Roland Garros : Aviator Adventurer? Or Mythical Dragon? Let's look at the facts.
1) Pokemon named the dragon looking pokemon Garrados (or something like that). Where did they get that idea? hmm
2) If you rearrange the letters in Roland Garros you get Roslan's Dragon, so the real question is was Roslan an aviator? because clearly Roland Garros was not
3) Many people dispute the realness of dragons, but have you ever been to France? If not, I promise you they had dragons
4) 4
5) Where did people even get the idea for airplanes from? Answer : from dragons. Dragons are notoriously good inventors, ever heard of fire? hoarding wealth? let's be honest, humans are just dragon wannabe's
Here's some tennis :
Djokovic Berankis : Quick standard work from Novak in the first round. No one looks more perfectly effortless than him when he’s in control. Berankis did well to surprise the lackluster Dellien even though clay isn’t his best surface. Dellien will likely be off the tour next year without some major grinding on the challenger tour. This next matchup looked good for a while at the USO but will be a similar result and a faster one on clay. Djokovic in 3.
Galan Sandgren : Cam Norrie and Galan played one of the worst 5-setters you could see if you were betting on either one. Nonstop exchanges of multiple games and no one could really sustain offense. I had thought Galan would run away with this one as he’s such a specialist but Norrie (when he wasn’t making errors) had control here and was the only one who could really change the direction of the ball or serve aces. Just the same scorelines but completely different play in the Sandgren and Hurkacz match. Sandgren hung around in the first set even though Hurkacz was dictating. It appeared fairly obvious that Sandgren’s plan was to hang in rallies and not go for much, hoping for errors. When Hurkacz managed to get broken at the end of the first it began to look like that was a solid strategy.
Sandgren was constantly serving at duece, facing break points in so many service games, and genuinely did not win this match at all. Hurkacz will need time or a new mental approach, because he’s losing matches due to errors, and this is a baaaaaad thing on tour because so many guys strategy when things get tight is to “try hard hope to earn errors”. When you’re known for making them guys try harder, and then you’re in the rare prison of supplying all the offense to a match. Guys like Federer can play 3 sets of offense, most of the tour is going to need to play error-free tennis so that their opponents are forced to at least go for something. Sandgren turned the tide in the 4th and 5th and Hurkacz began facing break points in all his games. The heavy ball Sandgren hits translates to a slightly more annoying pusher style, as he can kinda go for big targets and rely on pace/weight of shot to earn the point.
This next matchup opened at -195 for Sandgren and I tend to disagree. Sandren played an exhausting match but has gone through a number of deep runs at majors before. He’s not mercurial by any means on clay but he’s been working very hard the past few weeks to get his game together. Where Hurkacz has the weapons to really hurt Sandgren, Galan relies more on work ethic and simple consistency to unseat opponents. Barring fatigue, I don’t see Sandgren losing this, and he’ll have ample opportunities to break. His movement isn’t as good as Norrie but his offensive/service game are world’s more reliable. Sandgren in 4.
Garin Polmans : Garin and Kohl played a pretty good match, and Garin’s returning was what really got him over the finish line here. A lot of deep placement kept the times Kohl broke him from becoming a major issue, as he did have his chances. Garin is a player who thrives on flow and the more matches he wins the better he performs. Polmans, well, Polmans partied all over Humbert today. It was one-sided from start to finish, with Humbert just reflecting the ball and Polmans driving it. Fatigue could be a suggestion, but if you look at the guys who came from the ultra-fast courts of Hamburg they all struggled early in their matches. Humbert is not quite the physical talent that Rublev and Tsitsipas are so he wasn’t able to turn the tide, but they all found their timing around the 3rd set. Humbert’s mom is still cool, and he still has a bright future. If you like Polmans’ wacky hat and vivid celebrations on court (he seems almost like he’s about to start awkwardly breakdancing while celebrating/lamenting shots), him notching a win at a major is great for his ranking.
Garin is a better Polmans. I don’t consider Humbert’s demise a total implosion, and Polmans will be involved in this contest, but Garin is a player who usually loses to bigger weapons, and while Polmans moves the ball well he isn’t overwhelming. He can win a set or two because Garin is still in somewhat a daze from Hamburg, but I think Polmans will play Garin into a rhythm and Garin’s precision tend to improve as he strings games together. Garin in 4.
Vesely Khachanov : Vesely is starting to look like himself. Originally the inspiration for some Geico commercials, his transition to tennis has been brilliant, and his serving combined with the fact that he’s a lefty mean his game gives him an edge against most lower-tier players. Khachanov was one of the better comeback stories you’ll ever see in a straight set win. Majchrzak led by a break in every set and just couldn’t keep it together. A hint of future brilliance, but again his biggest issue is not being able to distance himself from his opponents in matches. Once Khachanov buttoned up his errors when he was down a break, it became difficult for Majchrzak to win rallies. I expect something similar in this tie with Vesely.
Vesely’s backhand has been the side that makes errors during neutral rallies, and for a guy who crushes the ball this represents a big target. Vesely will need to serve well to have a shot at this, and while matches between two big hitters tend to never go in straight sets, Khachanov and Garin looks like an inevitability. Khachanov in 4.
Bautista Agut Balasz : I’ve never seen someone look so dominant while getting beaten down. In the first set RBA was broken at love multiple times. Gasquet hit a number of unreal winners down the line with his backhand and worked to earn points with 20 shot rallies over and over. He led 5-2 at one point, but RBA had barely missed a shot to that point, aside from a few backhands into the net. Gasquet was emitting a quality of sweat I recognize as deep deep swampwater, and I know when things are that humid that comebacks are not in the cards. Gasquet lost the 1st set tiebreaker and was just about done. Gasquet is French for something, and while he’s out of the tournament here, he certainly has a neat backhand and a cool name,
Balasz was one of the cheapest and most straightforward options of the day, and Uchiyama never really put up a fight. Balasz has an interesting game and is worth watching, but his tournament is likely over. Gasquet was brilliant in the first set and still only won 9 games. The heavier balls and slower conditions mean RBA has a tough time hitting through the court, but the flipside is it’s very difficult to find points against him. Balasz may confuse him for a while, but errors will come as he forces shots. RBA in 3-4.
Pella Carreño Busta : Busta busta busta, I made you out of clayyyyyy. I know Pella’s name is first but I was just so relaxed watching PCB play his first round. He really comes into a match with a complete gameplan and sticks with it no matter the scoreline. Unpopular opinion : I don’t think he was going to lose in any fewer than 5 sets against Novak in NY. When he’s fresh and not making backhand errors it becomes extremely difficult to beat him, and for a guy whose somewhat regarded as a defensive player he steps into the court and unloads for winners whenever it’s possible. He is what Sandgren is trying to be.
Pella and Caruso played what must have been a depressing match for Caruso fans. Endless rallies, great quality tennis, but no real way for either player to find clean winners. Matches like that are difficult to watch because your neighbor will hear 3 hours of grunting coming from your apt and also because you know a few random points at the end of sets are going to decide things. Pella won those points, and though he was down early breaks he looked like himself for the first time. I’m glad I announced he has a terrible injury; I now know how to summon top play from any opponent.
I don’t know exactly what to expect from this matchup. They’ve traded some wins on hardcourt, but have oddly never played on clay. PCB’s movement/stamina are the biggest differences between him and Caruso, whose game sort of broke down as things progressed. Pella certainly played well, and even in a losing effort he’s going to make you play a ton of balls. The edge has to go to PCB given their recent forms, but his proclivity for going to duece means this could go the distance. PCB in 4-5.
Struff Altmaier : Struff and Tiafoe, or Struffafoe as they’re known from now on, played a pretty good quality match. I once again feel Tiafoe needs better coaching, as he was winning a fair number of the baseline rallies but insisted on playing dropshots. They cost him this match. I don’t know a nice way to outline that winning on tour just isn’t easy. The mental lapses are always going to cost you at a professional level, but Tiafoe has shown great improvements following the tour’s break, and you can’t just summon the type of resolve/focus that Nadal has. It’ll take time.
Altmaier (whose name is super annoying to type) beat Lopez in straight sets but these two pretty much started every service game at 15-40. It wasn’t great, but the conditions were such that Altmaier was able to take deep return positions and frustrate Lopez into forcing offense. A good win, and the comfort level may be a bit higher here against Struff, which should benefit him a great deal. Playing on tour in a major after grinding the challenger tour is something that gives you adrenaline you just don’t need at times, so a bit of comfort is a plus. I see a lot of recent wins for Altmaier but he hasn’t really played someone the caliber of Struff, and Struff’s loss to Coria troubles me but in a 3/5 format and after the good quality rallies him and Tiafoe had, Struff should be able to find an edge here. Struff in 4 or losing because he’s Struff.
Harris Berrettini : Popyrin really struggled on serve at times, and didn’t seem like he’d been playing enough clay leading into this match. Harris seems to get most of his points on tour in the majors, which is interesting for such a young talent. Berretini beat Pospisil like he did something, and there’s not a lot to say about this next matchup. Harris is a great server but lacks consistency. Berretini in 3.
Medvedev Ramos-Vinolas : Oops. The strangest thing about Medvedev’s loss was how early he started complaining about it. Halfway through the first set he was down a break and already fullscale yelling at the sky/his box/local squirrels/some children/the moon/the ocean/a rock/some guy. It reminded me of Novak’s wild frustration early against PCB. These guys shouldn’t be stressing so early in a match, but I think sometimes they know the writing is on the wall and the thought is too much. Fucsovics is not really a household clay name, but he stayed composed and got the job done here. Medvedev just forced shots here over and over, and it’s strange because his serve works fine on clay and his defense is good enough to really grind points.
ARV vs Mannarino on clay is like Mannarino vs ARV on grass. These guys have such specific styles that they really can’t overcome a surface disadvantage. ARV is the sort of test that Medvedev should have been for Fucsovics once he went down a few sets; very solid defensively, doesn’t give you much to work with, and works multiple shots to earn points rather than just hoping for a W. I tend to think Fucs is up to the task, and while the “going to disneyland” notion creeps in after a big win, Fucs has had enough “almost” situations against the top 20 that notching a win won’t change his game. Both should be fresh for this one and it should be a clean, crispy tennis match. Fucsovics in 3-4.
Giron Monteiro : So many matches went to overtime this first round. Both Halys and Giron were up a break in the 5th set, which is a much different feeling from Monteiro’s day. Thiago (which is the coolest name in the draw) added to Basil’s woes, breaking early and often. He just came off a finals appearance at a challenger a week ago and continued his good form. Giron represents a tough test because his speed/forehand are a gamechanger at times, but he’s unlikely to get the job done unless he gets an early lead. Monteiro tends to get out to quick starts and is a brilliant frontrunner. I give Giron a puncher’s chance, but can’t really think of a way he can win unless Monteiro’s backhand completely falls apart. Monteiro in 3-4.
Lajovic Anderson : When I picture these two I always think of them sitting across from each other wearing black turtlenecks and evilly stroking cats. Lajovic had a pretty tough time with Mager, who crushes the ball and is a good indication that Anderson’s hitting (during the rally at least) won’t be too much of an issue. Djere refused to hold serve in this match, and that’s a bad decision to make against a server. They played much of the first stretch of their match in light rain, and Djere seemed visibly upset heading into the break. I would say this was an empty victory for Anderson, but he served well and he at some point, will find his former form since he’s not exactly too old for the tour yet. I feel the same about Nishikori but the question of when is a difficult puzzle if you’re not in his camp.
Being conscious of your biases in assessing matches is a useful tool, and I’m aware that I’d never be backing Anderson in this one with Lajovic in good form. Due to this, Anderson having actually beaten Lajovic on clay two years ago in Madrid makes me think this is going to be closer than I’d normally expect. Anderson at full health gives him a slight nod. Lajovic on a decent run gives it to him here. I wouldn’t bet against Anderson here, but Lajovic in 5.
Davidoch Fokina Rublev : First time watching Mayo and he has a really nice game. Good power, good forehand, pushes the pace well. He was up early in the 1st but once errors crept into his game it slipped away from him. There’s a big key in professional tennis and it’s being able to maintain a level throughout a match, even if it means playing slightly less than your all-out game throughout. Fokina is very solid and very comfortable. He seems like win or lose his expression will remain the same, and that’s more confidence than indifference. Rublev played one of the more difficult first rounds, as anyone who expected Sam Querrey to come out firing that well must have six magic 8-balls hooked up to a super intelligent iguana flying along a slip-and-slide on it’s way to Narnia. Querrey is a scary guy when he serves well and his forehand is a thing of useless beauty. Ruvlev/Tsitsipas/Humbert all seemed like their timing was poor early in the matches and Rublev was the first to turn it around.
Fokina would win the first two sets against the Rublev from the first two sets. There’s no intimidation factor and his backhand/movement are rocksolid which is good since that’s the thing Rublev attacks the most. I think this is a tighter contest than oddsmakers are predicting but Fokina’s ability to hit winners during these baseline rallies is something I think will be absent. Earning errors, fine. Winning neutral exchanges at net, I definitely think so. Finding his way out of baseline rallies without Rublev errors? Idk. Rublev in 4-5.
Shapovalov Carballes Baena : Shap played one of the least inspiring first rounds of the heavy favorites, trading breaks and looking at times like he wouldn’t be able to find the effort to hit through Simon. Simon was happy to move the ball around but really couldn’t find 1st serves at any point in the match. It was not a great match which makes the next round interesting. RCB had some injury concerns for me going in but eclipsed those, beating Steve Johnson 1, 1, 0. For those of you not familiar with tennis, these are not good scores. RCB represents the opposite version of Simon’s game. He is dynamic, has multiple names, and hits with pace. He doesn’t serve aces but he puts his 1st serve in at a good clip, and although Shap should win this matchup almost all the time, his struggles against the pusher style of Simon in the first round make me wonder how much patience/resolve he has left after a month and a half of nonstop tennis. Shapovalov is not the -660 favorite that he is priced at in the books, and I’d avoid this one entirely unless you’re looking at RCB or the over. Shap still did break almost at will, so I’ll give him the slight nod despite his issues holding serve/hitting the ball over the net. (for those of you not familiar with tennis, hitting the ball over the net is often an effective strategy) Shapovalov in 4-5.
Martin Dimitrov : Maybe there’s something about Tuesdays that make me nervous about upsets, but this is an interesting contest. Dimitrov is -700 in this one. I also think he’s playing great ball lately, but that is not the correct line. Dimitrov is a big market and people haven’t heard of Martin so it lands this way. Sousa didn’t particularly do anything wrong in his opener against Martin, except for doing each thing you could do wrong once. He just looks unlucky out there. He’s hitting well at times, but just seems to find an error or unfortunate way to lose the point over and over. Martin, on the other hand, was crushing the ball. He hit clean winners time and time again on Sousa’s second serve, and I think that while he isn’t expected to beat Dimitrov, his ability to generate offense during baseline rallies will give him opportunities in some spots.
