I should have said that there are a few teams that try to evolve. I knew GOaT was one of them, and if I heard someone was to knock off Revolver, GOaT would have been on my short list of teams to guess. They are extremely good at adjusting to what other teams are doing, have an extremely strong coach, don't rely too much on one thing, and have a bundle of top level talent. Additionally, their mental strength (especially against my team) is something I envy every time we play.
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According to most who follow elite ultimate, there are 4-5 teams who have a shot at a National title in October. In reality, they do all have a shot, but despite some middling results, one stands above the others. Unsurprisingly, it's the defending World and National champion. They have some great players, including the best player in the world (BPitW), and I mean to take nothing away from them when I say this: when it counts, they don't lose, because they've evolved.
Their only 2 big losses over the past 6 years have been to Doublewide in the 2012 National finals and to Chain Lightning in the 2009 National finals. They have had losses in the meantime, but at Nationals, it has just been those two over a 5 year span. One loss was not realizing their complete strategy yet, while the other was a combination of a bit of a too-much-winning hangover along with having not yet been challenged in that tournament.*
* - While most Nationals-level teams don't have a problem with this, the top teams don't get challenged as much as they should, because many teams know that they likely won't beat a top team, so they don't even try. They still put 7 on the line and they still run their game, but they are not surprised when they get broken, nor is their heart fully in the game in case of a loss. That same thing happened to Revolver in finals, except their competitor had to go through the road of adversity to the finals and was more mentally ready.
Adversity - namely losing in 2009 and being filled with a team of guys who (for the most part) didn't win it all until joining Revolver - leads to evolution, and that's why Revolver is good. It was why DoG was good in the 90's, Condors in the early 00's, and after a string of championships from teams who just had the best players in the game, it's back today. They keep that attitude of adversity, and it helps shape them into an evolved beast.
The strategy right now is simple enough: their offense "doesn't have rules," which lets the BPitW do his thing. Their team trusts everyone to make every throw and cut (nearly other top teams have guys whose hands they don't want the disc in/guys who they are afraid of covering someone). They are hyper aggressive in their man-to-man defense (both in terms of how much they play it and how they play it). Probably most importantly, they are mentally stronger than every other team. That's pretty much it. They still throw forehands and backhands, still have a mark, and still only have 7 guys playing. They just know how to evolve, how to change up their opponents' game while still playing to their strengths, and that's why they'll keep winning. Other teams (without necessarily evolving past Revolver) may steal a championship or two, but until those other teams (including my own) evolve, it's Revolver's crown to take.
It's time for the rest of us to evolve or die.
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