Fall Back…
Week 3 saw our district stretch its elbows and span out over 2 events. While some teams chose to rest after week 2, a few teams opted to get right back in it and join the large group of teams competing for the first time.
With that being said, the number of teams playing for the first time vastly outnumbered those that were there for a 2nd round of a competition and ultimately, that created a bit of a drag on the gameplay. We expected the gameplay to evolve from one that was defense-centric to one that focused on scoring goals and capturing towers.
However, the shallow fields at Albany and Dalton, combined with all the teams playing for the first time, meant that the gameplay took a very slight step forward. In week 3, there were a total of only 6 tower captures, 1 at Dalton and 5 at Albany, and none of them came during the finals.
At Kennesaw, the district is coming together to field some of the most competitive teams in our district. Add that to the fact that teams have had many weeks to make improvements from their prior events, and we expect to see at least 6 captures in just during the qualification rounds in Kennesaw.
Spring Forward…
The Kennesaw District is shaping up to be an extremely power-packed event. Not only does Kennesaw feature one of the largest gatherings of the most capable robots in the state, but all teams attending are going to their 2nd or 3rd event.
This means that teams have had 2-5 weeks to implement any changes or improvements, and this going to reflect on the gameplay. Breaching defenses is 2nd nature to most teams by now, and the next frontier of competition advancement is capturing towers.
Ultimately, Kennesaw will feature an extremely elevated, fast-paced gameplay, that’s going to ease the way for many teams to take advantage of capture points. The team that best aligns their strategy around captures will find themselves in the best position in terms of ranking and eliminations.
Shooting Their Way to the Top…
4910 - We’ll be honest, 4910 caught us by surprise. Their low goal and shooting combination not only saw them to a victory at Dalton, but 4910 currently sits in 1st place of the normalized district rankings. 4910 shows a lot of potential to become a really good high-goal shooter. With that being said, their success at KSU will rely on their consistency and their ability to keep up with the pace of the game.
**1261 **- It seems someone forgot to tell 1261 that only their first two districts will earn them points. Whatever the reason, we’re happy to see that one of the most vocal opponents of districts is actively embracing the system by doing 3 events, and it’s showing in 1261’s gameplay. Towards the end of Albany, 1261 was easily hitting 6-7 low goals, and they were even flirting with 3-4 high goals. When you combine these numbers with an agile robot, aggressive driving, and the fact that 1261 still has room to improve, you’re looking at **the **best robot in the district.
**2415 **- Despite driving a 4WD robot through sand in Columbus, 2415 still managed to walk with the 2nd best OPR at the event and a finalist medal. With that being said, 2415 continues to improve as they refine their high goal gameplay and even work towards developing a climber. If they manage to get close to their rumored 6 high-goals-per-match, they’re going to find themselves in a position to run away with this event.
**1771 **- 1771 had a good run at Dalton, but their run ended with some not-so-secret troubles with their arm. However, even at full strength, 1771 looks a little timid and moves around the field really gingerly. As such, 1771’s success in KSU will revolve around not busting their arm gearbox, consistently climbing, and driving like they stole it.
Doing it the old fashioned way…
**1746 **- Otto breached their way to a 1st seed, a semifinalist appearance, and almost a capture in Columbus. However, the game is quickly evolving, and 1746 is evolving with it. Rumor has it that 1746 has the ability to solo capture in a match, which means a potentially major RP boost during qualifications. If 1746 can low-goal their bots off and secure captures in a majority of their qualification rounds, 1746 may find their way to another 1st seed.
**5332 **- Toaster Tech quietly low-goaled their way to the 3rd seed in Columbus. They lead an alliance to some pretty high scores and an eventual semifinals exit. With that being said, 5332 has all the makings of an extremely fast, potent low goaler. Their success at Columbus depends on their speed, aggressiveness, and low-goaling efficiency.
Something to prove…
**4468 **- At Columbus, 4468 quickly saw that their shooter arm was not going to cut it, and they ditched their manipulator in favor of an agile machine targeted at breaching. While that worked in Columbus, rumor has it that 4468 is now working on low goaling capabilities, which is good, because they’re going to need them. In a field where low goalers are tuning their gameplay and high goalers are starting to get good, 4468 has to hit the ground running in order to have a chance of low-goaling their way to success at Kennesaw.
**5632 **- At Dalton, 5632 proved that you can still breach your way to success. Featuring little more than a good drivetrian and a defense manipulator, 5632 rose to 3rd seed and found themselves in the finals. While that formula may have worked well at Dalton, 5632 is going to need to bring more to the table in order to continue their success at Kennesaw.