Dimitrov rolled Barrere, but he served at duece in a number of games. Barrere is a nice hardcourt player, but really hasn’t won too many matches on clay. It became a perfect situation for Dimitrov, who looks great when things are going well. Martin is the type of player that clay tends to produce; not a dominant guy or a title-winner, but someone who is very comfortable with their game and who isn’t too troubled situationally (similar to what we saw from Munar today competing against Tsitsipas without too much mental duress). If this were 2/3 I’d like Martin. In 3/5 I think Dimitrov will have ample chances to break serve, and so will only lose in 5. Martin in 5.
Milojevic Bedene : Upset of the first round for Milojevic. He hit the ball solid and was proactive about his shot selection, hugging the baseline and taking time away. Krajinovic really never had a chance to breathe in this one and as a player who refuses to move off the baseline, Kraj made a number of errors on the backhand trying to stand his ground. Nothing really new from him, as he’s been great on clay and also struggled at times. Bedene was solid against Rinderknech, who reminds me a bit of Ruusuvuori and may make his way on tour in a year or two. Good groundstrokes, very fluid forehand, and just a bit less experience giving Bedene the edge late in the match.
This is another match where I lean towards the upset, but is the breakdown. Milojevic beat a superior player in Krajinovic, but a less consistent one. Kraj has had his fair share of struggles. Bedene isn’t a threat for deep runs in events, but gets the job done very consistently when he’s “supposed” to win. That’s a big thing on tour, as upsets happen. I did like Milojevic’s pace, and were he playing someone who has a bit more variety in their game, I’d think he had a better shot. Bedene tends to play a very similar game though, and the edge here will be very small. Milojevic elevating his game as the Kraj match progressed rather than barely getting across the finish line indicates to me fatigue wasn’t a factor and that it was just a one-and-done effort. Milojevic in 4-5.
Cuevas Tsitsipas : Haha they put the Uruguayan flag for both, I thought. But it turns out I am a muppet and have much to learn about the world. Many countries enjoy stripey goodness it seems. Cuevas was a bit too good today, negating the over of 35 games even while going to 4 sets. Laaksonen looked ok in the second but Cuevas’ loopy returns saw Henri making error after error. The ball hitting the net with an open court is something that seems to compound struggles on tour, and this was over quickly. The polar opposite of Tsitsipas’ war with Munar, which took forever and featured some of the most skillful exchanges of the first round. Munar is everything you want in a smol one. Unexpected dropshots, clean shots down the line, and the ability to transfer luck if you rub his head. Tsitsipas looked very impatient, and I feel for Munar who really never had a chance to win after Tsitsipas found form, but Stefanos making this comeback is a very good sign. He was drenched in sweat, struggling to put this away, and never really blew up.
Stefanos and Pablo played a week ago and although Cuevas was good, Tsitsipas seemed like he was able to defend the court well enough that Cuevas was only going to get the match with errors. I expect to see something similar here, although Stefanos won’t be able to afford the sort of slow start he made against Munar. Tsitsipas in 4 or Cuevas in 4.
Bublik Sonego : Bublik got the job done, and Monfils left fans wondering if he really wants to be out there fighting any more. Nothing wrong with losing to a great server whose career is on the rise, but Monfils seems like he’s not fully engaged out there, and so as a professional athlete, people are going to ask questions. Sonego and Gomez had a good contest, and while I think Sonego matches up well with Bublik, taking 5 sets with Gomez means Bublik will be able to find breaks of serve. There are likely to be some tiebreakers here, but given Bublik’s ability to serve out Monfils, he’s likely to win them. Bublik in 4.
Albot Fritz : If you read my predictions, you know what’s coming. Albot broke his slump by playing spirited ball again Thompson. It was one of the quicker matches in the first round, lasting just (insert however many minutes it lasted). Fritz Fritz’d it up, almost dropping the ball against qualifier Machac. Considering he barely snuck by, there’s reason to believe this will be a tough contest as well, even with Albot’s struggles. Albot tests his opponents movement, Fritz makes errors on the run. Albot breaks serve at a higher clip than most guys on tour, Fritz is mainly just a server. I think Fritz is the better player here, but I think that the lead will be very important for belief here, since Albot has struggled lately. I think Albot’s movement will be a key on the slower surface, but he’ll need to get off to a quick lead since Fritz (as many servers are) is a very dangerous opponent in a 5th set. Albot in 4.
Gombos Rodionov : Finally a good reliable favorite. I warned readers that Gombos is the Gombosiest, but they didn’t listen. Coric found out the hard way, and honestly there difference in this one was just ballstriking. Coric was moving the ball around looking to present the “you can’t hit through me” challenge, and while this is a good strategy in later rounds, guys really crush the ball in the first round and the pace is much quicker. Gombos almost snagged Cilic in the USO, and didn’t falter here. Rodionov waited as long as possible to get going against Chardy, going down 2 sets and only winning the tiebreaker 8-6. He served for the match in the 5th set 3 times, and had a very lucky day to be playing Chardy. Chardy just couldn’t keep the ball in the court on offense, and will have to earn his points in the indoor season this year.
Rodionov plays a solid game, and being lefty helps, but he lacks big weapons which is why he mostly plays on the challenger tour. Gombos has enough power to be able to dictate here, and Rodionov coming through the qualifier and played 5 long sets will make this an uphill battle. Considering Gombos hit through Coric, the defense is unlikely to phase him. Gombos in 3.
Giustino Schwartzman : Lorenzo Giustino and Corentin Moutet had played the match of the first round by the end of the 2nd set. Moutet was just in unreal form and dictating most of the rallies in this one. Where he suffered was in two patterns. Giustino hit his forehand with height/shape rather than pace into Moutet’s backhand. Once into this pattern the shorter Moutet tended to drive the backhand downward crosscourt and Giustino would execute the same shot. The backhand never broke down but Giustino was able to wear down Moutet’s patience, and he took many opportunities as the match went on to run around his backhand and hit the inside in forehand. Giustino hit this ball crosscourt every time, really not missing often. These are simple exchanges but it’s the same shotpatterns that Djokovic employs against Nadal. What transpired was Giustino’s speed being pitted against Moutet’s arm, and while it looked like Giustino wouldn’t find offense, Moutet’s forehand got more loopy and Giustino found winners crosscourt since he was able to drive the ball more, and Moutet’s backhand lost depth and Giustino was able to catch Moutet with the forehand down the line over and over. If people are looking for the way to beat these lefty patterns this was a great example.
I had hoped Moutet would win, as his offense would be able to trouble Diego a bit more. Schwartzman beat Kecmanovic easily, and Kecmanovic had that “this draw sucks and I’m already thinking about the next tournament” glazed look in his eyes throughout this match. Giustino has to be exhausted at this point, after qualifying and playing an extra 2 sets of tennis in the 5th. Diego is the wrong opponent to try to outlast, and I think unfortunately Giustino will be more error prone here which will drive Moutet insane from wherever he’s watching. Schwartzman in 3.
Wawrinka Koepfer : Mats Wilander’s comment that Murray should leave these wildcards to younger players has some validity, but his presentation is part of what is wrong with social media. If he really had this concern, he could send Murray a message and offer some perspective. Maybe the clay tour isn’t really where Murray needs to play at this point. Posting these “open letters” and private messages as tweets is a really bizarre way to posture and the messages tend to be more about the person writing them than the issue at hand. Now, unfortunately, Mats Wilander (who I have never heard of) is an official douchenozzle in my mind. Unfortunate, but not as unfortunate as Murray/Wawrinka not giving us the classic we were all hoping for. Wawrinka has stumbled so badly recently that him playing his normal solid top 10 clay court tennis was unexpected. Murray’s movement was poor, but most players are going to lose to Wawrinka when he plays well.
Koepfer looked solid against in dispatching Hoang, and there’s something to the idea that this next contest will be tricky for Stan. There’s always the crisp shotmaking and overwhelming power, but Koepfer is not really looking to win the hitting contest anyway, and instead thrives on scrambling rallies and working his opponent’s backhand. The outcome here depends entirely on Wawrinka, as Koepfer is likely to be steady throughout. I expect at least one set to go the German’s way, as he has proven to be an extremely difficult out. Wawrinka in 4-5 but I would avoid backing Stan here if you like dollars, especially since he’ll likely show his level and have a more predictably simple match the next round against Nishioka. With guys who are good for deep runs in tournaments if they’re playing well, it often helps to gather information rather than let that fear of missing out have you backing question marks.
Gaston Nishioka : Lefty fiiiiiiiight! Gaston won the all-French affair pretty comfortably and Nishioka’s quality in his win over FAA was completely ignored. FAA can’t serve! FAA so many errors! Part of this is inconsistency but part of this is Nishioka being a wall and constantly moving his opponent. Gaston will be at a disadvantage here experience-wise but lefty vs lefty is always a difficult task for both, and Nishioka has been a mixed bag on the clay so far this season. Very tough to know how these two will match up, but the pre-match edge has to sit with Nishioka. Nishioka in 4.
Ruud Paul : Pretty simple victories for both of these two, and this will be a great match to watch. Paul has shown he can compete at the top level, but watching him in his doubles match today he didn’t seem to be serving great. His partner Monroe is a great player to watch at net which is why I caught it, and inferences from doubles aren’t the most reliable, but I think Paul will need to avoid long rallies with Ruud, who has been improving every week since the restart. Pretty similar styles at different points in their career. Ruud in 4.
Sock Thiem : Sock had some genuine emotion winning games against Opelka, and it’s nice to see him visibly motivated after his chubby troubles. Thiem looked like there wasn’t much adjustment to clay in the first round, and he was extremely composed/reserved while beating Cilic. Cilic isn’t in great form, but beating him so easily is a real testament to Thiem’s solid position in the top 2-3 players in tennis. Sock’s skill and whippy forehand allow him to match up better against the top tier than the results will indicate, but with Sock’s backhand still a liability this isn’t a spot where Thiem will struggle too much. Thiem in 3 and let the inbox threats begin, he is my pick to win this tournament.
Zverev Herbert : Zverev continued his slow start strong finish method against Novak. Once he locks down the errors he becomes a very tough out and he hits the ball with such reservation during rallies that when he does finally go for a clean winner his opponents almost don’t move. In Serena’s age of dominance she’d often lose the first two games and then break back and her opponents level would fall and Zverev’s slow starts give me the same sort of “accidental or genius” psychological strategic vibes. It’s more likely it’s just tall players start slow. Herbert beat Mmoh, who is somehow a pusher that makes errors. I’d like to see him (Mmoh) go a bit more offensive for a season, as looking to be solid from the baseline just isn’t enough to win on tour.
The Herbert Zverev matchup is an interesting one since Herbert’s game has the things that traditionally would snag a player who starts slow. Herbert is an old-school serve and volley player who is adept at adjusting his strokes to keep the ball in the court. Zverev is a bit too crispy at the moment to expect a bit blowup, but Herbert having a higher caliber of offense than Novak (who plays a bit too straightforward to really beat the mid-top tier guys) gives him a better chance. Zverev in 4.
Londero Cecchinato : Londero flipped the result against Delbonis, who he’d lost in straight sets against in their previous meeting. It’s nice to see him back in the win column, as he plays a very unique game, going for accurate offense and looking to test his opponents speed. If it weren’t for fatigue, I’d think he were a decent favorite. Cecchinato has been great though, and murmurs of his previous French Open run were flying with his snowball beatdown of De Minaur. De Minaur isn’t the best on clay, as many pointed out, but he has some notable wins in his past including PCB, and beating him is never simple. Cecchinato’s power gives him an edge here if Londero is tired. Slower legs will leave more short balls and Cecchinato can really dictate. He’s also fairly deft at using the dropshot which can wear his opponents down. Where I hesitate to just hand him the win is that these new wins have been out of nowhere, and he hasn’t played a real top level player yet. Londero is the first such test, as his claycourt game can threaten all but the top 10-20 guys at the French. No pick here, but if either is able to win this quickly then Zverev is in for a difficult 3rd round.
Paire Coria : Local kumquat Benoit Paire played quite well, beating Kwon in straight sets. There wasn’t a lot of hope for Kwon, and he struggled with his serving throughout. Paire, whose attention span is that of a drunk raccoon, will be a small favorite in his next round against Coria, but Coria is the quintessential villain to beat Paire. Coria lacks offense, but is a venerable wall. The errors Kwon made will be less available, and with Sinner looming in the next round both guys will know this is their last chance to advance. I expect Paire to either find great form here or lose. Finding great form isn’t what I expect, and if Coria is able to earn an early lead this could be over quick. Coria in 4.
Bonzi Sinner : Bonzi played great against Ruusuvuori, and I got that match completely wrong. Sinner’s defeat of Goffin coupled with his 6-2, 6-2 loss to Cilic a week or so ago makes me think Goffin is either a bit injured or just not fully engaged in this clay swing, but Sinner looks great. Sinner in 4.
Kukushkin Martinez : Fognini Fognini’d all over the place. He seemed to hurt his ankle during the 3rd set tiebreaker, and for a guy who lacks a bit of self control he shockingly did not withdraw. This seems to be one of his principles, as he’s finished matches injured before. Good win for Kukushkin, who hung around until he was given the match. Martinez on the other hand went out and earned it, downing the hard hitting Vukic in straight sets.
Martinez and Kukushkin are unlikely to have huge edges against each other. Kukushkin does his best work at majors, but not really on clay, and Martinez is a claycourt expert, but generally earns errors/preys on his opponents inconsistency. I expect long rallies, and I expect Martinez to gradually pull away in this one. Martinez in 5.
Korda Isner : I’m gonna have to be honest. I completely missed Isner’s match. It didn’t seem like Benchetrit was returning much, and Isner is generally the same. That being said, I regret this because Korda played very well in defeating Seppi and I’d like to be more confident about defending his chances here. Korda plays very well at net, and while he’s a bit green, he’s been losing in the qualifiers on tour for a few seasons now. Him starting to win matches now means we can expect a solid performance from him. He’ll have the edge in baseline rallies, and given they’re from the same country, he’ll be somewhat familiar with Isner’s game. This will come down to Korda’s ability to avoid bad service games, and whether Isner’s serve is unreturnable or not. These are question marks, and I’m starting to hate question marks. Not as much as I hate people bouncing the ball between their legs before their serves though. Korda in fourda.
Nishikori Travaglia : Clay Nishikori is back! A late 5th set victory against Evans saw many bettors writing creative words into the livestream chat, and if you’ve never been called an assfish, you can only imagine how upset Dan is tonight. Kei was happy to get across the finish line, and he has to feel like he can breathe a sigh of relief. Travaglia beat Pablo Andujar, who I have been instructed by my attorney to point out is not from Colombia and does not live in the jungle and does not train jaguars and does not sleep in a cave and does not channel magical eagles and definitely does not possess the ability to call the wind from within his lungs which are definitely not made out of the spirit of a cursed python. Andujar had been on a tear, and beating him in straight sets coupled with Travaglia’s serving prowess mean I make him a slight favorite to beat Kei in this matchup. Since Kei is struggling to find length and rhythm playing a big hitter is likely a bad situation, and I give Kei a good chance since he’s such a difficult defender to beat but he really will be behind the 8-ball in his service games. Travaglia in 4-5.
McDonald Nadal : Nice win and some much needed points and bucks for Mackie. Nadal didn’t look great against Gerasimov but Egor was hitting some great offense and Nadal doesn’t exactly need to press early. Nadal in 3 and the next round against Travaglia will be a good look at Nadal’s level.
​
Finishing up the women's now. Should be up in an hour or two. <3

