Hey everybody,
Today I decided to do some testing with the new Point bit to see how it behaves and what applications it could have. I opted to test it in a few different ways - first, I took a look at its application on attack combos with DranSword and SharkEdge. Seeing how prevalent stationary attack combos are in the meta right now (i.e. DranSword/KnightLance Ball), a bit that promises a combination of mobility and stamina could be promising. Second, I decided to swap point out on the popular HellsScythe B/N combo to see how it could be applied on a balance/anti-attack combo. Lastly, I tried Point on KnightShield to see if it could have use in a more aggressive, mobile defense combo a'la KnightShield Taper.
All tests were performed with a string launcher in the BX-09 standard Beystadium. All tests went for 20 rounds. On the tests against KnightShield, Point combos were launched 2nd. On the tests against DranSword, Point combos were launched first. All Beyblades were launched parallel to the stadium floor.
DranSword 3-60P v KnightShield 3-80HN
DS - 60% winrate, 5SF, 4OF, 3XF
KS - 40% winrate, 7SF, 1XF
1 Draw
SharkEdge 3-60P v KnightShield 3-80HN
SE - 25% winrate, 1SF, 1OF, 2BF, 1XF
KS - 75% winrate, 13SF, 1OF, 1BF
1 Draw
HellsScythe 4-60P v DranSword 3-60F
HS - 60% winrate, 11SF, 1OF
DS - 40% winrate, 6SF, 1OF, 1XF
2 Draws
KnightShield 3-80P v DranSword 3-60F
KS - 60% winrate, 12SF
DS - 40% winrate, 5SF, 3OF
1 Draw
Observations: Point's movement is very erratic - often it would enter a staggered, oval-like pattern before resting into a more regular pattern. Even launching parallel to the floor, Point more often than not would start off moving very aggressively, usually due to the initial momentum of having been launched in addition to being knocked into the movement pattern by the other Beyblade. To my observation, controlling what movement Point will start the battle with is, for the most part, outside of the player's control. Something that does seem to influence Point's movement consistently is the weight of the Blade it's paired with. Most battles with DranSword and KnightShield saw the bit immediately place the Bey into a very aggressive state, and I believe this is due to the pressure of the two Blades, given that they are currently the heaviest in the game. Point did, at times, show the capability for relatively successful counterattack - in multiple battles, after being struck into an aggressive movement pattern, Point would retaliate and knock the opposing Bey out. While this happened enough to be observed, it was not common. Point's stamina in the late game, while better than Flat, Low Flat, and possibly Taper, is not distinctly better. The bit still most commonly lost by outspin across all tests. This did not help attack types in the way I hoped it would - while it did occasionally seem to help the combo survive longer and even outspin the opponent when it came down to the wire, it wasn't very common. The loss of aggression and momentum in the late game did not pair well with attack type's recoil, which is most evident in the heavy loss that SharkEdge suffered, as the Blade's extremely high recoil just caused it to bounce away and die in the late game without the aggression needed to carry it through nearly being out of spin.
To my eyes, the best performance of Point came through in the HellsScythe and KnightShield combos. Both of these combos, using Point, were able to successfully maneuver around being struck too hard by DranSword, often running away or even chasing DranSword around the Xtreme Line at times. The high movement in the early game allowed it to evade and deflect attacks, and the balanced and less recoil-filled Blades made use of Point's stamina and change in movement pattern in the late game. The most common win scenario for both combos was making the attack combo waste most of its early momentum by evading and mitigating damage, and then finishing it by coming back to the center and knocking it down.
Overall thoughts: Point has potential - however, the properties that are unique to it are erratic and difficult to control. The things it consistently does well can be achieved even more consistently through Bits such as Needle, Ball, and Taper, depending on the type of combination you are trying to make. Point's unique properties shine the most with anti-attack combos, however the gains over other bits are debatable and the inconsistency of performance can be difficult to mitigate. Based off of my observations from these tests, Point currently has limited usefulness and will need a skilled player and/or new parts to potentially warrant more play.
As always, these are just my tests and my observations, so do not take this as gospel. If you have your own tests and observations regarding this Bit, please share - it takes a village to reach a consensus. If you have any questions or concerns regarding how I conducted my tests, please ask. While there are other things I would like to test, hopefully I can return to testing this Bit some more to get more concrete numbers on its performance.
