Eh? What's all this aboot then?
Okay, basically I am one of those people. The individuals who lurk around the customization forums looking for the best combo they can find and then proceed to use them in a tournament like its no one's business. These combos are usually quite good and provide a great deal of success to their users. Due to the general awesomeness of these combinations they also usually require little more than a bit of competence on the user's part to achieve a positive outcome.
In addition, the victims of these cheeky little buggers have not prepared for such encounters and do not have the parts to build an effective counter on the fly.
This is where I'd like to come in. Anyone who has seen me at a tournament recently knows my "Bey karma" hasn't exactly been great. I believe it's about time I did something for the community rather than constantly take from it. Within this thread I'd like to address some of the most prominent and powerful combos in the Canadian metagame (I am aware that metagame differs from region to region and not being a resident of any region but Canada would prevent me from commenting on it's metagame).
Okay, now that you've gotten through the wall of text that is this thread's intro, let's talk metagame.
Toppling Towers of Terror
These may very well be the combos for which I hold the most contempt. These are your 230-based combos. MF-H Basalt Horogium\Hell Kerbecs 230CS would be an example. Earth could also be used but with the appearance of Basalt it is often pushed aside. Unless your beyblade has a track height of 145 or greater and spins left, your chances of winning are dismal. Usage of this combo is not particularly high, nor is it particularly low and so having a combo to take it down should be a priority. MF Gravity Perseus AD145\CH145RF (left spin) and MF LLD CH145RF would be examples of attack types one could use. For those of you who like a safer option, 145-based stamina combos receive tolerable win rates. There is also the infamous "Lightning Tank (MF LLD BD145LRF)" that could be used to achieve great win rates. Speaking of which...
*I would put a clever title here but "Lightning Tank" already sounds cool*
This combo has not been out for a long time, but it has received a great amount of usage already. As the forum regarding this combo states: it is "The fall of the metagame *dun-dun-dunnn*". This means it often receives great win rates on the heavy hitters amongst the metagame. Even formerly reliable attack types like Gravity Perseus- based combos and LLD-based combos struggle against it. It does encounter a problem or two as no combo is perfect. On occasion it will lose to a LTSC... I know right? Crazy. From observation this problem usually comes from the user's own incompetence (I would know =( ) and is righted with practice. What does seem to be a hard counter to this monster comes in the form of the combo MF Hell Kerbecs BD145WD which achieves relatively high win rates.*insert convenient segway here*
Super-Duper EDIT of Revelation:
Okay, so the Lightning Tank itself does not actually have an issue with MF Hell Kerbecs BD145WD. Due to the almost perfect roundness of BD145, LT sometimes has trouble getting the KO. This combo requires practice to ascertain it's fullest potential and falls to Hell Kerbecs only because of the user's inability to shoot properly. When using the LT (and attack types in general) a good rule of thumb is this: when facing an opposing beyblade that is taller than yours, use a sliding shoot and when facing an opponent of lesser or equal height, use a banking shot instead. Constantly I have been able to KO LTSCs using this little rule. Thanks to Bluezee and Dan for this insight.
The Defending Hero
Pockyx3 has created a combo known as the "Defending Hero," a supposed counter the the Lightning Tank that has been tearing the former metagame to shreds. The combo is MF Gravity Perseus (Left-spin) AD145RS. Check out his thread for detailed results.
The "Top Tier" Beyblades
These consist of beyblades off your standard top tier list. MF Vulcan 85R2F, MF Earth\Basalt ______ GB145RS\CS blah, blah, etc. I'm sure you've got the point by now. Winning against these combos often fall into a "rock-paper-scissors" game. The look of dismay on people's faces when you pull out a combo they know they can't beat can be priceless and hilarious for the more cruel and cynical readers of this post but it can be a pain when you are the one stuck going "@!#$, why didn't I pick the other one!" An important rule of thumb to remember here is that attack types are scissors; defense types, rocks; and stamina types, sheets of paper. It is even more important to remember that if you decide to use an attack type capable of spinning left (...that you have practiced with and is at a reasonable height [120-145, there are exceptions]) the stainless steel blades on your "scissors" may as well have turned to diamonds as you now have the power to pulverize the rock that has haunted you for ages let alone that flimsy sheet of paper. =)
The Riff-Raff
There are combos that can be seen at tournaments that are utter garbage. While there is a certain degree of respect and honour for those who attempt to make their own combos, the results are not always... satisfying, to say the least. This does not mean that all of these combos are bad, however. The good combos have to come from somewhere, right? Indeed, the "riff-raff" should not be underestimated. I can't give truly useful advice when dealing with this plethora of what may seem to be random combinations. The only thing to be done, really, is to use something you have a substantial bit of practice with. You could use the "rock-paper-scissors" mentality, but that doesn't really help unless you happen to see your opponent's choice beforehand (which can be a pain under the effects of the "Stalling Clause"). Versatile beyblades like MF Gravity Perseus AD145\CH120RF would be good choices as they achieve relatively high win rates against any type of combination.
The Conclusion
This is all I have for now. Let me know if I've missed anything or something needs clarification or if I've just been wrong about something (in which case feel free to mock me to your heart's content). I hope I could be of use to a few Canadian bladers who have been a little alienated by the shift in the metagame. It's been a pleasure.
P.S.
I apologize to anyone from Canada who doesn't live in Toronto as the tourneys here are what I'm basing a lot of these remarks on. You guys probably already hate us a little for the "we are the center of the universe" mentality a lot of Torontonians have and I apologize in advance for my possible ignorance. If your metagame seems different from ours feel free to give me some info on it and I'll accommodate this thread as necessary.
