Scouting Center — Team 2822 | Spartan Design VRC

Copy this column structure into a Google Sheet, one row per match observed. Fill the placeholders during the match; the auto-winner gets ticked the moment auto ends.

MATCH SCOUTING — COLUMNS match_num int red_alliance team_a / team_b blue_alliance team_a / team_b auto_winner red / blue / tie red_score int blue_score int combo_count_red int (pin-in-cup scores) combo_count_blue int stack_high_red int stack_high_blue int failures free text — drops, breakdowns, fouls driver_notes tendencies observed

Record on phone, push to shared Sheet at break.

Auto Observation Framework

15s window

What to log during the 15-second autonomous window for each opposing team you watch.

Start position — field tile (A-F by alliance station)
First action — what mechanism fires first
Element preference — pin / cup / combo / no preference
Endpoint — where on the field the bot stops
Failure mode — stalled, missed pickup, knocked off element, etc.
Repeatable? — did they run the same auto twice in a row?

A team running 3 distinct autos cleanly is a stronger pick than one running 1 auto loudly.

🛡 Pit Scouting

Between match blocks

Pit Visit Checklist

Tap to check

Per pit visit. Persists per-device until you clear it. Aim for 1 visit per scouting pair per match break.

Greet captain — introduce yourself & team30s
Note robot lift type (4-bar / chain / DR4B / arm)Visual
Note manipulator (claw / pincer / tube / hybrid)Visual
Ask: "How many autos do you run?" — note the countAsk
Ask: "What's your favorite scoring play?" — one sentenceAsk
Ask: "What's been giving you trouble?" — their words, no judgmentAsk
Note bot height / weight / perimeter compliance (R3 visible)Visual
Photo of robot if they consent (front + side)Optional
Thank captain, give a Spartan card / sticker if you have them10s
Walk away. Log into the team capability profile within 5 min.2 min

0 / 10

2-3 questions max — respect their pit time. They have matches too.

What to Look For

Pit visual cues

Spare parts laid out: they break things — ask what they had to fix.
Notebook open on the table: serious EDP team — likely strong on judged awards.
Two drivers practicing on a controller: they have a backup — pick resilience.
Multiple battery chargers: they're serious about uptime.
Pneumatic compressor + spare tanks: pneumatic-dependent bot — air-system risk.
3D printed structural parts: ask if they're R7-compliant (custom plastic limit).
Drive-team apparel matching: organized program — usually reliable on cycle execution.

🔍 Opponent Analysis

Per team profile

Team Capability Profile

Per team

One profile per team you scout. Copy into your scouting tool, fill from match observations + pit visits.

TEAM CAPABILITY PROFILE team_num: ####X school: name robot_type: combo / cup-spec / pin-spec / hybrid lift: 4-bar / chain / DR4B / arm / other manipulator: claw / pincer / tube / hybrid auto_count: number of distinct routines observed auto_strength: 1-5 (5 = wins auto consistently) teleop_cycle: avg seconds loader-to-goal strengths: 2-3 bullets weaknesses: 2-3 bullets driver_tendencies:passive / aggressive / defensive pick_rating: 1-5 (5 = first-round target) notes: freeform

Strengths / Weaknesses Frame

Adversarial lens

For each scouted team, fill three lenses. The third one is what wins eliminations.

Strengths: what they do well consistently. Things you'd want them to do for you (if they're a pick) or that you need to neutralize (if they're an opponent).

Weaknesses: what they drop, fumble, or simply don't do. Verify across multiple matches — one bad match isn't a weakness, it's a hiccup.

Driver tendencies: do they recover from a drop or panic? Defensive instincts? Cooperative with alliance partners? Look for the human, not just the bot.

"Beat them" answer = strength × weakness intersection.

📋 Alliance Selection

Build before lunch on day 2

Pick List Framework

Ranked + backups

Rank your top picks before alliance selection starts. Three rounds of backups because the top picks WILL get taken by the time it's your turn.

