[Mr. Lim]

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

WATERLOO:
The top ranked alliances are likely going to have next-to-dead robots at their third partners, and very few teams will be reliable scoring machines. Brace for impact, Lunacy is going to come crashing down to the surface here. This event will be painful to watch.

Running the OPRs, about 2/3rds of the field had OPRs above 15, I don't know if any other regional achieved a ratio like that. And the top OPR performers were on par with the more competitive regionals so far this year. Teams scored here... and they did it pretty well!

Surprised? VERY... but that's what Waterloo is all about - things happen here that you never expect.

It was also one of the most popular webcasts this weekend. Even with the small number of teams attending, they had to open up overflow seating again on Saturday afternoon, and I saw more spectators (people who weren't involved with a competing team) in attendance than I've ever seen before.

From an entertainment standpoint, you've got to call Waterloo a resounding success - it always is despite what the numbers say coming in. We can thank Paul and Karthik for a lot of that!

(P.S. Hope you guys didn't have too much trouble finding your popcorn...)

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

There is little doubt who's the favorite headed into Waterloo. 2056 has won all four regionals, including twice in Waterloo, in their history... but they've also been paired with 1114 all four times. Without 1114 in attendance, the Patriotics will have a chance to win without the Simbots for the first time. However, the serpentine could hammer them if they excel in qualifications, and they are likely to be targets of heavy defense by the other teams. Luckily for them, human player scoring and one big dump from their belt driven dumper is likely all they'll need to win many matches (even in the elims).

Bang on. OP Patriotics were the class of the field - A razor-sharp ultra-efficient turbo vomiter whose autonomous mode will make your jaw drop. They were the best team here, and when things go right, the best team at a regional should win it.

Things went right at Waterloo.

2056 could easily be the best team in Canada right now, but it'd be prudent for all of us to hold judgment for a week. There are a lot of teams hoping to claim that title at GTR.

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

2609 started slowly, but improved in Rochester, but still failed to make the eliminations. If they have worked out all the kinks they'll likely be one of few effective scoring machines. Yet, without ground loading, it's unlikely they'll be able to control matches on their own.

The kink they worked out was adding an extremely efficient empty-cell delivery module. Actually, they added two of them! Empty-cell purists will appreciate how this new option transformed a robot from missing eliminations at FLR to the #1 ranked robot at Waterloo. Nevermind the +17 boost in OPR, and -12 SAA it provided.

Rumour has it, there are even more small but significant changes in the works for Atlanta. Don't let the lack of ground loading fool you...

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

2166 has made the Championship eliminations each of the past two years, a feat that only 40 teams can claim (and that list doesn't include 16, 190, 234, 173, 503, or 65). They have a power dumper, somewhat similar to what 973 won with in Long Beach, and should be one of the few machines capable of scoring effectively and regularly. They should be one of the first few bots off the board come alliance selection.

And they were... selected as first pick by the #2 alliance. Strong bot from top to bottom, as expected from this exceptional team. This well-rounded robot can score moonrocks off the ground, as well as throw in a few empty-cell deliveries here and there.

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

In a field where human players are going to score most of the points and super cells will be worth a very large portion of match scores, a bot capable of holding a ton of balls and delivering them to the payload specialists might not be a bad choice. 2200 is just that, and could be effective when paired with quality human players.

2200 showed why more matches in FIRST are won and lost before you cut your first piece of metal. Their empty-cell strategy was exceptionally-executed every match, and was a wonder to watch. However, they dropped far lower in the draft than their performance merited. I think this has a lot to do with the belief that an alliance's first pick needs to provide robot moonrock scoring support, which 2200 could not do. Regardless of this, I can honestly say I'd love to have this bot on my alliance.

Originally Posted by Looking Forward

While they wont blow anyone away, 1310's simple scoring mechanism might be exactly what's required to do well in this field. 1310 has a single conveyor feeding up to a launcher. 781 is in a similar boat, with a rear mounted shooter/dumper fed by a conveyor, though theirs is wider and has a larger capacity. If either score regularly, advancing to the finals is certainly not out of reach.

1310 and 781 were both solid scoring bots that will make an impact at GTR this week, with 781 scoring consistently enough to reach the finals. 1310 was a threat all weekend, and was one of the only robots capable of scoring on an opponent from odd angles, and imperfect pins/setups.

The only "missed" call I think Looking Forward made was probably one not a lot of outsiders would've seen:

2505 produced the next best OPR after 2056, and ranked 3rd after 2609 and 2056. If it wasn't for some drivetrain and dumper exit-flap problems in the semis, their alliance's fate could've been very different. Insiders know that this is a team with students that won a VEX tournament earlier this year, and is mentored by 2009 Waterloo WFFA Tristan Lall, Jeffrey Li (JFlex188 on CD) and Adam McLeod - all three former graduates of 188.