[JVN]

It seems to me that this game has a plethora of defensive moves. There may be team's that place boxes at 13+ SHUs, but with their bot that high in the air, Sir Issac Newton won't be so kind to them in a collision.

I'm afraid that faced with a loss due to a single box raised high above the field, alliances will simply go all out ramming the lifting robot. Simply having a powerful drivetrain, and a well built "ramming bot" that possibly travels under the bar will allow you to play an effective defensive game.

*Pushing boxes out of the score zone.
*Knocking down stacks.
*Knocking other robots off the ramp (especially those that try to control the ramp with brute force).
*Pushing other robots out of the scoring zones.
*Knocking over other robots "GASP!"

These defensive moves can all be accomplished by a simple drivetrain, if done correctly.

I feel that this will result in more defensive robots. Successful defensive robots... I think they will come from all levels of the competition, not just the "strong" teams.

Wildstang (hypothetically) may have their amazing lift mechanism. But there will always be the ambitious rookie team trying to overpower them with some amazing drivetrain (like 810 last year).

So in conclusion...

The strong get stronger, but so do the weak. This game isn't fair, but it keeps things in balance.