ApparentlyJack is one of Rocket League's most prominent names, and we are always excited to hear his thoughts on some of Rocket League's most challenging and thought-provoking questions.

Which is more important, game sense or mechanics? Does this change with rank?

ApparentlyJack: For me, mechanics is the most important thing in the game, especially at a pro level, and this takes into account speed, ball control, car control, but of course decision-making, which is where game sense plays a huge factor in whether a player can make their mechanics work or not. I would still say mechanics is more important at most ranks, but working on small game sense things can give you quick bursts of rank increase, whereas improving your mechanics will make you a better overall player and reward you more in the future.

Would you advise new players to try a claw grip, or is there no advantage over a regular grip?

ApparentlyJack: There is no advantage unless you are struggling to hit certain buttons. But if you find it easier and it suits you and doesn’t make it uncomfortable, I don’t see why it would be a bad option. Whatever works for you.

Who is the most influential player in Rocket League history?

ApparentlyJack: I think Squishy, personally. It has to be a content creator just based on the amount of eyes on them, and Squishy is the OG tier 1 pro player when it comes to content. He has inspired many pros watching his videos, such as me and others, and will inspire many future pros who may still watch his videos now. And of course, he pushed the mechanical skill ceiling when he came onto the scene and had a great career.

Do you think Rocket League has a theoretical skill ceiling, and how close are we to reaching it?

ApparentlyJack: Technically, there would be a ceiling, but we will never reach it, and we are not close at all to reaching it. It feels like players are still improving rapidly every day, and it’s very noticeable when you look at gameplay in 6-month increments: it seems a good bit better in terms of car control and speed than 6 months prior. At some point it will slow down, but I don’t think it has slowed down very much whatsoever in the past few years, and I don’t think it will for some time to come, especially with UE6 coming and a potential new feel to the game; it might be a chance for players to push the ceiling further.

What is the most ridiculous Rocket League opinion you’ve ever heard that you secretly agree with?

ApparentlyJack: Nothing really comes to mind, to be honest; I can’t think of anything.

Is directional air roll a necessity for high-level Rocket League success?

ApparentlyJack: It’s as close to necessary as it gets, but you can still achieve high-level success without it, and there have been players like Alpha54 who have built great careers without it. But it does limit you in certain ways, and having at least one directional air roll down to me is very important, ideally both.

Which Rocket League pro doesn’t get enough credit? Can be active or retired.

ApparentlyJack: I think oKhaliD for me was a genuine top 5 player in the world for a couple seasons where MENA wasn’t even in RLCS, and when they did get added, he was already past his prime, not that he was bad by any means, but to me, when I played him in 2019 and early 2020, he was just so incredible and the most balanced player I’ve probably ever seen compared to the player’s time period. He was rank 1 in every game mode for multiple months, and people think he was just a ranked warrior when MENA wasn’t in RLCS. Still, he then came 2nd at a major when he was, in my opinion, already past his prime, and people think he wouldn’t have done as well and probably even better a season or two before that? To me, that’s unbelievable, and I think it’s a shame his career isn’t as accomplished as it could have been.

If you had one vote for the Rocket League Hall of Fame's first inductee, who gets it and why?

ApparentlyJack: Squishy for me because of the amount of people he has influenced through the game by playing at a high level. I spoke about it in a previous answer, so everything that I said there stands here. Kronovi would be a close second for similar attributes, as a world champion and even more of an OG. Streaming and making videos to thousands of people live back in the very early days of Rocket League, he deserves a huge mention.

If today’s best Rocket League team went back to Season 1, how long would it take before they started facing serious competition?

ApparentlyJack: Tough question, because it would obviously change how fast people learned things like flip resets, air dribbles, and really anything. They would improve quicker, but to measure how much faster is impossible. Rocket League skills still take a lot of time to develop even if you know and see what is possible, so even though they would improve quicker, it may not make that big a difference. I’d say it would take them 7-8 years before they faced anyone who would actually give them a challenge. Not to say that today’s best team would have a challenge against the best team of 2023 - they wouldn’t - but I’ll give the added context of players of that era improving quicker because of this team that is leagues ahead of them the bonus of 2-3 years' worth of improvement. It’s similar to when Zen had that crazy burst of improvement in 2023; it made all the pros around him improve a LOT, and EU was then so dominant for the next 6 months after that. That’s not a coincidence; everyone in the world improved from him coming onto the RLCS scene and dominating, but especially the ones who had to play him every week in his region, because they knew what new level they had to play at in order to try to beat him. When people see new things a player can do, it makes them wonder about trying it themselves, seeing what is possible, and pushing themselves to new heights.

If you were granted a Rocket League superpower, which would you choose?

ApparentlyJack: Interesting question. I think unlimited boost is the obvious answer, but I actually think heatseeker shots would be the best. You could never lose a 1v1 game, and most likely the same for every game mode.

Thank you, Jack, for taking the time to answer some of Rocket League’s toughest questions. Make sure to follow ApparentlyJack on X and YouTube so you never miss a moment of one of Rocket League’s most renowned names!