Who NEEDS to win IRFC 2022

Last call! If you want to compete in the MRCA finals, now's the time to qualify! There are only 24 available spots, and they aren't easy to obtain. With that in mind, we could go over the same old list of bots likely to win at IRFC (Such as Mudskipper, Lil' Twisty, and Bit Error). But instead, lets look at some of the bots that need to put on a good showing in Iowa if they want an invitation to the finals.

Team 42 Robotics with Mostly Harmless (Ranking - 44)

Dave of Team 42 Robotics competed at Michigan Mashup and several other non-MRCA events this year with his robot Mostly Harmless. Overall his results so far have been pretty middling, but he is clearly a good driver and the bot shows potential. Hopefully he can turn his luck around and IRFC this weekend, or he'll be saying "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

Team Kerberos Robotics with Petty Thief (Ranking - 26)

Petty Thief, run by Chris of Team Kerberos Robotics, had a pretty disappointing showing at MM this year. Then it unfortunately couldn't make it to WCS, despite being registered.  Still, Chris has consistently shown good control of the arena and may yet be able to grab a spot at the MRCA finals.

Dead Batteries Robotics with Painkiller (Ranking - 27)

Painkiller started life as Ripper Smasher with Santana Starks and Superbad Robotics. Then one day Santana decided he had too many robots, and needed to slim down his collection. (How's that working out for you Santana?). Team Dead Batteries ended up purchasing it from him, and now it's run by their member Matt. Unfortunately, this means Matt got a late start to the season and has only been able to compete at MNM. He did however put on a respectable showing and is on the border of making it to the finals. Hopefully doing well at IRFC will push him over the edge.

Barcode Robotics with Mini-Tear (Ranking - 48)

Casey of Barcode Robotics has a really neat design with his shuffler bot Mini-Tear. Unfortunately, its debut performance at MNM was less than stellar due to a lack of traction. Even so, there is plenty of potential for shuffler bots to do very well at MRCA events. With a few small upgrades, he may still make his way to Oconomowoc this fall.

Team Guac-n-Queso with Karen (Ranking - 41)

Last month I predicted Karen as one of the winners of WCS. That.... didn't work out. Even so, this is a great bot that's just had some bad luck. It's also one of the only 2 bots to compete at every MRCA event this year. (The other being Guac-n- Queso's Depressant Meds). That being said, it would be a shame if Karen didn't make the finals. The Queso is ready to whoop some bot this weekend though, and Karen isn't going to go down without a fight.