Hi There,
Would it be legal for a team, let's say BLUE1, to have a large piece of legal material, provided they have passed inspection and are within the expansion limits (18"x18"x18"), on field used solely with the intent to block opponent shots. In this hypothetical scenario, RED1 has lined up to take a shot at two flags, and BLUE1 has driven in front of RED1. From here, there are a few scenarios that can occur, I will outline them below.
Scenario 1) BLUE1 is holding a ball and actively pushing RED1, while RED1 is not showing any attempt to escape (eg. no drive motion on joysticks). RED1 fires two balls, both of which hit BLUE1's plate and then bounce off. Would this be legal, or would it go past the possession limits outlined in rule SG5?
Scenario 2) BLUE1 does not have any game objects and is actively pushing RED1, while RED1 is not showing any attempt to escape. Both balls are fired, again bouncing off. Would this be legal?
Scenario 3) BLUE1 has game objects and is actively pushing RED1, while RED1 is actively fighting back. RED1 is approximately 1 tile away from the platforms, and BLUE2 is behind RED1, however they are just "passing through", on their way to score their own game object and in no way showing an intent to block RED1. RED1 fires, again both balls bouncing off BLUE1's blocker. Would this violate SG5 for hoarding, as well as G14 for trapping. Would BLUE be called for trapping if this situation passed 5 seconds? There is an open avenue for espace on both sides of the RED1 robot, RED1's robot may not however, be capable of 'strafing', or sideways motion and are thus unable to back away.
Scenario 4) This is similar to Scenario 3), however BLUE1 is not holding any game objects (scenario 4 is to scenario 3 as scenario 2 is to scenario 1).
Scenario 5) BLUE1 has game objects, and is pushing both RED1 and RED2. RED is being pushed towards the alliance platforms, RED1 and RED2 both fire two balls and both are blocked by BLUE1 - what call (if any) would be made?
Last question - if BLUE1 has this blocker, but RED1 comes underneath and forces the blocker above 18" (for example, by bending a piece of metal). What is the ruling here? Would it be different if RED1 bent it with for example, an arm or lifting mechanism, or if RED1 bent it with the sheer force of hitting it repeatedly with a ball.
Thanks, Anthony.