[JesseK]

The reserve gear effectively levels out scoring on the final two rotors. It means that a single bot getting 1 auton & 5 teleop gears in the match is the same score as that bot getting 1 auton and 6 teleop gears. It means that an alliance of robots who are individually capable of scoring 4 teleop gears each can find something else to do to supplement their match score.

Since there is no verbiage in the manual which states the reserve gear could be taken away for DCMP/WCMP events, expect it to stay. Using it smartly is strategically important, since it gives ball-focused alliances more options for selecting or being selected by gear bots.

In other words, before stuffing it in slot 1 of the first-available rotor, double-check with the gear bots on your alliance.