Why do people play this game?

Alright so I played BeyBlade back in the day. I also played a little bit of the metal ones with Pegasus and such. I just have so many questions.

Is this game competitive?
What is the point of this game all you do is spin and hope you win?
Whats the point of playing if it requires ZERO skill?
How is it fun if you can barely customize, and no skill is involved?
What is the best burst bey as of now?
What is the best launcher as of now?

Can some people please fill me in. I would love to play again but I don't see how anyone over 12 could like the game. Maybe there is something I am missing. All you do is put it on, spin, and hope you win. The only "skill" I can see in this game is arm strength?? If anyone could answer my questions I would love to get back into the game but just can't understand it. Cool it was fun when we were kids and put our "hearts" into our beys and basically told our beys they could win it and stuff but dang I don't get why grown adults are playing. Please help me out Smile
Hi Studsy,

Your most basic assumption about Beyblade is incorrect, and that's why you can't understand why people would play it.

Beyblade isn't just a game of luck. While there is an element of luck to Beyblade, it’s mostly a game of preparation – of choosing the right Bey and launching it skillfully to give it the best odds of winning the battle.

Changing parts of a Beyblade's combination will change how it performs. For example, a flat rubber tip will cause it to move through the stadium at extremely high speed, but for a short period of time. Combined with aggressive attacking parts, you can build a combo that's very aggressive. Or you can use different kinds of parts to build different kinds of combinations.

You say you can "barely customize" but changing parts has a huge impact on a Beyblade's performance. You can see a very old video (so it's not exactly up-to-date) I made about Beyblade types here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw9F9t2_ugY

Your launch power is important, but just as important is your ability to aim in a way to produce the correct movement pattern (hitting the enemy or avoiding the enemy) and staying in the stadium.

If you check out other discussions on this site you'll see that there is a vibrant competitive community around Beyblade and a ton to learn.
Lol I see you see my comment
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:36 AM)BeyGabe Wrote: Lol I see you see my comment

Yes I did my friend Smile
1. Sure it is.
2. You don't just spin and hope you win, you carefully select a combo and launch in a way that attempts to compensate for the combo's weaknesses.
3. Why do you care? What if people play it for enjoyment? Either way, Beyblade does require skill, particularly in launch technique. (Side note: personally, I take an interest in the game's physics)
4. What do you mean "barely customize"? The whole point of Beyblade is that they are extremely customizable.
5. Best layer is Odin, which is why the WBO has banned it for the time being. Other than that, there really is no "best" overall, since there will always be a counter for any particular combo (and when there's not, we ban it to keep things balanced, diverse, and fun).
6. Best launcher for Burst is debatable. I believe the Long Winder + Light Launcher is preferred, but the Sword Launcher from X2 is almost (if not as) good.

Also, if you would not take a condescending attitude towards our hobby, that would be appreciated. At first I couldn't tell if the point of your post was to provoke anger or if you were genuinely curious. I don't from what you determined that Beyblade requires no skill, but that assumption is fundamentally wrong.

edit: Guess I was beaten by Brad, but whatever.
edit edit: My post was doubled because my connection to this site is awful.
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:38 AM)Evilfaic Wrote: Also, if you would not take a condescending attitude towards our hobby, that would be appreciated.

He's not really being condescending. He's asking a genuine question regarding the game, and clearly stated his current viewpoint on it. It's basically an "I don't understand, so help me understand" view. I think you might have misinterpreted it, haha.

Not sure I can really contribute to the discussion without echoing what Brad has said. There is certainly a lot more to the game than meets the eye and, while it may seem like a children's game, the game is exceeding competitive when you start studying the various different parts in further detail.
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:38 AM)Evilfaic Wrote: 1. Sure it is.
2. You don't just spin and hope you win, you carefully select a combo and launch in a way that attempts to compensate for the combo's weaknesses.
3. Why do you care? What if people play it for enjoyment? Either way, Beyblade does require skill, particularly in launch technique. (Side note: personally, I take an interest in the game's physics)
4. What do you mean "barely customize"? The whole point of Beyblade is that they are extremely customizable.
5. Best layer is Odin, which is why the WBO has banned it for the time being. Other than that, there really is no "best" overall, since there will always be a counter for any particular combo (and when there's not, we ban it to keep things balanced, diverse, and fun).
6. Best launcher for Burst is debatable. I believe the Long Winder + Light Launcher is preferred, but the Sword Launcher from X2 is almost (if not as) good.

