# Underdog item beats the community favorite

A gaming format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming/underdog-item-beats-the-community-favorite

Claim that an outdated, unexpected or underrated item is actually better than the one everyone defaults to. It worked for 4 accounts, with a median of 9x their usual reach. Type: Angle. Seen as: Voiceover, Green screen, Talking head.

## Why it works

It challenges what the audience believes and invites them to defend their pick. Ayoehhtv, sliceofgaming97 and shiftpluss each use this kind of claim.

## How to make it

1. State the contrarian comparison in the hook
2. Show proof or tests
3. Leave the final answer open for the comments

## Hook formula

This [unexpected item] is better than [iconic meta pick]

## Examples

- @shiftpluss (68K followers, TikTok voiceover): 11x their usual views. Hook: “THE PLAYSTATION 4 IS NOW THE BEST” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@shiftpluss/video/7695534043194035486)
- @damacollects (21K followers, Instagram green screen): 13x their usual views. Hook: “Ditto Can Defeat EVERY POKEMON EVER... ❗️😳” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DfLuYp9ytsF/)
- @sliceofgaming97 (33K followers, Instagram voiceover): 7.0x their usual views. Hook: “THE SWITCH 2 CAN BE YOUR MAIN CONSOLE” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeuWZZ9JL60/)
- @ayoehhtv (48K followers, TikTok talking head): 2.5x their usual views. Hook: “THIS HAMMERBURST BUILD” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@ayoehhtv/video/7700332249887116575)

More gaming formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in gaming, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Gaming")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Gaming")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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