Alliance Captain versus last pick in Alliance Selection

[Brian Maher]

Let's look at the district points (using the 2015 system for qualification points) for two teams at an event of 35 teams, a typical size for a district event:

Team A: Ranked #4, captain of the fourth alliance, quarterfinalist:

Qualification points: 19
Selection points: 13
Playoff points: 0
Total: 32

Team B: Ranked #24, second pick of the first alliance, wins event:

Qualification points: 10
Selection points: 1
Playoff points: 30
Total: 41

The District Points system dictates that Team B deserves more points than Team A. The 9 point disparity may not seem like a ton, but the point threshold to qualify for CMP from MAR (for example) was 104. There are three teams in MAR that could have qualified for CMP if they had just nine more points.
I found it interesting that if that #4 alliance makes it to semifinals, Team A would have 42 points compared to Team B's 41 points. This creates a much smaller gap and tips it in favor of Team A.