First I'd like to say that I'm not claiming I'm already a top player(I only have about 1 year of hockey), nor will I try to tell you what to do to get better just by reading this!(I'll let baba do that once he makes "how to win, part2")

I'll also ask you to stop thinking me as "Purity" while you read this, think of me as someone who has figured the path to the top and is walking through it instead!

That's what this guide is about.. I'll share my views on how to get to the top so it can help players who are stuck on the "decent" level and newbies who are just starting so they can avoid getting stucked there.



With all that said, lets start:
Ok, drop the idea that you can play the way you want and you will be sooner or later a top player!
if you look the players at the top, they all have something in common: They get open (through blocks or by just going to somewhere when they defender are not expecting), they pass when there's a pass that will bring something to their team, and block when they have to!

"lol.. o rly? thank you captain obvious! what I wanna know is how to play like them! no matter how much I block, how much I pass and how open I am, I still don't play as well as them!"

lol! it's not about quantity! it's obviously about quality, and that, no matter how hard you want, you won't get just by playing with other guys with your skill/game vision..
You will have to get in games with the elite to learn! the more you play with them, the better you will get! Look at this zen poem:
To follow the path:
look to the master,
follow the master,
walk with the master,
see through the master,
become the master.

"lol.. yeah, but if I am not as good as them they won't let me play! they will keep playing in their private games and won't give me the pw!"

Well, before you start playing with them you need to have 3 things:
1. Some skills
2. Good understanding of the game

No matter how smart they are, players like evilsoul, dipe and mezu still need a lot of skills and understanding of the game.. there's only one way to get those, play play play and play! (don't start playing hock! this annoys me.. new players start hocking right away! that's not right.. play on smaller maps! mini and shades will get you a good skill level and game understanding way faster! in 2 decent hockeys you will improve as much as you will on a 2v2 mini! you need to have the ball! to bounce, to pass and to shoot frequently so you can improve!)

3.Be enjoyable to play with
This is where players get stuck! players like vaan(sorry, but you're the best example of this) think they are awesome and play the way they want and then they don't understand why players like shink already play with the elite even if vaans skill is way higher than shinks..

Shink wants to learn! Shink doesn't try dumb stuff! Shink goes for the safe play and loses few balls per game.. Shink tries to get open!

"lol shink.. I always do better than shink on our uhls! he's not good, really.. I'm way better than him"
this may be true! but shink will do way better than you if he has good teammates! and that's exactly why he'll be a top player in one year if he doesn't quit!




"Ok, ok.. fine.. Then tell me how can I be enjoyable to play with!"
First, aknowledge the main point of blocks and passing: TO GET NUMERIC ADVANTAGE! from there, learn how to block to so you can create 3v2 situations, passes in their backs so your teammates can attack 2v1 and how to get open so your teammates can play with space..
Also, understand that in 2v2 is easier to score, so it's ok to sacrifice yourself so your teammates can attack 2v2 or 1v1

Don't try to shoooooooow yourself! play what you can, don't try to do more than that! leave that to the pros on your team!

Give them space! get open and trust your teammates, remember, you should always aim to make your team play well rather then focusing on your performance!

Don't do dumb stuff.. if you go attacking 1v3 or 2v3, you'll be called dumb no matter who you are! if you have someone behind you and the D is already set, wait for him!

I still remember when -Alien- decided to start playing hock, he came to me and after two hockey games he said "lol.. I had the same stats as zucky! looks like you're not the only one sucessfully jumping from mini to hockey"
lol ignore the stats! by this I don't mean you shouldn't be upset if someone bounces just so you con't recieve your so deserved assist! what I mean is, don't play for the assists! if its safer to pass to the guy who's next to you so he can assist, instead of assisting yourself, do it!



"Ok, I can get in some top hockeys.. what should I do know?"
Calm down and just play with them.. Pass them the ball a lot and notice how they move without the ball!

