Teams to Watch

[JB987]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

I never underestimate HOT, but I have no faith in other teams. By intentionally not co-oping to bust up 67, 1114, and 2056. Seeding number 1 is not only up to those teams and if other teams act against them there is little recourse. I see this being like Newton 2006 when Aces seeded 1 and "scorched the earth" breaking up all the top teams.

Ah yes, I remember getting burned along with the other teams

[Alexa Stott]

Originally Posted by O'Sancheski

Here are my predictions for the Championship. I have decided to do alliance selections this year!

Galileo:
1. 2337 25 103 F
2. 180 48 1038 W
3. 33 148 1212 SF
4. 16 399 1515 QF
5. 1718 2054 1323 SF
6. 1732 1538 2016 QF
7. 573 125 1918 QF
8. 237 1714 2377 QF

Let me know what you guys think.

I think it'd be pretty sweet if we ended up with 103! (Of course, it'd also be pretty sweet to move past the finals, but we have a long way to go before that!)

One thing to be said about divisions that are stacked--be wary of having a mid-level bot seed high and break up the super alliances. I remember back in 2006 we were in Newton with a ton of powerhouses, but none of the predicted favorites seeded first (mainly due to beating up on each other during the qualifications) and those super alliances were all broken up. With seeding no longer relying on just win-loss records and other offensive measures, but also on the performance of the other alliance, seeding can get a bit crazy.

[ras103]

Originally Posted by Alexa Stott

(mainly due to beating up on each other during the qualifications) and those super alliances were all broken up.

Alexa has a good point! I think that the stacked divisions' alliance selections won't go as smoothly as planned. Upsets usually cause some interesting elimination matches though! But without a doubt Archimedes qualifications will be tooth and nail; I'm excited to see what will happen!

[Bitty987]

I'll be intreasting what happens in galileo. There are some teams there that could pull an upset.

[ElJeffe3255]

Team 3255 is honored to be recognized as a contender for the Newton Division! Since winning the San Diego regional, we have a new shooter design (per rule R26) that we we will be installing that is consistently hitting 3 pointers in testing. You can check it out on our Facebook page: "Team 3255 SPHS SuperNURDs"

[Dr Theta]

Originally Posted by O'Sancheski

Here are my predictions for the Championship. I have decided to do alliance selections this year!
Galileo:
1. 2337 25 103 F
2. 180 48 1038 W
3. 33 148 1212 SF
4. 16 399 1515 QF
5. 1718 2054 1323 SF
6. 1732 1538 2016 QF
7. 573 125 1918 QF
8. 237 1714 2377 QF
Let me know what you guys think.

2169 missing the elims for Galileo would be a huge surprise, you may want to look at their stats at Lake Superior and Wisconsin.

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by CalTran

I predict Archimedes will be a bloodbath for division champions. The Hawaiian Kids 359 put up a solid performance at Lone Star, but were almost upset by the Cats from Atlanta 2415 in an amazing Semifinal match. Alas, there is also the number one ranked offensive robot in the world, and with 3 World Champion titles, they're itching to match Beatty for their 4th. The HOT Team 67 will be on fire when they line up to take shots. But, all three robots will have to band together if they want to even put a dent in the Canadian Powerhouse alliance of 2056 and 1114.

Einstein Prediction for Archimedes: 67+2056/1114
67's a lock. That's a given. I think that HOT would go OP Robotics, and although Simbotics has the experience on Einstein, taking the races of Overdrive, 2056 handed them a loss at GTRWest, and although it may have been due to technical failures, the finals match 1 was never the less intense. They clearly have the capacity to beat out their former mentors, and are itching to add a Championship banner to their pleathora of Regional Wins. If there is any year they can break away from their Canadian bond, this is it.

Now in following up my Archimedes prediction: I predict that, finals on Einstein, a 2056/67 alliance will be facing off against 469/1717 from Newton in a total all out battle for the Championship trophy. 1717, after a strong performance at both LA and SVR, they're going to be playing it cool like penguins do to finally break the barrier of division eliminations. 469, on the other hand, has faced off against HOT at Michigan State Championships, and came out on top. After a strong performance in 2010, being upset by 67 in the finals of Einstein, they're ready to break out on to the blue banner stage. 469 is, without question, the faster of the two teams. Paired with the unlimited d'Penguineering strength they brought to the table this year, will finally taste the victory streamers of Einstein.