Hello guys. I'm revisiting the HMS series, covering it from top to bottom. Some of the more worthwhile things I come across will be posted about here on the WBO. One thing that has always stood out to me is the lack of decent discussion of Metal Ape, Magical Ape MS' AR. It appears that its first ever magic trick was to make itself go under the radar to most HMS posts in the past. Its second magic trick is to be able to stomp out most other endurance combos through KO or outright OS'ing.
Metal Ape given its size and having just come out of the plastics era, was seen as an AR most suited for compact customs. I don't disagree, it is a small AR that can be a part of customs that focus centrally. Compacts are also not easy to destabilize, and can perform moderately well against just about anything, but may find itself struggling against top tier customs of a specific type. With that said, testing on Metal Ape's ability in pure endurance type combos seems to either be lost to time, or completely looked over. Given its small size, ability to right itself easily, and potential to KO without detrimental recoil (ala Advance Survivor), I think that Metal Ape represents HMS Endurance and what its capable of writ large.
It can really dish hard hits without always double-KO'ing, MApe stands its ground surprisingly well. Comparing this to Advance Survivor, that has high recoil and can KO, but gets knocked around too easily, it was night and day. On Bearing Core, since it can generate significant velocity still, it regularly has more of an aggressive pattern to it. This was consistent across my Bearing Cores. I think it just works well with, and compliments, the way Bearing Core moves when knocked around. At least in endurance battles. Because of these facts, maybe you could consider it a balance combo, but it doesn't struggle OS'ing, and has the same flaws any Bearing Core based bey does, acting like a straight up endurance combo despite its KO ability. I consider this to just be a reality with most HMS Endurance types. KO'ing is normal, unless maybe we're talking two Wolf Crushers in opposite spin.
At the bottom of the testing I'll put MApe into context of today's HMS realities. HMS isn't the most accessible series.
So now onto the testing. Initially I started off with putting MApe on Reverse Defenser CWD, because I noticed that since MApe is so small that most other endurance combos end up making the most contact with the CWD below instead of AR-on-AR contact. I think it is a fine set up, but I had to take a step back and put everything on equal footing to make sure the CWD wasn't doing all the work. Because of this, here are some ground rules I laid out:
1. Both combos will use Circle Wide and Bearing Core.
2. At the halfway point of testing, both RC's would be switched, in case there is a difference in wear (looking back, if there was, it was not observable to the human eye)
3. When solo-tested, there would be alternative launching. MApe goes first one round, the benchmark combo goes first the next. Just in case there is any second-launch bias.
4. If any bias is detected, re-test with two people playing.
5. If it looks like a stomp, I stop at 10 rounds. This was enacted twice.
6. Testing is done in a BB-10 Attack Type Stadium.*
7. Rounds too close to call are just draws. This does not include a full rotation or half of one. Just anything that would require a slow-motion recording to determine a true winner. Anything specified as "not close" means that it continued to spin noticeably longer, not just a rotation or two over its opponent. There were a few instances where I believe that verdict would vary from judge to judge, so I included "borderline X win" to indicate that some people could view it as a win for X if need be.
8. Double-KO's were listed as well as redone, but not counted towards either beyblade. Because of this, there are technically over 20 rounds done in some matchups, so you will see things like "round 21".
First is the most explosive matchup, by far. Because I predicted it to be a fairly explosive pairing before going into it, I went with DEMS mold 2, with the thicker metal. The reason being that if MApe is outspinning or drawing with other equally established AR's regularly, DEMS should rely on its KO power to win over MApe with consistency. Thicker slopes should help with that. I can and will test mold 1, with the thinner and wobble-prone design. I just personally think it may perform worse if MApe can get away with more KO's or right itself a lot easier when no KO's happen. So consider this to just be a WIP with Mold 1 coming soon.
MApe (Right) vs. DEMS (Left)
MApe - 11W (9KO, 2OS), DEMS - 3W (3KO), 6 Draws, 1 Redo
MApe WR - 55%
MApe (Left) vs. DEMS (Right).
MApe - 9W (5 KO, 4 OS), DEMS - 8W (8 KO), 3 Draws.
MApe WR - 45%
MApe (Right) vs. DEMS (Right)
MApe 9W (7 KO, 2 OS), DEMS 11W (10 KO, 1 OS), 4 Redo's
MApe WR - 45%
So far it looks like MApe is pretty whatever, but remember that Circle Upper (and its variant) are head and shoulders above 99% of all other AR's in this generation across the board. Doing just slightly below a 50% in a volatile matchup that may come down to positioning and launch technique is nothing to scoff at. At least I think.
