[yrgoldteeth]

I would say that brute force is absolutely a skill. Your point about developers Y and X is kind of interesting, though. I think both types of developers are important. I read an anecdote here or at reddit that mentioned a couple of coders that worked together, one who had the idea and a creative method of implementation and the other who enjoyed bludgeoning out the hardest, mind-numbing parts of the code that are required in a true finished product.

The trick is identifying who is who, and assigning tasks appropriately.