Today I decided to do some testing with the new Point bit to see how it behaves and what applications it could have. I opted to test it in a few different ways - first, I took a look at its application on attack combos with DranSword and SharkEdge. Seeing how prevalent stationary attack combos are in the meta right now (i.e. DranSword/KnightLance Ball), a bit that promises a combination of mobility and stamina could be promising. Second, I decided to swap point out on the popular HellsScythe B/N combo to see how it could be applied on a balance/anti-attack combo. Lastly, I tried Point on KnightShield to see if it could have use in a more aggressive, mobile defense combo a'la KnightShield Taper.
All tests were performed with a string launcher in the BX-09 standard Beystadium. All tests went for 20 rounds. On the tests against KnightShield, Point combos were launched 2nd. On the tests against DranSword, Point combos were launched first. All Beyblades were launched parallel to the stadium floor.
DranSword 3-60P v KnightShield 3-80HN
DS - 60% winrate, 5SF, 4OF, 3XF
KS - 40% winrate, 7SF, 1XF
1 Draw
SharkEdge 3-60P v KnightShield 3-80HN
SE - 25% winrate, 1SF, 1OF, 2BF, 1XF
KS - 75% winrate, 13SF, 1OF, 1BF
1 Draw
HellsScythe 4-60P v DranSword 3-60F
HS - 60% winrate, 11SF, 1OF
DS - 40% winrate, 6SF, 1OF, 1XF
2 Draws
KnightShield 3-80P v DranSword 3-60F
KS - 60% winrate, 12SF
DS - 40% winrate, 5SF, 3OF
1 Draw
Observations: Point's movement is very erratic - often it would enter a staggered, oval-like pattern before resting into a more regular pattern. Even launching parallel to the floor, Point more often than not would start off moving very aggressively, usually due to the initial momentum of having been launched in addition to being knocked into the movement pattern by the other Beyblade. To my observation, controlling what movement Point will start the battle with is, for the most part, outside of the player's control. Something that does seem to influence Point's movement consistently is the weight of the Blade it's paired with. Most battles with DranSword and KnightShield saw the bit immediately place the Bey into a very aggressive state, and I believe this is due to the pressure of the two Blades, given that they are currently the heaviest in the game. Point did, at times, show the capability for relatively successful counterattack - in multiple battles, after being struck into an aggressive movement pattern, Point would retaliate and knock the opposing Bey out. While this happened enough to be observed, it was not common. Point's stamina in the late game, while better than Flat, Low Flat, and possibly Taper, is not distinctly better. The bit still most commonly lost by outspin across all tests. This did not help attack types in the way I hoped it would - while it did occasionally seem to help the combo survive longer and even outspin the opponent when it came down to the wire, it wasn't very common. The loss of aggression and momentum in the late game did not pair well with attack type's recoil, which is most evident in the heavy loss that SharkEdge suffered, as the Blade's extremely high recoil just caused it to bounce away and die in the late game without the aggression needed to carry it through nearly being out of spin.
To my eyes, the best performance of Point came through in the HellsScythe and KnightShield combos. Both of these combos, using Point, were able to successfully maneuver around being struck too hard by DranSword, often running away or even chasing DranSword around the Xtreme Line at times. The high movement in the early game allowed it to evade and deflect attacks, and the balanced and less recoil-filled Blades made use of Point's stamina and change in movement pattern in the late game. The most common win scenario for both combos was making the attack combo waste most of its early momentum by evading and mitigating damage, and then finishing it by coming back to the center and knocking it down.
Overall thoughts: Point has potential - however, the properties that are unique to it are erratic and difficult to control. The things it consistently does well can be achieved even more consistently through Bits such as Needle, Ball, and Taper, depending on the type of combination you are trying to make. Point's unique properties shine the most with anti-attack combos, however the gains over other bits are debatable and the inconsistency of performance can be difficult to mitigate. Based off of my observations from these tests, Point currently has limited usefulness and will need a skilled player and/or new parts to potentially warrant more play.
As always, these are just my tests and my observations, so do not take this as gospel. If you have your own tests and observations regarding this Bit, please share - it takes a village to reach a consensus. If you have any questions or concerns regarding how I conducted my tests, please ask. While there are other things I would like to test, hopefully I can return to testing this Bit some more to get more concrete numbers on its performance.