Also, if you would not take a condescending attitude towards our hobby, that would be appreciated.

1. Sure it is.
2. You don't just spin and hope you win, you carefully select a combo and launch in a way that attempts to compensate for the combo's weaknesses.
3. Why do you care? What if people play it for enjoyment? Either way, Beyblade does require skill, particularly in launch technique. (Side note: personally, I take an interest in the game's physics)
4. What do you mean "barely customize"? The whole point of Beyblade is that they are extremely customizable.
5. Best layer is Odin, which is why the WBO has banned it for the time being. Other than that, there really is no "best" overall, since there will always be a counter for any particular combo (and when there's not, we ban it to keep things balanced, diverse, and fun).
6. Best launcher for Burst is debatable. I believe the Long Winder + Light Launcher is preferred, but the Sword Launcher from X2 is almost (if not as) good.

Also, if you would not take a condescending attitude towards our hobby, that would be appreciated. At first I couldn't tell if the point of your post was to provoke anger or if you were genuinely curious. I don't from what you determined that Beyblade requires no skill, but that assumption is fundamentally wrong.

edit: Guess I was beaten by Brad, but whatever.

I genuinely want to play the game. I just like games with skill. I just can't see the skill in this game. How can someone be better than somebody else, when all they have to do is buy the same bey as them? Please explain.
The way Beyblade is marketed and released; at least internationally, may have something to do with your stance.
It's all about customization and finding out what works best.
Believe me, this community isn't screaming "Starblast Attack" at a Plastic bowl.
We aren't trying to copy the cartoon, here.
We're taking notes and tests combinations of parts to build combos to sweep the competition; and finding counters to those which eliminate the competitors.
It's quite thrilling, in the actual experience of it all.
I remember my heart beating pretty hard at the finals of The Name Changer.

And by the way, you can make anything competitive.
I can play a mean game of Bingo, my dude.
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:44 AM)~Mana~ Wrote:
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:38 AM)Evilfaic Wrote: Also, if you would not take a condescending attitude towards our hobby, that would be appreciated.

He's not really being condescending. He's asking a genuine question regarding the game, and clearly stated his current viewpoint on it. It's basically an "I don't understand, so help me understand" view. I think you might have misinterpreted it, haha.

Honestly, I couldn't tell if he was trolling or not. I've seen plenty of these type of posts that constantly try to label the game as requiring "no skill" (as he repeated several times in his post).

Apologies for any misinterpretation or offense, should teach me to not assume the worst of people.
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:45 AM)Neo Wrote: The way Beyblade is marketed and released; at least internationally, may have something to do with your stance.
It's all about customization and finding out what works best.
Believe me, this community isn't screaming "Starblast Attack" at a Plastic bowl.
We aren't trying to copy the cartoon, here.
We're taking notes and tests combinations of parts to build combos to sweep the competition; and finding counters to those which eliminate the competitors.
It's quite thrilling, in the actual experience of it all.
I remember my heart beating pretty hard at the finals of The Name Changer.

And by the way, you can make anything competitive.
I can play a mean game of Bingo, my dude.

I shouldn't have said no customization but I mean they cut down on it since metal correct?

I understand that people wont be screaming and stuff at the tournaments and this game actually requires a decent amount of physics and such but I don't really understand how outsiders could even possibly see the game as "cool" in my opinion it seems kinda embarrassing but if its what makes the person happy, why bother them?
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:45 AM)Studsy Wrote: I genuinely want to play the game. I just like games with skill. I just can't see the skill in this game. How can someone be better than somebody else, when all they have to do is buy the same bey as them? Please explain.

Did you see my post? You can also check out this equally-old video which focuses on shooting skill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dkH4NMzdL4

Beating another player isn't as easy as having the same Beyblade as them. If you're using the same Beyblade as your opponent, the situation becomes more luck-oriented, but also relies way more on shooting skill and strength. You'd likely be at a disadvantage.

Instead, what you want to do is build combos that counter the opposing Beyblade (as the video I linked earlier explains). But in addition to actually having the counter Beyblade, you also need to be able to predict what combo your opponent will use in your match.

As you can see, there are a ton of variables that come into play. Players who consistently win their battles (as you can see on the "rankings" page) typically use multiple combos in a tournament and have the ability to predict and counter opponent's decisions.