MApe (Right) vs. Advance Balancer (Right)
Mercy Kill.
MApe WR - 90% (3 KO, 6 OS)
Not unexpected, since Balancer's draw is mostly spin stealing, where opposite spin is a prerequisite. Yet:
MApe (Right) vs. Advance Balancer (Left)
Mercy Kill.
MApe WR - 70% (1 KO, 6 OS)
Just oof.
MApe (Right) vs. Advance Survivor (Left)
MApe - 11W (4 KO, 7 OS), Survivor - 4W (4 KO), 5 Draws. 1 Redo
MApe WR - 55%
Advance Survivor AR was a huge disappointment to me against MApe in opposite spin. While there were draws, any time it won was because of a KO, and when it wasn't a draw or KO, MApe won easily by OS. I assume this is just because Survivor couldn't take the beating and lost a whole lot of spin by the end of the match to keep up, MApe could handle the beating that much better. You'll see why I take this set more seriously than the next.
MApe (Left) vs. Advance Survivor (Left)
MApe - 14W (12 KO, 2 OS), Surv 6W (6 KO), 6 Redo's.
MApe - 70%
The reason I took the same spin less seriously is that if you thought the last battle was recoil central, the same spin is worse. This battle more often than not comes down to wall saves and luck. MApe had a convincing lead over 20 full matches, but I imagine that if you're unlucky in a tournament setting, Survivor would have only needed to get 3 of its 6 wins before you do to win. It is more luck based than the opposite spin matchup where at least some of the battles come down to OS'ing. Which again, MApe dominates Survivor because it can't take hits. Same is true for the two OS' in the same spin. It is a convincing head-to-head endurance-wise, despite the dice-rolling.
It is at this point I wanted to be practical. If you're in a tournament setting, you will run into stock Wolborg's, if not multiple times over. So despite technically not being a true 'combo', but stock, I have to test it so there are no surprises.
MApe (Left) vs. Wolborg (Left)
MApe - 6W (1 KO, 5 OS), Wolborg - 4W (4 OS)
Highly unusual - seems whoever is center-bowl first loses as the other can simply dish out a bunch of hits while juggling itself on the outer part. Whoever lands the bigger or more impactful hits tends to win as the other will be completely depleted of stamina. I assume this is just the reality of same-spin vs Wolborg MS, not specifically a right-on-right or left-on-left issue. Stopped at 10, and resumed with a second person to help me test.
MApe (Left) vs. Wolborg (Right) - Duo Testing
MApe 12W (10 KO, 2 OS), Wolborg 5W (5 OS), 3 Draws.
MApe WR - 60%
MApe (left) vs. Wolborg (left) - Duo Testing
MApe 15W (12 KO, 3 OS), Wolborg 5W (2 KO, 3 OS)
MApe WR - 75%
MApe (Right) vs. Wolborg (Left) - Duo Testing
MApe 13W (5 KO, 6 OS), Wolborg 2W (2 KO), 6 Draws
MApe WR - 60%
Against Wolborg in every spin, the trending theme was MApe KO'ing it often enough. Even when Wolborg managed to stay in the stadium, it was very very likely to be OS'd if it wasn't a draw.
As you can see, MApe AR stands tall against every decent established endurance AR. It can either KO it, draw, or outright OS. Essentially, if you aren't getting KO'd or KO'ing, MApe will generally either draw (at worst) or outspin against everything here. Not particularly exciting when it happens, but it does mean the MApe performs well and consistently on an endurance set up.
Yes, it did dumpster Wolf Crusher (and most others) in my tests, but there were draws when it came down to endurance and not KO power, so MApe isn't 100000% better than these parts. It is just at minimum on par or slightly edging them out.
With all these decent results in mind, HMS is either scarce or expensive. So, I wouldn't say at this point Metal Ape is so good you should buy it just for the AR. I would still say if you're getting into HMS on a budget, Wolborg MS is the bey to buy, period. You can also make a case for Death Gargoyle/Dark Effigy MS too. Those two are above everything else on value alone. Nothing else is essential in the same way as Wolborg MS or DEMS, and any topics discussing HMS' "what to buy" needs to be rewritten/overhauled to take into account 2021 buyer realities.
If you have the ability to pick it up, and want to bolster your endurance selection, I think this is the AR to buy over anything else, though. Not Advance Survivor, not Advance Balancer, and you should already have Wolf Crusher and Circle Upper before buying this. It nearly breaks even with DEMS-based endurance combos and edges out everything else. This also does not take into account specific unique customization options that MApe has given its size, but that is an entirely different section I have to get to at a later time. I wanted to get this benchmarking out of the way first, to see if MApe was worth it. Which it technically is, with a caveat or two.
