Takara Tomy needs to find it's bearings: a Beyblade metagame timeline.

Plastic Generation: Oh my, what an astounding number of unique and varied parts to try out. This lent itself to heavy customization and allowed for the mxing and matching of attributes. This led to a surplus of types including Smash Attack, Solid Defense, Pure Survival, Zombies, Spin-Stealers, Compacts, Balance Types, and Upper Attackers, and combinations of any of the above. The extreme depth of the metagame can mostly be contributed to: The excess of bearing parts, the seperation of AR and WD, and the SG system.

Than HMS comes along, and reduces the customization factor DRAMATICALLY, by only allowing a bey to have 4 parts. This eliminated most inbetween types, and left only Zombies/Spin-Stealers, Pure Smash Attack (The extreme force of metal on metal collision virtually eliminated Upper Attack, no, Samurai/Circle Upper are primarily smash), Pure Survival, Pure Defense, and Compacts.
To say compacts existed is just that, THEY EXISTED, they were not a very popular choice, and there was very little room for change withing them. The pool of parts for compacts was pitiful.
AR's: Metal Ape, Metal Spring, Jirayia Blade
WD's: Circle Heavy
RC's: Metal Change Core
With Balance type combos and more niche type blades losing their ability to preform, HMS basically sent the metagame towards higly specialized blades excelling in one of the three categories of the HMS Trifecta: Attack, Defense, and Stamina, with most players leaning towards attack, and primarily three RC's being used: Bearing Core, Bearing Core 2, and GFC(UM). This severely crippled the metagame, making it much less dynamic and much less exciting.

Then comes MFB, retaining one aspect of the trifecta of the HMS series: Attack.
RF is GFC(UM) reincarnate, and took up the torch where it had left off. So what happens to the other two types? Bearings are gone, eliminated, done, succesfully chopping down the family tree of RC's like Bearing Core and Bearing Core 2, leaving defense and survival/stamina to wither and die. This severely skews the metagame towards attack, as bottoms like WB/RS/WD and SD/D/WD just cannot keep up, specifically with the extremely high recoil with metal on metal contact, the attacker, with the flat rubber bottom, and the most friction and invariably survives the encounter where a defense type with the measly WB does not.
RS has poor stamina and balance issues, as soon as MF is released, defense will be completely doomed. Due to this ridiculous inconsistency in types, attack IS the type. The single type. The only type you can use to succeed. Balance is superfluous, as when PURE DEFENSE cannot stand up to the power house that is attack, neither will a measly balance type, which will also fail in comparison to a more specialized bey of the same type.

Beyblade has lost competitive depth as time has gone by.

Unless TT releases some sort of bearing type track or bottom soon, expect some more of the same: Complete attack type dominance, and until more complex systems are released with more room for customization, don't expect to find the development of any types outside of Attack/Defense/Stamina

NOTE: This was sort of a stream of conciousness thing, so if it's poorly worded or structured then oh well.
i agree 100% with that old school rules in competive depth
Hmm, I see your point... Now I'm a new member and this could be very stupid but all competitve tests are done in the Takara Tomy Attack stadium are they not? While I understand everyone believes it to be well balanced is there a chance that attacks just get to much of an advantage in it? Idk random thought I had reading your post lol.
True... if attack-types continue to dominate, would it be logical to reevaluate what we use for the 'best' stadium? If Hasbro makes a slightly more attack-friendly stadium, we could widen the number of tournaments that can be held simply due to the availability of Hasbro stadiums. I think that given the current direction MFB is going, we may have a better chance convincing Hasbro to make a more attack-friendly stadium in their style, rather than copying Takara's.
Do you really think there is much TT can do about it ? Like, just imagine the size of the bottom as it is now, how would it be possible to add bearings and such into it ? I guess this is like the time when zombies dominated the plastic era; attack types will continue to dominate MFB...

Heh, if Libra wasn't banned than it could (notice how I bolded the could bit) have changed the game, probably not by much but still a change. Maybe they should just release heavier or different shaped wheels ? LOL.
(Oct. 10, 2010  8:10 AM)Vamspapi Wrote: True... if attack-types continue to dominate, would it be logical to reevaluate what we use for the 'best' stadium? If Hasbro makes a slightly more attack-friendly stadium, we could widen the number of tournaments that can be held simply due to the availability of Hasbro stadiums. I think that given the current direction MFB is going, we may have a better chance convincing Hasbro to make a more attack-friendly stadium in their style, rather than copying Takara's.

Its the best stadium due to it being balanced for all types from my understanding.

I agree with the OP but imo if it was to be one type dominate i dont mind it being attack since its the type of play the requires the most skill to use well. Also about there being no decent balance types wouldnt desablizers count as balance types?
(Oct. 10, 2010  8:29 AM)Mc Frown Wrote: But they really just beat Defense types.

yeah i guess, they still fare well agaisnt attacks though but probley not good enough
(Oct. 10, 2010  8:22 AM)Dirge Wrote: Its the best stadium due to it being balanced for all types from my understanding.

Yeah, thats what I was asking. Everyone says it's really balanced, but after reading this post and various test results from members it just seems it might be a little to good for attack.

I was just thinking maybe we could try and find one a little more balanced.
Then again I'm sure other users have tried most of the stadiums.

