[ehfeinberg]

An ideal defensive bot, besides playing good defense, should be able to score 2 discs (in the low goal) in auto (4 points). It should also be able to hang on the bottom rung for 10 points.

A defensive robot has two choices for playing defense, defending the opponents robots, or defending the discs. I believe that going after the discs is a much better option. To do this, a defensive robot should have a large shield that extends all the way to the height limit. Have this robot sit near your opponents feeder stations blocking both robots and discs from getting past. If a team can only get discs from the feeder station, you could be a great hindrance in their navigating the field.

You could also decide to go onto your opponents side of the field and sit in front of their goals to prevent teams from dumping. I like this a little less because some robots might shoot while touching the tower, making it difficult for you to slow them from shooting.

Honestly, I would just try to have a tall robot that can stop robots that can only get discs from the feeder stations. Blocking the transfer of discs from their feeder station to their goals is a good way to slow/stop an opposing alliance from scoring. With a defensive robot that can score 14 points too, you would be a strong 2nd pick at most, if not all regionals.