Predictions Championship: Curie

[Looking Forward]

The Curie family has three nobel prizes, more than any other family in history. On the other hand, since the inception of divisions in 2001, Curie has had the least success on Einstein, with only one of its representatives even reaching the finals (2003). This field is a little bit shallow at the elite level, but has a lot of solid depth immediately afterwards. With three of the six remaining 1992 teams (45, 126, 191) on Curie, and a number of other grizzled vets, the veteran wisdom will make for some amazing matches.
A large proportion of the hurdling machines on Curie are capable of placing the trackballs at the end, such as 33, 67, 100, 126, 191, 368, and 703. The bonus points will be a big factor in matches, especially the lower-scoring qualifications. In a year with this much parity, the four additional points (or twelve if on the opposing overpass) may be enough to move some teams up on pick lists and in the standings. This will also increase the importance of the ability to quickly and effectively remove balls, which will become a very important factor in selecting the third member of alliances (whether they're able to hurdle or not).
Onto the PREDICTIONS:

TIPS:
126 hasn't been able to win the second round of eliminations at any of their competitions yet this year (Suffield, NH, CT). Gael Force does have an effective hurdling machine with a ball removing hybrid. Barring a QF match-up against one of the divisions' juggernauts, they should be able to reach the SFs again on Curie.
The Robonauts' shooting machine is more than capable of putting up some serious points. They made the finals in Texas and New Orleans, but were stopped by 1477 at both events. They have proven that their build season hype isn't unfounded, but have yet to perform consistently. At time their drivers have seemed to struggle controlling their machine, and they have yet to break 100 points in a match. With a reliable partner, 118 could be a deadly component of an alliance if they can stay on their game, but aren't going to carry an alliance.
1126 made the finals in Rochester and improved upon that result by winning Buckeye. They have a solid hybrid and are one of the best shooters in the division. They should at least be in the semi-finals, and with the right partners Sparx's third trip to Einstein is not out of the question.
2337 has a rookie bot for the ages. While not the "rookie sensations" of last year, the Enginerds should be able to hammer quite a few balls over the overpass and into the eliminations. In order to make it past the QFs they'll need very capable partners.
The Killer Bees are a veteran team with killer strategy and scouting. It's no mistake that 33 has been on Einstein before (even as the Curie representative in 2005). They have a consistent scoring machine again in '08, that's solid in every aspect of the game. They're not going to blow away the other solid scoring machines on their own, but they are very capable of winning a close match. They're another team that should make the semis, if not further.

DARK HORSE:
The X-Cats won Finger Lakes and it took 1024 and 1126 to eliminate them in the Buckeye SFs. 191 has rather quietly built an excellent scoring machine. If they can align themselves with a strong partner they'll be dangerous.

SLEEPER:
395 has made the SFs twice this year, in Florida and NYC. They have a launcher and roller intake that makes them capable of scoring even with some defense against them. They're also capable of playing decent defense or putting up decent laps. They could be a 2nd round steal for an alliance that needs another hurdler with some flexibility.

LOCKS:
After vanishing from the spotlight for a few years, 16 once again looks like the team that terrorized FIRST in the late '90s. The Bomb Squad's old-school flopbot won Bayou and is one of the best hurdling machines playing Overdrive. They have a consistent, quick intake system that makes them difficult to defend and an excellent shooter that rarely misses the mark. It would not be surprising to see them add another banner to their collection.
HOT looks to make their return to Einstein after a two year hiatus. 67 had arguably the greatest season ever in 2005, when they won two regionals, an RCA, Newton, Einstein, and the Chairman's Award for a total of SIX gold medals. They made the Curie finals last year, and don't want to back-track in 2008. They won GLR this year, captaining the only alliance to defeat 217 in the eliminations. The HOT Bot is poised to have another huge championship event.

[Pavan Dave]

I am a big fan of CURIE domination this year. I agree completely with everything you said, and in reality I would put 1477 as a Darkish horse, because they are known but not known at the same time. There is no "hype"... If 16, 1477, 118, 67, or 33 are not with each other at all, then Curie will have a tough time on Einstein. I think any combination of the two above would have a great chance of dominating, and if somehow three of them were together, I think Canada's going to have a tough time on American soil!! I'm all up for 2 of those teams and a selection from 108, 4, 294, and a few other teams as a second round picks to help dominate the world championship event. I like our division. We are a bit underestimated, but boy would I love to see the looks on peoples faces if Curie took home the gold, despite its critically acclaimed "lack" of strong teams.


Pavan


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[MasterChief 573]

I think Curie has some serious depth this year and will turn out an alliance that can compete (and possibly win) on Einstein. With that being said, I'm more interested to see what teams will rise to the top and make it to the eliminations. Many experienced teams will tell you that just making it to the eliminations at the championships is no easy feat, even teams with good records and good bots don't make it sometimes. So I can't wait to see where all the teams stand after the qualifications.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

No mention of 368? I'll forgive you this once...

[waialua359]

I actually thought the same thing. However, you and I both know they are good and other teams will quickly notice.
I guarantee they will be either in the top 8 or selected for elim. rounds.

[DanDon]

Kika Mana was mentioned in the introduction paragraph to the division, and only 9 other teams were mentioned in the Tips/Dark Horse/Sleeper/Locks sections, so there's definitely room for other good teams. 368 is definitely a strong hurdler and I for one expect them to be in the upper echelon of teams in the division. I do not believe they have gone unnoticed .

[IKE]

Curie is a wierd mix compared to the other divisions. All the other divisions have a lot more 1st and 2nd round picks, but when I look at curie the deeper pics are still incredibly impressive machines. I definitely think Curie is the Underdog Division.

Any 395 video of the machine hurdling? I see the high OPR and hear it is an excellent hurdling machine, but I could only find it doing laps and playing D. If you 395 guys have some vids of it in action or can point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.

[DanDon]

Originally Posted by IKE

Curie is a wierd mix compared to the other divisions. All the other divisions have a lot more 1st and 2nd round picks, but when I look at curie the deeper pics are still incredibly impressive machines. I definitely think Curie is the Underdog Division.

Any 395 video of the machine hurdling? I see the high OPR and hear it is an excellent hurdling machine, but I could only find it doing laps and playing D. If you 395 guys have some vids of it in action or can point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.

If you look on The Blue Alliance, at the New York City regional videos: here, you can find us hurdling. Robot performance got better as the regional went on. There is also a build season wrap video located here. Thanks for taking a look at us .

[IKE]

395 Thanks. Shooter looks good and there are not a lot of shooters in our division. Definitely should get you noticed. Are you guys improving your knock down mechanism?

[MasterChief 573]

Well practice rounds start today, it will be cool to get a first impression of how these machines match up. I'll post an analysis of what I see today later tonight.