(Feb. 24, 2025 8:39 AM)tullavin Wrote: What has been the historical impedious for limited formats being created? As someone new to WBO with X they mostly seem like sub generations cut offs. I don't really understand the call for a limited format based on power for a game that has new parts being released monthly, where even the worst parts occasionally hit winning combos, and whose meta has been healthly and constantly evolving since November at least. I get there was a few months some people got burned on WR, but the calls for limited format seems largely in reaction to those months and not the current and evolving state of X.
I have a lot of concerns over introducing a limited format to X, especially depending on how it was implemented, but it would be helpful to understand how limited formats came to be in the past before diving into my concerns.
The impetus for limited formats has always been demand by Bladers to play with their Beyblades. Historically, this has mainly been Bladers wanting to revisit old metagames or use parts they own but are vastly powercrept in standard.
Burst had a consistent massive powercreep about every 2 years of releases, requiring completely replacing parts, so the Burst formats are split along those lines. That's also why Burst had 3 legacy formats created during its 7 year lifetime from 2015 to 2022:
- BGT: Bladers wanted to play with GT Layers and Discs (released in 2019)
- BSL: Bladers wanted to play with God and Cho-Z (2017/2018), Hasbro Layers, Core Discs
- BSC: Bladers wanted to play with Single/Dual Layers, Numbered Discs (first 2 years of Burst, 2015/2016)
Metal Fight is unique in that the powercreep remained relatively steady for its first 2 years, and then had a massive powercreep yearly in its last 2 years. Metal Fight Limited (MFL) was originally the only alternate parts format, emerging just when the TT toyline ended and while the Hasbro toyline was still going. MFL was meant to capture roughly the first 2 years (July 2008 - early 2011ish). Metal Fight 4D (M4D) is much more recent, being introduced in 2021 - M4D is moreso a variation of MF Standard without the powercreeping Synchrome mechanic.
There are no alt formats for plastics, due to nobody playing plastics, and the parts pool being relatively balanced for its entire existence.
For those with fatigue of the standard metagame, it's a good idea to give Orgs/Bladers the option to play and top with their 50+ lower-tier Blades. At best we'd be futureproofing a format for upcoming lower-tier releases, and at worst, we're creating the "first 2 years power level" format for X, as we have with every gen prior.