> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.iowacityrobotics.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.iowacityrobotics.org/scouting-and-strategy/introduction-to-strategy.md).

# Introduction to Strategy

The above chapters on design, build, and programming outlined how teams build a good robot and set themselves for success at competition. This is all well and good, but it does not cover *how* teams succeed when they're *at* regional or district events. After all, the primary metric of success at competitions is whether or not you win matches, which is a question of strategy. Even the best robot is useless when it does not play the game well or it is burdened by having two dysfunctional robots on its alliance.

The above is a slight overstatement. Good robots tend to get good results, but it's useful to think of strategy as **making the most of the resources you have**.

At competitions, strategy is typically used in 2 ways:

1. Alliance Selection
2. Match Strategy

The following covers the two in greater depth.

#### Alliance Selection

This is the area where good strategy makes the most dramatic and noticeable difference. Alliance selection is the process by which teams draft alliances to compete in playoff matches. Or, if you've never had exposure to alliance selection:

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr69EMH4BZM>" %}

If you are in a position to be either the captain or first pick of an alliance, picking strong robots is critical for winning matches. Qualification seeds tend not to be very good measures of robot performance, since a robot can earn ranking points simply by having strong teammates (in fact, the early 20 seeds going unpicked is commonplace in competitions). Therefore, teams rely on scouting robots, which is covered in future pages in greater detail.

Preparing for alliance selection is not something to be taken lightly. Time limits mean that teams often have to make tough decisions on the fly (e.g. conflicts between the captain and first pick on who the second pick should be, deciding whether or not you can afford to decline). As such, preparation is critical. Most typically, teams come up with pick lists that dictate who they would like to select. Pick lists can further be categorized based on things like what would make a good first vs second pick, general performance tier, etc.

A few general tips on alliance selection:

* Have alliance representatives that do well under pressure. Alliance selection is stressful!
* The general strategy for alliance selection tends to be having strong primary scoring bots for the captain and first pick, and having a "specialist" in the second pick. This just means having the capability to do something other than the other 2 robots - scoring a different game piece, playing defense, etc.
* The way you pick should vary depending on what seed you are. The first alliance typically has a greater emphasis on consistency, whereas lower alliances may opt to choose robots that perform well but are riskier.
* If you're ever unsure about a pick, try talking to the team beforehand. Conveniently, all of the alliance representatives will be lined up prior to alliance selection.

Alliance selection tends to be a lot less complicated during earlier events, because the gap between how good bots are tends to be a lot bigger.

If you are not in the position to pick, it is still useful to think about alliance selection — consider what alliances want as their second pick. This, in turn, informs the other main use of strategy.

#### Match Strategy

Strategy during matches primarily involves co-ordinating with your teammates to achieve the maximum results. It is useful to consider what your end goal is. You may want to focus on scoring to maximize your Ranking Points. Alternatively, you may want to focus on showcasing certain capabilities such as defense. Deciding this requires accurate assessment of how likely you are to win the match and how likely you are to be picked.

Afterwards, it is the job of strategy members to inform the drive team of your teammates' and opponents' capabilities. This explains both how you can best facilitate your team and how you can best disrupt the opposing alliance (e.g. one of your teammates has a bad intake or one of your opponents has a position where they are particularly vulnerable to defense), which allows the drive team to play as well as they can.

Both match strategy and alliance selection are heavily dependent on scouting to inform strategic decisions. Therefore, the next pages will cover how to scout effectively.