Metal Ape given its size and having just come out of the plastics era, was seen as an AR most suited for compact customs. I don't disagree, it is a small AR that can be a part of customs that focus centrally. Compacts are also not easy to destabilize, and can perform moderately well against just about anything, but may find itself struggling against top tier customs of a specific type. With that said, testing on Metal Ape's ability in pure endurance type combos seems to either be lost to time, or completely looked over. Given its small size, ability to right itself easily, and potential to KO without detrimental recoil (ala Advance Survivor), I think that Metal Ape represents HMS Endurance and what its capable of writ large.
It can really dish hard hits without always double-KO'ing, MApe stands its ground surprisingly well. Comparing this to Advance Survivor, that has high recoil and can KO, but gets knocked around too easily, it was night and day. On Bearing Core, since it can generate significant velocity still, it regularly has more of an aggressive pattern to it. This was consistent across my Bearing Cores. I think it just works well with, and compliments, the way Bearing Core moves when knocked around. At least in endurance battles. Because of these facts, maybe you could consider it a balance combo, but it doesn't struggle OS'ing, and has the same flaws any Bearing Core based bey does, acting like a straight up endurance combo despite its KO ability. I consider this to just be a reality with most HMS Endurance types. KO'ing is normal, unless maybe we're talking two Wolf Crushers in opposite spin.
At the bottom of the testing I'll put MApe into context of today's HMS realities. HMS isn't the most accessible series.
So now onto the testing. Initially I started off with putting MApe on Reverse Defenser CWD, because I noticed that since MApe is so small that most other endurance combos end up making the most contact with the CWD below instead of AR-on-AR contact. I think it is a fine set up, but I had to take a step back and put everything on equal footing to make sure the CWD wasn't doing all the work. Because of this, here are some ground rules I laid out:
1. Both combos will use Circle Wide and Bearing Core.
2. At the halfway point of testing, both RC's would be switched, in case there is a difference in wear (looking back, if there was, it was not observable to the human eye)
3. When solo-tested, there would be alternative launching. MApe goes first one round, the benchmark combo goes first the next. Just in case there is any second-launch bias.
4. If any bias is detected, re-test with two people playing.
5. If it looks like a stomp, I stop at 10 rounds. This was enacted twice.
6. Testing is done in a BB-10 Attack Type Stadium.*
7. Rounds too close to call are just draws. This does not include a full rotation or half of one. Just anything that would require a slow-motion recording to determine a true winner. Anything specified as "not close" means that it continued to spin noticeably longer, not just a rotation or two over its opponent. There were a few instances where I believe that verdict would vary from judge to judge, so I included "borderline X win" to indicate that some people could view it as a win for X if need be.
8. Double-KO's were listed as well as redone, but not counted towards either beyblade. Because of this, there are technically over 20 rounds done in some matchups, so you will see things like "round 21".
Some Notes (Click to View)
First is the most explosive matchup, by far. Because I predicted it to be a fairly explosive pairing before going into it, I went with DEMS mold 2, with the thicker metal. The reason being that if MApe is outspinning or drawing with other equally established AR's regularly, DEMS should rely on its KO power to win over MApe with consistency. Thicker slopes should help with that. I can and will test mold 1, with the thinner and wobble-prone design. I just personally think it may perform worse if MApe can get away with more KO's or right itself a lot easier when no KO's happen. So consider this to just be a WIP with Mold 1 coming soon.
MApe (Right) vs. DEMS (Left)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe - 11W (9KO, 2OS), DEMS - 3W (3KO), 6 Draws, 1 Redo
MApe WR - 55%
MApe (Left) vs. DEMS (Right).
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe - 9W (5 KO, 4 OS), DEMS - 8W (8 KO), 3 Draws.
MApe WR - 45%
MApe (Right) vs. DEMS (Right)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe 9W (7 KO, 2 OS), DEMS 11W (10 KO, 1 OS), 4 Redo's
MApe WR - 45%
So far it looks like MApe is pretty whatever, but remember that Circle Upper (and its variant) are head and shoulders above 99% of all other AR's in this generation across the board. Doing just slightly below a 50% in a volatile matchup that may come down to positioning and launch technique is nothing to scoff at. At least I think.
MApe (Right) vs. Advance Balancer (Right)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
Mercy Kill.
MApe WR - 90% (3 KO, 6 OS)
Not unexpected, since Balancer's draw is mostly spin stealing, where opposite spin is a prerequisite. Yet:
MApe (Right) vs. Advance Balancer (Left)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
Mercy Kill.
