What's the best qualifying rounds strategy?

[JVN]

I'm from Clarkson University team 229, and we were seeded 2nd in Cleveland. Our robot is NOT complex, it is in fact one of the simplest robots out there. We are a ball harverster, we clamp onto one goal and using our giant spinner (the announcer kept describing it as a buffer) we suck balls up into the goal. A simple mechanism, 1 moving part. Our drive was nothing amazing either. However, we seeded 2nd because every match we went into, we knew what we had to do to win. Even when our alliance partner died in 1 match we managed to pull off a win (106 points) alone. Our coach just analyzed the situation and our driver did what he had to do.
We spent a long time debating who to pick, and when it came down to it we chose Chief Delphi because they have an overall strong and versatile robot. Truthfully we expected them to decline, and are THRILLED that they accepted. I'm glad I got the chance to work with the Chiefs. Their bot complemented ours well, and we competed well together. I believe that if they weren't having some electrical problems we could have pulled off another win. As Joe, and the CD drivers will attest, we had a solid strategy, and a strong alliance. We almost beat the 469 alliance at their own game. We also couldn't have done it without the Cheesy Poofs. Their bot was almost perfectly suited for the rougher, more contact oriented finals.

I'm glad I got the chance to work with both of them.
Poofs - Good luck in SoCal
Chiefs - Good luck in Great Lakes (Stay calm Joe, it helps! )

John Vielkind-Neun
Strategy Head and Coach
Team 229 - Clarkson University