[indubitably]

This thread seems to be less about ill intent and more about how this year's game may create dissatisfaction with some teams. There seems to be some worry that all non-elite bots will be cast aside if they are on an alliance with an elite bot since there is only one game piece per alliance.

While I understand how this concern exists, I would be shocked if this became a common occurrence. Assist points are the first tiebreaker, so elite teams are going to, at very least, attempt to implement strategies that heavily favor assist scoring, especially if they feel the opposing alliance has a lower scoring capability.

Also, I have considered a great amount of robot combinations for this game and have yet to come up with one where even one bot would not have significant strategic impact. Even if a bot is playing defense, the zones they stay in, the bots they choose to defend, and the situations in which they may need to interact with the ball all affect what each alliance member needs to do to efficiently contribute.

I think the format of the game this year will allow for more teams to take the spotlight as people will be following the game pieces as opposed to particularly impressive bots. A strong defensive play will be more visible and a smooth assist will be highly regarded.