Hello friends!
We're on the last post of this series ("A Gentle Introduction to NOPE"), where we get to use all the Big Boy Concepts (TM) we've discussed in the prior posts and put them all together. Some words before we begin:

1. This post will be massively theoretical, in the sense that my own speculation and inferences will be largely peppered throughout the post. Are those speculations right? I think so, or I wouldn't be posting it, but they could also be incorrect.
2. I will briefly touch on using the NOPE this slide, but I will make a secondary post with much more interesting data and trends I've observed. This is primarily for explaining what NOPE is and why it potentially works, and what it potentially measures.

My advice before reading this is to glance at my prior posts, and either read those fully or at least make sure you understand the tl;drs:
https://www.reddit.com/thecorporation/collection/27dc72ad-4e78-44cd-a788-811cd666e32a
Depending on popular demand, I will also make a last-last post called FAQ, where I'll tabulate interesting questions you guys ask me in the comments!
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So a brief recap before we begin.
Market Maker ("Mr. MM"): An individual or firm who makes money off the exchange fees and bid-ask spread for an asset, while usually trying to stay neutral about the direction the asset moves.
Delta-gamma hedging: The process Mr. MM uses to stay neutral when selling you shitty OTM options, by buying/selling shares (usually) of the underlying as the price moves.
Law of Surprise [Lily-ism]: Effectively, the expected profit of an options trade is zero for both the seller and the buyer.
Random Walk: A special case of a deeper probability probability called a martingale, which basically models stocks or similar phenomena randomly moving every step they take (for stocks, roughly every millisecond). This is one of the most popular views of how stock prices move, especially on short timescales.
Future Expected Payoff Function [Lily-ism]: This is some hidden function that every market participant has about an asset, which more or less models all the possible future probabilities/values of the assets to arrive at a "fair market price". This is a more generalized case of a pricing model like Black-Scholes, or DCF.
Counter-party: The opposite side of your trade (if you sell an option, they buy it; if you buy an option, they sell it).
Price decoherence ]Lily-ism]: A more generalized notion of IV Crush, price decoherence happens when instead of the FEPF changing gradually over time (price formation), the FEPF rapidly changes, due usually to new information being added to the system (e.g. Vermin Supreme winning the 2020 election).
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One of the most popular gambling events for option traders to play is earnings announcements, and I do owe the concept of NOPE to hypothesizing specifically about the behavior of stock prices at earnings. Much like a black hole in quantum mechanics, most conventional theories about how price should work rapidly break down briefly before, during, and after ER, and generally experienced traders tend to shy away from playing earnings, given their similar unpredictability.
Before we start: what is NOPE? NOPE is a funny backronym from Net Options Pricing Effect, which in its most basic sense, measures the impact option delta has on the underlying price, as compared to share price. When I first started investigating NOPE, I called it OPE (options pricing effect), but NOPE sounds funnier.
The formula for it is dead simple, but I also have no idea how to do LaTeX on reddit, so this is the best I have:
​
https://preview.redd.it/ais37icfkwt51.png?width=826&format=png&auto=webp&s=3feb6960f15a336fa678e945d93b399a8e59bb49
Since I've already encountered this, put delta in this case is the absolute value (50 delta) to represent a put. If you represent put delta as a negative (the conventional way), do not subtract it; add it.
To keep this simple for the non-mathematically minded: the NOPE today is equal to the weighted sum (weighted by volume) of the delta of every call minus the delta of every put for all options chains extending from today to infinity. Finally, we then divide that number by the # of shares traded today in the market session (ignoring pre-market and post-market, since options cannot trade during those times).
Effectively, NOPE is a rough and dirty way to approximate the impact of delta-gamma hedging as a function of share volume, with us hand-waving the following factors:

1. To keep calculations simple, we assume that all counter-parties are hedged. This is obviously not true, especially for idiots who believe theta ganging is safe, but holds largely true especially for highly liquid tickers, or tickers will designated market makers (e.g. any ticker in the NASDAQ, for instance).
2. We assume that all hedging takes place via shares. For SPY and other products tracking the S&P, for instance, market makers can actually hedge via futures or other options. This has the benefit for large positions of not moving the underlying price, but still makes up a fairly small amount of hedges compared to shares.

Winding and Unwinding

I briefly touched on this in a past post, but two properties of NOPE seem to apply well to EER-like behavior (aka any binary catalyst event):

1. NOPE measures sentiment - In general, the options market is seen as better informed than share traders (e.g. insiders trade via options, because of leverage + easier to mask positions). Therefore, a heavy call/put skew is usually seen as a bullish sign, while the reverse is also true.
2. NOPE measures system stability

I'm not going to one-sentence explain #2, because why say in one sentence what I can write 1000 words on. In short, NOPE intends to measure sensitivity of the system (the ticker) to disruption. This makes sense, when you view it in the context of delta-gamma hedging. When we assume all counter-parties are hedged, this means an absolutely massive amount of shares get sold/purchased when the underlying price moves. This is because of the following:
a) Assume I, Mr. MM sell 1000 call options for NKLA 25C 10/23 and 300 put options for NKLA 15p 10/23. I'm just going to make up deltas because it's too much effort to calculate them - 30 delta call, 20 delta put.
This implies Mr. MM needs the following to delta hedge: (1000 call options * 30 shares to buy for each) [to balance out writing calls) - (300 put options * 20 shares to sell for each) = 24,000 net shares Mr. MM needs to acquire to balance out his deltas/be fully neutral.
b) This works well when NKLA is at $20. But what about when it hits $19 (because it only can go down, just like their trucks). Thanks to gamma, now we have to recompute the deltas, because they've changed for both the calls (they went down) and for the puts (they went up).
Let's say to keep it simple that now my calls are 20 delta, and my puts are 30 delta. From the 24,000 net shares, Mr. MM has to now have:
(1000 call options * 20 shares to have for each) - (300 put options * 30 shares to sell for each) = 11,000 shares.
Therefore, with a $1 shift in price, now to hedge and be indifferent to direction, Mr. MM has to go from 24,000 shares to 11,000 shares, meaning he has to sell 13,000 shares ASAP, or take on increased risk. Now, you might be saying, "13,000 shares seems small. How would this disrupt the system?"
(This process, by the way, is called hedge unwinding)
It won't, in this example. But across thousands of MMs and millions of contracts, this can - especially in highly optioned tickers - make up a substantial fraction of the net flow of shares per day. And as we know from our desk example, the buying or selling of shares directly changes the price of the stock itself.
This, by the way, is why the NOPE formula takes the shape it does. Some astute readers might notice it looks similar to GEX, which is not a coincidence. GEX however replaces daily volume with open interest, and measures gamma over delta, which I did not find good statistical evidence to support, especially for earnings.
So, with our example above, why does NOPE measure system stability? We can assume for argument's sake that if someone buys a share of NKLA, they're fine with moderate price swings (+- $20 since it's NKLA, obviously), and in it for the long/medium haul. And in most cases this is fine - we can own stock and not worry about minor swings in price. But market makers can't* (they can, but it exposes them to risk), because of how delta works. In fact, for most institutional market makers, they have clearly defined delta limits by end of day, and even small price changes require them to rebalance their hedges.
This over the whole market adds up to a lot shares moving, just to balance out your stupid Robinhood YOLOs. While there are some tricks (dark pools, block trades) to not impact the price of the underlying, the reality is that the more options contracts there are on a ticker, the more outsized influence it will have on the ticker's price. This can technically be exactly balanced, if option put delta is equal to option call delta, but never actually ends up being the case. And unlike shares traded, the shares representing the options are more unstable, meaning they will be sold/bought in response to small price shifts. And will end up magnifying those price shifts, accordingly.

