Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery
People say that every year. And frankly, while it is much more common in the serpentine era, 50% of the time the #1 still wins at the regional level.
At the Championship level, the playing field has been considerably leveled and the #1 does have less success in the serpentine era. Whether that's because of the 3rd partner or purely because of 85 teams and 7 matches not yielding accurate rankings is a debate for another time.
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Think about it this year though. In previous years if you didn't have good drivers maybe you didn't score much. Doesn't matter much when you have another team that has drivers who can outscore any two other robots (and sometimes three!)
But this year if you don't have a good driver you actually become a target! You make it easier for the other team to score. Imagine the ultimate scenario where one of your partners doesn't show up or can't move. In previous years not moving meant you didn't score, but you didn't actually detract from the team. This year you're trailer will be filled and you will actually be making it easier for your opponents to score.
That's why I think making sure that all three of your drive teams can play keep away is going to be the most important aspect of the alliance this year. Not being scored on is the most important thing, scoring is secondary. We'll have to wait to see for sure, but that is my prediction.