PICK LIST — 1ST ROUND rank 1: team // why: ___ rank 2: team // why: ___ rank 3: team // why: ___ rank 4: team // why: ___ rank 5: team // why: ___ PICK LIST — 2ND ROUND rank 1: team // why: ___ rank 2: team // why: ___ rank 3: team // why: ___ DO NOT PICK - team #: reason ___ - team #: reason ___

Pick Logic Cheat Sheet

Decision rules

1st pick: complementary, not duplicate. If you're a combo bot, pick a defensive specialist; if you're a specialist, pick a strong combo.
2nd pick: reliability > ceiling. The 2nd-pick bot has to NOT break under elimination pressure. Pick consistency.
Don't pick: bots that share your failure mode (e.g., two pneumatic-pincer bots both dead on an air leak).
Captain courtesy: brief picks before announcement — they won't accept if surprised on stage.
Backup ready: have rank 4-5 in hand. The first three rounds eat picks fast.

Our internal pairings: /fleet-manipulator-matrix

⚔ Elimination Strategy

Pre-match per pairing

Per-Match Strategy Template

High stakes

Run through this for each elimination match. 5 minutes, the whole alliance present. No skipping fields.

MATCH STRATEGY — ELIM match: QF / SF / F1 / F2 / F3 opponent_a: team # opponent_b: team # their_strength: one phrase their_weakness: one phrase to exploit our_auto_red: routine name our_auto_blue: routine name partner_auto: routine name teleop_role: scorer / defender / cycler partner_role: complementary role key_play: the one thing we win on if_falling_behind:contingency call coach_signals: 3 priority signals

Coach Signal Vocabulary

Reference

Pre-agreed hand signals. Driver glances, sees, executes. No yelling.

Open palm up: switch to scoring mode (you've been defending).
Open palm down: switch to defense mode (block opponent).
Fist: commit to the current play, don't second-guess.
Two fingers: go for the combo (pin-in-cup).
Point to clock: <15s left, prioritize what's in your hand.
Crossed arms: back off / reset to safe position.

Customize per team — practice these in drill blocks.

📝 Next-Match Strategy Notepad

Auto-saves per-device

For the match you're about to play

Empty

Type once before your team's match. Persists on this device until cleared. Use during the match for quick reference.

Match identifier (e.g. Q23, QF1, F2)

Strategy notes · opponent threats · coach signals · auto choice

📚 Reference

Static during event

Skills Rankings & Match Data

External

Pull live rankings between match blocks — not during. Phone goes back in pocket between checks.

RobotEvents: robotevents.com — live event rankings, skills standings, match results
Override Manual: VEX Override 2026-27 — rules, scoring, Appendix A element dims
VEX Q&A: official Q&A — rule clarifications posted during the season

SC Scoring Quick-Card

Field reference

Update from current manual at event start. Snapshot only.

SC1 — Pin scored: [value pts]
SC2 — Cup scored: [value pts]
SC3 — Pin-in-cup combo: [value pts] — the high-value play
Auto Bonus: [value pts]
Endgame: [value pts conditions]

Bracketed values intentionally blank — verify from manual on day-of, don't trust memory.

Our Pairing Frame

Internal

Before scouting other teams, know which of our four bots brings what to an alliance.

Pelican (2822C): four-bar + V5 claw — combo generalist, deployed meta floor.
Spoonbill (2822D): four-bar + rotating claw — orientation specialist, only active wrist in fleet.
Osprey (2822E): chain bar + pincer — mechanism-diverse pair to Pelican.
Skimmer (2822A): swing arm + Tube A — pin specialist, alliance feeder.

Full analysis: /fleet-manipulator-matrix

Strategist Role Reference

Role hub

Daily/weekly responsibilities, score math, manual mastery targets, coach signal training.

Strategist role hub — full responsibilities + resources
Override training plan — strategist-driven drills
Override habit breaks — antipatterns to spot in opposing teams
Season HQ — event countdown & alliance window

⚙ MAINTENANCE
Per-event setup (~5 min): Update the event strip ([EVENT NAME], [DATE], [VENUE], current match Q[X]). Update stat-strip counts when matches conclude. Update SC scoring values from the day-of manual.
Persistence: The pit checklist and strategy notepad save to localStorage per-device. Reset clears the checklist; Clear all clears the notepad. Different devices have independent saves.
Templates: All .tmpl blocks are designed to copy clean to a Google Sheet or scouting tool — the Copy template button strips HTML to plain text on click.
Cross-references: internal pairings live at /fleet-manipulator-matrix; the strategist's full role hub is at /role-strategist.

Cross-references: Fleet Matrix · Strategist Role · Season HQ · Resources · Index