NOPE and Earnings

So we have a new shiny indicator, NOPE. What does it actually mean and do?
There's much literature going back to the 1980s that options markets do have some level of predictiveness towards earnings, which makes sense intuitively. Unlike shares markets, where you can continue to hold your share even if it dips 5%, in options you get access to expanded opportunity to make riches... and losses. An options trader betting on earnings is making a risky and therefore informed bet that he or she knows the outcome, versus a share trader who might be comfortable bagholding in the worst case scenario.
As I've mentioned largely in comments on my prior posts, earnings is a special case because, unlike popular misconceptions, stocks do not go up and down solely due to analyst expectations being meet, beat, or missed. In fact, stock prices move according to the consensus market expectation, which is a function of all the participants' FEPF on that ticker. This is why the price moves so dramatically - even if a stock beats, it might not beat enough to justify the high price tag (FSLY); even if a stock misses, it might have spectacular guidance or maybe the market just was assuming it would go bankrupt instead.
To look at the impact of NOPE and why it may play a role in post-earnings-announcement immediate price moves, let's review the following cases:

1. Stock Meets/Exceeds Market Expectations (aka price goes up) - In the general case, we would anticipate post-ER market participants value the stock at a higher price, pushing it up rapidly. If there's a high absolute value of NOPE on said ticker, this should end up magnifying the positive move since:

a) If NOPE is high negative - This means a ton of put buying, which means a lot of those puts are now worthless (due to price decoherence). This means that to stay delta neutral, market makers need to close out their sold/shorted shares, buying them, and pushing the stock price up.
b) If NOPE is high positive - This means a ton of call buying, which means a lot of puts are now worthless (see a) but also a lot of calls are now worth more. This means that to stay delta neutral, market makers need to close out their sold/shorted shares AND also buy more shares to cover their calls, pushing the stock price up.
2) Stock Meets/Misses Market Expectations (aka price goes down) - Inversely to what I mentioned above, this should push to the stock price down, fairly immediately. If there's a high absolute value of NOPE on said ticker, this should end up magnifying the negative move since:
a) If NOPE is high negative - This means a ton of put buying, which means a lot of those puts are now worth more, and a lot of calls are now worth less/worth less (due to price decoherence). This means that to stay delta neutral, market makers need to sell/short more shares, pushing the stock price down.
b) If NOPE is high positive - This means a ton of call buying, which means a lot of calls are now worthless (see a) but also a lot of puts are now worth more. This means that to stay delta neutral, market makers need to sell even more shares to keep their calls and puts neutral, pushing the stock price down.
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Based on the above two cases, it should be a bit more clear why NOPE is a measure of sensitivity to system perturbation. While we previously discussed it in the context of magnifying directional move, the truth is it also provides a directional bias to our "random" walk. This is because given a price move in the direction predicted by NOPE, we expect it to be magnified, especially in situations of price decoherence. If a stock price goes up right after an ER report drops, even based on one participant deciding to value the stock higher, this provides a runaway reaction which boosts the stock price (due to hedging factors as well as other participants' behavior) and inures it to drops.

NOPE and NOPE_MAD

I'm going to gloss over this section because this is more statistical methods than anything interesting. In general, if you have enough data, I recommend using NOPE_MAD over NOPE. While NOPE in theory represents a "real" quantity (net option delta over net share delta), NOPE_MAD (the median absolute deviation of NOPE) does not. NOPE_MAD simply answecompare the following:

1. How exceptional is today's NOPE versus historic baseline (30 days prior)?
2. How do I compare two tickers' NOPEs effectively (since some tickers, like TSLA, have a baseline positive NOPE, because Elon memes)? In the initial stages, we used just a straight numerical threshold (let's say NOPE >= 20), but that quickly broke down. NOPE_MAD aims to detect anomalies, because anomalies in general give you tendies.

I might add the formula later in Mathenese, but simply put, to find NOPE_MAD you do the following:

1. Calculate today's NOPE score (this can be done end of day or intraday, with the true value being EOD of course)
2. Calculate the end of day NOPE scores on the ticker for the previous 30 trading days
3. Compute the median of the previous 30 trading days' NOPEs
4. From the median, find the 30 days' median absolute deviation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_absolute_deviation)
5. Find today's deviation as compared to the MAD calculated by: [(today's NOPE) - (median NOPE of last 30 days)] / (median absolute deviation of last 30 days)

This is usually reported as sigma (σ), and has a few interesting properties:

1. The mean of NOPE_MAD for any ticker is almost exactly 0.
2. [Lily's Speculation's Speculation] NOPE_MAD acts like a spring, and has a tendency to reverse direction as a function of its magnitude. No proof on this yet, but exploring it!

Using the NOPE to predict ER

So the last section was a lot of words and theory, and a lot of what I'm mentioning here is empirically derived (aka I've tested it out, versus just blabbered).
In general, the following holds true:

1. 3 sigma NOPE_MAD tends to be "the threshold": For very low NOPE_MAD magnitudes (+- 1 sigma), it's effectively just noise, and directionality prediction is low, if not non-existent. It's not exactly like 3 sigma is a play and 2.9 sigma is not a play; NOPE_MAD accuracy increases as NOPE_MAD magnitude (either positive or negative) increases.
2. NOPE_MAD is only useful on highly optioned tickers: In general, I introduce another parameter for sifting through "candidate" ERs to play: option volume * 100/share volume. When this ends up over let's say 0.4, NOPE_MAD provides a fairly good window into predicting earnings behavior.
3. NOPE_MAD only predicts during the after-market/pre-market session: I also have no idea if this is true, but my hunch is that next day behavior is mostly random and driven by market movement versus earnings behavior. NOPE_MAD for now only predicts direction of price movements right between the release of the ER report (AH or PM) and the ending of that market session. This is why in general I recommend playing shares, not options for ER (since you can sell during the AH/PM).
4. NOPE_MAD only predicts direction of price movement: This isn't exactly true, but it's all I feel comfortable stating given the data I have. On observation of ~2700 data points of ER-ticker events since Mar 2019 (SPY 500), I only so far feel comfortable predicting whether stock price goes up (>0 percent difference) or down (<0 price difference). This is +1 for why I usually play with shares.

Some statistics:
#0) As a baseline/null hypothesis, after ER on the SPY500 since Mar 2019, 50-51% price movements in the AH/PM are positive (>0) and ~46-47% are negative (<0).
#1) For NOPE_MAD >= +3 sigma, roughly 68% of price movements are positive after earnings.
#2) For NOPE_MAD <= -3 sigma, roughly 29% of price movements are positive after earnings.
#3) When using a logistic model of only data including NOPE_MAD >= +3 sigma or NOPE_MAD <= -3 sigma, and option/share vol >= 0.4 (around 25% of all ERs observed), I was able to achieve 78% predictive accuracy on direction.

Caveats/Read This

Like all models, NOPE is wrong, but perhaps useful. It's also fairly new (I started working on it around early August 2020), and in fact, my initial hypothesis was exactly incorrect (I thought the opposite would happen, actually). Similarly, as commenters have pointed out, the timeline of data I'm using is fairly compressed (since Mar 2019), and trends and models do change. In fact, I've noticed significantly lower accuracy since the coronavirus recession (when I measured it in early September), but I attribute this mostly to a smaller date range, more market volatility, and honestly, dumber option traders (~65% accuracy versus nearly 80%).
My advice so far if you do play ER with the NOPE method is to use it as following:

1. Buy/short shares approximately right when the market closes before ER. Ideally even buying it right before the earnings report drops in the AH session is not a bad idea if you can.
2. Sell/buy to close said shares at the first sign of major weakness (e.g. if the NOPE predicted outcome is incorrect).
3. Sell/buy to close shares even if it is correct ideally before conference call, or by the end of the after-market/pre-market session.
4. Only play tickers with high NOPE as well as high option/share vol.

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In my next post, which may be in a few days, I'll talk about potential use cases for SPY and intraday trends, but I wanted to make sure this wasn't like 7000 words by itself.
Cheers.
- Lily

