Championship Predictions 2010: Curie

[Looking Forward]

Curie remains the only division yet to have an Einstein champion. They came close in 2003 and 2008, reaching the Einstein finals, but ultimately fell short. If the "dream alliance" of the #1 and #2 ranked teams form, Curie might have its best chance ever at bringing home a blue banner for the big field.
However, there are many teams that will attempt to knock off 469 and 1114, or at least try and grab one of the two of them as partners for themselves. And while 469 may be the highest profile and most successful of all the ball deflectors, they will hardly be alone in this division, with 2337 and 2992 also featuring somewhat similar ball redirection methods (and others, such as 1986, with different schemes aimed at the same goal). With these schemes and other excellent mid-fielders, a lot of matches will be won and lost in the neutral zone in Curie.

PREDICTIONS:

TIPS:
You have to go all the way back to 2004 to find the last year Wildstang didn't take home a regional champions banner. Interestingly enough, that was also the year after 111's first FRC Championship, in 2003. Wildstang hopes they can avoid the quarterfinal exit at Championship they suffered in 2004, as well. Their bot is an effective ranged kicker with a slick swerve drive that throw a major wrench into their opponents' plans. Expect Wildstang to be a first round selection or an alliance captain.

2337 won in Ann Arbor, but was bounced by #1 alliance in the quarters at MSC. 2992 won Bayou in week 1, and hasn't played since. Both teams bring machines designed to dominate the middle zone, both as "standard" kickers and ball-deflectors. The Enginerds have more upside, especially given their ability to hang (and suspend others) and the fact they've been battletested before. Team Prometheus played mostly as a more traditional midfielder in Bayou and hasn't seen a level of competition anywhere near what they'll experience here. 2992 does have the ability to transverse the bump, which 2337 cannot do. While it's unlikely either team will be able to dominate a match like 469 does, both could become effective "X Factors" that could change how a match plays on the right alliance.

The Mech Warriors won Ann Arbor with 2337 and ranked 5th at MSC. They're a quick robot that specializes in moving balls forward with a spinning kicking mechanism. When 573 is paired with teams that can help convert the balls they move into goals (though they can score from mid-field if they're given space) they can be a valuable asset. If an alliance captain is looking for a ball mover in the 2nd round of the draft, 573 could be their answer.

Both 1676 and 1732 received serious consideration to be "locks" rather than tips. Both teams won two events, and both as the #1 seed at their second. Strategically they're fairly similar, full-field game. They can effectively change zones, clear balls down field, and score in the offensive zone. The Pi-oneers play a bit more of an up-tempo style than the Hilltoppers, but both are similarly effective. Both of these teams have the best odds at disrupting 1114 and 469's runs towards Einstein.

DARK HORSE:
1986 managed to win their first regional at North Star this year, but their glory was mostly eclipsed by their partners 71. However, Team Titanium was the glue that held the alliance together, and when their opponents defended them more than 71, it gave the alliance much more trouble. 1986 is an effective midfielder who's very capable of scoring from the neutral zone. If they're not the primary focus of the opponent's defense, they can be very effective.

SLEEPER:
Kika Mana improved drastically from Oregon to Hawai'i. 368 plays a very effective and dynamic mid-zone game, which is complimented by their hanging ability. If they can carry this success into Atlanta and build on it, they have a chance at repeating the success they had last time they were on Curie (2008). But they'll have to play nearly perfectly and have strong partners to do so. A quarter or semi-final elimination seems much more likely.

LOCKS:
The Simbots are making winning three regionals look routine, as they did it for the third time in their history. 1114 dominated Pittsburgh, Waterloo, and Toronto, never once seeing a higher score for the other alliance on the scoreboard. They became the first team to seed #1 in consecutive years at Championship when they ranked 1st on Archimedes last year, and now they're reaching for their third year in a row as top seed. The only team that can stop them from winning the division is 469, and even that could be a toss up.

469 is better than they've ever been, and they've won it all before. Las Guerillas has generated more attention, controversy, and admiration than any team in recent memory. Even when all of Michigan had weeks to prepare and design strategies to counter them at MSC, they still emerged victorious. If they can align with 1114, 1676, 1732, 27, 111, or 368 their opponents will be hard pressed to stop them from reaching Einstein.

[DonRotolo]

No pun intended: I have been looking forward to this post all season.

And thank you; we are most certainly not a "lock" - we'll have to fight like the devil to get anywhere, I'm sure.

[Graham Donaldson]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

No pun intended: I have been looking forward to this post all season.

And thank you; we are most certainly not a "lock" - we'll have to fight like the devil to get anywhere, I'm sure.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Don. It took us 6 years to get our first regional win (and our second ) but we've got no intention of stopping there! I can't wait!

[XaulZan11]

Little surprised to see some of the selections. I think one of the 'tips' has a very good chance at not making eliminations while teams like 27 and 1511 will be factors.

[Akash Rastogi]

"The Mech Warriors won Ann Arbor with 2337 and ranked 5th at MSC. They're a quick robot that specializes in moving balls forward with a spinning kicking mechanism. When 573 is paired with teams that can help convert the balls they move into goals (though they can score from mid-field if they're given space) they can be a valuable asset. If an alliance captain is looking for a ball mover in the 2nd round of the draft, 573 could be their answer."

Emphasis mine.

I'm really hoping the same goes for us in Newton. Knowing that there's another rotating kicker bot in Atlanta makes me feel a little better. Plus the swerve should help a little.

[sircedric4]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

Little surprised to see some of the selections. I think one of the 'tips' has a very good chance at not making eliminations while teams like 27 and 1511 will be factors.

Well trying to predict anything as chaotic as robots is a chore on its own. When you factor in the randomness of the qualification system, the auguries of Murphy and his laws harsh treatment at the worst times, how the teams handle pressure, and a teams capability to be a team player, I know I wouldn't try to look forward. :-)

But from my years here, Looking Forward does seem to do his homework, but like you point out, EVERY team is gonna have to perform and do a good job to make eliminations. The teams like us that never see one of the Michigan or California team (which make up such a huge chunk of the robots at Atlanta) have a even bigger disadvantage because of the "let's pick someone we know" factor which is part of human nature. Our team is taking it as a challenge to live up to the expectation that Looking Forward has laid out.

Honestly, we're a young team, but we are proud of our robot, have been to Atlanta before so we know how it works, and are going to be happy to get at least another 10 games in. We hope to show good enough to make eliminations, but if not then we'll have enjoyed our chance to play, cheer on Curie's teams in Einstein and take some lessons for the next time we come to Atlanta. :-) We're just happy that we're finally showing up on the radar at all.

[XaulZan11]

Of course trying to predict which teams will do well is difficult and LF's track record speaks for itself. But, I just got some different impressions or opinions on some of the teams based on my pre-scouting. That is all I was saying. LF is probably right.

[DonRotolo]

LF's predictions are only as good as their information. There is considerable research involved (no doubt), but if "we" don't feed them reliable, unbiased information, they might miss it in the research.

[ehcualp]

I'm pretty surprised to see my team up there. Pleasantly surprised. We better show off what we've got.

Curie will be very interesting. I look forward to the next few days.