[EricH]

Originally Posted by qzrrbz

Actually the 4th robot is picked serpentine style, with 8th alliance getting 16th robot, 24th robot and 25th robot, and 1st alliance getting 9th robot (counting the captains as the first 8 robots), 17th robot, and 32nd robot. Make sense?

I think I can simplify it a bit.

Full IRI picking:
Alliance captains
First pick, 1-8 order.
Second pick, 1-8 order.
Backup pick, 8-1 order.

All teams not selected are out of the tournament but encouraged to watch and cheer.

They have a very deep field, so it isn't uncommon to see a very good team go in the backup round or not at all. Due to wear and tear from multiple events, it also isn't uncommon to see the backup called in, though it is never required to use the backup. During eliminations, any three robots from an alliance can be used in any match.