2012 IRI Predictions

[Ekcrbe]

Originally Posted by mikemat

Is the field too deep to pick up a great long bot second and third round, sacrifice the triple, and hope its enough? Or are you not gaining enough over choosing from the crop of already picked-over wide bots?

I think there will be a field plenty deep enough to find wide bots that can be very beneficial during at least the second round. Remember that playing defense (think 16) is going to be just as important as scoring, and finding a great defensive team relies much more on having a good drive team and inter-team chemistry than a first-round scorer, where the robot is critical.

So I think alliances will be able to satisfy their needs with a wide bot, so I don't think there is much to gain taking a long bot with the second or third pick. You would generally take a scorer in the first round, and that's the only role I see a long bot filling. IRI will be made in the last two rounds--there are more than enough teams to create eight incredible pairs up top.