Championship Predictions 2011: Curie

[Looking Forward]

Last year was supposed to be the year that Curie finally broke through and won on Einstein, but even the combined might of the Simbots and Las Guerillas wasn't enough. It just goes to show that anything can happen. Curie will try once again to win the divisions' first FRC Championship, and the division has the teams do it.

A lot of the teams here have a history with each other, both in terms of past years and this one. For example 1625 and 2826 paired up in Chicago, 180 and 2363 in South Carolina, 1519 and 176 at BAE, and 2377 and 768 in DC. 968 topped 1717 in LA, 2826 bested 1625 in Wisconsin, 365 eliminated 316 in Philly, and 103 sent 1592 packing in Florida. And 2056 and 1625 paired up to win Galileo last year. It will be interesting to see how all these relationships, and the many more I didn't touch on, are resurrected in the division.

The action on Curie should be fast and furious and the division should be able to arrange at least two or three alliances that would be real contenders on Einstein. The first problem will be getting there, as almost every elimination alliance will have a game changer on it.

PREDICTIONS:
TIPS:
Here's to hoping that putting 1717 in the prediction thread earns me another quote in a published book. But D'Penguineers definitely have a robot with the upside to be here. 1717 is as slick as anyone, with a lightning quick gripping mechanism, silky smooth drive-train, an all-star human player, and a minibot that you can miss by blinking. But they are far from perfect, and there's reasons they ended the regional year without a gold medal draped around their neck. Their minibot deployment had some hitches, especially in San Diego, and their inside gripper often made it difficult to score on top of ubertubes and grab tubes on the fly (which made midfield defense a viable strategy against them). If they can find partners to mask their flaws, they stand a good chance to take home a medal.

Never bet against the Beast. Even when Team Hammond is in the longest drought in team history at Championship (it's amazing to think that not winning a Championship since 2004 is a drought for these guys). 71 hasn't been quite the same these past few years, but they are sporting a banner from the Smokey Mountain Regional this year based on their strategy, minibot, and driving. Offensively, Beatty hasn't shown me enough consistency to put them on the same level as the elite teams this year, but their bot has potential and is fully capable of peaking in St. Louis. Even when they're not scoring proficiently, Hammond is a tough out and was often winning matches by locking their opponents' scorers in their zone. While another early exit on Saturday seems possible, Curie better hope the Beast doesn't awaken.

This team may not be as obscenely fast as some of the top tier scoring machines, but a very elegant scoring motion, speedy minibot, and well-executed design makes them a real threat to challenge in Curie. Wave Robotics won with Wildstang in Wisconsin and gave 111 a run for their money in the Illinois finals. 2826 might not be as flashy as some, but they can quietly put up a bunch of tubes. If they can build on their previous success and continue improving, they could be a real force. Expect them to be on one of the top handful of alliances in this division.

There's no shame in losing to Wildstang, especially this year. 1625 met the 'stang twice in the finals this year, coming up short both times. Winnovation finally got the Championship monkey off their back last year by reaching Einstein, and they clearly don't want to fall short this year. A rocket of a minibot is their biggest weapon and could end up playing a huge role for them in the eliminations. If they pair with another top notch team they'll have the capability of challenging any alliance, but they'll have to bring their A game.


DARK HORSE:
Not many people would have pegged Triple Helix as a team to take home a pair of medals this year before the season started. But 2363 really stepped up to the next level, and earned a victory in South Carolina and gave the winners in Virginia a run for their money. They don't really have any "plus tools,", but they can play all the facets of the game and quietly put up large score totals. They haven't been tested like they will be at Championship and they haven't played the type of game they're going to face here. The challenge will be translating their success to the more evolved play style here. But their consistency and quiet scoring could result in a solid seed or a surprise upset.

SLEEPER:
180 got more points from their minibot in South Carolina than they did in Florida, and that helped them transform from an 11th pick and finalist into a #1 alliance captain and regional champion. They're another unspectacular team that can put up several tubes, including the all valuable ubertube. They won't take charge of a match, but they can definitely be a factor and have a human player that can keep their alliance happy. If SPAM can slide a bit in the selection, their alliance might be really successful.

LOCKS:
Continuous improvement. That's what has made HOT successful this year. They really struggled at Kettering, and in many matches weren't even moving. 67 slayed their technical gremlins and peaked during the MSC eliminations, where they propelled their alliance to the state championship. If HOT can maintain that level of play, they have the potential to be hanging their fourth Championship banner when all is said and done. Their minibot and deployment are capable of beating anyone in the end game, which might be their biggest weapon of all.

The last time we played with inner tubes, 987's alliance surprised everyone and took home some gold medals from Einstein. The High Rollers' robot this year in definitely better than that one. Winners in both San Diego and Vegas, 987 is among the elite this year in terms of being able to bring their best on a consistent basis. The ability to score from both sides of their robot can save them valuable seconds and facilitate their alliances' traffic in and out of the scoring area. It gives them a slight edge in hunting for the next tube after they score, which means it's going to be that much tougher to starve them. Give them a partner who can hang a bunch of tubes when left alone, and 987 will be headed home with some sort of trophy.

There's nothing left to nitpick. All the complaints and arguments for them being a "fluke" or "carried" are gone. 2056 is the real deal. They've won without 1114. They've reached Einstein. And they've never lost a regional in their history. Perhaps no team is more reliable than the kids from Stony Creek, Ontario. 2056 shouldn't have much trouble seeding high enough to dictate whether or not they want to captain their own alliance or accept one of the very early invites they receive (if they're not giving out those early invites themselves). If they can add a top flight minibot as a partner, I'd look for them to be the favorites to win the division.