Singleton Deck Tournament
Singapore - five weeks prior to this tournament, players competed in qualifier tournaments in limited formats. Players gained points via a league system, culminating in a top 16 playoff at the end on 25 Nov. This tournament was held by the official TT distributors in Singapore, Sheng Tai Toys, under the WBBA banner.
[In this writeup, I mention LAD pretty often. LAD basically means Life After Death, which is the last few spins a bey does before losing all torque. This concept is very important in opposite spin matchups, where LAD is the factor that determines a spin finish.]
The finals playoff was held in a singleton deck format.
Metagame
These beys were mostly used, in order of popularity. They are mostly in correct order, by my rough estimate.
My Deck
![[Image: w7cNXY59l9dTUNM9ZmzbbMS2SDfFSyYBCPg5AGyY...5cr4sm_p-0]](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/w7cNXY59l9dTUNM9ZmzbbMS2SDfFSyYBCPg5AGyYs-n21sm7HoolhWk16_-wWWimPvackjT3L7pr-in1V97DsMdt5wKKOYbQxInuPM2jvL74jDqhyTo4li9ZtzhYvp5cr4sm_p-0)
My Games
Game 1 (Remy @ Sr, bK, dC)
The first match was against a good friend of mine who frequently knocks me out of tournaments in the qualifiers.. His dC was on an extremely potent combo - dC.0.O, which was able to outspin my mG and dC. His bK was also a nightmare to fight against with my dC. The first few matches were mostly on equal footing as we both won and lost some in stamina battles.
The deciding round had my dC go against his bK. He executed a brilliant flower pattern, hitting my dC to the extent of unbalancing it. This was a problem, as I launched with medium strength to minimize my chances of bursting. Things were looking good when my dC managed to stabilize - both beys converged to the middle, and his bK started tilting really hard with little torque left. Wham - his bK managed to burst my dC in the last contact, right before it lost all spin. He won 4-2, and knocked me down to the losers’ bracket.
Loss 2-3
Game 2 (Jorel @ tN, dC, Sr)
The second match was a little easier, as the player used the wrong disk on dC. He forgot about the unique parts rule, and had 7 in both his dC and tN. In a hurry to change it (at the judges’ prompt), he chose Heavy instead of 4.
My combos generally had an stamina advantage over his, and was able to comfortably outspin his choices. I was especially wary when my dC went against his tN, but luckily was able to escape being burst with only a click left.
Win 3-0
Game 3 (Ainslie @ Sr(At), mG, dC)
Another match of stamina battles. My mG was able to outspin his Sr which was on left spin. The shocker came in my Sr vs his mG match - my Sr burst his mG despite them being on opposite spin.
Win 3-0
Game 4 (Alan @ dC, Sr, tN)
I can’t really recall his combos, but I believe the first few matches were also stamina battles. The score was 2-1 when his dC went against my Sr on left spin. Despite not launching hard, his dC burst abruptly, winning me the match. Even If it didn’t burst, I suspect that my Sr would have won by spin finish due to superior LAD.
Win 4-1
Game 5 (Kenta @ Sr, bK, dC)
This kid had a pretty weird Sr combo but had the skill to pull it off. His Spriggan was on Gyro, bK on Destroy, and mG on Atomic. In the first game against my mG, he failed to execute a perfect flower pattern with his bK, leading to a comfortably win by spin finish. The second game pitted by Sr against his dC, my Sr on left spin was able to easily outLAD his. dC. In the third game with my dC, I was able to outspin his Sr easily due to the subpar driver choice.
I feel like this kid has quite a good grasp on attack combos - he managed to knock me out a few times previously in the qualifier games. Unfortunately, he failed to execute a perfect launch with his bK in this match to get him back into the game. With more experience, this kid would be pretty scary to go against.
Win 3-0
Game 6 (Remy @ Sr, bK, dC)
The finals! It was pretty surreal to claw my way back up. This was a matchup in his favour, proven by the first game where he knocked me to the losers’ bracket. I failed to predict his choices in the first two games - I wanted to send my Sr against his dC, and mG against his bK. Luckily, my Sr going against his bK was not that bad of a matchup - Sr easily won by outLAD-ing his bK. The second game pitted my mG against his dC, which his dC easily won with better stamina. The match continued in a similar fashion to Game 1, with a few surprising draws. In the end, it came down to the matchup that knocked me out in Game 1 - dC vs bK.