I occasionally see people respond to my weekly Upcoming Releases posts with comments like “it's just a buncha' shovelware”, and I don't think people realize the potential in some of the games they're dismissing. And especially with Nintendo stepping back from their regular Nintendo Directs, I think there's likely to be a fair number of Switch players asking themselves, “so now what?”
Because of this, before we jump into the next month, I'm going through the list of upcoming games for that month that we know about, and highlighting the ones that have a strong chance of being worth paying attention to, as well as a brief snippet about the game explaining why it's worth watching.
I will specifically only be highlighting games that have a reasonably strong pedigree, or that are otherwise particularly noteworthy in some way beyond “this looks good, it could be interesting...”. This means that I'll likely be mentioning a lot of ports, as it's easier to know a game will likely be good if it was already good on another platform (I'm including games that scored 75 or higher on Metacritic on other platforms, 80% positive or higher on Steam, and/or 4 or higher rating on Google Play store). I'll also mention games whose developer has a decent track record for producing quality.
Oh, and before getting into the games, I should note that this is just the list we have available right now – there are likely to be new games announced after this list comes out, as well as games on this list that get delayed. Also, I should note that this is not a list of the only games worth getting on the Switch this month – just the ones that I feel can be backed up with more than just “feels” given what we know now. And of course, since these games aren't released yet, I obviously can't know they're good, they just look promising.
Two more things – Firstly, last month saw me missing a bunch of games that ended up getting good Metacritic scores (this after I listed nearly 30 games in my predictions!). While some of these, like Hades and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, had not been previously announced to release in that month, others like Hotshot Racing were games I dismissed because their developer didn't have an established history behind them. With this being the case, I'm going to test-drive something new I'll call “Buzz Picks”. This is not a prediction that the game will be good (because I still don't have anything to go on), but if a game has gained a lot of attention and doesn't have anything going against it (developer with a poor track record, low review scores in other versions, etc.), or a muddled track record, I'll list it with this tag to note that it's definitely a game to keep your eye on. And when I tally results, these “Buzz picks” will be counted as neutral toward my prediction score – I won't count it as a correct prediction if they turn out being great, but won't deduct points if they turn out terrible. That's fair, right?
Secondly, I'm going to stop checking every release that gets announced after I post this list to look for games to add to this list as the month goes on. It's exhausting to keep doing this, and I'm honestly not sure how many people even see it. If a game gets announced that's clearly a good bet, I'll add it, but I'm not going to count any late-announced games that fall through the cracks in my end-of-month tally.
Anyway, on to the list!
10/1 – Hot Shot Burn (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – This game went overlooked by critics when it released on PC earlier this year, but it has a fantastic 97% positive rating from its 75 user reviews on Steam. This is a top-down arena combat party game.
10/1 – Super Mario Bros. 35 (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 74) – This free-to-play Nintendo Switch Online-exclusive will only be available until the end of this upcoming March, but for the time it's available, it promises to be fantastic, mixing the gameplay of the legendary NES classic Super Mario Bros. with the “battle royale”-style concept we saw implemented in Tetris 99.
10/1 – Ys Origin (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 82) – This Action-RPG originally released on PC in 2012 and has subsequently been ported to multiple other platforms, each time seeing its Metacritic score improve, ranging from 76 to 81. This is a prequel to the long-running Ys series that critics have praised for its retro style, great story, and wonderful soundtrack, and there's little reason to think it'll fare any worse on the Nintendo Switch, especially with top-notch publisher Dotemu handling the port.
10/3 – Quell (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – This simple, unassuming Puzzle game with a placid theme may not seem like much, but its 2010 release on iOS got it a Metacritic score of 84, and it has a very positive steam rating of 98% with nearly 200 reviews. Those who enjoy chill Puzzle games may want to keep their eyes out for it.
10/5 – Space Grunts (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – Mobile developer Orange Pixel's one game to get rated on Metacritic, Gunslugs 2, got a Metacritic score of 78. Meanwhile, this game currently has a 4.6 star rating on Google Play Store, with over 1300 user reviews. This is an Action-Heavy Roguelike Dungeon Crawler, and you can try the free version on your mobile device now if you want to get a feel for it (After trying it myself, I can definitely see potential here, but this game desperately needs a traditional controller).
10/8 – Filament (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 87) – This challenging Puzzle game was released on PC just a few months ago, getting a Metacritic score of 81. Critics praised it for its puzzle design and story, which has you connecting cables to equipment on a space station.
10/8 – Game Dev Tycoon (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 81) – This management sim made a name for itself when it was released on PC in 2013 for its humorous anti-piracy measures, although the game itself got a lukewarm reaction on Metacritic, scoring a low 68. Subsequently, the game's release on iOS in 2017 got a much better 89 on Metacritic, and the current user review score on Steam puts the game a massive 95% approval rating with nearly 30,000 reviews. The Nintendo Switch version touts some nice features too, like touchscreen support, as well as cross-platform saves.
10/8 – I Am Dead (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 81) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. This is a narrative puzzle game critics have praised for its distinctly British charm.
10/8 – Piofore: Fated Memoriesd (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 77) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. This is a visual novel critics praised for is good art and music and unique game structure.
10/8 – Puddle Knights (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – While it went largely overlooked when it released on PC earlier this year, Puddle Knights got a 100% positive rating from the 40+ users who reviewed the game on Steam. This is a character-based Puzzle game where you maneuver around knights with long capes to try to create a path so a noblewoman doesn't have to step in mud.
Announced on 10/2 - 10/9 – Ghost of a Tale (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) - Originally released on Xbox One in 2017 and subsequently released to other platforms, Ghost of a Tale has scored between 75-82 on Metacritic. This game is a stealth-focused action-RPG that has you playing as a mouse in a world inspired partly by the Nimh books.
10/13 – Robotics;Notes Double Pack (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – This is a pair of Digital Novel games in the same series as the highly-acclaimed Steins;Gate, with these stories following a young robotics designer who's inspired to work on a new project. For fans of the genre this is sure to be a game to keep your eyes out for.
Announced on 10/2 - 10/14 – Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3!? (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) - The prior game in this series earned a Metacritic score of 85 on the Nintendo Switch, and there's little reason to think the sequel should fare any differently. As the name suggests, this is a game where players manage their own restaurants, right down to preparing all of the food themselves, all while customers are waiting and putting in their own unique orders. However, this sequel adds a tongue-in-cheek post-apocalyptic twist as you drive a food truck across war-town America a few decades in the future... and yet the game still seems more cheerful than 2020.
10/15 – Hardcore Mecha (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – This 2D Action game game first came out on the PC in 2019, but at the moment the PlayStation 4 version is the only version of the game to get a Metacritic score, getting 77. Critics praised its campaign and multiplayer modes, as well as how it pays homage to the Super Robot Wars series.
10/15 – Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 72) – This remaster of the second game in WayForward's acclaimed Metroidvania series is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch. Review scores ranged from 74 to 85 on other platforms, so odds are good it'll be great on the Switch as well!
10/15 – Space Crew (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 62) – After a delay from last month, this game is back on my list. This game is the successor to Bomber Crew, which got a Metacritic score of 75. Based on how Bomber Crew played, I'm guessing this one will have you controlling a spaceship by having you direct each member of the crew to control their own individual responsibility within the ship.
10/15 – Roki (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 80) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. Critics praised this game for its great story and fun game mechanics.
10/15 – The Jackbox Party Pack 7 (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 73) – The Jackbox Party Pack series are all collections of party games that connect to a server online and have you log in with your phones as your controllers, using the touchscreen to input answers (and perhaps doodle) privately. Every game in the series on Switch has had a Metacritic score over 75 save for Party Pack 6, and hopefully that was just a fluke. With any luck this game will be a return to form for the series!
10/16 – Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 75) – The hordes of fans screaming for another Mario Kart game on the Nintendo Switch may not have meant this, but regardless this promises to be a unique spin on the highly-acclaimed series of cartoony racing games, letting you race using a real-life remote controlled car that interacts with the game, and drawing custom course layouts in your own home, yard, or driveway. Clear some space on the floor, lock away the pets, and get ready for Mario Kart like you've certainly never played it before...
10/21 – Crown Trick (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 79) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. This is a dungeon crawler critics praised for its art style and sense of humor.
10/21 – Horace (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 83) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. This is a platform adventure game that critics are praising for its inventiveness and charm.
10/21 – Scourgebringer (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 82) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. Critics praised this game's fun Roguelike-style gameplay.
10/22 – Disc Room (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 82) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. Critics praised this game's intense, fast-paced action.
10/22 – Supraland (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – This first-person puzzle adventure game doesn't look like much, but it won over critics on the PC, where it got a Metacritic score of 85.
10/23 – Pumpkin Jack (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 76) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. Critics praised this game as a spiritual successor of sorts to the PlayStation classic MediEvil.
10/23 – Supermarket Shriek (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – This silly racing game came out on Xbox One in 2019, where it got a Metacritic score of 76. Critics praised the game's silly sense of humor, fun level design, and good multiplayer.
10/23 – Transformers Battlegrounds (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 68) – I'm usually a bit wary of licensed games (they can really go either way), but developer Coatsink has a good track record, with its game Shu getting excellent reviews (albeit on other platforms, not so much the Switch version) and none of their games having a Metacritic score below 72. What's more, this game does something I don't think we've seen with the Transformers property – it uses it for a turn-based Strategy-RPG. With any luck, they'll do justice both to the genre and the license.
10/27 – Dungreed (Trailer) (No Metacritic score as of 11/2) – Another game delayed from last month. Critics largely overlooked this game but users thoroughly enjoyed, Dungreed's 2018 PC release has a 90% approval rating on Steam with 4575 reviews. This one looks to be a fast-paced action-platformer with RPG and Roguelike elements.
10/27 – Ghostrunner (Trailer) – “Buzz Pick” This game has multiple developers working on it, so it's hard to know which one to look at when trying to judge the record behind this game. One More Level worked on God's Trigger, which got solid reviews when it was released in 2019. Slipgate Ironworks' only game to get a Metacritic score was Rad Rogers (which got a 67 on Xbox One), and then of course there's 3D Realms, which made a name for itself with the Duke Nukem series and most recently did the well-received Ion Fury, but in between had a fair number of flops. However, while the combined history of these developers may be mixed, there's no denying that the trailer for this first-person action-platformer looks phenomenal, like a dark, violent, cyberpunk-y take on Mirror's Edge. We'll see how it turns out when the game releases! (Update: Delayed to November)
10/27 – Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee New & Tasty (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 78) – This remake of the first game in the Oddworld series of Puzzle-Platformers got scores ranging from 81 to 87 on Metacritic when it was first released in 2014, and there's little reason to expect any less from it when it hits the Nintendo Switch.
Announced on 10/28: 10/28 – Part Time UFO (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 78) – I didn't list this in my predictions as it was shadow dropped, but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. Critics praised this Physics-based Puzzle game for its charming presentation and fun gameplay.
10/30 – Mad Rat Dead (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 76) – I didn't list this in my predictions but I list it here for the sake of those looking at this article after the fact. Critics praised this rhythm-based Platformer for its great music and fun and challenging gameplay.
10/30 – Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Trailer) (Metacritic Score: 84) – When this game about exploring a giant garden with tiny ant/plant creatures as your horde of minions was released on the Wii U, it got a Metacritic score of 87. Finally brought to the Nintendo Switch, this version adds new content featuring the characters from the first two games, Olimar and Louie. This game is probably the closest thing to a sure bet this month.
Halloween 2020 – Dusk (Trailer) – When this fast-paced retro-style first-person shooter screamed onto PCs in 2018, it got a Metacritic score of 88. If you're the sort of person who longs for the days of games like Quake, this game is likely to be a dream come true (or I suppose nightmare, given the theme).
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Anyway, that's what I could find for October 2020 on the Switch, but no doubt some of you have specific games you've got your eye on this next month. Please feel free to give a shout out to any game you feel deserves attention! :-)

Hello, I'm Reikai_, Grand Champion in Rocket League (3v3) and a previous mid-Master League player in Starcraft 2. This guide contains is the most comprehensive approach to get you to Grand Champion in 3v3 quickly on the subreddit to date.
I used mental models (in particular, frequency, detailed later) as well as previous comprehensive posts to rank myself up. Now, I'd like to give back and help others rank up, especially with Rocket League now going free-to-play.

Goal setting

I imagine since you're reading this post, you'd like to make it to Grand Champion. I think that's a great goal at 0.77% of the player base. However, I've noticed that when people try to get better at anything (RL included), there tends to be a gap in goals and practice.
Do you want to be the flashiest, fanciest player possible? Then practice Air Dribble and it's variants (Flip Reset, Musty Flick, Double Tap) the whole time, and then head to 1v1. You can't even get to GC in 3v3 doing this, I think. Your skillset would be too lopsided and/or unbalanced.
Do you want to be the best player you can be? Then practice becoming skilled and comfortable in all phases of the 3v3 game. Currently, the best players for 3v3 are the pros playing 3v3. They're the ones pushing the boundaries and showing the best possible way to play 3v3 at any given moment.
By trying to be as good as possible, you'll improve much faster than saying, 'What can a player do that's 1 rank above mine?' You'll skip over lots of stop-gap, waste-of-time skills and go straight to what the pros are doing. The essential skills that is, not the flashy ones. More below on that when I explain Frequency.

Watching Pro Games

Speaking of pros, watch the best current pros you can possibly find. Replays, Youtube, and past stream videos are all excellent sources of material. Old replays actually aren't that good because this game has evolved so much. For example, going back too far in RLCS (the Rocket League pro scene) and you get pros that aren't even as good as some 'average joes' today. You also want RLCS matches, or 'tryhard' games, where a streamer isn't necessarily just screwing around. If there's money on the line or the pro is playing with their team, you can almost bet that the pro will be trying his/her hardest and showing you the best stuff.
Another reason you want to watch pros: Their gameplay is -packed- with 2 lists. The first list is full of things you MUST do (score goals, pressure the other team, be in position, etc.). The second list is full of things you should NEVER do (concede goals, play slow, be out of position, etc.). Watching pros constantly and picking up those patterns of what to do and where is crucial, and there's no place that happens faster than going straight to the source. For example, watching a content creator's Rocket League youtube will give you a new concept, but seeing that concept implemented (close to) perfectly really only happens in pro matches. Here's a link to the replays from the latest RLCS season (#9): RLCS Season 9 Both NA and EU are good, but I'd say NA is ahead right now. Start with them.
Bottom line, find your favorite RLCS pro who's style inspires you and try copying what they do (decisions they make, mainly).

Improvement Mindset

This, along with dedication to spend time improving are the big, overarching themes that need to be in place for you to make it Grand Champion. If you embark on this path, you need to know that you will -not- be the same player at the end that you are at the start. You need to embrace that and be willing to destroy/remove your old ideas of how to play the game. This will make room for the new (Grand Champion-level) ones.
Aspects of this mindset:

* I will learn the best way to perform the skill in question. * If there is a better way, I'll use my old method while practicing using the new method in training. * Once I feel confident to perform the new skill in ranked, I will use only the new method and completely abandon the old method. * I take my information from the best sources available, and critically think about any secondary sources (non-pros, content creators). * I will take no excuses from myself as to why I 'can't' perform a certain skill. Someone else did it, so therefore I can too. 

Common mistakes that stop you from improving:

* Being tilted or upset at something, whether that's in the game or outside of it. * Thinking you're trying to improve, but actually staying in your comfort zone and simply pushing your current skills to current limits * Not pushing yourself beyond current limits and getting uncomfortable * Letting your brain quietly switch out goals when you get impatient * Gunning for the next rank NOW instead of just trying to improve, even if that means losing as you try a new skill * Getting convinced somehow improvement isn't worth it because of some external factor * Bad teammates, matchmaking 'errors', other excuses * Not dedicating enough time/energy/effort to this. * Not a total showstopper, but will slow you down. * If you don't have a lot of time with the game, simply make sure you focus and actually improve. You'll still see results. 

Frequency, or what ideas at the Grand Champion level are actually the most important?

Frequency means, what gets used the most at the level you're trying to achieve? What concepts are game breakingly advantageous, and which ones don't really matter at all? Which skills are a total must-learn, and which ones can you let slide for now, and come back for later? In order to improve quickly, pick the most important skills to learn first and spend most of your time on.

2 quick definitions:

Jumpshot means some combination of jumping, boosting, and dodging into the ball. It doesn't always mean as hard as you can, but rather making the ball do what you want. In a lot of places, it's known as 'power shot', but Jumpshot includes the less powerful, more accurate version. This Kevpert tutorial has the shooting version, but you should play around with it. See how long you can hold the jump, how fast you can do it, try it off the wall, combine it with air roll, etc.
Fast Aerial is the fastest possible double jump aerial variant with regards to gaining altitude quickly. If you're wondering, there are 3 total double jump aerial variants, and all 3 are good. See this Kevpert Tutorial. I'm mainly referring to the 3rd variant, but all 3 are good for different scenarios. You'd use this to beat your opponent to a ball that's higher up than a Jumpshot could reach. Make no mistake, a Jumpshot can reach a ball slightly higher than the crossbar (with dodge!).
Mechanics

* A (Essential) * Jumpshot * Fast Aerial * Reading the bounce from any and all walls, and being able to play it * This is a great use of freeplay, if you were wondering what you should do in there. * Use the D-pad with BakkesMod installed to practice random scenarios. * Powerslide (correct powerslide, not the incorrect tutorial version.) * B (Good to add in, but not at the expense of above) * Recovery (not landing on your head, not landing sideways and stopping) * Expert boost management * You need less than you think; 33 + 1 pad (12) = 45 boost can almost reach the ceiling with Fast Aerial! * Dribbling or flicking * C (Extra stuff) * Air Dribble * Flip Reset * Musty Flick * Etc. 

