I find it funny how my focus on academics IRL also shows up when I play this game. I would have thought that since it’s not real I would just chill, but I’m not. It’s not my top priority, but I still find myself shooting for that A. Thankfully my intelligence stat is high so I can slack off a bit and still do well. 
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Genius champs unite!
Unrelated:
Y’know what would be hilarious? If Rayyan actually gets to drop us as the doubles partner, and then proceeds to lose his double match with Deepal (sorry, Deepal, you got swept up in this), and ends up being the one pair of the three to lose his doubles match (Emerson and Jacks work great together, so I presume they’ll win theirs).
Like, these doubles matches are both the expected ones (both Emerson/Jacks and Tobin/Deepal already have a history of working together, it’s Rayyan that needs to learn a new partner anyway) and the ones that benefit Rayyan the most (I’m the best doubles partner in the top 4, I’ve just empirically demonstrated it)*. Rayyan should be THRILLED about these pairings. But they aren’t, because they are a tantrum-throwing child who have absolutely no idea how doubles work.
*Rayyan’s other partnering option on the top 4 is Deepal (the coaches aren’t going to partner me and them and ending with a team of two junkballers, because lol), a.k.a. the one who just lost both their doubles matches.
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Same. I don’t know lick about tennis (and even less about tennis players from my country since i was looking for this Evelína Sýkorová all over google), but everytime there is an update i can’t stop reading. 
The story and characters are just great and it’s funny.
Sam is so sweet (will there be more of his POVs or was this just onetime thing so we would knew what he is thinking about MC?) meanwhile my cocky MC is idiot who’s kissing other guys when he has Sam waiting for him.
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Is 84 the maximum you can get on the test?
I am curious since I studied every chance I got and I have maxed intelligence.
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Yes, that’s the most you can get.
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(still playing the demo so no feedback yet)
Found this:
(damn, cog isnt letting me share the screenshot…)
Deepal finds his way to you, slapping a hand to your back. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed—” He turns round to address everyone in the locker room, rapidly earning everyone’s amused attention. “This one won both of his doubles matches. Tell me: how the heck is that even possible??”
My mc uses they them just wanted to let u know about this issue.
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Hi everyone!! 
It’s time for the post-update poll!! These polls always give me such a goldmine of info after each update, so I’d love to hear what you guys thought!
So curious to know if overall opinions have shifted—anecdotally, it does seem like with each update, the overall RO mix changes a little.
(Of course, COG forum posts/Tumblr asks are always my jam, so do continue to send 'em in 
Even if I take a while to reply, they never fail to make my day!)
P.S. @meadowmellow, noted on the pronoun error I’ll also reply to the earlier messages as soon as I can!
Prelim data (26 Apr)
Interestingly, G’s popularity really took a nose-dive this update, hahaha. I wonder why? 
I see the Rayyan love triangles—with Sam (long distance lover + rival) and Tobin (nice vs… heated) are an emerging subtype.
D’s an overwhelming fave as a side character, with Mike and Thalia surprisingly holding quite strong despite their lack of screentime this update. Max and Deepal are faves on the team (though I think I might’ve forgotten to include them in the second poll).
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You can get 84? Highest I’ve managed in the new update is 81.
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The big thing is that Rayyan is an amazing singles player, he is just not a good fit for doubles play.
People who play at a high level in doubles need to be generally people persons, they need to have high social skills, that is just the nature of the doubles setup, I love tennis, but I can admit that I am not the best fit for playing doubles, I do much better in singles just because I get so into it and get tunnel vision for the game in front of me, so I will end up going into my partner’s space or going for balls that I shouldn’t have gone for.
It really wouldn’t matter who Rayyan partners with, he needs someone who is capable of making up for what he is weak in and overall has a meek or non combative personality if he is to succeed in the doubles category.