Quote:I understand that people wont be screaming and stuff at the tournaments and this game actually requires a decent amount of physics and such but I don't really understand how outsiders could even possibly see the game as "cool" in my opinion it seems kinda embarrassing but if its what makes the person happy, why bother them?

It's pretty obvious that you're not actually interested if this is how you feel, isn't it?

Obviously, people who play Beyblade a lot tend to already like toys or games, or are otherwise probably not that concerned about how others' feel about their hobby. It would also depend on where you live and what kind of people you know; my co-workers think it's awesome and have attended events and let me use our office to host tournaments.

My girlfriend likes to play and a ton of my other friends have started playing as well, all in their 20's or older. They may not all take it as seriously as the hardcore players here, but it's a game that has great pick-up-and-play potential as well as competitive depth.
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:53 AM)Bey Brad Wrote:
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:45 AM)Studsy Wrote: I genuinely want to play the game. I just like games with skill. I just can't see the skill in this game. How can someone be better than somebody else, when all they have to do is buy the same bey as them? Please explain.

Did you see my post? You can also check out this equally-old video which focuses on shooting skill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dkH4NMzdL4

Beating another player isn't as easy as having the same Beyblade as them. If you're using the same Beyblade as your opponent, the situation becomes more luck-oriented, but also relies way more on shooting skill and strength. You'd likely be at a disadvantage.

Instead, what you want to do is build combos that counter the opposing Beyblade (as the video I linked earlier explains). But in addition to actually having the counter Beyblade, you also need to be able to predict what combo your opponent will use in your match.

As you can see, there are a ton of variables that come into play. Players who consistently win their battles (as you can see on the "rankings" page) typically use multiple combos in a tournament and have the ability to predict and counter opponent's decisions.

Quote:I understand that people wont be screaming and stuff at the tournaments and this game actually requires a decent amount of physics and such but I don't really understand how outsiders could even possibly see the game as "cool" in my opinion it seems kinda embarrassing but if its what makes the person happy, why bother them?

It's pretty obvious that you're not actually interested if this is how you feel, isn't it?

Obviously, people who play Beyblade a lot tend to already like toys or games, or are otherwise probably not that concerned about how others' feel about their hobby. It would also depend on where you live and what kind of people you know; my co-workers think it's awesome and have attended events and let me use our office to host tournaments.

My girlfriend likes to play and a ton of my other friends have started playing as well, all in their 20's or older. They may not all take it as seriously as the hardcore players here, but it's a game that has great pick-up-and-play potential as well as competitive depth.

I watched your video. You keep repeatedly saying "shooting skill" or "style" but what do you mean? How can you shoot a certain way to win. Is it angles or what.
The video I linked to literally explains what it is and how to do it. If you're not that interested, save us both the time. Smile

There are other elements not covered in that video, such as one-hit KOs and weak-launching (intentionally lowering your shooting power to decrease the impact of incoming attacks).
(Aug. 02, 2016  4:05 AM)Studsy Wrote: alright so this video basically only applies to attack types that are aggressive. so lets say you aren't using an attack type, the only "skill" I guess you could say is strength correct?

Not necessarily; as I mentioned, weak-launching is important, as is aiming to avoid self-KOs and to avoid early hits from your opponent. In those situations, you have to predict the opponent's trajectory before launching, which is difficult since you have to launch at the same time.

Shooting strength is important, but thankfully it's not a matter of physical strength. Just because you're a stronger or weaker person doesn't mean your launch will be strong or weak. It's more about the speed and form of the motion.
I'll be blunt; if this makes any sense, you seem too uninterested to be interested. You seem to have a thick stigma towards this hobby, almost to the extent that I feel you're trying to "troll". Most of us are well aware that Beyblade isn't a "cool" thing to do, but it's still fun. If you can't understand it without the will to try things out, buy things, compete in a tournament, etc., there's no point in learning about it. Most of us have also cast aside any rude comments toward it. I could counter and say that physical sports are just as silly, but I won't get into it.
It is skill based, but not in the general sense that you'd be used to when comparing it to sports or gaming. Some would say esports would take no skill, and that's the aura I'm getting from you, but with Beyblade.

tl;dr
You have to actually give it a chance by getting the base necessities, otherwise you will not understand; since you didn't seem to understand Brad's points.
You seem interested enough to make an account and ask questions, however, whatever makes beyblade enjoyable is partially up to you, you may like it for the high customization and skills just like many others, you may like to imitate the show, you might like watching the battles, or you may just enjoy it's aesthetics and collect them for fun. I personally try and balance all that, although it's not to say I take Beyblade too seriously, I mainly play it just for fun. Perhaps it's because when you enjoyed it before, but not now, it might be because you have outgrown it or found other interests that have spoiled the fun of Beyblade for you, and that people here just aren't all like that.
I can't really explain why we like this game so much but I can say tell about why it isn't just matter of luck or zero skills.

