[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

Teams knew going in that the 4th pick might not play and that it was totally up to the alliance captain. The change was made to let the alliance determine who their back up could be, instead of relying on the ranked order of teams. A team always had the option to say "graciously decline" if they did not like the idea of watching but not playing. Many of the 4th teams felt they contributed to their alliance with strategy, spare parts and other means, even if they did not get onto the field.

The #5 alliance played the 4th team in both matches. Had we played against any of the other alliances, we would have played the 3rd team. We definitely appreciated the extra flexibility.