I've seen haven't been perfect, and it gets worse as you get farther from the player station and there's more stuff in the way. You lose effectiveness as the spider legs fill up.
4. Your alliance now has to increase your score over 60 points to negate their ramps. It's hard enough to score 60 points on the rack, much less in the last 20 seconds of the game, with a limit on tubes available and places available.

If the rack is empty, and the defensive robots go away to get on their ramps, an alliance of 3 tube scorers gets up to 4 (with a robot that can actually score quickly enough to get 2 tubes in the last 20 seconds). 16 points. An alliance of a lifter and two amazing tube scorers in the same situation can get their 2 or 3 tubes on the rack, but how easy is it to get two robots up in the (now) <5 seconds left?

The alliance playing defense, however, has 15 seconds to waltz over to their rampbot and get 60.

I can't account for every strategy and everything that can go wrong. I've seen some quite basic arguments here, and I thought I'd give some scenarios a whirl.

Re: Is Defense key to this game?
 

A great scoring robot can get from 6 to 10 tubes by itself, as long as the opponents allow it to. At Detroit and GLR, I only saw two great scorers - 67 and 1114.

Good scoring robots can get 4 or 5 tubes themselves. I saw a dozen or so of these between DT and GL - and I'd probably forget a few, so I won't list them. 4 or 5 tubes isn't enough to offset a 60-point bonus. If 2 good scorers are combined on an alliance, they can combine to get a high score, as happened at GLR in QF2-2. Or a good scorer could get help from an alliance partner to manage 6 tubes in a row, if that partner can add 1 or 2 to the row.

Good scorers who have a good ramp-bot on their alliance can strategically scatter ringers around the rack, so that their opponents cannot get more than 4 or 5 in a row. Once that is accomplished, they can take their time getting up onto the ramp. That would be the offensive-defense strategy.

If you are up against a great scorer with a good ramp-bot, the only hope you have is to play an aggressive defense to prevent scoring. And then hope as well that you can place a few tubes and get onto your own ramp-bot. Great scorer alliances can be beat - witness SF1 at GLR.