I matched my playstyle in this to match my playstyle in real life, I am a very aggressive player who will spike a ball into the other side of the court with all of my power to make sure the other person can’t get it, also generally using slices to throw people off rhythm and get up to the net, to set up a point, I have a fairly heavy racket which helps transform short balls into points, as well as having really powerful legs that let me go fast across the court and get balls which others might have chosen to give up on.
Okay last thing, I adore tennis so I geek out with this specific game, it is my sport, I am 100% a Tennis Jock, there is nothing better than running across the court for that ball which feels just slightly out of reach and saving a point.
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SO much this. This is why Tobin is the perfect doubles partner - not only are they an all-court, meaning that whatever your weak spots are they can fill in, they’re also flexible and good communicators, meaning they’re great working as part of a team. Whatever you’re bringing to the table, Tobin can mix-and-match to fit you. Rayyan doesn’t even UNDERSTAND how teamwork works, let alone be good at it.
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You can get it if you have the stats for scoring 81, sit next to Addie, and be competitive with her.
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Or if you sit next to G and discuss the questions with them
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Pretty much yeah, I am good at communication overall but I can get too sucked into a point to really make an effective doubles partner, but when it came to singles I managed to make it to No. 4, which is where I personally do my best.
Also as a One-hand backhand player I am both amused and tired of being called a wannabe Federer, I just have really wide shoulders which make two handing really uncomfortable as it ends up with me pressing down on my ribcage, which is why I developed into a One-handed player, but everyone always thinks you try to imitate Federer, I mean he is an amazing player but you know.
I also can’t wait for the next update so I can meet up with Sam again, since I am romancing Sam and god it just has me all kinds of dumb, wanting to meet them again at the match.
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I did not have the option to do this, for some reason (it was greyed out). I presumed it was because I already had all the prereqs for the max grade, but I ended up with 81, so I guess not?
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Weird, haha. G doesnt wanna talk to ya! I’ll check on this.
Also, brief reply (will come back to this after work) - agree that Rayyan needs to work on their doubles game. Its something that’s briefly acknowledged and will be fleshed out more. But yup their arc does embrace this growth in their tennis game, and may be fun to witness (or not).
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You can sit next to Addie? And compete with her? How did I not know this? How have I never come up this scenario? The only two people I have been able to sit next to are D and G, I didn’t even realize sitting next to Addie was possible. What do I need to do to get it and how the heck do I beat her? I need to know!!
I also wasn’t able to talk G, it was greyed as well for me too. Based on the context of what I can remember (since I can’t read code) I feel like you can only talk to him about the questions if you’re unprepared or not smart enough to reasonably handle yourself.
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Personally I don’t find that to be so much of a problem as generally speaking you don’t tend to participate in both singles and doubles categories, generally there are two groups which compete, one which is focused on singles play and another on doubles play, both groups have their own strengths.
What makes Rayyan a good singles player is also what makes him a poor doubles player, it just means that realistically a coach would send him to play as part of the singles group, rather than trying to force him into an environment he is ill suited for.
I find it a bit on the odd side that all the team is taking part in both singles and doubles competitions, mainly because those events would take place at similar times, which would mean that you’d have to go from one match to the other, which is not good for a player to do more than more match per day, a single match generally last quite a while and tends to be physically exhausting to a large degree, specially for drawn out matches which go for a long period of time, when skill is fairly even, endurance tends to be the deciding factor.
Rayyan strikes me more of a friendly/not so friendly rival for a player choosing to be singles player, and Tobin as a great doubles partner for a player more into doubles play.
Generally a play will specialize into either singles or doubles because both ways of playing Tennis are vastly different, a lot of the more famous Tennis Players tend to be in the singles category because it tends to get really competitive as it is mostly a competition of individual skill and athleticism, while doubles players rely far more heavily on well honed team play and tend to run like well oiled machines.
Frankly personally I am a singles player for life it just tends to feel more high stakes to me, I feel like maybe if we could dedicate to playing singles matches rather than doubles, the conflict could develop as Rayyan being scared that the rising newbie is going to end up dethroning him and generally being hostile and unfriendly.
