What if the most important thing - just isn't?

"Failure-resistant is achievable, failure-free is not."

— Nx Tx

The closure of my usual table tennis place has afforded me some time to write another post. The subject of which is a simple question: which is most important in table tennis, technique, athleticism (strength, fitness, agility), intelligence, or equipment? I think the answer most would give is technique, followed by the items in rank order as listed above. That's also how I'd rank them on a normal day, but could I make a case for the reverse, that if you possessed the best equipment and greatest intelligence, you could defeat those who prioritize technique and physical fitness? 

A parallel with singing - or a singing contest - can be drawn. Could a singer with mediocre singing technique fool a panel of musically trained judges by smart song choice and the best autotune technology that they're the better singer than someone who has great singing technique but an ordinary mic and no autotune? A great racket is like having autotune in music, whereby it prevents the needless loss of points (because the ball will still land) just like the sound in an autotuned recording can still be decent, excellent even, after the pitch mistakes of a just proficient singer are masked. A great intelligence is like having knowledge of the limits of your vocal technique plus knowledge of how your autotune software can alleviate the damage of your technical mistakes to the overall song. Intelligence is also not picking songs (or shots in table tennis) that are overly risky or conservative, so they result in a bad situation and points being deducted. Of course, we'll still find those who can record our favourite songs without autotune to be the most authentic expressers of vocal artistry, just as we'll find higher value in rewatching table tennis matches showcasing the most technically skilled players clash in an honest game. But most table tennis games aren't recorded; most times, you only have one chance to outsmart an opponent who doesn't initially know the exact prowess of your racket and playing style. A really great racket, paired with a well thought out playing style - think, for instance, rubbers that can generate point-ending amounts of spin and service quality while being forgiving of your poor angles, glued onto a sweet spot maximized blade - that's basically having autotune and a world-class studio in this analogy. 

A great singer usually doesn't use autotune when posting his covers on YouTube but still has good recording equipment. We call such a person a virtuoso; some of them are famous but most have just a few thousand subscribers despite their massively precise technique. In table tennis, we tend to want to watch virtuosos play too, whether they're famous or not; we want them to be our captain, guide and soulmates. The lack of the world's best racket is no barrier for them. But for the rest, the personal sword, the racket, really can be the soul of the game, and there's nothing wrong about placing such great importance on what would otherwise be trivial to a real boss. Or just ask those who can't play well if somebody broke their racket, why is that -  that may be a better way to understand the analogy I've tried to make here.