Shut up! You should talk to someone and ask them for advices, but don't get in arguments with someone because you disagree! if they are seen as a better player than you, chances are that what they are saying is right even if its different from what someone else equally good said! there's not a right way of doing something! learn from every top player the more you can and then build your own playstyle based on what you have learned from everyone!

Don't think you know it all! I know this sounds weird comming from me since I'm seen as a rather cocky player and someone who loves himself too much, but I'm modest and learn from better players on every game! I've seen vaan 5 months ago telling icup he was not that good and playing with him as if he was trying to prove he was better! Respect players who are considered "top players" by other awesome players because THEY ARE.. some of them may be a little overrated, but I can assure you that they are still better than you if you can't get into "pro hocks"

and the most important of all:
Don't choose one "master" and try to copy his play style! keep being enjoyable to play with while you learn from everyone! try new things while you build your own way(as I already said somewhere in this guide)! Ask them if you can join their squad to get better and they will most likely let you in! play a lot with them and suck everything you can from them, and once you feel you can't really learn more, explain them that and change your squad!
I have a little less than one year of hock and in this year I've learned from sergio, lunarlite, dios, monk, baba and now I've joined pub-e while >Y is hibernating to learn from surreal!






And that's basically it! there's no really secret to learn how to play.. you'll have to practice and play with the best a lot to learn from them!

Nice work Purity.

thank you

I bet Sergio is on his account.

why is that tigger?

so i gotta be more like shink and less like vaan.. yeah well say im stupid one game in 100 i ruin it all and start getting booted

fact is, i haven't played with dest or corvette or any of them this year.

i never told icup he wasnt that good.

maybe i said sometin like u'r not as good here as u are on ur server...................

lol..orly? Thank you captain obvious

I don't know... I remember a long time ago, when m-p was TERRIBAD. He used to try all sorts of stuff, and I'd sit on vent saying to bandit "Wtf is this kid thinking?" A few months later he becomes the best dueler in uniball (at least at the time), and is in the leagues of the pros. If all you ever do is pass and play timidly so as not to lose the ball, it will take ages for you to develop the ball handling skills it takes to be a vet.

Note: This observation is from very little play with m-p, but it has always been my impression that after you try and try and try to be the ball carrier on the team, you will eventually gain the skill. Maybe he did some other things to improve his game, like when he was addicted to the game and spent countless dedicated hours playing it.

Personally, I've played with bandit so much that I can't even trust anyone else on my team. I try to carry any team that does not have him on it. That just doesn't work, when I'm playing good uniballers. I need to remind myself to trust my teammates with the ball, and my UHLs (and every other hock) will go much smoother.

yeah vaan, that was probably what you said, but he was still better than you on uk..




mop, I believe m-p got his skills from lots and lots of duels.. and lol, it's ok to try new shit, but you gotta be smart enough to learn something from it! there are players out there who has been trying "all sorts of stuff" for more than 3 years and are still stuck on the decent lvl!
matt is just one of those cases that would've gotten to the top in less than 2 years no matter what he did! not everyone is that gifted at uniball and that's why they need to change they're attitude if they wanna make it to the top! if they're not getting there naturally, they have to learn from others!

and I never said all they should do was pass and play timidly! there's time to risk and to try dumb stuff, specially on those low level games..
in top games one should not attempt to do more than he can! with they'll end up building a solid enough reputation that will allow them to do whatever they want!
your confidence, reputation and skill all increase(if you're a normal person) at the same speed! you'll be able to do whatever you want when you feel confortable with it! and as I said, mini and duels will get you those skills way faster!



I'd also like to say that I'm not claiming this is the only way to reach the top! obviously there are others!
but I'll tell you this one has been working really well with me!

I disagree on the statement of him being the best dueler at the moment.

mop, m-p is still terribad.

i'm not saying he is the best now, i'm saying he was the best when he got to the top of the duel ladder.

Oh I thought you meant he was the best dueler.

point a better dueler than him