It’s week 4! This week we cover some very stacked events and some very weak events. You’ll also see another round of that PNW kid getting mad in the comments. Enjoy!
[ONT] York University
- 1360 - Orbit Robotics
- 4618 - Newman Robotics
- 5596 - Wolverines
- 4343 - MaxTech
- 5719 - Pink Titans
- 854 - Iron Bears
- 7558 - ALT-F4
- 7603 - Bill Hogarth Secondary School
With many of the predicted top teams at this event having yet to play this year, the top of the rankings will come down to who can tune their robot the quickest. While 1360, 4618 and 5596 are the strongest teams here historically, rookie team 7603 showed they know how to seed by captaining the 2nd alliance at Humber and team 5719 is coming right off of a finalist appearance at Ryerson. 4343 struggled to seed at their first event, but their robot performance was solid, and 2708 will be looking to rebound from their disappointing performance at Durham. 1360 and 4618 will form the first alliance and win the event (2-1), but 5596 won’t go down without a fight and will be looking for steals in alliance selection to pull off the upset.
[ONT] University of Waterloo
- 2056 - OP Robotics
- 1241 - THEORY6
- 3683 - Team DAVE
- 4917 - Sir Lancerbot
- 4678 - CyberCavs
- 2702 - Rebels
- 4976 - Revolt Robotics
- 772 - Sabre Bytes Robotics
Do you want to know what ONT District Champs finals will be like? Look no further than to the University of Waterloo, where world-class teams like 2056, 1241, 4917 and 4678 debut their robots for the first time. We’re getting ready for a rematch of ONWAT 2018, where the 1st seed of 2056 and 1241 fell to the second seeded alliance 3683 and 4917. It’ll come down to who’s drivers handle defense the best, but we expect the first seed to take it this year. It seems ridiculous to call teams like 4976 (who didn’t change their name this year!!!), 4678, 2609, and 772 dark horses, but keep an eye out for them looking to execute some upsets or shake up alliance selection.
[NE] Western NE
- 195 - CyberKnights
- 176 - Aces High
- 230 - Gaelhawks
- 2370 - IBOTS
- 7407 - Wired Boars
- 181 - Birds of Prey
Well, it’s another New England event - a really great top end that falls off pretty quick. If 195 hadn’t stepped up their game on Saturday at CNY, they probably wouldn’t be #1 here, but here they are, with a banner to their name already. We don’t see much room for upsets - barring any teams surprising us like 1676 at Waterbury - so we expect 195 to rather easily take the #1 seed and pick either 176 or 230.
[NE] Rhode Island
- 133 - B.E.R.T.
- 2168 - Aluminum Falcons
- 78 - AIR STRIKE
- 1153 - Walpole Robotics Revolution
- 716 - Who’sCTEKS
- 190 - Gompei and the H.E.R.D.
The race to the #1 seed will be tight, and will likely depend a lot on schedule. All of the top 3 here have a chance at seeding first, and honestly, even 190 has a chance. 133s last finals set was on the close side of things, and we don’t expect that to happen again, if they can pair up with 2168 or 78. We predict that 2 of the top 3 will win this event, going 6-0 in eliminations.
[PNW] West Valley
- 2046 - Bear Metal
- 4061 - SciBorgs
- 1595 - The Dragons
- 3238 - Cyborg Ferrets
- 2907 - Lion Robotics
- 2557 - SOTAbots
- 4469 - R.A.I.D. (Raider Artificial Intelligence Division)
- 4980 - Canine Crusaders
Looking to the west (valley), we see the weaker of the two PNW events. There shouldn’t be too many crazy things happening, since we know how strong 2046 was at Auburn Mountainview. They will continue to make their mark as a top PNW team by leading their alliance to victory - but it’s the first pick that’s a bit of a tossup. The likely pick is 4061, but they’ll need to keep up their strong performance from last week to hold off team 2557. After coming of a disappointing QF finish in Week 2, SOTAbots is likely to perform better after using unbag time to improve, but it’s hard to know by how much. An outside chance for the best of the rest is 1595 as well, who seems to be stepping up their design program to see both culture and award success. The safe bet is to say 2046 and 4061 win together, but 2557 will exponentially improve throughout the event to lead an underdog alliance into the finals.