This was intense. The very same matchup that I was afraid of, yet I was eager to allow my dC to redeem its loss. I executed a medium launch with a heavy tilt in hopes to deflect the initial barrage of attacks. He performed another great flower pattern launch, sending his bK attacking my dC relentlessly. I think I heard a few clicks, causing me to brace for defeat. Slowly, bK started losing stamina and both beys converged in the middle again, exactly like how Game 1 played out.
It was a pretty nail-biting moment towards the end - suspension was in the air as we wondered if bK would burst my dC again at the end. Slowly, all torque was drained off bK and it lay motionless on the stadium - I had won! I took a look at dC - NO CLICKS! Amazing - despite the crazy attacks, my dC suffered no clicks at all! I suspect this was because of my tilt launch, allowing the bey to cushion the initial collisions, which are usually the most damaging.
Win 3-2
Insights
Format Improvements
Singapore - five weeks prior to this tournament, players competed in qualifier tournaments in limited formats. Players gained points via a league system, culminating in a top 16 playoff at the end on 25 Nov. This tournament was held by the official TT distributors in Singapore, Sheng Tai Toys, under the WBBA banner.
[In this writeup, I mention LAD pretty often. LAD basically means Life After Death, which is the last few spins a bey does before losing all torque. This concept is very important in opposite spin matchups, where LAD is the factor that determines a spin finish.]
The finals playoff was held in a singleton deck format.
- strictly three beyblades per player
- no parts can be same across any of the three beys
- players “lock in” the sequence of their beys at the start, and cannot change the sequence
- mode changes must be declared before opponent’s bey is revealed each match
- once a match resolves, no matter if it resulted in a win or draw, each player moves to the next bey in their sequence
- if all three beys have been used, players can rearrange their beys, and the same process continues until a player gets 3 points
- normal point rulings; 2 for burst, 1 for spin and KO finishes
- all parts in God series and below legal, except some exclusives like Orichalcum/Outer/Octa
- tournament was in a novel format; the top 8 players essentially had two “lives”. If you lost while in the top bracket, you could still claw your way back via the losers’ bracket
Metagame
These beys were mostly used, in order of popularity. They are mostly in correct order, by my rough estimate.
- SprigganRequiem (Sr) was a definite staple. Every deck definitely included one, with a small variation in discs (0 vs 7) and drivers (Bearing vs Atomic). In opposite spin, this combo could outspin any other combo except in mirror matches.
- deepChaos (dC) saw quite a fair play. People mostly used it with 0 and Orbit, with a couple on Revolve. Most players omitted the disc frame as doing so allowed it to outspin mG combos.
- maximumGaruda (mG) shared the same popularity as dC. It was mostly paired with 0/7, and usually Orbit. mG could beat most other combos, occasionally even Sr... if it didn’t burst.
- beatKukulkan (bK) was only recently released last week. It saw quite a fair bit of play, and was used with Attack drivers like UltimateReboot(Ul). It’s weight and thickness allowed it to KO and burst opponents occasionally. Ul also had surprisingly decent stamina - if an opponent using a same spin stamina combo tries to prevent burst by light launching, this combo had a small chance to outspin them.
- nightmareLonginus (nL) saw a bit of play, and was usually paired with Destroy. It was mostly there to counter Sr on left spin. Given the nature of the rules (spin direction locked before opponent reveals bey), this was a decent pick/counter. However, the prevalence of dC and mG greatly reduced its success on the battlefield.
- twinNemesis (tN) also saw some play, and I suspect it was brought it to burst dC with its aggressive edges. I think it was played on Orbit, allowing it to remain in the center to maintain contact with stamina types in hope to burst them. The Sr and mG combos were not as easy to burst, causing tN to see limited success.
- arkBahamut (aB) is a layer I’m not very experienced with, and I suspect it was used to counter Sr(At) and dC(At) combos by outLAD. Despite its weak teeth, it didn’t burst much, and even survived a nL onslaught in one game.
