Value of defense

[Ginger Power]

Will it be so easy to shut down an elite shooter? In other words, can an elite defender easily shut down an elite shooter? I think an elite shooter should have a decent advantage.

Logic: The shooter can shoot from near max height at an upward angle from the outer works. The defender will have to give a little buffer between them and the offensive robot so as to avoid penalties. If the defender isn't tall enough to block the ball, and isn't allowed to hit the shooter, what can they do? An elite shooter should be able to hit >80% of their shots.

If an elite defender can shut down an elite shooter, defense is very valuable. In the higher levels of play, 2 breacher/shooters will easily be able to breach and defeat the tower. The elite breacher/shooters will have little need for a support bot so it might be advantageous to have that third robot play defense in most cases.

Of it's all just speculation at this point. But that's what Chief Delphi is for!

[Ekcrbe]

Originally Posted by Ginger Power

Will it be so easy to shut down an elite shooter? In other words, can an elite defender easily shut down an elite shooter? I think an elite shooter should have a decent advantage.

Logic: The shooter can shoot from near max height at an upward angle from the outer works. The defender will have to give a little buffer between them and the offensive robot so as to avoid penalties. If the defender isn't tall enough to block the ball, and isn't allowed to hit the shooter, what can they do? An elite shooter should be able to hit >80% of their shots.

I don't see blocking shots as being what good defense will really be about. The main focus of a defensive bot should be, just as it was in 2012, '13, and '14, to slow down the process of collecting the ball and moving into shooting position. If the shooter isn't in perfect rhythm with its feeders, the balls will spend some time on the ground before the shooter can pick them up. That's where the defender comes into play—its job is to steal the balls and send them back the other way or at least ferry them to the secret passage and play sentinel over them until a teammate can come collect them. Then, once the shooter does get a ball, the defender should hound it all the way until it retreats to the outer works or squeezes onto the batter. A good driver (and that's what this strategy crucially relies on) could conceivably cut the output of all but the best shooters by 50% or more.