[PNW] Glacier Peak
- 2910 - Jack in the Bot
- 1983 - Skunk Works Robotics
- 5803 - Apex Robotics
- 2930 - Sonic Squirrels
- 5827 - Code Purple
- 2976 - Spartabots
- 4512 - Otter Chaos
- 4911 - CyberKnights
Glacier Peak is the event to watch if you’re in PNW, with a lineup of teams already holding a blue banner and many hungry for one. 2910 has won events with 5803 and 2930 this year, and have lost a grand total of two matches all season, so they look to continue in dominating fashion. It’s 1983’s turn to pair up with them and go for the gold, defeating the alliance of 5803 and 2930 2-0. There are also going to be some top teams on the outside looking in for finals, like 5827 and 2976 who have both shown impressive capabilities. No one really knows who 4911 is, but perhaps this week we will figure out who they are as they look to improve on their first event’s performance.
[FiT] Greenville
- 3310 - Black Hawk Robotics
- 2468 - Team Appreciate
- 3005 - RoboChargers
- 3847 - Spectrum
- 5431 - Titan Robotics in memory of Jordan Grant
- 5414 - Pearadox
- 4587 - Jersey Voltage
- 7179 - Crossfire
Welcome to Greenville, TX, where the FiT district is ready to show off an event with a deep field of competitive teams. Almost all of these top 8 teams have seen themselves play in the finals this year, but this lineup won’t make that an easy feat. With 3310’s consistent climber and quick cycles, they’ll be looking for a strong hatch robot to fill in their weaknesses. That may come from 2468, who showed reliability in their hatch intake and placements. 3005’s lack of a climber will likely hurt their seeding as we saw in Austin, but if they can show their strength 3310 may pick them up instead. If 5414 can get their level 3 compatible with other robots, that may also give them a much desired spot on the winning alliance. Predictions indicate 3310 and 2468 will pair up and win 2-0 against the alliance of 3847 and 3005, but it’s anyone’s game.
[FIM] Lincoln District
- 5050 - Cow Town Robotics
- 67 - The HOT Team
- 3542 - S.P.E.E.D.
- 314 - The Megatron Oracles
- 503 - Frog Force
This weekend, the event to watch in Michigan is Lincoln. While most of these teams have yet to receive a blue banner this year, they’re all iconic and anticipated to perform Saturday Morning at the State Championship. 5050’s consistent level 3 is expect to carry them into first seed this weekend, and they will have the opportunity to pick their partner to stuff the cargo ship and cap off a successful weekend. If 3542 can repeat their performance at Kettering #1, they’re the clear partner for success, with a tremendous performance in filling the cargo + rocket ship. Others in the race this weekend will be 67, 314 and 503, each bringing their own flavor and skills at the top end of this event. If 67 can solve their climbing issues, their inevitable consistency will carry them to the top of this event, and will be a force to reckon with come Saturday afternoon. Pairing up with the likes of 314 means they’ll be going far this Saturday.
[FIM] West Michigan District
- 2054 - Tech Vikes
- 5927 - Globetrotters
- 5567 - Code Red Robotics
- 4003 - Trisonics
- 2474 - Excel
This year, the West Michigan event will show us what the West side of Michigan is bringing in a few weeks to the Michigan State Championship. Making a very strong showing at their first event, 2054 is the favorite. Their partner is likely to be one of 5927 and 5567 this weekend, the former with an impressive performance on the rocket and cargo ship, the latter with the most consistent HAB 3 climb at the event. 4003 is not to be left out - with a little bit of driver practice and some improvements to their intake, they go from an okay cycler to a team that will be 1st or 2nd alliance. Also in the running is 2474, who make their debut this weekend, and consistently make one of the most exciting bots at Western Michigan events.