Strategy

* A (Essential) * Prediction * What's probably going to happen next? * Is there a shot opportunity for us? For them? * Remember, unless the ball is on target already, only an opponent car can score your goal. Look for the shooter. * Who's car is closest to the ball? * What team has better position right now? What should I prepare for? * Positioning * Understand rotation, especially back post rotations (See the guide below in Training Material) * Knowing to make saves by starting on the back post and not in the middle * Know where to be to score easily/find shooting opportunities easily * Use the camera to see where your teammates are to know what to do/where to go * Understanding when to challenge and when not to challenge * Be aware of what each position should be primarily and secondarily concerned with * I may write up a guide on this too if there's enough interest, it's somewhat deep * B (Good to add in, but not at the expense of above) * Adapting to the game you're playing * Did your teammate cut rotation? Fill the last position. * Is the other team too aggressive? Punish them with power clears (Jumpshots aimed deep into your opponents half, preferably on target to the goal). * Is your team too aggressive? Play third man and babysit the match on defense to win. * Is there a weak player in the match? Can you gamble and make a challenge on that player? It might be a goal. * Playing to the scoreboard/time remaining * Don't challenge as 3rd man if you're up 1-0 and there's 30 seconds left, stall and delay and let your teammates help. Only make a save if necessary. * If you're down by 2, start getting aggressive now. Don't forget to actually try the skill you were working on! * C (Extra stuff) * Boost stealing/demoing/bumping (Only do this stuff opportunistically. The other points above are so much more important.) 

Mental

* A (Essential) * Focus/Effort/Trying as hard as you can * Avoiding at all costs being mentally lazy for the duration of the match. * Actively trying to win the game and improve in the same match. * More on balancing these two mindsets below in Competitive Mindset. * Thinking of the right thing at the right time * Think of the next ball in the match, and watch the replay after. * Don't think of the ball you just missed now! You'll miss the next one. * B (Good to add in, but not at the expense of above) * Never giving up/always doing something with the current match * Sometimes, at 1-5, there's a reason to forfeit, but you don't have to. You can use the rest of the match to practice. * However, at 1-3, go for it and try to win. * C (Extra stuff) * Keeping your teammates pumped up with compliments/jokes 

Mechanics Explanation

Why are Jumpshot and Fast Aerial listed first in mechanics? Because they are the 2 most used mechanics in the game when it comes to playing the ball. Most goals in GC aren't great goals. Most are mistake punishing or loose ball opportunity recognition. Usually you don't pick up the ball, grab 100 boost and clip on your opponent. At the same time, the save is usually also made using these two skills. Either the ball is reachable with Jumpshot, or it's high up and you Fast Aerial.
The target is different, but each mechanic is about the same: reach the ball before you opponent and hit it where you want. To the goal for offense, into the corners (which makes the ball temporarily unshootable due to angle) or ceiling in the opponent's half on defense. Same with 50/50s; you generally Jumpshot the other car as hard as you can (there are exceptions to this). Same with power clears used to build up your team's attack or relieve pressure; it's generally a Jumpshot focused on power.
Still not convinced?
If you're still not sure that most goals in Grand Champion are boring goals, consider this evidence. I went back and rewatched the last 10 games that I played to get GC. I counted the goals that were scored (both mine and opponents).

 * Total of 54 goals scored. 66.7% of goals scored were Jumpshots, usually from the ground, usually front bumper (it's an easier version than the air roll shot). * 25.9% of goals scored were Fast Aerial, and usually resulted from a ball off the backboard or a floating midfield ball. * Only 7.4% of the goals used another mechanic other than Jumpshot or Fast Aerial. * On top of that, only 4 out of 54 goals scored had 'quality' to them, or made me go, 'wow, that was a great goal.' * The rest? 92.6%, or 50 out of 54 goals were some type of tap in, long shot, or defensive mistake. Something preventable. 

Given the above, we can make a few takeaways.

 * Jumpshot and Fast Aerial are the 2 most frequently used mechanics in Rocket League. * Thus, we should practice those the most given we'd get the most mileage out of them. * Other things can and should be practiced, and even along side the above, but the majority of practice time should go to those 2 until mastered. * Practice fun shots if it keeps you inspired (I practiced flip resets and double taps when I started feeling bored or stuck) * The number of 'lame' or 'non-wow' goals means that defense is -sorely- lacking at ALL levels. * Focus on your defensive predictions and backpost rotations and you should see a jump in your win rate. * Getting the ball up on your opponents backboard is an easy way to score goals. It causes all sorts of havoc to their formation. * Grand Champion is mainly speed and consistency: Being able to shoot the ball hard and on target will get you goals, period. * Predicting these hits from opponents is the defensive flipside of this. 

Strategy Explanation

Why is Prediction and Positioning #1 and #2 on the list above? That's because 87.0% or 47/54 goals scored had some type of prediction/positioning element to help the goalscorer. The player who scored was either predicting that a loose ball might pop up or sitting in a position to score while another car covered the goal.
Bottom line, you want to be constantly thinking about all the possibilities of what could happen in a current situation. Cover first the ones that are risky to your team (losing a 50/50), but also position to take advantage of that same 50/50 going your way.
Data/spreadsheet: Reikai_'s GC Goal Histogram
10 GC Reward games: Reikai_'s 10 GC Reward Replays (Once downloaded, put them in this folder (your equivalent) to watch them: C:\Users\reikai!\Documents\My Games\Rocket League\TAGame\Demos)

Learn new concepts for fun

Here's a exhaustive list of most mechanics in the game from milesAKAkilometers. Most are more flashy or showy. Use this list to learn something fun when you get stuck or get bored (but don't shirk your real practice, lest you lose progress). Real practice defined here as the A and B list items detailed above.

Training + Practice + Implementation

Download BakkesMod. This allows you to skip around training packs, mirror shots left to right, and have free play ball commands. This allows you to practice custom training shots from different angles and quickly practice what you want to practice without wasting time.
Implementing a skill basically follows this cycle:

* Discovery of that skill * Training/workshop attempts, then success * Freeplay or Unranked game attempts, then success * Ranked attempts, then success 

Most importantly, you should be pushing to do that skill in the most pro form possible. Shots are taken as hard and fast as possible. Aerials are done as quickly as possible. Saves are as shooting-angle-deleting as possible, and as far from your goal as possible.
Once you can do something in freeplay or training to a consistent level, go try it in ranked. For Jumpshot and Fast Aerial, I practiced shooting consistency by making 3 shots in a row before moving to the next shot. You'll probably start off by just making one, and not making it full speed. That's OK. Just keep pushing for better every time.
I list 3-shot consistency for my training because that's what it took for me to make Grand Champion. Even if you can't do that, stressing yourself to do that will make every ball you deal with at your rank feel and look easy. If you don't want to be too stressed, feel free to choose a lesser consistency (2-shot or something). Just know you'll have to probably up it later.

Training Material

I sifted through tons of training packs and Workshop maps looking for the ones that would make a big difference in my game. After looking through all of those, here is a short list of the ones that were most impactful for me. Practice these exhaustively and you'll see a significant difference in your game as well.

Custom Training (Main menu, go to training, custom training, then copy these codes in):

* Shooting #1, WayProtein: 4912-A5C9-9A56-555D (3 shot consistency) * Shooting #2, Biddles: 27FE-E3D7-7FB5-7F43 (3 shot consistency) * Shooting #3, Sebbl: 7656-D60E-ED55-FF20 (even higher level pack, did not finish) * Goalkeeping, WayProtein: 776F-E2BB-2993-78D7 (3 save consistency) * Backboard reads, Rizzo (G2 pro): 07E1-81BC-DD2E-BF8C (3 save consistency, 1 exception) * Wall shots, Poquito: 9F6D-4387-4C57-2E4B (3 shot or pass consistency) 

Workshop (PC only) (Click these links and subscribe with your steam account. Then, main menu, extras, workshop.):

• Dribbling/first touch control (Glass Wheels Digby): https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1694288506
• Car control in the air (Dreale): https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=821751580 (specifically level 1.11, slalom)
  • Kevpert tutorial to go with this map.
  • If you want to practice car control and are not on PC, he has drills for non-PC in freeplay.

Miscellaneous links:

• Jumpshot/Long Shot/Air Roll by Kevpert (Same as above)
• Defense by Kevpert
• Rotation guide by Virge
• Setting guide by Ungoliant0
  
  • "The important part is that you should not be hindered by your controls." - Ungoliant
  • "But once they're set and you're pretty happy with them, don't continuously change them either." - reikai

Watch your replays, reflect and learn

Right after a ranked match, open the replay while the match is still fresh in your mind. I used to think that my teammates were often to blame when I lost, but here is where I found I usually made just as many mistakes as they did. You don't have to watch the whole match, but make sure to pick out mistakes you made, and think of a plan right then and there of what you'll do next time to fix this. Otherwise, you'll tend to end up in next match's replay, going, 'yep, there's the same mistake...'.
Reflecting like this is key; your decision making actually may never improve without looking at what you're doing wrong and changing that decision.
Something strange you may find: doing the right thing feels weird, but doing the wrong thing feels 'right' since it's habit. Thus, most improvements will feel strange at first.

Competitive Mindset + Improvement Mindset

This is the mentality you need to play ranked when you want to improve, and is basically it's own skill. It's the drive to win and fight as hard as you possibly can. To give you an idea of what it's all about:

* Play games with the mindset of turning the game into a 5-0 blowout. * Salivate at the chance to score or pass to a teammate so they score. * Sweat blood saving goals for your team. * A 50/50 is a chance to hit your opponent so hard they feel scared the next time you approach them. * You want to make them scared to ever play against you again. * You want them to be relieved when you're on their team and not against them. 

Ok, what's wrong with the above? The improvement portion is missing. The majority of the time, this Competitive Mindset is where you are probably about 75% of the game. The remainder is where you implement the mechanics you learned and trained above, for about 25% of the game.
Change the percentages to what you feel is right. Just know that too much Competitive Mindset means no improvement, and too much Improvement Mindset means frustration and losses.
A bit more on this; this is only how you're playing. Never be toxic to anyone, teammates or opponents. That only makes your opponents play harder and your teammates play worse. Even worse than that, you're basically tilting yourself. Admit fault when it's your fault and try harder next match. Praise teammates when they do well, and say Sorry! when you mess up. It happens.
Alternatively, you can just turn off quick chat entirely (it's in the pause menu settings). This helped me a lot, as it didn't do much for me to see 'Nice shot!' when I scored as much as it hurt to see 'What a save!' when I missed.

General Tip Log

This is an accumulation of random things that dramatically helped me once I implemented each tip. Try your best to implement all of these one at a time. The closer you get to Grand Champion, the more people adhere to these ideas (and their exceptions). This list is intended for you to get instant value out of reading this post.

* If your opponent is closer to the ball than you, don't challenge him. You'll get beat. * If you're the first car in rotation, you can be more aggressive and consider (fake) challenging. * If you're the last car in rotation, and you know you have no help coming, you can either challenge or wait. * The lower rank you're in, the more you want to wait, as people's consistency just isn't there yet. * Higher ranks you just want to challenge because more time and space means a more likely good shot on your goal. * Try not to jump unless you have to; you have much more control on the ground. That being said, don't avoid jumping if that's easier. * For 50/50s, you basically always have to jump and dodge into them. *As you get better, you want to be doing the skills as fast, hard, and accurately as humanly possible 100% of the time. * Strive for that, but know that literal 100% is impossible. Even pros are probably 95% or so. * Further refinement of an old skill (particularly a key skill) can be more important than learning a new one. * If your teammate is cutting rotation/not following it, it's up to you to adapt and play to HIS game. * No way you can force him to play better by taking his ball and making him mad. * You have a higher winrate if your teammates are playing their A-game rather than you taking them out of their A-game, even if their A-game is subpar. * Stay in prediction/positioning mode until it's your turn to hit the ball, and then switch all of your focus over to nailing that mechanic. Then switch back. * Being adamant here will prevent silly mistakes like looking at other cars when you have a free ball to score. * Never, never, never give up on your own improvement. You can and will improve, but it will take time, and in the short run you can lose rank. * If you remove a bad habit or crutch from your play, it's possible you DERANK instead of improve. That's because the crutch is gone. * As you stick to the new skill, you'll re-rank up, and probably beyond that as the new skill is better for a reason. * It takes a while to integrate new skills into your play, even if you can nail them in training. * You're just not used to using your new, shiny, butt-kicking skill yet. * Dealing with tilt: avoid getting tilted as much as possible * Tilt is a mindset where the emotional part of you is currently stronger than the logical/improvement part. * If you're tilted, chances are no improvement is happening. * Take a break or distract yourself to make the negative emotions subside, then come back once you're positive (or at least neutral) and focused. * Zoning out: don't do it * While grinding mechanics, you may find that you're hitting the same shot 1,000 times and it never goes in. * You've zoned out, and need to refocus/reflect on what's going on. What is your car currently doing? What needs to happen instead? * Sitting there and thinking about what went wrong is much more helpful than doing the shot wrong another 1,000 times * Not to mention building bad habits/wrong muscle memory * Reflection is key; no improvement can happen without it. 

