Hello! I have found an alternative to the "select strat" for Soda Popinski that, while losing ~2 seconds compared to the regular select strat, is also far safer, as now you'd have to get two hook patterns in phase 1 to completely invalidate the attempt instead of just one like the traditional select strat, in addition to losing less time overall if he throws a hook in phase 1 compared to the regular strat. Without further ado:

[Phase 1]
-press Select before the fight
-get hit by both of Soda's hooks, buffer slow right dodge, hold down to block
-if he ducks to throw an uppercut, left gut for the star, left gut to cancel his second uppercut, buffer start. Continue the rest of the fight as you would with the traditional select strat
-if he throws hooks, then block the first hook and intercept the second with a right face punch. Block and hope for uppercuts. If he throws more hooks (25/256 chance for him to throw two sets of hooks) the attempt is dead, and your best bet is to take a knockdown. If he ducks to throw an uppercut, left gut for the star, dodge his second uppercut, buffer start

[Phase 2 if he threw one set of hooks]
-get hit by his hook. Because you don't have to intercept his first hook like in the traditional select strat, you lose less time than you otherwise would in the event of a hook pattern in the normal strategy
-get up and hold down. Left gut after he ducks down for a star, dodge his second uppercut, buffer start

[Phase 3]
-same as other strats

I couldn't find any documentation of this strat anywhere, so if it already exists, I apologize. Otherwise, this is a great alternative to those who wish to avoid the RNG from phase 1 of the select strat and don't mind losing a second or two to do so.

For those who care about the odds:

Phase 3 aside, the only way this new strat loses time compared to others is if you get uppercuts on both phases 1 and 2 of the normal strat (~47% likely) or if you succeed with the traditional select strat (which has a 5/16 chance to kill your run, as opposed to this strat which is 25/256. Although if Soda throws two sets of hooks in phase 1, your run is probably dead regardless of what strats you use.)

The only thing you aren’t factoring in is we can manipulate Soda’s Delays by holding right after his opening hooks.

If you don’t hold right soda can give 4 potential delays before either he hooks again or goes into uppercuts: Delay 0, 1, 2, or 3

If you hold right Soda is guaranteed to only give 2 delays before he hooks or goes into uppercuts: Delay 0 or 2

Did some testing. With the older select strat and the shortest possible delay, I got a time of 36 seconds after phase 2. With the one proposed above and the same luck, I got 38 seconds, meaning that the new strat does lose 2 seconds 11/16ths of the time, delay luck aside.

However, the 5/16ths is what interested me in the first place. With the old select strat, your run is essentially dead if he throws a hook in phase 1. In testing with the strat I proposed, he threw a set of hooks with no delay followed by an uppercut with no delay in the first phase. I came out of phase 2 with a 44, though with worse delays that could’ve been a 46/48. Assuming no hooks in phase 3, this will net you a time just above one minute, depending on his phase 3 delay.

Losing “only” six seconds from hooks, with best possible delay RNG mind you, might not seem like much of an improvement, especially when compared to the strat that doesn’t involve select. However, you’re also rolling the dice more often without pressing select, needing three separate uppercut patterns while select strategies only have this chance twice (although an uppercut is absolutely mandatory in phase 1 with the old select strat).

The bottom line is, while I wouldn’t use this every time, it can be nice for PB attempts where you’re comfortably ahead by a couple of seconds or more and want the best possible odds of making it past Soda.