A Recycle Rush Reflection

[Siri]

Originally Posted by Rangel(kf7fdb)

I disagree. I don't believe the top 2 robots in a division will already have can grabbers locked down. Especially since many human player specialist robots are likely to rank the highest such as 148, 2122, 1538 ect... I think its fully reasonable for a team to focus only on being the fastest can grabber and being the critical third pick for a 148/1678 ish alliance. If your alliance can lock down the cans every match, your top 2 robots only have to make 6-7 stacks a match so if all your team does is grab the cans super fast, you are a very valuable robot.

The problem is that if you're actually the fastest canburglar in your subdivision, the rest the ACs would be foolish to let you fall all the way to bring the second (much less third) pick of 1678. Guys like the Circuits know this, which is why powerhouses are putting so much effort towards their own grabbers.

This is not something an AC/1Pick wants left to chance, draft order, or anyone else. Per exactly the math you explain, it's just too important. HP or landfill, unless they're running a tether from the feeder that can't move or cheesecake, they're probably in the cold canburglar war. (Per your example, here's hoping 148 could take the auto stack and can set while 1678 burglars.)

That's not to say that pick can't happen: I still remember 1114 somehow managing to pick the fastest minibot in their division on the back of the draft. But minibots aren't canburglars (strategically I mean; otherwise they basically are). And even if they were, you can bet neither 1114 nor 294 went into Worlds counting on everyone missing them. It's a heck of a gamble, but you know what they say about big risks and their rewards. I struggle with the characterization of "fully reasonable" though, if that's the alliance number a team is gunning for second/third pick of.