Looking back…
Week 3 marks the halfway point in the PCH qualification season, and with two events in the books, we can afford to sit back, take a tiny breather, and look what’s unfolded so far in the season.
Firstly, we want to take a quick moment to take a look at districts and how multiple plays help PCH teams. If you’re still on the fence about the format, consider the fact that 7 out of the top 10 teams at Dalton were participants at the Gainesville qualifier, which just goes to show that teams are clearly earning a competitive advantage by playing often, and in some cases, early.
Looking at the gameplay, the first few weeks of the season have been dominated by the gear and the climb, and what’s more, teams are improving. While teams at Gainesville were maxing out at 3 rotors, Dalton saw teams break through to 4 rotors. Now, 4 rotors were a special occurrence and will continue to be scarce, especially at more competitive events, but it goes to show that PCH teams are perfectly capable of pushing the competitive limits of this game.
Finally, we did see a few ball scoring robots, and as we predicted, the game wasn’t ready for them yet. While there were a couple of matches where the 1-2 kPa made a difference, a majority of ball scoring machines were neither effective enough to earn the 40 kPa bonus nor make a significant difference in the outcome of the tournament.
Looking forward…
Looking forward, the district is in an interesting situation. We have 15 teams who are done and are anxiously watching to see if their tickets are punched for states. On the flip side, we have 16 teams who have yet to play a match and are going to be seeing their first action this weekend in Columbus.
However, the path of the game is clear; if you don’t have a climber and a gear mechanism on your robot, you’re quickly becoming marginalized, so much so, that if your team isn’t sporting a quality climber and gear mechanism by states, be prepared to eat a fat slice of cheesecake or watch the playoffs from the stands.
Columbus preview…
If you recall, we teased Gainesville as one of the strongest events in the district. Well, welcome to Columbus, which is, objectively, the strongest district event. A majority of seasoned, veteran teams are going through the second event, and that divide will see them seed very high when they play next to weaker teams who are going out for their first run.
In many ways, Columbus will be like Gainesville, but a step up. Where 3 rotors and 2 climbs was enough to win most qualification matches in Gainesville, it might not win that many matches in Columbus. Alliances will need to consistently place an autonomous gear, put a third robot in the air, and/or score a significant portion of fuel to provide a tiebreaker.
Contenders…
4188 came out swinging in Gainesville and earned an invite to the first seed thanks to their quick gear cycling, powerful drivetrain, and a reliable climbing mechanism. While some communications issues saw their eliminations run cut short, you can bet that CSP won’t be standing still for Columbus. With some changes for their gear mechanism already in the works to make their gear cycling even faster, we expect 4188 to be another solid contender.
2415 was one of the strongest gearbots at Dalton and helped lead the 5th seed to the district championship. Their slippery fast drivetrain and their unfolding gear mechanism made them a critical part of all three 4-rotor matches at Dalton. If the Wiredcats can use this short week to iron out their peg delivery, they’ll likely be the best gearing bot at Columbus and make a deep run into the playoffs.
1648 flexed its climbing and scouting chops at Gainesville, where they built an alliance of three climbers and rolled their way to the championship. However, 1648’s gearing mechanism left something to be desired and Grady is infamous for faltering as the season goes on. So look for G3 to be testing some improvements in Columbus, and if they can improve their gear mechanism and fire up that shooter, we know that G3 has what it takes to drive deep into playoffs.
1746 is arguably one of the best gearing robots in the district, and they showed that prowess at their championship run in Gainesville. However, they didn’t get their climber going until playoffs, at which point they were still only about 70% effective. Otto’s success at Columbus is entirely dependent on their climber, and if they can get that going out of the gate, we’ll look for 1746 in the top 4 at Columbus.
1002 has fielded an incredibly simple, fast gearing robot this year, which is shaping up to be one of their best in recent history. With a silky smooth mecanum drivetrain, 1002 ranked 5th, and ultimately joined the 2nd seed at Gainesville. While we don’t expect any new tricks from the Circuit Runners, we do know that they’re a reliable workhorse, and if they’re left alone to do their bidding, they could mount a solid upset and just sneak away with a win.
Potential…
4468 has come to epitomize success built on simplicity. They snuck up on the field with a fast drivetrain, a simple gear mech, and a climber that was good enough to lead the 5th seed alliance and almost eliminate the district champions from the event. If Fernbank can smoothen out some of its rough edges with their gear mechanism, look for them to make a solid run in Columbus.
1683 started off this year without much notoriety, but changed all that in a flash with an impressive performance out of the gate at Gainesville, becoming the first pick of the 5th alliance and coming up just short of semis. However, one of the big reasons for that loss was an inconsistent climb, especially towards the end of the event. If Techno Titans can correct that, expect them to be extremely strong.
4026 struggled early in the event and had a hard time dealing with the field tolerances at Gainesville. But as they’ve become so accustomed to doing, they were able to be a productive part of the 6th seed and use superior strategy and consistent performance to route a path to the finals. For Columbus, 4026 isn’t leaving anything to chance and is working on improving their gearing mechanism to hopefully put themselves in a picking position.
4910 walked into the Gainesville event as one of the rising stars of the state, showing off an impressive machine at the JRD scrimmage. However, at Gainesville, it was almost as if they were left behind, falling all the way to the seventh seeded alliance, and while they gave the 2nd seed a run for its money, East Cobb’s alliance eventually bowed out in the quarters. Their fall in the draft could likely be attributed to a few failed climbs late and some inconsistency in their gear placement. However, with an added ratchet to their climber and some more practice, they should find their way onto a top alliance.
3581 is the only team mentioned here to be starting on their first event. They’ve started to pick up some momentum, making eliminations at every event they attended and winning an Excellence in Engineering Award at Albany. Those who watched them last year at Columbus will recall an attempt at a low bar-low goal auto: if they can come out with that same interesting design and autonomous in match 1, they could be a team to watch.
. Close finals, but we lost due to scales and fuel in the end. Looking forward to state where we may have a few changes…