[Gabe Salas Jr.]

I think I am going to agree with Koko Ed, and ngreen on this. Winning Robot Strategies is going to come down to these 3 interdependent factors (in no specific order).

1. Ability to adapt to varying game situations, and ability to manipulate and influence the game in their favor.
2. How well teams are able to communicate, coordinate, and execute their plans in a effective manner (teamwork).
3. Reliability, and Effectiveness of your robot (including those in your alliance), and how "conditioned" the drivers, and human players are.

No one robot in this entire organization will be able to "dominate the field" for this game. Unlike in previous games, the qualifying matches were usually about points, and in the elimination rounds, it was all about pure strength and power. With FIRST Frenzy, there are too many variables. This is why selecting an alliance member that compliments your team's robot is crucial. With all of these variables, teams are going to run into several different types of robots in competition, in which they have to implement different strategies for different types of robots. This makes scouting a bit difficult as well. The robot, drivers, and human players must perform harmoniously. The robot must be in top condition (thanks to the pit-crew); it also helps to design and build a robot that is rugged, reliable, yet efficient in it's primary function. The drivers and the human player must also be skillful. Just look at the VCU Regional. The Championship Final Match at that regional competition was decided by one 5-point ball. It was that close. I was not there (watched the webcast), but all of the elimination rounds were spectacular. Just a sweet taste of things to come.

On a side note, I was a bit surprised at the amount of penalties given out during some of the matches.