Could you ever give first place in class to a drumline that marches 2 bass drums and plays unison quarter notes the entire show, while the snares play nothing but a ride pattern?

Could you give it to a line that plays really hard music but everything is dirt the entire show?

I saw both happen this past season.

Some judges look for demand and others for cleanliness. Supposedly the circuit's judging system and training is supposed to specify, or at least provide guidelines for those situations, but as we all know, people have their own opinions.

You also need to take into account on how those parts blend into the theme or style of the group. If you have a band that plays rock or beatles songs, then the ride patterns and unisons fit the style perfectly. It would not work if the music was in the classical style like Firebird Suite or Appalachian Spring.

With all things being equal, I personally, would give more credit to the line playing harder stuff providing it has some semblance of cleanliness to it. If it's just a bag-o-poo out on the field, I might be inclined to give it to the group that is playing a rock solid 8-on-a-hand as clean as an operating room.

I would give it to the harder group. But there is not that much you can do with just two bass drums.