Okay, basically I am one of those people. The individuals who lurk around the customization forums looking for the best combo they can find and then proceed to use them in a tournament like its no one's business. These combos are usually quite good and provide a great deal of success to their users. Due to the general awesomeness of these combinations they also usually require little more than a bit of competence on the user's part to achieve a positive outcome.
In addition, the victims of these cheeky little buggers have not prepared for such encounters and do not have the parts to build an effective counter on the fly.
This is where I'd like to come in. Anyone who has seen me at a tournament recently knows my "Bey karma" hasn't exactly been great. I believe it's about time I did something for the community rather than constantly take from it. Within this thread I'd like to address some of the most prominent and powerful combos in the Canadian metagame (I am aware that metagame differs from region to region and not being a resident of any region but Canada would prevent me from commenting on it's metagame).
Okay, now that you've gotten through the wall of text that is this thread's intro, let's talk metagame.
Toppling Towers of Terror
These may very well be the combos for which I hold the most contempt. These are your 230-based combos. MF-H Basalt Horogium\Hell Kerbecs 230CS would be an example. Earth could also be used but with the appearance of Basalt it is often pushed aside. Unless your beyblade has a track height of 145 or greater and spins left, your chances of winning are dismal. Usage of this combo is not particularly high, nor is it particularly low and so having a combo to take it down should be a priority. MF Gravity Perseus AD145\CH145RF (left spin) and MF LLD CH145RF would be examples of attack types one could use. For those of you who like a safer option, 145-based stamina combos receive tolerable win rates. There is also the infamous "Lightning Tank (MF LLD BD145LRF)" that could be used to achieve great win rates. Speaking of which...
*I would put a clever title here but "Lightning Tank" already sounds cool*
This combo has not been out for a long time, but it has received a great amount of usage already. As the forum regarding this combo states: it is "The fall of the metagame *dun-dun-dunnn*". This means it often receives great win rates on the heavy hitters amongst the metagame. Even formerly reliable attack types like Gravity Perseus- based combos and LLD-based combos struggle against it. It does encounter a problem or two as no combo is perfect. On occasion it will lose to a LTSC... I know right? Crazy. From observation this problem usually comes from the user's own incompetence (I would know =( ) and is righted with practice. What does seem to be a hard counter to this monster comes in the form of the combo MF Hell Kerbecs BD145WD which achieves relatively high win rates.*insert convenient segway here*
Super-Duper EDIT of Revelation:
Okay, so the Lightning Tank itself does not actually have an issue with MF Hell Kerbecs BD145WD. Due to the almost perfect roundness of BD145, LT sometimes has trouble getting the KO. This combo requires practice to ascertain it's fullest potential and falls to Hell Kerbecs only because of the user's inability to shoot properly. When using the LT (and attack types in general) a good rule of thumb is this: when facing an opposing beyblade that is taller than yours, use a sliding shoot and when facing an opponent of lesser or equal height, use a banking shot instead. Constantly I have been able to KO LTSCs using this little rule. Thanks to Bluezee and Dan for this insight.
The Defending Hero
Pockyx3 has created a combo known as the "Defending Hero," a supposed counter the the Lightning Tank that has been tearing the former metagame to shreds. The combo is MF Gravity Perseus (Left-spin) AD145RS. Check out his thread for detailed results.
The "Top Tier" Beyblades
These consist of beyblades off your standard top tier list. MF Vulcan 85R2F, MF Earth\Basalt ______ GB145RS\CS blah, blah, etc. I'm sure you've got the point by now. Winning against these combos often fall into a "rock-paper-scissors" game. The look of dismay on people's faces when you pull out a combo they know they can't beat can be priceless and hilarious for the more cruel and cynical readers of this post but it can be a pain when you are the one stuck going "@!#$, why didn't I pick the other one!" An important rule of thumb to remember here is that attack types are scissors; defense types, rocks; and stamina types, sheets of paper. It is even more important to remember that if you decide to use an attack type capable of spinning left (...that you have practiced with and is at a reasonable height [120-145, there are exceptions]) the stainless steel blades on your "scissors" may as well have turned to diamonds as you now have the power to pulverize the rock that has haunted you for ages let alone that flimsy sheet of paper. =)
The Riff-Raff
There are combos that can be seen at tournaments that are utter garbage. While there is a certain degree of respect and honour for those who attempt to make their own combos, the results are not always... satisfying, to say the least. This does not mean that all of these combos are bad, however. The good combos have to come from somewhere, right? Indeed, the "riff-raff" should not be underestimated. I can't give truly useful advice when dealing with this plethora of what may seem to be random combinations. The only thing to be done, really, is to use something you have a substantial bit of practice with. You could use the "rock-paper-scissors" mentality, but that doesn't really help unless you happen to see your opponent's choice beforehand (which can be a pain under the effects of the "Stalling Clause"). Versatile beyblades like MF Gravity Perseus AD145\CH120RF would be good choices as they achieve relatively high win rates against any type of combination.
The Conclusion
This is all I have for now. Let me know if I've missed anything or something needs clarification or if I've just been wrong about something (in which case feel free to mock me to your heart's content). I hope I could be of use to a few Canadian bladers who have been a little alienated by the shift in the metagame. It's been a pleasure.
P.S.
I apologize to anyone from Canada who doesn't live in Toronto as the tourneys here are what I'm basing a lot of these remarks on. You guys probably already hate us a little for the "we are the center of the universe" mentality a lot of Torontonians have and I apologize in advance for my possible ignorance. If your metagame seems different from ours feel free to give me some info on it and I'll accommodate this thread as necessary.