My take on this is that all of the robots listed (especially those listed lower) and even a few not listed (234, 4103, among others), really most of the field going to this competition could be at the top of the field come the end of quals. This is a game that really shows the variety of strategy and design that is possible with a lot of different designs being very competitive.
The vast majority of the teams coming to the state championship have shown themselves to be capable of coordinating at a very high level to take the defenses down and capture the tower at a level not seen at very many competitions. The ability of teams to coordinate, strategize and then change plans on the fly, playing to the strengths of the design for each team will dictate who comes out on top.
Where the high shooters have the advantage is that they are also capable of defeating the defenses, but have the added scoring capability. They really shine when paired with a defense specialist low goal shooter that can provide boulders to keep their cycle time down. If you think about the high levels of breach and capture so far, what really set certain teams apart was the ability to score just a few more points or slow the other alliance down, even if it meant a decent high goal shooter playing defense to slow down a strong alliance that together could score more points.
What I think will be the most interesting thing about this competition is to see the modifications (mostly climbers I expect) or improvements (again expect it on a lot of climbers
) since the previous competitions. Three weeks is a lot of time (two for 868
) to refine the systems teams were having any issues with.
I think defense will play a much bigger roll in quals and the tournament as well. That might be the only thing keeping some of the scoring down and maybe more of the towers going uncaptured.
In my opinion this is going to be competition at the highest level and a preview of what to expect from some of the best matches at worlds.