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

[Looking Forward]

NEWTON

Tips:
No division offers better proof that going under the low bar is not a prerequisite for success than Newton. Each of 1241, 3476, and 5172's tall, turreted shooters could easily be a lock in most other sub-divisions. All three teams have little issue crossing the terrain defenses without risk of tipping, and have unblockable shots along the entire length of the outerworks. Theory6 has accomplished the most so far this season, with two victories in three very potent regional events, including dethroning 2056 in Waterloo. Their mentors and senior students also know what it takes to lead an alliance to a world championship. Code Orange has the most recent Einstein after winning Tesla last season. They started off slow with a rather pedestrian performance in Long Beach, but dialed in their machine at a dominant outing in Orange County. The Gators have something neither of the previous two teams have, and that's a proven scaling mechanism. 5172 finally punched through for a regional victory in Iowa this season, after claiming silver at each of the 2014, 2015, and 2016 incarnations of the Northern Lights regional. The Gators also have a unique scheduling challenge, with matches against both HOT and the Poofs during qualifications, which can either be viewed as a unfortunate schedule or an opportunity for them to seize a top spot in the rankings.

179 seized the spotlight with a huge offensive performance in week 0.5 at Palmetto, but was unable to secure another banner in the two subsequent events. Their retractable turreted shooter makes them a threat from all over the courtyard, and their rapid high hang gives them the chance to scale with virtually any partner. And while it's unlikely that Swamp Thing could outgun the absolute pinnacle performers in this division, that scale will make them a very attractive alliance partner. With the overflowing amounts of capable scoring machines in the division, alliance captains will be looking for other features to differentiate between teams. Having the ability to climb an adjacent tower face may be prove attractive to the right captain.

In terms of raw points totals, many alliances pass up an additional scale's worth of points by skipping category C defenses. For many teams, the time consumed in crossing these defenses (particularly the drawbridge) would end up eating significantly into their ball volume, making the trade-off not worth it. 4678, however, does not have that issue. The CyberCavs have shown the ability to cross the drawbridge in autonomous, and followed it up with scoring in the high goal. That type of X-factor makes an opponent's defense selection that much harder, and category C point deltas can offset that of scaling or an additional autonomous high goal. That autonomous trait alone could get the CyberCavs picked, but their tele-operated scoring ability could make them a significant player on the right alliance.

Two of New England's finest will compete to reach Einstein for the second time in their respective histories. After a pair of qualifier wins, 1519 declined the top selection at NE DCMP, set a world high score in the quarter-finals (257 points) but then fell to 125's #2 alliance in the semi-finals. The NUtrons, playing in their fifth event of the season, then upset the #1 seed in the finals to claim the district championship title. Both teams feature shooters mounted on the end of rotating arms, with release points on the opposite side of their robot than their intake position. Both teams also have consistent high goal autonomous routines over a variety of defenses in different positions, with Mechanical Mayhem even having category A variants. Many captains may value 125's scaling mechanism above 1519's category A flexibility, however. Both teams should have no issue getting into the eliminations, but how long they last in this incredibly competitive event will likely be determined by which alliance they end up on.

When you talk about technical features on a robot, it's hard to top the list present on the machine built by 16. The various terrain defenses didn't scare away the Bomb Squad from sticking to their hallmark swerve drive. Nor does low bar crossing prevent them from extending vertically for a high (though still blockable) release point for their ranged shot and getting the height needed for their scaling mechanism. This sweet technical package led to an incredibly fun to watch machine that won 29 of 31 matches en route to a pair of top seeded wins. However, 16 wasn't counted on to be the primary high goal scoring machine on either of their playoff alliances, opting for the low goal in Rock City and 118's productivity afforded them the luxury of missed and blocked shots in Rocket City. In such a highly competitive field, the Bomb Squad may find themselves in a similar situation to their previous world championship run in 2012, where their best utility as an alliance partner may be provided in a support role. Their vertical height, quick acquisition, and outstand mobility could make 16 a premiere threat in the neutral zone and defensive courtyard.

Dark Horse:
Averages performances rarely get noticed, but the Average Joes have been anything but average this season. 3620 paired up with Stryke Force on the #1 alliance at both of their district events, capturing victory in Saint Joseph. They followed that up by earning an alliance captaincy among the 102 teams attending Michigan State Championship, based in large part upon securing nine captures thanks to their consistent batter shot. While they lack the range and autonomous flexibility of the top tier teams in the division, the Joes stand a real chance at being a valuable contributor, especially in run and gun matches. This is doubly true if they can work out the kinks in their scissor lift scaling device. A similar performance to what they did in Grand Rapids could also earn them the chance at picking their own partners on Saturday morning.

Sleeper:
Very few teams have as much on-field experience as 3314, who constantly improved over their five events and 82 matches played this season. While they captained an alliance to finals match 3 at their district championship, the Mechanical Mustangs weren't able to secure a banner this season. Their quick alignment and release makes them difficult to defend, even when they're not lining up from the wide range of positions they can shoot from along the outerworks. If they can continue fine tuning their autonomous routines and work on scaling more consistently, they could be a candidate to upset some of the bigger names in the division.

Locks:
Very few teams in all of FRC have a penchant for showing up strong to big tournaments the way that 67 does. HOT has reached the Michigan State Championship finals every year but once (2015) since its inception in 2009. HOT has been playing in their respective division's finals in ten of the past twelve seasons. And with a 2016 MSC championship under their belt and a solid upwards trends from each event they attended, they have solid odds of reaching the finals once more even in this stacked division. HOT started the season primarily low goaling, but then moved onto batter shooting, and proved they can score from distance when the defensive pressure was turned up during the MSC playoffs. Combined with a hanging device that has no issues scaling any side of the tower, they have all the tools to make a deep run.

With OP Robotics' defeat in Waterloo, the Robonauts now own the longest active regional win streak, with their three wins this year pushing it to thirteen victories dating back to their semi-final exit at the 2012 Hartford regional. 118's streak is no fluke, with a 2015 world championship as an alliance captain and a 2016 machine among the world elite. Not only did the Robonauts win all three events they attended this year, they managed to reach the 200 point mark at least once at each of them. Arsenal lives up to the Robonauts' typical design aesthetic, with a bevy of specifically designed features to solve each game challenge independently, and a unique take on the end game challenge that inspired many clones around FRC. About the only aspect missing when stacked against other top tier competitors was a multi-ball autonomous, but the Robonauts programmers have no been resting on their laurels in the weeks since their Lone Star victory.

Many teams with lofty aspirations spent time and energy figuring out how to release a ball at an unblockable height from the safety of the outer works. The Cheesy Poofs opted to invest their energy in a robot so mobile it could turn the corner on any defender and a targeting system so swift they can fire the shot before the defender can react. So far that philosophy has paid off dividends for 254, who took home gold from highly competitive events in Madera and San Jose. Their targeting system also provides a great deal of autonomous flexibility, affording them the chance to score autonomously in virtually any defense configuration or partner needs. If the Poofs can get their long rumored scaling arm integrated onto their competition machine and continue to milk additional value during autonomous (whether it be a 2 ball routine or creative routing to ensure proper positioning at the start of tele-op), they will be favored to go deep.