SBPLI Long Island Regional #1
- 11 - MORT
- 3646 - INTEGRA BAHCESEHIR
- 2579 - LIC Robodogs
- 2638 - Rebel Robotics
- 6941 - IronPulse Robotics
- 6024 - R Factor
- 514 - Entropy
- 7239 - Hell Robotics
Well, this will be something. Top teams here like 3646 and 2638 have underperformed from our expectations this year, maybe 6024 will show that their mid-tier Australian performance translates to coming on top in Long Island, or 6941 will carry their successes from Heartland over, but what we’ve seen it will likely be 11 outclassing the rest of the field with two events already under their belt. They’ll pair up with 3646 and leave the rest in the dust. 2579 has built their best robot to date, so we’ll see if they’re able to play spoiler to anyone here.
Hudson Valley
- 20 - The Rocketeers
- 1796 - RoboTigers
- 303 - The T.E.S.T. Team
- 1156 - Under Control
- 3419 - RoHawks
- 6880 - Universal Serial Brawlers (USB)
- 6024 - R Factor
Few teams are coming into this event with experience under their belts, and those that do have a big advantage. The race between 20 and 1796 will be tight, but 20 has the advantage of their climber already working 18 climbs. We expect 20 and 1796 to pair up together, and we don’t expect much room for upsets. If 1796 struggles with panels, then there could be an upset from an intelligent strategy out of another high seed alliance, but we find this unlikely. If anything, 1156 could play spoiler to 1796 and be 20’s pick.
Los Angeles
- 330 - The Beach Bots
- 3476 - Code Orange
- 3309 - Friarbots
- 294 - Beach Cities Robotics
- 5199 - Robot Dolphins from Outer Space
- 368 - Team Kika Mana
- 5802 - Los STEMateros
- 1159 - Ramona Rampage
Sunny Southern California moves to Los Angeles. Unlike its northern counterpart from last week, LA has a few local powerhouses ready to take on 330 at their final regional. 330 and 3309 are favorites, coming in with a regional under their belt and new wheel based hatch mechanisms. 5199, 294, and 5802 are not far behind with their practice, rumors are that two of these teams are consistently soloing rockets in practice. 3476 is coming in fresh, and might have the same initial turret blues 254 and 195 suffered last week. 330 will seed first and pick either 3309 or 3476. The alliance that faces 330 in finals will have a double climb potential. This won’t be enough to stop The Beach Bots from getting their final regional win.
Sacramento
- 1323 - MadTown Robotics
- 1678 - Citrus Circuits
- 973 - Greybots
- 1072 - Harker Robotics
- 3859 - Wolfpack Robotics
- 701 - RoboVikes
- 5940 - B.R.E.A.D.
- 3250 - Kennedy Robotics
Ah, STACKramento. Just kidding, we here at CYD hate that overused name. This event will be as predictable as predictable can be. 1323, 1678, and 973 all have previous 2019 regional wins and will be competing to see which of them will get to pair up. Although it didn’t impact them at Orange County, 973 might find their lack of rocket level 3 scoring limiting, unless they have added another elevator stage. We expect 1323 and 1678 to once again pair up, with 973 and 1072 behind them. Although not as flashy, some of the other alliances will put on a good show. 3250 is sporting an amazingly engineered robot, 701 has a fun pass over arm that will pay great dividends once they tune it, 3859 can score cargo into the cargo ship quickly and reliably, and 5940 will zoom across the field with their zippy robot. In the end, 1323 and 1678 will win, leaving the wildcard slots to 973’s partners.
Central Illinois Regional
- 2481 - Roboteers
- 1756 - Argos
- 323 - Lights Out
- 5847 - Ironclad
- 3695 - Foximus Prime
- 4256 - Cyborg Cats
- 4213 - MetalCow Robotics
- 4156 - Ninjaneers
Looking to defend their title here and win CIR for the 5th time in a row, 2481 wants to start their season off strong, but will have to quickly catch up to the already tuned team of 323. Other contenders include 5847, 3695, and 4256, but given the mechanical prowess of Roboteers and Arm-gos, it’s unlikely anyone pulls off an upset here - barring any severe breaks or robot problems from the two favorites. If either of the two seed first, we think it’s pretty clear who will take home the banner.
Thanks for reading, and good luck to everyone competing this weekend. See you next week!
