[Looking Forward]

CARVER

Tips:
Michigan is well represented on Carver, with a number of strong scoring teams hailing from the Great Lake State. 2767, 3357, 85, and 910 are among the highlights. Foley Freeze qualified via a top ranked regional victory in Windsor Essex, since they ended up missing MSC, but the other three all had strong outings in Week 7. COMETS won a pair of district qualifiers and held the world high score of 221 for two weeks before it was toppled a handful of times during DCMP play, before earning the 8th pick of the 102 teams in Grand Rapids. BOB was picked a few spots after them, and is a similarly gifted scoring machine. Stryke Force had a breakout season, and carried that success into Grand Rapids where they seeded #1 overall by earning 44 of the 48 possible ranking points (the second highest RP total of anyone on the planet this year). Yet, none of these teams were able to win a round in the MSC playoffs, and will be hoping for a longer run in the Carver eliminations.

The Hawaiian Kids finally broke through to Einstein in 2015, and followed up that landmark success with a pair of regional victories this year in New York and Minnesota. 359 was denied gold on their home turf in Hawaii, due to their partners having technical issues, and is hungry to return to Einstein to offset that loss. Poi Pounder XVII is a consistent catapult launcher that was already playing a high goal-centric offensive game back when many teams were focusing on crossing defenses as their offensive strategy. While 359 will be a strong contender in the division, their offensive ability hasn't scaled with the elevation in play across the board as Stronghold progressed, so they aren't an overwhelming favorite on Carver. That being said, they weren't an overwhelming favorite when they won Carver in 2015, either.

Once renowned for their simplicity, 330 had produced incredibly unique machines over the past few seasons, and 2016 is no exception. The Beachboths combined the popular in-arm shooter/intake design with a turret, located in the middle of that arm, and an additional scaling device that allows them to hang well away from the tower face. Despite preferring to shoot from close range, 330 found plenty of success playing through and around defenders, reaching the finals twice, with one victory. It will take a lot to stand out on Carver, but 330 is capable of it.

Until week 6, New England was largely dominated by low goal cycling and tower captures. In the final two weeks of the season, that was turned on its head, as lobbing boulders high became imperative. 133 was at he center of that change. BERT's alliances scored at least 170 points in every playoff match in weeks 6 and 7, securing gold in Pine Tree and silver in the NEDCMP finals. It's quite possible their 257 point match will hold up as the season high score, even after Einstein.

Sleeper:
The district format has bred a new group of rising powerhouses in Michigan. 5460 firmly announced their presence in that group this season, even if they were defeated in the finals at all three events this season. While gold has eluded Strike Force, they are a more than capable shooing team with a penchant for scooping up loose balls in contested areas. If they can continue to fly underneath the radar, they could once again last longer than some big names in the elimination rounds.

Dark Horse:
OTTO dominated PCH qualifier qualification rounds on the backs of consistent breaches and occasional captures, seeding 1st and 2nd at their two district events and then 2nd at the district championship. While 1746's low goal game won't be quite as superlative in St. Louis, they stand a chance to make some noise either as an alliance captain or ideal complimentary player. Their consistent low goal scoring could be a huge boon in capture rates with the 10 strength tower during qualification, and their scaling, autonomous, and defensive ability will all translate well into eliminations play. If OTTO isn't a captain themselves, they could be a dangerous pick if they slide past the early portion of the 2nd round.

Locks:
For the first time since their rookie year in 2003, Simbotics was unable to win a single regional in 2016. 1114 was by no means a Stronghold slouch, though. They are still an exceptionally good scoring machine and have a hang that can accommodate scaling efforts in adjacent tower faces (and without requiring specific timings or scaling orders). The last time 1114 had a rocky regional season (2014), they were playing in the last match of the season on Einstein. Even without any streamers earned in 2016, don't count out the Simbots.

2481 is heading into Championship with as close to a perfect season as you will find on Stronghold. The Roboteers have amassed a superlative 29-1 record while winning both regionals they attended on the #1 alliance. Their accurate and quick outer works shot is surpassed by very few in all of FRC. Without a doubt, Carver will be their toughest test to date, and they were able to add their biggest rivals to their alliance at both events they attended. If 2481 can once again play their way onto a top alliance, they have a chance of bringing home hardware.

Whizzing around the field may be impressive, but more methodical teams often find plenty of success. Case in point, 27. The FiM Hall of Famer reached the finals at every event they attended through diverse and intelligent play. They opened the season with a Buckeye finals trip, in which they primarily played defense in the playoffs. They took on more offensive roles in each of their subsequent outings, including their MSC win. Their tall robot is capable of shooting from virtually anywhere, scaling, and has the ability to solo manipulate category C defenses from the neutral zone. While sallyport spin moves are frequent, RUSH brings the ability to tap into the often overlooked drawbridge crossing points (raising their alliances' point ceilings by the same amount as an additional scaling robot or autonomous high goal).