[Racer26]

Do you really think they'd decline?

I can't foresee any scenario in which either of the two would fall below the 4th alliance captain position.

If 4343 seeds #1, I would probably choose 2056 who would likely be #2-#4.

If 2056 declines, I'd choose 1114. 2056 would KNOW that, so they know that if they're outseeded, there's no chance of the two pairing up. Even if 2056 declined in order to be the #2 alliance captain, who would they choose that would be a strong contender against an 1114/4343 alliance? (The logic behind the strategy doesn't change much if you substitute any of the other strong 2nd tier bots for 4343, except that 2056 could choose 4343 and not have 2 robots with extra disc autons).

A #1 alliance of 4343/1114 means that most of the remaining strong contenders (1310, 1241) have extra disc auto's that conflict with 2056's reducing the alliances total scoring power from that of the sum of its parts.

I just can't see 1114 or 2056 declining a #1 seed picking them, barring a freak situation where a weak robot ends up #1.

The same situation happened last year at west when 3161 picked 1114. 1114 was #2. They could have declined, knowing they'd be up against a 3161/2056 alliance.