So I guess we just hope for a new incredibly balanced stadium? (Yeah I kind of anwsered my own question lol.)
(Oct. 10, 2010  9:09 PM)Stigma Wrote: Yeah, thats what I was asking. Everyone says it's really balanced, but after reading this post and various test results from members it just seems it might be a little to good for attack.

I was just thinking maybe we could try and find one a little more balanced.
Then again I'm sure other users have tried most of the stadiums.

So I guess we just hope for a new incredibly balanced stadium? (Yeah I kind of anwsered my own question lol.)

yeah from what i know the problem with other stadiums is that they make attack types un useable because they dont have a ridge, even the attack stadium doesnt have a good ridge
Fyi, Circle Upper does have noticeable upper attack; you are correct with regards to Samurai Upper though.
That s why in italy we thought to ban RF
(Oct. 10, 2010  9:34 PM)Gianmarco.93 Wrote: That s why in italy we thought to ban RF

Banning RF will NOT work. For one, it is pointless considering we have CS and R2F as equal if not much better alternatives. You would just be taking one part of the attack metagame out and leaving the other equal or better alternatives to excel.
Yah I would say Takara Tomy mightve got a little bit cocky. So old skool FTW!
As I said,We tought.
And we ll got a solution:there is no solution
There is one solution: UNBAN LIBRA. It is obvious that the defense and stamina metagame needs some serious help. Libra may not have the best stamina but it had the weight to keep a stamina blade in and take ferocious hits without a stadium out occuring. As for defense, people say Earth is best but I'm on the fence about this. I have had AMAZING results with Libra on my defense customs and as some have tested, R145 makes Libra better. Libra took over the game way before Earth and it could really help. Think of it this way, MF-H Earth Bull/Aquario GB145RS already works but its still too light to withstand ferocious hits from MF Lightning 100R2F. Wouldn't MF Libra R145RS do the job better if it is already shown that Libra and R145 in sync make each other better? Defense would actually stand a chance with Libra around and so would stamina.
Why Libra is still banned is beyond me. It's silly, actually.
Its sorta funny this time last year defence was dominating. Bringing back libra will probley only do the same thing again, i dont think theres anyway to balance things out atm till TT realses more good defence parts, although imo things are pretty balanced but i can see why people think it isnt
I'll probably sound noobish with this comment but what the hey.
With the attack type dominated the metagame right now, why not use PTW or one of the old hasbro stadiums. I mean, if attack is so much more dominating right now to the point where it's unfair, why not hinder it a little bit by helping out the other types. I keep reading that the hasbro stadiums are TERRIBLE and are UNFAIR FOR ATTACK COMBINATIONS. But it seems that in the MFB Attack Stadium, attack types just dominate.
because it's not hindering attack typs " a little bit", but a lot.
(Oct. 10, 2010  11:38 PM)momiji manju Wrote: because it's not hindering attack typs " a little bit", but a lot.

to add to this PTW makes attack types un useable much like all the other stadiums,
and for people saying why not change mfb attack i hope you know that MFB attack does not hinder defence and stamina types neither it doesnt give an unfair advantage to attack types since the problem with the ridge but it alows all types to be used without any of them having huge disadvantages.

Oh and @Mc frown should add Libra and defences dominace into you timeline Wink
I'm not sure that I would say it doesn't hinder them at all considering the lack of defense combos that can beat out attack. But then again I wasn't here when Defense types ruled the metagame =/.

You know what would be good is if we had a different section for stadiums other than the attack stadium. Since the official WBO rule book does say "Currently, all BeyStadiums released as part of this series are legal for Standard Format play."
It doesn't make sense to only test in the attack stadium.
Unbanning Libra almost seems a given, it won't really boost the Defense metagame at all, and it is Stamina trash.

And banning RF is a brainless idea, as R2F and CS still exist, MF is soon to be released, and handicapping the dominant type (if banning RF would) would just make the game boring. I'd rather have a dominant type than a battle of mediocrity.
Defense and Stamina need a boost, Attack doesn't need a nerf.

I'd add Libra, but I don't feel that it was SO dominant, more like people heard it was fantastic, got scared, and pussyfooted around the problem. MF Pegasis 145RF was a makeable combo towards the begining of the metagame, as was the later introduced MF LL Drago CH120/90RF.

I read an old thread about Libra, and someone was talking about how they wouldn't use an attack bottom more intense than SF. People thought RF was bad (because they were bad) and they couldn't launch it/always self-KO'd. So it's not Libra's dominance really. it was player weakness (from what I can see).
well done Mcfrown. i am in full agreement. The plastic game was so much more balanced then any other system

unbanning Libra is a small, but necisary step to rebalance the game. even the fans now only seem to want attack types. it is sad really
also agree with the fact that people were scared that a bey other than An attack type could win more than 75% of the time. Libra should be accepted as a part of the game. for those who have lost to libra cause you are attack savy, stop bitching, and get over it
Yeah old school rocked.
Every thing had a different attack ring.
S,F,V, and soo on where alllllll different. And looked stronger and more badass as time grew.

Now there is like 10 or 15 wheels top compared to the 100 we had before.
Tired of seeing 3 different blades have storm or rock. All parts should be unique.

I am all down for the metal and stuff. But I need some variation.

Haha who is with me.