A teams 2nd round pick is what separates them from an okay alliance and defines them as a great alliance. We have almost always had a great second round pick, through vigorous paper scouting, our scouting database, luck, and watching countless matches on Friday night.
2006 regionals are a great example.
In NJ we picked 1279, a very good compliment to our alliance with 103.
In LV we picked 8, not only could they score, they could play wicked good defense.
2007 regionals
In NJ we picked 1302, they could cap 4-5 a match, play good def, and had a ramp!
In UTC we picked 2104, they were what we needed and could do what we needed every time. Many people say we could have won if we picked another capper and overloaded the rack with tubes. Yet, after watching the rounds, several times over, and going over the statistics, we know they were the best choice.
Personally, I really liked our 25, 103 and 1302 alliance.