- Semi-competitive layers like siegXcalibur(sX), guardianKerbeus(gK), alterChronos(aC), legendSpriggan(lS), and blazeRagnarok(bR) saw no play.. would’ve been interesting to see how they fared.
- Forge Disks used were mostly a combination of 0, 4, and 7. Other might have been used on occasion, but I couldn’t really tell.
- Drivers used were mostly Bearing(Sr only), Atomic, Orbit, Revolve, and Destroy. There were a few interesting choices like Gyro, Accel, UltimateReboot, and Flugel. However, those choices saw limited success, except for Ul.
My Deck
- Sr.0B.Br
- mG.7M.O
- dC.4C.At
- I played a “boring” deck of pure stamina combos
- These combos were prone to burst, but with proper strategy, predictions, and lots of luck, I was able to escape burst finishes most of the time
- The “weakest point” of my deck was deepChaos. Against other stamina combos, it would fall short of stamina. Against attack combos, it was prone to burst. Against zombies, it would not be able to outLAD them
- I had to play the attrition game each match, and cut losses occasionally by doing weak launches to minimise possibility of bursts. These rounds were a free 1 point to the opponent
- I was able to occasionally predict the sequence and spin direction of most opponents and countered their choices appropriately. I had to throw my dC into their strongest beys and give them a free point via spin finish, and reserve my stronger beys for more advantageous battles
My Games
Game 1 (Remy @ Sr, bK, dC)
The first match was against a good friend of mine who frequently knocks me out of tournaments in the qualifiers.. His dC was on an extremely potent combo - dC.0.O, which was able to outspin my mG and dC. His bK was also a nightmare to fight against with my dC. The first few matches were mostly on equal footing as we both won and lost some in stamina battles.
The deciding round had my dC go against his bK. He executed a brilliant flower pattern, hitting my dC to the extent of unbalancing it. This was a problem, as I launched with medium strength to minimize my chances of bursting. Things were looking good when my dC managed to stabilize - both beys converged to the middle, and his bK started tilting really hard with little torque left. Wham - his bK managed to burst my dC in the last contact, right before it lost all spin. He won 4-2, and knocked me down to the losers’ bracket.
Loss 2-3
Game 2 (Jorel @ tN, dC, Sr)
The second match was a little easier, as the player used the wrong disk on dC. He forgot about the unique parts rule, and had 7 in both his dC and tN. In a hurry to change it (at the judges’ prompt), he chose Heavy instead of 4.
My combos generally had an stamina advantage over his, and was able to comfortably outspin his choices. I was especially wary when my dC went against his tN, but luckily was able to escape being burst with only a click left.
Win 3-0
Game 3 (Ainslie @ Sr(At), mG, dC)
Another match of stamina battles. My mG was able to outspin his Sr which was on left spin. The shocker came in my Sr vs his mG match - my Sr burst his mG despite them being on opposite spin.
Win 3-0
Game 4 (Alan @ dC, Sr, tN)
I can’t really recall his combos, but I believe the first few matches were also stamina battles. The score was 2-1 when his dC went against my Sr on left spin. Despite not launching hard, his dC burst abruptly, winning me the match. Even If it didn’t burst, I suspect that my Sr would have won by spin finish due to superior LAD.
Win 4-1
Game 5 (Kenta @ Sr, bK, dC)
This kid had a pretty weird Sr combo but had the skill to pull it off. His Spriggan was on Gyro, bK on Destroy, and mG on Atomic. In the first game against my mG, he failed to execute a perfect flower pattern with his bK, leading to a comfortably win by spin finish. The second game pitted by Sr against his dC, my Sr on left spin was able to easily outLAD his. dC. In the third game with my dC, I was able to outspin his Sr easily due to the subpar driver choice.
I feel like this kid has quite a good grasp on attack combos - he managed to knock me out a few times previously in the qualifier games. Unfortunately, he failed to execute a perfect launch with his bK in this match to get him back into the game. With more experience, this kid would be pretty scary to go against.
