[smurfgirl]

The manual doesn't explicitly address this, but members of the CD community have assumed that if a robot is unable to play, the trailer will still be placed on the crater as in every other match. This means that if you are playing a 3 vs. 1 match, the alliance with 3 teams has a huge advantage (as in all 3 v 1 matches), because it has two immobile trailers to score on, and only one robot available to play defense, and to score on its three trailers.

However, the Q&A is now open, so if it hasn't been asked already, I would suggest checking what happens to trailers if a robot is unable to make it to a match.

Edit: Also, I wouldn't recommend feigning damage under any circumstances. It's not GP, and it's not going to make a good impression on other teams, the judges, or anyone else who finds out about it. Like Woodie always says, act in ways which would make your grandmother proud.