Studsy Wrote:What is the point of this game all you do is spin and hope you win?
How is it fun if you can barely customize, and no skill is involved?
Well there are many beys/parts to choose from and each affact performance of a Blade.

like if you use a sharp tip your bey will spin longer due to lower friction but it's also more prone to getting Knock Out of stadium by attack types due to haviing less friction and if it's too sharp it may loose balance and just toppled over. shape and matariel of tips matters too as if you use a a ball shaped tiip will have more friction and will harder to for attack type to Knock it Out but it will also loose spin velocity faster and may loose to stamina types. a flat tip will make lots of movement which is good for attack types so they can hit they opponent using it's fast movement but if they Can't KO it they will loose to types like Defence. If you tip is made of rubber it will have extremely high friction which is good for both attack and defence type due to it can move very fast [flat] and due to high friction it can avoid KO from attack types very well, where if you use metal tip which have Much less friction which may give it incredible stamina but it may or may not have that much defence [depending on which tip we are taking about] and tips like can both KO stamina due to high speed and spin longer then a rubber tipped defence type.

shape weight and size of beys matters too. if your bey's metal wheel is completely circle it will be very hard to KO because attack types don't have any place latch on and throw it out of stadium [less bumps or gaps = more defence/stamina but less attack] but if it have many bump or very uneven desigh like Diablo Nemisis [one of most popular] if will have good attack power due to those bump will bonce/knock other beys back by hitting hard. if your beys weight is focused more outward then it will spin for longer and will have better balance and if it has more weight focused to middle it will have faster spin velocity and will have better defence. heavier beys are always good they spin longer, hit harder and hard to KO

Launch Techniuque is one of thing that matter a lot. Bey Brad mentioned abt Sliding Shoot [Tilting launcher on an angle and sliding launcher forwand to move beys in flower pattern so attack types can hit beys in middle of stadium] weak launch [just launching slower] and Banking [tilting launcher]. but they aren't only techniuques. there are many more ways that you can launching bey at differant angles, on slope of staium, launching streigh, launching strieght and then if bey hits the wall it will start moving in flower pattern. and many countless ways.

some of my very own launch techniuque (Click to View)
well, well. formidable questions. Okay then.

to address your first point, the game is vary competitive. one of the primary functions is keeping up with the meta game, holding tournaments, and reward players who compete in such events.

to address your second point, there is a lot more to beyblade than spinning and hoping. customizing a beyblade is a massive part. and not just into the four types. for example, a mobile defense is a type of combo where you put an attack bottom onto a defensive setup so it moves to evade attacks and also to take attacks when hit. and while it may not seem as crucial, the way a beyblade is launched determines how the beyblade acts. for example, tilting the launcher and sliding it outwards makes attack types circle in and out of the center of the stadium in a "flower pattern."

to address your third point, the skill comes from having to counter your opponents strategy. which is why the deck format (which is still in its trial phase) would bee a great example. both players create 3 beyblades from their parts with their backs turned, then the have the first battle with one of the tops. when a player loses, the judge offers them the chance to swap the lossing bey with one of their others.

Hopefully the last two portion addressed your fourth point.

and to address your fifth and sixth points, the burst meta game is ever evolving that no one beyblade or launcher will dominate for long.

i hope this has shown you why we as a community still love this game. and i can see how someone over twelve can enjoy it (as i will be 15 soon). so hopefully you get back into the hobby and happy blading.
I'll give this studsy dude one thing, Beyblade in its current form is probably much more luck based than in the past. Even if you're not necessarily using the most competitive combo or your launch is bad you might still win via a surprise burst. Got a lot of those using VAM in my first tourney.