Win 3-0
Game 6 (Remy @ Sr, bK, dC)
The finals! It was pretty surreal to claw my way back up. This was a matchup in his favour, proven by the first game where he knocked me to the losers’ bracket. I failed to predict his choices in the first two games - I wanted to send my Sr against his dC, and mG against his bK. Luckily, my Sr going against his bK was not that bad of a matchup - Sr easily won by outLAD-ing his bK. The second game pitted my mG against his dC, which his dC easily won with better stamina. The match continued in a similar fashion to Game 1, with a few surprising draws. In the end, it came down to the matchup that knocked me out in Game 1 - dC vs bK.
This was intense. The very same matchup that I was afraid of, yet I was eager to allow my dC to redeem its loss. I executed a medium launch with a heavy tilt in hopes to deflect the initial barrage of attacks. He performed another great flower pattern launch, sending his bK attacking my dC relentlessly. I think I heard a few clicks, causing me to brace for defeat. Slowly, bK started losing stamina and both beys converged in the middle again, exactly like how Game 1 played out.
It was a pretty nail-biting moment towards the end - suspension was in the air as we wondered if bK would burst my dC again at the end. Slowly, all torque was drained off bK and it lay motionless on the stadium - I had won! I took a look at dC - NO CLICKS! Amazing - despite the crazy attacks, my dC suffered no clicks at all! I suspect this was because of my tilt launch, allowing the bey to cushion the initial collisions, which are usually the most damaging.
Win 3-2
Insights
- I actually lost most of my hope after Game 1 when I got knocked to the losers’ bracket - it was a hell of a climb to get back up, and chances were pretty slim. In fact, I stopped noting down potential opponents’ combos which I was doing earlier. When it came to my battles later on, this caused me some strain as I had to battle them blindly, while they most likely remembered my combos.
- Either way, it was still a surprise that I won. Even if I did not, it would’ve been a great experience to play so many matches. Strategising for each of them was stressful, yet they gave a great sense of fulfilment when they started paying off.
- It feels like when the great pressure to win was taken off (due to being eliminated in Game 1 and losing hope), it made me play more optimally. I started making decisions that higher higher risk-reward ratio (like making Sr go right-spin despite bKs), rather than simply choosing the safest choices constantly. This not only made the gameplay more fun, but allowed me to spin my way to victory.
- The “weakest” bey in the deck, dC.4C.At actually proved itself to be stronger than it looks. Quite a few matches were just outright losses, like other mGs, dCs and Srs. However, this bey was a necessary sacrifice as the “stronger” parts like 0, 7 disks and Orbit went to Sr and mG. Despite running on “weaker” parts, this bey still managed to occasionally win/draw surprising stamina matches. The hardest part about using it was its tendency to burst, so I had to make careful launches with launch locations and launch strength all planned out.
- My mG.7M.O performed exactly like I expected; losing to certain dC and Sr combinations, and winning most other stamina matches. Thankfully, its slopes held up during battle and managed to not burst at all despite being pit against attack combos a few times.
- The Sr.0B.Br was the expected carry of the tournament. However, this was a risky pick again due to its tendency to burst. To mitigate this, I had to correctly predict the opponent’s spin and managed to do so most of the time, allowing it to win by outLAD. It actually fared beyond my expectations, bursting opponent’s dC and mG combos despite it being on left spin in those matches!
Format Improvements
- The meta was just dominated by Sr, mG, and dC. Each deck had at least two out of the three, and it made many matches a game of launch strength. It would be more exciting if the meta was more diverse with attack combos. Drivers were mostly a combination of Br, At, O.
- We could consider banning Br, At, and O, and preventing Srs from changing spin
- We could increase the required points to 4, allowing two burst finishes to be enough to finish games, to entice attack combos
- We could allow the new Dash drivers, to reduce the tendency of self-bursting on attack combos, to further encourage them
- We could allow for a call to ban on one of the opponent’s beys if the game proceeds into the second sequence (after each player uses all 3 beys)
![[Image: beybase-signature-is-beyblade-a-sport-Article.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/VLksgt2k/beybase-signature-is-beyblade-a-sport-Article.jpg)
