"alternatives" - PREORDERS NOW OPEN.
7. Stronger EP3, Start of "alternatives" & Playtests
Factory 2 sucked too—my fault, I'm terrible at drawing. So, it was time for factory 3, and I wasn’t drawing yo-yos anymore. The experts took over and started working on “Insomnia 3.” So I overpaid and waited…
The name "alternatives"
Not sure if I ever told this story to the team..
Around that time, I thought of going with the name “PEASANTS”, but my friends warned me it might offend some people. Don’t be offended, but the yo-yo community can get easily offended over small things. So I didn't go ahead with it. You can actually search @peasantsyoyo on IG, which I reserved just in case.
Eventually, I landed on “alternatives”, which meant "an option for something different" or "different possibilities for choices", and or something people could switch over. I also liked the idea of recruiting underdogs and lesser-known players, building them up to eventually become National Champions. Although it is possible to spend and acquire a top player immediately, I felt the journey would be more authentic and fun if we grew together from the ground up.
Having built and co-founded an HR recruitment firm from scratch (my main job), I knew you didn’t need to hire top candidates with huge track records to succeed. Instead, I focused on motivated candidates who wanted to grow and succeed in an organization long-term - that was what I did for my job, and now looking to implement the same for ALT. Team culture was a top priority—skills can always be learned. I strongly believed the team of players I was about to recruit had the talent needed to go far, but just needed an environment and the support to get them to achieve their goals.
I could go on for ages about this topic...
Stronger Yo-yo Cup Episode 3
It was almost time to organize Stronger Yo-Yo Cup Episode 3. During this time, I talked to Karthik, who was thinking of quitting yo-yos again. I told him to come to Episode 3 and redeem himself from his shitty LAZERBEAM SYYC routine.
I also surveyed locals to increase attendance, and most suggested holding it in early noon instead of evening. Ironically, those who suggested noon didn’t attend, and those who liked evening event didn’t show up either.
Karthik Devaraj made me open the venue the day before to get used to the "stage." He also said he’d give SGD100 to whoever beats him in prelims. I announced it on Instagram, and his balls shrank. EP3 was the first time we did prelims because the registered list was strong, and Malaysia Nationals (which had prelims) was coming up. It was a good chance for locals to practice since many had never done prelims before (MYYC22 didn’t have prelims).
*Yes that is Kurasu Singapore's background*
EP3 rolled around, and the turnout was sad. I felt pretty ashamed, especially with Karthik flying from Singapore and Elliot Ding (MK1) from UK being in Malaysia at the time.
It was my first time meeting Elliot, and I thought he was cool. Turns out Elliot also attended Singapore Nationals 2023.
Karthik got 1st in prelims and finals. He said his freestyle was inspired by Leo Chan. I don’t remember spending anything for EP3? Kedaiyoyo thankfully sponsored the prizes again.
After the event, I told Karthik and Marcus Ee that I was starting a yo-yo company. Karthik, who was in MOWL at the time, interrupted with “Ok sure, I’m in.” Imagine being in MOWL and agreeing to join some washed-up player’s new company with no proof of concept—lol. Marcus also wanted in, and Karthik reassured me that he’d join once the prototype was ready. They all went clubbing that night while I went home to sleep.
*A year later, I did ask Karthik why did he so decisively decided to join ALT - He said I believed in him when he didn't see any potential in himself, and I'm recruiting him after his shitty SYYC23 routine which was a low point. Marcus also said something along those lines - but adding I wanted him in even though he was on the verge of quitting, which motivated himself to become better*
A week later, I approached Ilhan Gabriel about forming a team for "alternatives". He took a few days to think about it, like a normal person would, and said, “Why not?” I also spoke to Darrell Mitchell, and then Zafran Aqil. I imagined a mentorship structure—Darrell mentoring Karthik, with Zaf and I mentoring Marcus and Ilhan. But when the group chat started, it devolved into brain rot.
A few weeks later, my prototype packaging and the “Insomnia 3” prototype arrived. It was honestly pretty good, but it had some small vibe. The box looked nice too, but I didn’t go with it due to shipping concerns. I shared pictures with the team, and they were excited.
Around that time, I was also prototyping pads and titanium axles. One thing I love about our black pads is that the gunk doesn’t stick to the response area when removed. You can grab a pair from Zaf if you want to try them—I was literally prototyping different glues for it.
Malaysia Playtest
I decided to host a play-test in Malaysia to gauge market feedback. I announced on the MYYA group chat that I was joining a new sponsor and had new yo-yos to try. In the end a few folks came down, including Ilhan and Marcus. They said it was good, but other players said it looked and played like a Draupnir. I wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a compliment, but I thought, “How the fuck does it look or play like a Draupnir?” The specs were completely different. Whatever.
Azim Jameel did say he liked it more for 5A rather than 1A though. As much as I was thankful for the first batch of feedback on the yo-yo, I felt the only constructive feedback I received that night was from Azim (Other than ALT). I left a piece each for Ilhan and Marcus to take home.
Singapore Playtest
That weekend, I flew to Singapore to get their players to review the yo-yo. Singaporeans are known for being critical, so I wanted their honest feedback.
It was a morning flight, and I remember meeting up Jeremy Tan first and he brought me for char siu rice (Cantonese-style barbecued pork) at the nearby food court. I was surprised when he just left his bag on the table (to chop) when we went to order. I forgot this is Singapore. The char siu rice was nice.
We later caught up with the boys at Kurasu for coffee and I told everyone I needed my Mr. Coconut. Jeremy called me a psychopath for wanting to drink 2 coconut shakes. We also had Korean BBQ for dinner, somewhere near the old Spinworkx shop (R.i.p.). Thawhir Iqbal drove that day too and brought me around which was cool.
After dinner, we all head to Jeremy's place, and it was time for the Singapore play test!
I can’t remember everyone who was there that night, but definitely:
- Thawhir Iqbal (AP 3A Champion)
- Jeremy Tan (Worlds Semi-Finalist)
- Chris Lee (Singapore 2A Champion)
- Christian James Welly (Indonesian 3A Champion)
- Yang Jie (Noob)
- Kenneth Bay (Singapore 5A Champion)
- Meng Wei (My fan)
- + Others, sorry I can't remember and didn't take any pictures that trip..
I told the Singaporeans that the Malaysians said my yo-yo felt like a Draupnir. They said "How the fuck?". Jeremy even offered that I could stay in his place any time if I never did a playtest in Malaysia again.
And so, we never did a playtest in Malaysia ever again.
*On a side note, this started the trend of them teasing me that ever future ALT release was a Draupnir. Until today, they even tease me and say the INERTIA is a Draupnir clone.*
Kenneth Bay was extremely nice and brought over a ton of yo-yos for us to compare with - Including an actual Draupnir, and an Overdrive Draupnir. They looked and felt completely different to the insomnia prototype. Did any of the Malaysians even try a Draupnir before?
I even had them fill up anonymous feedback forms, which they found ridiculous—lmao.
It was a longgg form, I wanted to know every detail, but they hated filling it up. Some even threatened to break my prototype. Someone even said they will burn my passport if the form had another page. It did have another page, but I already hid my passport by then.
Overall, the feedback was average—scores ranged from 5/10 to 9/10. Their critiques made me realize it wasn’t as good as I’d thought. Average wasn’t good enough, so I decided we had to refined it again.
Karthik loved it though and said he’d use it to compete in Thailand Nationals International Division which was coming up.
I went home with the feedback, paid for another prototype, and waited again. Surely this was the last prototype right?..
To be continued...