MApe WR - 70% (1 KO, 6 OS)
Just oof.
MApe (Right) vs. Advance Survivor (Left)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe - 11W (4 KO, 7 OS), Survivor - 4W (4 KO), 5 Draws. 1 Redo
MApe WR - 55%
Advance Survivor AR was a huge disappointment to me against MApe in opposite spin. While there were draws, any time it won was because of a KO, and when it wasn't a draw or KO, MApe won easily by OS. I assume this is just because Survivor couldn't take the beating and lost a whole lot of spin by the end of the match to keep up, MApe could handle the beating that much better. You'll see why I take this set more seriously than the next.
MApe (Left) vs. Advance Survivor (Left)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe - 14W (12 KO, 2 OS), Surv 6W (6 KO), 6 Redo's.
MApe - 70%
The reason I took the same spin less seriously is that if you thought the last battle was recoil central, the same spin is worse. This battle more often than not comes down to wall saves and luck. MApe had a convincing lead over 20 full matches, but I imagine that if you're unlucky in a tournament setting, Survivor would have only needed to get 3 of its 6 wins before you do to win. It is more luck based than the opposite spin matchup where at least some of the battles come down to OS'ing. Which again, MApe dominates Survivor because it can't take hits. Same is true for the two OS' in the same spin. It is a convincing head-to-head endurance-wise, despite the dice-rolling.
It is at this point I wanted to be practical. If you're in a tournament setting, you will run into stock Wolborg's, if not multiple times over. So despite technically not being a true 'combo', but stock, I have to test it so there are no surprises.
MApe (Left) vs. Wolborg (Left)
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe - 6W (1 KO, 5 OS), Wolborg - 4W (4 OS)
Highly unusual - seems whoever is center-bowl first loses as the other can simply dish out a bunch of hits while juggling itself on the outer part. Whoever lands the bigger or more impactful hits tends to win as the other will be completely depleted of stamina. I assume this is just the reality of same-spin vs Wolborg MS, not specifically a right-on-right or left-on-left issue. Stopped at 10, and resumed with a second person to help me test.
MApe (Left) vs. Wolborg (Right) - Duo Testing
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe 12W (10 KO, 2 OS), Wolborg 5W (5 OS), 3 Draws.
MApe WR - 60%
MApe (left) vs. Wolborg (left) - Duo Testing
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe 15W (12 KO, 3 OS), Wolborg 5W (2 KO, 3 OS)
MApe WR - 75%
MApe (Right) vs. Wolborg (Left) - Duo Testing
Individual Breakdown (Click to View)
MApe 13W (5 KO, 6 OS), Wolborg 2W (2 KO), 6 Draws
MApe WR - 60%
Against Wolborg in every spin, the trending theme was MApe KO'ing it often enough. Even when Wolborg managed to stay in the stadium, it was very very likely to be OS'd if it wasn't a draw.
As you can see, MApe AR stands tall against every decent established endurance AR. It can either KO it, draw, or outright OS. Essentially, if you aren't getting KO'd or KO'ing, MApe will generally either draw (at worst) or outspin against everything here. Not particularly exciting when it happens, but it does mean the MApe performs well and consistently on an endurance set up.
Yes, it did dumpster Wolf Crusher (and most others) in my tests, but there were draws when it came down to endurance and not KO power, so MApe isn't 100000% better than these parts. It is just at minimum on par or slightly edging them out.
With all these decent results in mind, HMS is either scarce or expensive. So, I wouldn't say at this point Metal Ape is so good you should buy it just for the AR. I would still say if you're getting into HMS on a budget, Wolborg MS is the bey to buy, period. You can also make a case for Death Gargoyle/Dark Effigy MS too. Those two are above everything else on value alone. Nothing else is essential in the same way as Wolborg MS or DEMS, and any topics discussing HMS' "what to buy" needs to be rewritten/overhauled to take into account 2021 buyer realities.
If you have the ability to pick it up, and want to bolster your endurance selection, I think this is the AR to buy over anything else, though. Not Advance Survivor, not Advance Balancer, and you should already have Wolf Crusher and Circle Upper before buying this. It nearly breaks even with DEMS-based endurance combos and edges out everything else. This also does not take into account specific unique customization options that MApe has given its size, but that is an entirely different section I have to get to at a later time. I wanted to get this benchmarking out of the way first, to see if MApe was worth it. Which it technically is, with a caveat or two.
![[Image: uKF94LK.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/uKF94LK.gif)
