[TRWSHSHLX]

Whew talking about reviving an old thread...

8 Alliances of 2 is definitely more exciting and it allows 16 teams as to 12 teams participating in elimination rounds (which I'm all for) however there are a few other things to consider:

What if one robot breaks down? In FRC you can call for backup but even so, in FTC 2 vs. 2 format, it's practically 1/2 of your alliance as to 1/3 and replacing 1/3 of your alliance is hard enough already... Maybe at championship levels this can be put in place since it's in competitive regions there's a very wide high quality selection pool to select from.

What happens to alliance balances? In the "perfect" ranking scenario, 1 would partner up with 2, 3 with 4, etc. It's nearly impossible to beat the top seeds (nearly impossible). With a 2nd pick it requires scouting, and variation of strategy and anticipating the opposing alliance, which in my opinion separates a good team from a great team.