[JesseK]

I disagree about the 'year of defense' thought Todd. A robot that is pure defense is denying their own alliance 20 points from the 3rd assist. The time to score the goal (either goal) is when the 'defensive' robot goes to get the assist for their alliance.

I think it's really more a year of smart strategists and smart drivers. Paying attention to the opponents' real-time strategy will be key. Paying attention to which opponents have an assist on a given cycle is a must. Even paying attention to which side a ball is about to inbounded from is a must.

Edit - come to think of it, Aerial Assist is more like Ultimate Frisbee that Ultimate Ascent was. There will be some cycles where the opposing team will say 'wtf just happened?!'.