I have to say though, this whole post reeks of troll.
I mean I feel like it's been beat into the ground already but I might as well throw my hat in the ring. So for context, I'm a 20 something year old engineering student and me and my friends recently picked up beyblades pretty much because we all had cash to spare. So first I'll go through your questions, then I'll address your other lingering issues.

Is this game competitive?
Yes, and to be fair you can make anything a competition. Whether you're asking if there's a competitive scene, it exists as this website regulates it
What is the point of this game all you do is spin and hope you win?
This is a negative way of looking at the game. What's the point of games like OW if that person completely counters me. What's the point of attacking in a fighting game if they can parry? I mean yeah all you're doing is watching tops hit each other but there's something alluring to the simplicity. A game does not have to be complex to be fun.
Whats the point of playing if it requires ZERO skill?
This is a fun bit because you can have a game that requires zero skill and still be fun. Case in point 100% Orange Juice. It's essentially a 100% RNG based game and there's little to no way to actually play the game with any skill but it's still enjoyed by many people.
How is it fun if you can barely customize, and no skill is involved?
I already answered the second part kind of but there's still a fair number of customization. Heck you could have basically done away with the disks and I'd still say the customization would be a fun aspect. But outside of that, I think the fun of it is personalization. Finding that combo that isn't particularly the best but it's something you really like.
What is the best burst bey as of now?
There's a thread for this so I'm not going to bother.
What is the best launcher as of now?
Long Winder, Light Launcher.

So outside of those questions, it kind of comes down to "I don't get it, it's a kids game right?" and yeah it is. This is literally battle tops designed by a toy company marketed to children. But just because it's made for kids doesn't mean as an adult you're not allowed to enjoy it. Conversely, just because you're an adult doesn't mean you are obligated to enjoy adult things. I mean it all comes down to whether you actually have fun with fighting it out with tops with your friends (and you will need friends). There's a part of it where I'm genuinely interested in the design and mechanics of beyblades from an engineering stand-point but it's also just innocent fun trying to beat my friends at spinning tops, and I think it's as simple as that.
I get where you're coming from. Beyblade itself requires luck and skill, just like the posts above state. My dad personally doesn't understand why I still like Beyblade or what's so fun about it. I explained why and he got the gist of it. However, he still remains to stick by his opinion but enough of that.

In order to understand the practicality of Beyblade and its fundamentals, think of it this way.
Beyblades come in different sizes and parts. Each part is its own, performing its own way. Depending on its shape, material, etc, it will always affect the performance of a Beyblade combo. During battles, I always try to analyze my opponents' combos. I see how their combos react to others. I might get a peek at its parts. I'll also predict what type of combo they tend to lean on. Using my knowledge, I'll try to use those parts and combine them, using visual imagery to predict how it will perform in battle. I see it in a mechanical way, if you must. Then, I'll see my parts and I'll think like them, using the right parts to make a combo that will oppose against theirs. Next comes launching technique. l'll always try to use the sliding shoot and bank as far as I can go. I usually launch very hard so sometimes, I adjust my launching power to make sure my Bey will KO my opponent a certain way.

Beyblade itself is a skill game and it's incredibly fun. Watching the anime led me to become more passionate about the metagame and battling. So that's pretty much how I wanted to explain haha.
(Aug. 02, 2016  3:50 AM)Studsy Wrote: "...I don't really understand how outsiders could even possibly see the game as "cool" in my opinion it seems kinda embarrassing..."

Have you heard of Poke'mon? same situation here.
(Aug. 02, 2016  5:36 AM)Syphon Wrote: I'll give this studsy dude one thing, Beyblade in its current form is probably much more luck based than in the past. Even if you're not necessarily using the most competitive combo or your launch is bad you might still win via a surprise burst. Got a lot of those using VAM in my first tourney.

I have to say though, this whole post reeks of troll.

IMO Burst is not really more about luck than anything else; you just have to accept the Burst mechanic as native to it. VAM is a decent combo for getting burst finishes, so it's not surprising that you did.
To be fair, Burst is a lot more luck related and appears to be a bit less competitive than previous Beyblade generations. Customization is drastically limited and the bursting mechanic punishes certain tops if they are worn out. Not to mention while you can technically "counter" your opponents pick you can also just get lucky picking randomly. Thats why I'm in full support for a deck system for tournaments (although I don't agree that KO's and Bursts should be 2 points each).