It is a numbers game. Having front spots (group of 5 vs traditional group of 4) will directly impact your difficulty score in stunting and pyramid. This can also impact your overall impression score as it is a question of " is the full team being utilized throughout the routine?". Example: Team of 11 with 2 stunt groups vs team of 12 with 2 stunt groups, as team of 12 could technically make another group & will more negatively impact
That being said, 2 clean stunt groups performing difficult stunts with front vs 3 bobble/fall prone groups that can only perform shakey basic skills may make it worth it to get a lower difficulty base score with 2 groups as compared to 3 groups with higher scoring potential but lots of deductions that take the difficulty scoring potential away. Especially when you factor in overall impression, clean is crucial. The top teams will most likely be clean AND difficult in their routines however & will most likely not have front spots. Thus it is up to you to determine what would be your team's best chance in terms of scoring.
Judges watch SO MANY routines per division.....1st thing of scoring will be difficulty. The teams that have the skills to hang at the top of the pack will generally all have potential to win, as they are all doing the same type of skills that score in the same high range usually. The judges will ultimately differentiate those teams in that pack by their cleanliness & technique/execution. It is the major factor that will be remembered by the judges on whether the team is really good overall or not, which will reflect in performance & overall impression scores, etc. From there, the best of the best will have some sort of unique and creative elements to their routine to stand out further.
Out of curiousity, what division are you planning on going into?