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Yup totally agree with this - which makes it interesting that at NCAA div 1 conference matches throughout the season, the format is such that there are both doubles and singles matches.
- 3 doubles matches are played first, with the school that wins at least 2 matches winning a point
- Followed by 6 singles matches, each worth a point.
Since players can compete in both doubles and singles, it makes sense to field your top players in both doubles and singles, despite the usual specialisation of singles OR doubles later on, when players turn pro after college.
In Rayyan’s case, they dont intend to ever play doubles again after college, but being the perfectionist they are, they still dont want to lose.
On the discussion re: Rayyan and their reaction above, I think we are overplaying their lack of skill at being a doubles player slighyly - they were fine with AJ, and are committed to working with their partner to win, once push comes to shove. Being paired with MC just threw them for a loop and they are not good at hiding their emotions at first blush. (Their attitude will soften once they cool down and think about it a bit. Hence the “hot-headed” in their character description. Of course, taking offense at their inability to chill and moderate the way they say certain things is… extremely valid, and meant to be! Different MCs are totally intended to respond to Rayyan’s blow up differently!)
Further, it is arguable that Rayyan’s reaction is a little more objective than it may seem at first, as it is also partially rooted in the fact that the choice to partner a no. 1 seed with a no. 4 seed is somewhat unorthodox, but taken by coaches mainly because they would prefer to keep the 2 and 3 together thanks to Tobin and Deepal’s chemistry. So it could be reasonable, to some extent, for Rayyan to have said that coaches are setting the team up for failure by “throwing” the first doubles pairing (instead of going with a 1-2 pairing, as they did last season with Rayyan-AJ).
However, it is also fair to note that during a doubles match, surprising situations (that dont always go their way) will occur, and Rayyan needs to be better at working together with, and communicating with, their partner, instead of simply losing it.
Just wanted to clarify some things but I’m very much enjoying the debate so far, and everyone’s interpretations have been immensely entertaining (and gratifying) to read!!
Yup!! Totally. But I think the interesting part is juxtaposing this with Rayyan’s growing friendship, respect, and trust in the MC as the story progresses - that should give some interesting counterbalance to Rayyan’s anxieties/frustrations at potentially being eclipsed by the new kid on the block.
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I take my apologies in writing (preferably handwritten, though I expect Rayyan to use the charisma-less crap that is Arial), accompanied by cake comma chocolate. Low-sugar and diet varieties are not cake, they’re insults.
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I didn’t really know the NCAA Div 1 match structure, guess it makes sense then.
It is really unorthodox in my opinion mainly because it is both players that are very strong in the singles category, both with really strong personalities which creates a lot of conflict, also the idea of throwing already existing chemistry in doubles in fact really unorthodox, the same way that my MC finds themselves missing playing with Sam and the chemistry they had while playing doubles which had been built up from a lifetime of knowing each other and playing together.
It was also more complicated for me because both me and Rayyan ended up with playstyles that were too similar which sort of clashed as we both were trying to play the same game only to find ourselves getting in each other’s way, I feel like it is definitely not a pairing that really works unless one player radically changes they way they play.
100% specially given how in our rookie year we are already in the top 4 knocking on the door of number 3, it is really intimidating for anyone to see someone that talented suddenly coming over and messing with the status quo of rankings.
Generally speaking I feel like for doubles it is less individual skill and more so the chemistry which is a key factor in determining team compositions, which makes it kind of a weird decision to pair the MC with Rayyan if they are both similar in the way they play and tend to compete with each other like my MC did, specially because for my MC carried a strong desire to beat Rayyan since the last time they played, it was a friendly sort of rivalry but rivalry nontheless.
Rivals don’t always make for the best doubles partners, unless there is a long stablished friendship which grows out of it, as things are now it does feel like a mistake at this point, there is no real trust between these two at the moment and I feel like the coaches should realise this and mainly have them work on doubles drills to work together and develop skills to cover each other’s weaknesses, because if they get sent to a match as they are, they are going to get absolutely stomped by everyone in the doubles matches.
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