[Green Potato]

I like the sound of the 2-tiered championship with a lower tier and a higher tier, but I strongly oppose having your performance at a previous championship decide where you go for the next.

Think about it. I know a team X that did REALLY well in their regular-season events, looked like they could contend for Einstein, and then proceed to have their robot break down at STL. That team was much better than now their robot preformed, and could wind up dominating the "Challenger" championship because they're not really a "challenger," they simply had bad luck.

Likewise, teams change in ability level every year. Some teams are primary juniors and don't loose much after a year, some teams are senior-heavy and could struggle. Just because a team number stays the same doesn't mean that the composition of that team does.

Thus, I approve the 2-champ format (400 and 400), and really like option A on the OP. However, I would hold back on "relegation" or "Ascension" for reasons stated above.