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The Professor
Angles, distances, trajectories.
The Professor has noticed that the opponent on the right always drifts half a metre too far back after the volley. He noticed in the third game. By the fifth, that half metre has turned into four points.
How they play
Applied geometry. He doesn't play against people, he plays against spaces: he knows where the gaps are before they open and puts the ball there with a regularity that becomes demoralising over time. His shot speed is average, his accuracy isn't. He studies opponents through the first two games the way you read a text, and from the third he simply starts using what he's understood.
Strengths
Repeatability. The Professor doesn't have bad days, he has slightly less good days. His game doesn't depend on mood or adrenaline, which makes him a nightmare in long matches. He also improves steadily, because to him a defeat is data rather than a wound.
The weak side
Improvisation. When the geometric plan isn't enough and what's needed is an instinctive, irrational shot, The Professor spends a beat too long looking for the correct solution. Against The Artist he can struggle, because there's no pattern to decode.
The ideal partner
Works best with The Star. He opens the space with two calculated shots, she puts the unexpected one into it. It's the pairing that combines method and spectacle without either having to give anything up.
"Just keep putting it there, trust me, it opens up."
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