[Joe Troy]

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

PITTSBURGH:

I'll start you off with one from an informant:

357 puts their '08 creation to the test in Western PA this weekend. Their Jester Drive will likely aid them in racing around the field, but I'm not yet sold on their manipulator. Watch for them to be an inconsistent hurdler, but still a first round selection.
Miss Ella's roller claw will likely be one of the best scoring mechanisms in Pitt, and as a result 522 will be hanging around late Saturday afternoon. The Robowizard's defensive mindset, and added complexities with their deployment of the gripper may end up hurting them elsewhere, but it won't be enough to keep them from doing well here. Expect them to at least grace the Semi-finals.
Starbot 337 somehow always does well, even when their designs don't seem too impressive. I don't know how well they'll do once they make the eliminations, but I can guarantee they'll be in the elims.

Pretty good prognostication.

I'm not sure who your informant was but...I think you got some good info.

357's Jester Drive was effective in making the robot a consistent performer in hybrid mode. 337 lived up to the prediction of "always does well". The combination of 337, 357 & 2614 proved to be a well balanced alliance that worked together to win against a strong alliance of 375, 291, & 2544 in the finals. The quarter finals were also challenging having to face 522, 222 & 120.

I would have added 222 to the "always does well" category.

Keep the predictions coming...this series of posts have been fun to follow!!