[Enigma's puzzle]

I think the 1st pick will be more important than ever, especially if a good robot is making the pick. With the assumption that any robot can drive a good drive team can impart some very important strategies to the third team. You cannot however teach a second pick how to score as easily.

My thoughts are if you can get a good enough second pick, that the third picks will have a much smaller gap (like previous years) in talent. And if you have the best robot on your team, then it is not scoring on you, hopefully.

Plus if you can get two robots that can pin you can essentially turn it into a one on one match against the robot of your choice. i would take one of the best robots at the competition verses the opponent of my choice.

I am foreseeing more wins from the top 2 alliances (#1,2), and in deep fields we may see the well rounded teams of the last alliances (#7, 8) winning more than the middle 4 alliances.