What's the logic behind Zelda's Octoball minigame?

You can control the ball’s left-right angle with the timing of when you hit the ball. An earlier hit causes the ball to fly more to the right. If you hit the ball when it is in front of the home plate, it will fly right, if you hit the ball when it is over the home plate, it will fly straight ahead, and if you hit the ball later, it will fly to the left.

You can change stance by moving the analog pad up or down. Only three stances are useful: neutral to hit the back line of pots or the crow, holding all the way down to hit the far-back and elevated pots, and holding all the way up to hit the pots closer on the ground or the crabs.

The key to getting rupees is summoning the crow with a three-pot chain, then hitting it reliably. You can make it easier to hit three pots consecutively by aiming for different distances on three hits. For example, hit a low hit on your first shot, then a medium hit, then a high hit. This way, you have to worry less about hitting the ball in the exact same direction and having your ball just roll through where a pot used to be.

When the crow appears, it will always be at the medium distance, and almost always be a little to the right of the pitcher Otto. If you can memorize the timing to hit in that direction, you will hit the crow consistently.

As well hitting pots consistently by aiming for different distances, try to aim for the golden pot. Aiming for a golden pot may be too risky if you have already hit the pots to the sides of that pot.

If too many pots are gone, try to hit the ground pots near crabs. But try not to hit those pots early in the game – save those pots for later. That way, if you try to hit a crab and miss, you will still hit a pot and keep up your chain. If you happen to hit a crab, not only will pots be restored, making it easier to keep up a three-pot chain, but you won’t even break your current chain.