A comprehensive improvement plan so you can put all of this together

* Spend 30%-50% of the time training the A and B list mechanics above (75%/25% split), and do this at the beginning when you're fresh. * Don't do more than an hour of mechanics at a time. * Ranked: Play 5 games, reviewing the replay immediately after each one. * This will decrease chances of tilting and improve odds of reflection/adjustment/improving. * Once that 5 is finished, take some kind of break for 5-10 minutes. * If you're concentrating on improving, 25 minutes of ranked + replay analysis should wear you out. * Do as many 5 game sets as time allows or you have patience for, and don't be afraid to call it quits and go back to mechanics. 

Reasoning for a training plan like this:

* Mechanics are something that have to be improved over time. Never skip mechanics, as you can't make up the muscle memory later like you can decision making. * If you'd like to watch pros or think about/review your training plan, take time out of ranked, not mechanics. * Ranked is basically for implementing what you already know. You're converting the mechanics training you did previously into a higher rank. * Consider drastically changing any previous training plans you had, including this one. * If it's not working for you, switch, but only after giving it a good shot (at least 5-10 sessions to see if you don't see improvement). 

References

Older GC Post by inthedark72 How to Improve by Ver

TL;DR:

I spent about 1,100 hours getting to Diamond and just having fun. I spent another 1,000 hours intentionally improving to Grand Champion. If you take your improvement seriously, I believe you too can make Grand Champion and join the top 0.77% of the player base. Learn from this post and take your improvement seriously and it shouldn't take you as long as it did me. Why? That's because you're using the best drills and most frequently used mechanics, guided by the pro scene from the start.

* Building a learning road map from this post, taking insight from your favorite pro * Objectively looking at what you should work on (what are you bad at?) * Doing difficult things constantly and repeatedly exiting your comfort zone * Implementing the new mechanic in Ranked and not falling back to old habits and mistakes * Reflect every chance you get (ranked replays, pro matches, in training). * Only when you change your thinking do you ever improve. 

Please let me know any questions/comments/concerns you have on this document; I'd be happy to answer in the comments below. Is there interest in a Completely New Player's Guide? What about that question on your mind right now? :D

Road to Grand Champion, 2v2?

While making Grand Champion in 3v3, I thought some people might be interested in watching a Road to Grand Champion for 2v2. I decided to stream to answer in depth questions about this post and 3v3 in general and see if I can't repeat it for 2v2. I currently plan on streaming Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 2PM-5PM Central Time, putting these concepts into action.
If you click the stream link below, it has my schedule in YOUR time zone so you don't have to convert. Hope to see you there!
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Reikai_'s Stream Link
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Note: I did get mod permission before posting my link, so please ask them if you're thinking about posting. Thanks for reading!

Hello, I'm Reikai_, Grand Champion in Rocket League (3v3) and a previous mid-Master League player in Starcraft 2. This guide contains a comprehensive approach to get you to Grand Champion in 3v3 quickly.
I used mental models (in particular, frequency, detailed later) as well as previous comprehensive posts to rank myself up. Now, I'd like to give back and help others rank up, especially with Rocket League now going free-to-play.

Goal setting

I imagine since you're reading this post, you'd like to make it to Grand Champion. I think that's a great goal at 0.77% of the player base. However, I've noticed that when people try to get better at anything (RL included), there tends to be a gap in goals and practice.
Do you want to be the flashiest, fanciest player possible? Then practice Air Dribble and it's variants (Flip Reset, Musty Flick, Double Tap) the whole time, and then head to 1v1. You can't even get to GC in 3v3 doing this, I think. Your skillset would be too lopsided and/or unbalanced.
Do you want to be the best player you can be? Then practice becoming skilled and comfortable in all phases of the 3v3 game. Currently, the best players for 3v3 are the pros playing 3v3. They're the ones pushing the boundaries and showing the best possible way to play 3v3 at any given moment.
By trying to be as good as possible, you'll improve much faster than saying, 'What can a player do that's 1 rank above mine?' You'll skip over lots of stop-gap, waste-of-time skills and go straight to what the pros are doing. The essential skills that is, not the flashy ones. More below on that when I explain Frequency.

Watching Pro Games

Speaking of pros, watch the best current pros you can possibly find. Replays, Youtube, and past stream videos are all excellent sources of material. Old replays actually aren't that good because this game has evolved so much. For example, going back too far in RLCS (the Rocket League pro scene) and you get pros that aren't even as good as some 'average joes' today. You also want RLCS matches, or 'tryhard' games, where a streamer isn't necessarily just screwing around. If there's money on the line or the pro is playing with their team, you can almost bet that the pro will be trying his/her hardest and showing you the best stuff.
Another reason you want to watch pros: Their gameplay is -packed- with 2 lists. The first list is full of things you MUST do (score goals, pressure the other team, be in position, etc.). The second list is full of things you should NEVER do (concede goals, play slow, be out of position, etc.). Watching pros constantly and picking up those patterns of what to do and where is crucial, and there's no place that happens faster than going straight to the source. For example, watching a content creator's Rocket League youtube will give you a new concept, but seeing that concept implemented (close to) perfectly really only happens in pro matches. Here's a link to the replays from the latest RLCS season (#9): RLCS Season 9 Both NA and EU are good, but I'd say NA is ahead right now. Start with them.
Bottom line, find your favorite RLCS pro who's style inspires you and try copying what they do (decisions they make, mainly).

Improvement Mindset

This, along with dedication to spend time improving are the big, overarching themes that need to be in place for you to make it Grand Champion. If you embark on this path, you need to know that you will -not- be the same player at the end that you are at the start. You need to embrace that and be willing to destroy/remove your old ideas of how to play the game. This will make room for the new (Grand Champion-level) ones.
Aspects of this mindset:

* I will learn the best way to perform the skill in question. * If there is a better way, I'll use my old method while practicing using the new method in training. * Once I feel confident to perform the new skill in ranked, I will use only the new method and completely abandon the old method. * I take my information from the best sources available, and critically think about any secondary sources (non-pros, content creators). * I will take no excuses from myself as to why I 'can't' perform a certain skill. Someone else did it, so therefore I can too. 

Common mistakes that stop you from improving:

* Being tilted or upset at something, whether that's in the game or outside of it. * Thinking you're trying to improve, but actually staying in your comfort zone and simply pushing your current skills to current limits * Not pushing yourself beyond current limits and getting uncomfortable * Letting your brain quietly switch out goals when you get impatient * Gunning for the next rank NOW instead of just trying to improve, even if that means losing as you try a new skill * Getting convinced somehow improvement isn't worth it because of some external factor * Bad teammates, matchmaking 'errors', other excuses * Not dedicating enough time/energy/effort to this. * Not a total showstopper, but will slow you down. * If you don't have a lot of time with the game, simply make sure you focus and actually improve. You'll still see results. 

Frequency, or what ideas at the Grand Champion level are actually the most important?

Frequency means, what gets used the most at the level you're trying to achieve? What concepts are game breakingly advantageous, and which ones don't really matter at all? Which skills are a total must-learn, and which ones can you let slide for now, and come back for later? In order to improve quickly, pick the most important skills to learn first and spend most of your time on.

2 quick definitions:

Jumpshot means some combination of jumping, boosting, and dodging into the ball. It doesn't always mean as hard as you can, but rather making the ball do what you want. In a lot of places, it's known as 'power shot', but Jumpshot includes the less powerful, more accurate version. This Kevpert tutorial has the shooting version, but you should play around with it. See how long you can hold the jump, how fast you can do it, try it off the wall, combine it with air roll, etc.
Fast Aerial is the fastest possible double jump aerial variant with regards to gaining altitude quickly. If you're wondering, there are 3 total double jump aerial variants, and all 3 are good. See this Kevpert Tutorial. I'm mainly referring to the 3rd variant, but all 3 are good for different scenarios. You'd use this to beat your opponent to a ball that's higher up than a Jumpshot could reach. Make no mistake, a Jumpshot can reach a ball slightly higher than the crossbar (with dodge!).
Mechanics

* A (Essential) * Jumpshot * Fast Aerial * Reading the bounce from any and all walls, and being able to play it * This is a great use of freeplay, if you were wondering what you should do in there. * Use the D-pad with BakkesMod installed to practice random scenarios. * Powerslide (correct powerslide, not the incorrect tutorial version.) * B (Good to add in, but not at the expense of above) * Recovery (not landing on your head, not landing sideways and stopping) * Expert boost management * You need less than you think; 33 + 1 pad (12) = 45 boost can almost reach the ceiling with Fast Aerial! * Dribbling or flicking * C (Extra stuff) * Air Dribble * Flip Reset * Musty Flick * Etc. 

Strategy

* A (Essential) * Prediction * What's probably going to happen next? * Is there a shot opportunity for us? For them? * Remember, unless the ball is on target already, only an opponent car can score your goal. Look for the shooter. * Who's car is closest to the ball? * What team has better position right now? What should I prepare for? * Positioning * Understand rotation, especially back post rotations (See the guide below in Training Material) * Knowing to make saves by starting on the back post and not in the middle * Know where to be to score easily/find shooting opportunities easily * Use the camera to see where your teammates are to know what to do/where to go * Understanding when to challenge and when not to challenge * Be aware of what each position should be primarily and secondarily concerned with * I may write up a guide on this too if there's enough interest, it's somewhat deep * B (Good to add in, but not at the expense of above) * Adapting to the game you're playing * Did your teammate cut rotation? Fill the last position. * Is the other team too aggressive? Punish them with power clears (Jumpshots aimed deep into your opponents half, preferably on target to the goal). * Is your team too aggressive? Play third man and babysit the match on defense to win. * Is there a weak player in the match? Can you gamble and make a challenge on that player? It might be a goal. * Playing to the scoreboard/time remaining * Don't challenge as 3rd man if you're up 1-0 and there's 30 seconds left, stall and delay and let your teammates help. Only make a save if necessary. * If you're down by 2, start getting aggressive now. Don't forget to actually try the skill you were working on! * C (Extra stuff) * Boost stealing/demoing/bumping (Only do this stuff opportunistically. The other points above are so much more important.) 

Mental

* A (Essential) * Focus/Effort/Trying as hard as you can * Avoiding at all costs being mentally lazy for the duration of the match. * Actively trying to win the game and improve in the same match. * More on balancing these two mindsets below in Competitive Mindset. * Thinking of the right thing at the right time * Think of the next ball in the match, and watch the replay after. * Don't think of the ball you just missed now! You'll miss the next one. * B (Good to add in, but not at the expense of above) * Never giving up/always doing something with the current match * Sometimes, at 1-5, there's a reason to forfeit, but you don't have to. You can use the rest of the match to practice. * However, at 1-3, go for it and try to win. * C (Extra stuff) * Keeping your teammates pumped up with compliments/jokes 

Mechanics Explanation

Why are Jumpshot and Fast Aerial listed first in mechanics? Because they are the 2 most used mechanics in the game when it comes to playing the ball. Most goals in GC aren't great goals. Most are mistake punishing or loose ball opportunity recognition. Usually you don't pick up the ball, grab 100 boost and clip on your opponent. At the same time, the save is usually also made using these two skills. Either the ball is reachable with Jumpshot, or it's high up and you Fast Aerial.
The target is different, but each mechanic is about the same: reach the ball before you opponent and hit it where you want. To the goal for offense, into the corners (which makes the ball temporarily unshootable due to angle) or ceiling in the opponent's half on defense. Same with 50/50s; you generally Jumpshot the other car as hard as you can (there are exceptions to this). Same with power clears used to build up your team's attack or relieve pressure; it's generally a Jumpshot focused on power.
Still not convinced?
If you're still not sure that most goals in Grand Champion are boring goals, consider this evidence. I went back and rewatched the last 10 games that I played to get GC. I counted the goals that were scored (both mine and opponents).

