[Chris27]

well team 1625 does not just look at the characteristics of an individual robot per se, but we try to pick an alliance whose robots all compliment each other and make up for weaknesses we might have. We have a dedicated scouting team who observes the other teams, and gathers data about their performance at the current regional, past regionals, and the characteristics of their robot. Its surprising how many good robots are overlooked just because they have not built up a past reputation or are not ranked in the top 10. We usually meet together as a team to make a "pick list" the night before the final day of competition (if we are fortunate to be in a position to do the "picking"). We also consider the other teams in the top 8 and whom they are likely to pick.