Episode 2-6: Progress Check

AV and Peon take a step back to acknowledge their progress as Ultimate competitors in this episode. They discuss wrangling their biggest roadblocks to improvement before they compete at Genesis 6.

## Questions

### **AV:**

> There’s easy ways to do it and that’s playing money matches.
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> I mean, obviously it is different and there’s a different thing on the line. Whereas, in tournament, you kind of have your reputation and your PR spot or what have you. In money matches, it’s this every external reward that’s just money but it does make you play more serious. Maybe try doing that.
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> A lot of it’s mindset based for me. I try really hard in friendlies. I’m a bit of a try-hard, as is Peon. I will put words in his mouth about this. We are both a bit of tri-hards and that’s why we were really good training partners.
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> If you can get into the habit of trying really hard and making zero excuses in your training sessions, you can build this endurance. You have to start taking a lot  more responsibility for things you do in friendlies, even if you’re using this time to build skills that you haven’t had before.
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> Just take some time and take a chunk of your friendlies and say:
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> *“I’m going to try as hard as humanly possible and I’m going to take responsibility for my losses.”*
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> Taking responsibility is absolutely the biggest thing to stimulate playing a high-stress match. When you lose a tournament match, you have to take responsibility for it, and when you lose a friendly, you don’t have to.
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> So, make sure to get in the habit of literally saying:
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> *“Okay, I lost that friendly match and I’d say it was for this, this, and this reason and it matters.”*
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> Make it matter to you.
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### **Peon:**

> Yeah, I love your answer. I heard one of my buddies at my local today. He was like:
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> *“I’m going to practice this combo and I’m gonna tether myself to a car battery, so if I mess up, I get shocked.”*
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### **Av:**

> [laughing] That’s dedication.
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### **Peon:**

> I hope they were kidding. So, yeah, maybe NachosdaDog, maybe just hook yourself up to a car battery. [laughing] Now, before we get sued, BTM is not held accountable for any electronic shocks that are delivered.
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### **Peon:**

> Yeah, I really like this question from ice because recently I’ve been going through a thing where I feel like I’ve been disappointed in my results. I’ve gotten second place a lot in a lot of Smash Ultimate locals in my region and I’m coming from Smash 4, where if I didn’t get first I’d feel very disappointed.
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> Perhaps I shouldn’t be placing such a stringent expectation on myself, like I have to get first or, you know, you can’t be happy. That’s just not really realistic, nor is it productive, I think. So how am I taking these disappointing results and making them positive?
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> For me, I really thrive when I had this kind of disappointment. It motivates me. It really fuels my furnace where I channel that loss and I really am passionate about the loss. Okay, how do I beat this character? How do I beat this person? I go into the lab. I look a the VODs. I use that kind of anger and disappointment and channel it into productivity.
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> That’s kind of a strategy I employ in all aspects of my life. When I’m really down about something, when I’m really upset about something, I know that I can’t fix it, so I just try to channel that wrath into something productive.
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> Actually, Beyond the Metagame started because I was really down and out of it. I was just in a bad, funky part of my life. I just felt really terrible and down all the time. I was like:
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> *“Yo AV! Let’s do a podcast man. I need something to sink my heart into. I’ve got too much on my mind.”*
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> It’s been really healthy for me and that’s kind of what I try to do in game.
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### **AV:**

> I love that you have a bunch of personal examples of it and it tired really well together. I love that emotional high. Whatever you do, like, if you’re angry or if you’re just sad, you just kind of have to ride it. Ride that passion and I love that response. That’s super cool.
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### **Peon:**

> patrickmurphy, I think that’s actually a really great question.
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> Should I have a whole different mindset if we’re pursuing doubles? Yes! Doubles is its own beautiful thing. I love doubles. I think AV knows that. That’s when he threw this question to me.
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> Heavier characters, the Ganons of the world, the Donkey Kongs, and the Bowsers, they serve a different role in doubles than they do in singles. They can pack a huge punch. Sometimes some of their weaknesses are nullified when in doubles, and sometimes they are heightened too. It kind of depends. The meta is entirely different, and that’s my point.
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> A couple of things Patrick. What are your goals in doubles? Do you guys want to have fun and play together? If that’s the case, take another team you guys won, and enjoy it. In terms of learning the doubles meta game, a lot of the best doubles teams that I’ve seen so far combine a character that can get a lot of hits in, can go, approach, and a character that can reliably get a bunch of different kills. Like the Chroms of the world. I’ve seen King K. Rool do a lot of work, so that’s the easiest way to go about it.
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> Get a guy that can go in and get a guy that can end stocks. So, maybe that’s why Gannon was working for you. It’s because you know you’re able to just clean up stock so easily.
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> So yeah, a good place to start is, do you and your teammate have a character that can satisfy that role? Where one of you guys can reliably get a bunch of kills. If that’s the case, you know, maybe that’s a good place to start. Do you have anything to add?
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### **AV:**

> I don’t think so. I absolutely agree with most of what you said, like how doubles is a completely different meta game.
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> Developing team synergy is a lot more important, more often than not, than developing any specific character.
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> So yeah, definitely focus on understanding the ebb and flow, the call and response, the very musical aspects of doubles before you really focus on, or commit, to any specific character, because there’s so much beautiful stuff to get into.
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### **Peon:**

> Yeah, that’s the thing, I have fun with doubles, especially early on into the metagame.
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> Like, what is the doubles meta is right now? We don’t really know. It’s so early into the life of the game, so pick a comp that you guys enjoy and lab some combos. Figure out if you could do any cool tricks off each other and get some reliable kills.
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> Really enjoy it. Really make that team composition your own, because, like AV said, two great teammates that have a lot of synergy with each other as any characters will destroy two people who have no synergy whatsoever. So, I love doubles. Have fun with it though, for sure.
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