 * Total of 54 goals scored. 66.7% of goals scored were Jumpshots, usually from the ground, usually front bumper (it's an easier version than the air roll shot). * 25.9% of goals scored were Fast Aerial, and usually resulted from a ball off the backboard or a floating midfield ball. * Only 7.4% of the goals used another mechanic other than Jumpshot or Fast Aerial. * On top of that, only 4 out of 54 goals scored had 'quality' to them, or made me go, 'wow, that was a great goal.' * The rest? 92.6%, or 50 out of 54 goals were some type of tap in, long shot, or defensive mistake. Something preventable. 

Given the above, we can make a few takeaways.

 * Jumpshot and Fast Aerial are the 2 most frequently used mechanics in Rocket League. * Thus, we should practice those the most given we'd get the most mileage out of them. * Other things can and should be practiced, and even along side the above, but the majority of practice time should go to those 2 until mastered. * Practice fun shots if it keeps you inspired (I practiced flip resets and double taps when I started feeling bored or stuck) * The number of 'lame' or 'non-wow' goals means that defense is -sorely- lacking at ALL levels. * Focus on your defensive predictions and backpost rotations and you should see a jump in your win rate. * Getting the ball up on your opponents backboard is an easy way to score goals. It causes all sorts of havoc to their formation. * Grand Champion is mainly speed and consistency: Being able to shoot the ball hard and on target will get you goals, period. * Predicting these hits from opponents is the defensive flipside of this. 

Strategy Explanation

Why is Prediction and Positioning #1 and #2 on the list above? That's because 87.0% or 47/54 goals scored had some type of prediction/positioning element to help the goalscorer. The player who scored was either predicting that a loose ball might pop up or sitting in a position to score while another car covered the goal.
Bottom line, you want to be constantly thinking about all the possibilities of what could happen in a current situation. Cover first the ones that are risky to your team (losing a 50/50), but also position to take advantage of that same 50/50 going your way.
Data/spreadsheet: Reikai_'s GC Goal Histogram
10 GC Reward games: Reikai_'s 10 GC Reward Replays (Once downloaded, put them in this folder (your equivalent) to watch them: C:\Users\reikai!\Documents\My Games\Rocket League\TAGame\Demos)

Learn new concepts for fun

Here's a exhaustive list of most mechanics in the game from milesAKAkilometers. Most are more flashy or showy. Use this list to learn something fun when you get stuck or get bored (but don't shirk your real practice, lest you lose progress). Real practice defined here as the A and B list items detailed above.

Training + Practice + Implementation

Download BakkesMod. This allows you to skip around training packs, mirror shots left to right, and have free play ball commands. This allows you to practice custom training shots from different angles and quickly practice what you want to practice without wasting time.
Implementing a skill basically follows this cycle:

* Discovery of that skill * Training/workshop attempts, then success * Freeplay or Unranked game attempts, then success * Ranked attempts, then success 

Most importantly, you should be pushing to do that skill in the most pro form possible. Shots are taken as hard and fast as possible. Aerials are done as quickly as possible. Saves are as shooting-angle-deleting as possible, and as far from your goal as possible.
Once you can do something in freeplay or training to a consistent level, go try it in ranked. For Jumpshot and Fast Aerial, I practiced shooting consistency by making 3 shots in a row before moving to the next shot. You'll probably start off by just making one, and not making it full speed. That's OK. Just keep pushing for better every time.
I list 3-shot consistency for my training because that's what it took for me to make Grand Champion. Even if you can't do that, stressing yourself to do that will make every ball you deal with at your rank feel and look easy. If you don't want to be too stressed, feel free to choose a lesser consistency (2-shot or something). Just know you'll have to probably up it later.

Training Material

I sifted through tons of training packs and Workshop maps looking for the ones that would make a big difference in my game. After looking through all of those, here is a short list of the ones that were most impactful for me. Practice these exhaustively and you'll see a significant difference in your game as well.

Custom Training (Main menu, go to training, custom training, then copy these codes in):

* Shooting #1, WayProtein: 4912-A5C9-9A56-555D (3 shot consistency) * Shooting #2, Biddles: 27FE-E3D7-7FB5-7F43 (3 shot consistency) * Shooting #3, Sebbl: 7656-D60E-ED55-FF20 (even higher level pack, did not finish) * Goalkeeping, WayProtein: 776F-E2BB-2993-78D7 (3 save consistency) * Backboard reads, Rizzo (G2 pro): 07E1-81BC-DD2E-BF8C (3 save consistency, 1 exception) * Wall shots, Poquito: 9F6D-4387-4C57-2E4B (3 shot or pass consistency) 

Workshop (PC only) (Click these links and subscribe with your steam account. Then, main menu, extras, workshop.):

• Dribbling/first touch control (Glass Wheels Digby): https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1694288506
• Car control in the air (Dreale): https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=821751580 (specifically level 1.11, slalom)
  • Kevpert tutorial to go with this map.
  • If you want to practice car control and are not on PC, he has drills for non-PC in freeplay.

Miscellaneous links:

• Jumpshot/Long Shot/Air Roll by Kevpert (Same as above)
• Defense by Kevpert
• Rotation guide by Virge
• Setting guide by Ungoliant0
  
  • "The important part is that you should not be hindered by your controls." - Ungoliant
  • "But once they're set and you're pretty happy with them, don't continuously change them either." - reikai

Watch your replays, reflect and learn

Right after a ranked match, open the replay while the match is still fresh in your mind. I used to think that my teammates were often to blame when I lost, but here is where I found I usually made just as many mistakes as they did. You don't have to watch the whole match, but make sure to pick out mistakes you made, and think of a plan right then and there of what you'll do next time to fix this. Otherwise, you'll tend to end up in next match's replay, going, 'yep, there's the same mistake...'.
Reflecting like this is key; your decision making actually may never improve without looking at what you're doing wrong and changing that decision.
Something strange you may find: doing the right thing feels weird, but doing the wrong thing feels 'right' since it's habit. Thus, most improvements will feel strange at first.

Competitive Mindset + Improvement Mindset

This is the mentality you need to play ranked when you want to improve, and is basically it's own skill. It's the drive to win and fight as hard as you possibly can. To give you an idea of what it's all about:

* Play games with the mindset of turning the game into a 5-0 blowout. * Salivate at the chance to score or pass to a teammate so they score. * Sweat blood saving goals for your team. * A 50/50 is a chance to hit your opponent so hard they feel scared the next time you approach them. * You want to make them scared to ever play against you again. * You want them to be relieved when you're on their team and not against them. 

Ok, what's wrong with the above? The improvement portion is missing. The majority of the time, this Competitive Mindset is where you are probably about 75% of the game. The remainder is where you implement the mechanics you learned and trained above, for about 25% of the game.
Change the percentages to what you feel is right. Just know that too much Competitive Mindset means no improvement, and too much Improvement Mindset means frustration and losses.
A bit more on this; this is only how you're playing. Never be toxic to anyone, teammates or opponents. That only makes your opponents play harder and your teammates play worse. Even worse than that, you're basically tilting yourself. Admit fault when it's your fault and try harder next match. Praise teammates when they do well, and say Sorry! when you mess up. It happens.
Alternatively, you can just turn off quick chat entirely (it's in the pause menu settings). This helped me a lot, as it didn't do much for me to see 'Nice shot!' when I scored as much as it hurt to see 'What a save!' when I missed.

General Tip Log

This is an accumulation of random things that dramatically helped me once I implemented each tip. Try your best to implement all of these one at a time. The closer you get to Grand Champion, the more people adhere to these ideas (and their exceptions). This list is intended for you to get instant value out of reading this post.

* If your opponent is closer to the ball than you, don't challenge him. You'll get beat. * If you're the first car in rotation, you can be more aggressive and consider (fake) challenging. * If you're the last car in rotation, and you know you have no help coming, you can either challenge or wait. * The lower rank you're in, the more you want to wait, as people's consistency just isn't there yet. * Higher ranks you just want to challenge because more time and space means a more likely good shot on your goal. * Try not to jump unless you have to; you have much more control on the ground. That being said, don't avoid jumping if that's easier. * For 50/50s, you basically always have to jump and dodge into them. *As you get better, you want to be doing the skills as fast, hard, and accurately as humanly possible 100% of the time. * Strive for that, but know that literal 100% is impossible. Even pros are probably 95% or so. * Further refinement of an old skill (particularly a key skill) can be more important than learning a new one. * If your teammate is cutting rotation/not following it, it's up to you to adapt and play to HIS game. * No way you can force him to play better by taking his ball and making him mad. * You have a higher winrate if your teammates are playing their A-game rather than you taking them out of their A-game, even if their A-game is subpar. * Stay in prediction/positioning mode until it's your turn to hit the ball, and then switch all of your focus over to nailing that mechanic. Then switch back. * Being adamant here will prevent silly mistakes like looking at other cars when you have a free ball to score. * Never, never, never give up on your own improvement. You can and will improve, but it will take time, and in the short run you can lose rank. * If you remove a bad habit or crutch from your play, it's possible you DERANK instead of improve. That's because the crutch is gone. * As you stick to the new skill, you'll re-rank up, and probably beyond that as the new skill is better for a reason. * It takes a while to integrate new skills into your play, even if you can nail them in training. * You're just not used to using your new, shiny, butt-kicking skill yet. * Dealing with tilt: avoid getting tilted as much as possible * Tilt is a mindset where the emotional part of you is currently stronger than the logical/improvement part. * If you're tilted, chances are no improvement is happening. * Take a break or distract yourself to make the negative emotions subside, then come back once you're positive (or at least neutral) and focused. * Zoning out: don't do it * While grinding mechanics, you may find that you're hitting the same shot 1,000 times and it never goes in. * You've zoned out, and need to refocus/reflect on what's going on. What is your car currently doing? What needs to happen instead? * Sitting there and thinking about what went wrong is much more helpful than doing the shot wrong another 1,000 times * Not to mention building bad habits/wrong muscle memory * Reflection is key; no improvement can happen without it. 

A comprehensive improvement plan so you can put all of this together

* Spend 30%-50% of the time training the A and B list mechanics above (75%/25% split), and do this at the beginning when you're fresh. * Don't do more than an hour of mechanics at a time. * Ranked: Play 5 games, reviewing the replay immediately after each one. * This will decrease chances of tilting and improve odds of reflection/adjustment/improving. * Once that 5 is finished, take some kind of break for 5-10 minutes. * If you're concentrating on improving, 25 minutes of ranked + replay analysis should wear you out. * Do as many 5 game sets as time allows or you have patience for, and don't be afraid to call it quits and go back to mechanics. 

Reasoning for a training plan like this:

* Mechanics are something that have to be improved over time. Never skip mechanics, as you can't make up the muscle memory later like you can decision making. * If you'd like to watch pros or think about/review your training plan, take time out of ranked, not mechanics. * Ranked is basically for implementing what you already know. You're converting the mechanics training you did previously into a higher rank. * Consider drastically changing any previous training plans you had, including this one. * If it's not working for you, switch, but only after giving it a good shot (at least 5-10 sessions to see if you don't see improvement). 

References

Older GC Post by inthedark72 How to Improve by Ver

TL;DR:

I spent about 1,100 hours getting to Diamond and just having fun. I spent another 1,000 hours intentionally improving to Grand Champion. If you take your improvement seriously, I believe you too can make Grand Champion and join the top 0.77% of the player base. Learn from this post and take your improvement seriously and it shouldn't take you as long as it did me. Why? That's because you're using the best drills and most frequently used mechanics, guided by the pro scene from the start.

* Building a learning road map from this post, taking insight from your favorite pro * Objectively looking at what you should work on (what are you bad at?) * Doing difficult things constantly and repeatedly exiting your comfort zone * Implementing the new mechanic in Ranked and not falling back to old habits and mistakes * Reflect every chance you get (ranked replays, pro matches, in training). * Only when you change your thinking do you ever improve. 

Please let me know any questions/comments/concerns you have on this document; I'd be happy to answer in the comments below. Is there interest in a Completely New Player's Guide? What about that question on your mind right now? :D

Road to Grand Champion, 2v2?

While making Grand Champion in 3v3, I thought some people might be interested in watching a Road to Grand Champion for 2v2. I decided to stream to answer in depth questions about this post and 3v3 in general and see if I can't repeat it for 2v2. I currently plan on streaming Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 2PM-5PM Central Time, putting these concepts into action.
If you click the stream link below, it has my schedule in YOUR time zone so you don't have to convert. Hope to see you there!
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Reikai_'s Stream Link
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Note: I did get mod permission before posting my link, so please ask them if you're thinking about posting. Thanks for reading!