Predictions Championship 2016: One Final Siege (& Top 25)

[Looking Forward]

ARCHIMEDES
Tips:
Seeding near the top at a DCMP is no easy feat. 1540 and 4564 managed to rank 3rd and 1st respectively at their DCMPs. Both teams are accurate batter shooters, and both teams excelled at securing captures during qualifications. In fact, with only 10 matches per division at CMP, Orange Chaos' 45 ranking points at NEDCMP will stand as the most RPs accrued by any team at an event this season. Translating that success into playoff performance is a somewhat more difficult challenge for both team, as their shooting positions leave them exposed to defense and has thus far kept them away from converting high goals in autonomous. Orang Chaos' consistent hang does give them a slight edge when compared to the Flaming Chickens, but both teams stand great chances of being alliance captains and constructing potent alliances.

Consistency is often far more valuable than flashiness, and that knowledge has worked in 180's favor historically and in 2016. SPAM claimed victory at both of their events this season via consistent courtyard shooting. While their release and positioning are defendable, 180 is poised to be one of the stronger scoring teams on Archimedes.

Plenty of teams found ways to hang, but many ignored the challenges associated with getting multiple teams onto the tower at once. Adjacent faces present overlapping challenges, and the castle walls limit certain scaling designs to only working on the center face. 4103's ridiculously high hang was crucial to implementing this season's first and only triple hang, as they scaled first and the highest while taking the center tower face. Coupled with their effective shooter, 4103 was able to lead the #1 alliance at Indiana DCMP all the way to the finals. While they won't carry the offensive load for a playoff alliance on Archimedes, their scaling methods could make them a very appealing selection to captains trying to squeeze more points out of the end game.

Very few teams showed up to their first event with vision code as polished and effective as 1747. HBR was consistently scoring high goals in autonomous and draining tele-op shots from the outerworks at Tippecanoe. While iterations on that code didn't produce the results they wanted at their next outing, 1747 remained a strong contender all season long in the high scoring Indiana district. While their accurate ranged shot is no longer as much of a distinguishing factor as other teams have caught up to HBR, 1747 shouldn't have to wait a tremendously long time to hear their number called during alliance selection.

Dark Horse:
The new breed of contenders in Michigan don't have the name recognition of the Hall of Famers and previous world champions. But 5050 proved they can compete with the best in the state, earning a pair of silver medals during qualifying events and captaining an alliance in Grand Rapids. Cow Town robotics is a tremendously effective scoring machine when allowed to fire from the courtyard, and has the capability of backing up their shot to the outerworks when defenders interfere. If Cow Town maintains their level of play they could start to earn their reputation FRC-wide as a powerhouse.

Sleeper:
Winning in California is rarely an easy feat, so there are plenty of quality teams that finish their season without earning a medal in that state. 207 had some kinks to work out in Los Angeles, but were a force at Ventura (even if they were stopped in the semi-finals). Their tall courtyard shooter hasn't reached its potential yet, either. If the Metalcrafters can keep tuning their shot and continue hanging at the end of the match, they will make an alliance captain very happy.

Locks:
Team Titanium has accomplished all there is to accomplish at the regional level. 1986 hasn't been able to translate that success to the Championship event just yet. But with another solid scoring machine and an impressive 29-3 record heading into champs (two of those losses came in the SMR finals), Titanium is once again a favorite to go deep in their division. Perhaps Stronghold will finally be the game that allows 1986 to topple the walls preventing them from playing on FIRST's biggest stage.

Gold medals aren't always the best indicator of a team's competitive level, and a lack of them is far from an indictment. Even in a year where the Simbots didn't claim a victory, 1501 might be the best team in FIRST that didn't win an event. THRUST's effective turreted shooter was among the strongest in Indiana, and they added a hang to their arsenal as the season progressed. A fluky red card cost them a match in the Perry Meridian finals, and their pair of unfortunate tread derailments results in their loss in Kokomo (and accounts for essentially the entire drop in capture rate between qualifications and eliminations at the event). While their drivetrain concerns will have to be solved, their launching potential rivals the best on Archimedes.