The Galileo champs last year proved yet again that unexpected* alliances can come out on top at Championship. The Galileo division is aiming to take home gold from Einstein for the third consecutive year, but and there are certainly teams in the division capable of living up to those aspirations. The roster is loaded with full court shooters, with more than a dozen teams that can hurl discs the length of the field. This population shift will likely change the dynamic of the game in the eliminations compared to other divisions, especially once you factor in the lower quantity of proven 7-disc autonomous modes on Galileo.
*Well, almost unexpected.
TIPS:
Even the cyclers can shoot full court on Galileo. 610 and 2729 both have the ability to shoot from the feeder station in their back pocket to be used as necessary. The Coyotes have the higher potential of the pair, both in terms of cycling and full court shooting. They demonstrated the ability to complete six and even seven cycles in a match, and are rumored to be further improving their rate of fire when shooting full court. Storm Robotics can’t fire continuously from the feeding station, but can accurately launch salvos of four into the 3 point goal. Their primary game is as a very accurate and consistent cycling machine, which helped them win their home district and the MAR championship.
Texas Torque has as much upside as just about anyone in the division, but wasn’t able to find enough consistency in the face of defense until their fourth regional regional event to take home a gold. 1477’s autonomous flexibility and potential will make them a very attractive partner to many captains (especially if they can improve their center line routine), and they will likely end up with a chance to join one of the top few alliances. Managing to finally advance past the division semi-finals will depend on their alliance partners, however.
The #5 alliance at Michigan State Championship posted scores of 192 and 173, and lost in two matches in the quarterfinals. 245, 2000, and 3656 are all on Galileo, and will be among the best cycling machines in the division and should all be in the eliminations. None of them are likely to be the driving force behind a deep run, but in the right scenario they could be excellent “x factors” in helping get the edge over an opponent.
In a division loaded with high release point full court shooters, it’s likely going to come down to which of them are the most consistent. 1806 and 2485 will be in that conversation, for sure. SWAT’s ability to climb for 20, score in the pyramid goal, and cycle effectively gives them a lot of added advantages over many of the others that will be tough to match. The WARLords possess an accurate full court shooter than reaches the loading station quickly. It would be surprising to see either team not selected in the first round.
Galileo may be the perfect division for 2474 to, well, excel. They are one of very few teams with a reliable 7-disc autonomous mode. Their tele-operated scoring won’t be as high as some of the other teams’, but they are capable of playing a front court sweeper role at a decent level. Alternatively, they are among the teams in the division with a retractable 84" blocking device (and theirs actually retracts far enough they can still drive underneath the pyramid), which could aid in shutting down many of the opposing FCS. They won’t be able to carry an alliance, but are in position to be a quality role player.
111 is one of the biggest names on Galileo, but Wildstang is going to have to take the next step if they want to contend for the division title. While a solid cycling machine with a 5-disc autonomous will certainly be coveted, they don’t have the game breaking potential of many previous Wildstang machines, and have suffered jamming issues during many critical matches. While you certainly wouldn’t want to count out the three time FRC champs, a quarter or semifinal exit seems more plausible than Wildstang reaching Einstein.
A strong case can be made that 2481 is the best climb, dump, and shoot team in FRC not named Simbotics or HOT. They’re certainly up there with the NC Gears and Red Devils. While the Roboteers are still chasing their first regional victory, they will certainly be a noteworthy contender on Galileo. Being able to reliably contribute a hefty chunk of points without using many discs makes them an ideal partner for many alliances, especially those with full court shooters.
DARK HORSE:
The Thunderbolts represent Israel’s best chance at having a team reach Einstein since 1574 captained an alliance to the division finals in 2008. 2630 won the Israel regional and was an early pick at the DC regional, before being eliminated in the semis due to their battery becoming unplugged. They play a similar game to 610 (though not at the same level), being able to accurately shoot full court when left to their own devices, and quickly cycle underneath the pyramids when the other alliances’ blockers come into play. Barring any communications issues, they should be in the quarterfinals at least.
SLEEPER:
Team Roboto has their best machine in quite a while, and stands a very good chance at playing in the champs eliminations for the first time since they were Galileo finalists in 2005. 447 was the third member of the winning alliance at Queen City, but stepped up their game and captained an alliance to the finals at a very competitive Crossroads event. They’re a shifty scoring machine that’s difficult to defend, and if they can continue working out the tweaks in their 5-disc autonomous, could possibly be an alliance captain.
LOCKS:
It’s fitting that the best pure full court shooter is in the division full of them. 2169 is incredibly accurate, quick to find the target, and very difficult to block. If they can reach the corner, it’s often game over for the opposing alliance. Their alliances’ averaged over 170 points/match in their last four qualification matches in Denver, and they broke the 100 point barrier in two out of every three matches they played this season. King TeC will be the kings of full court shooting on Galileo, and stand the best bet out of any of them at reaching Einstein. That being said, they’re still going to require partners capable to handling a lot of the dirty work.
It had almost become a cruel joke. Every year, 118 would put out a glossy video and everyone would drool and guarantee that the Robonauts would be on Einstein. Then reality happened, and the Robonauts were met with elimination letdowns and no trips to Einstein since 2002. They broke that trend in 2012, as the #1 selection and Newton champions. Their 2013 entry is arguably even better than their previous, as it became the first robot in their storied history to win three events, all of which in convincing fashion. They have one of the best autonomous modes in the division and are among its best scoring machines, both at ground loading and running cycles. If they can avoid the technical demons that have haunted their elimination runs in the past, they’ll surely be in the division finals at the very least.
Even if Simbotics didn’t have their 50 point end game, they’d still likely be one of the very best scoring machines in FRC. Their cycling game is only matched by a handful of teams anywhere. Having the quick climb and dump maneuver really sets 1114 apart as one of the most attractive alliance partners. However, Galileo is far from their ideal division, without the same quantity of big time autonomous machines to mask their primary deficiency. If they can pair with a strong autonomous scoring machine, it’s hard to see them falling short of Einstein.
The remainder of the division threads will be posted periodically tonight. Stay tuned!