Quote:{{Beybox
| image = Griffolyon.jpg
| full item name = Griffolyon
| item number = A-28
| beyblade system = [[4-Layer]]/[[Hidden Spirit]]
| beyblade type = [[Attack]]
| starter or booster = Booster
}}
__TOC__

== Attack Ring (AR): Cross Griffon ==

The Attack Ring of Griffolyon, Cross Griffon, takes the form of four sets of griffon heads and wings, and is somewhat thick compared to other commonly used attack rings.

While it was long overlooked, largely due to the ban on competitive use of [[Hidden Spirit]] Parts, recent testing has shown it to have [[Smash Attack]] to be on par with that of the famed Triple Wing ([[Trygle]]), and the legalisation of the Hidden Spirit Attack Rings for competitive play has resulted in Cross Griffon finally seeing tournament usage.

The main contact points, the four wing tips, are sharp and well spaced, producing an incredible amount of [[Smash Attack]] in right spin. The shape of these contact points helps focus the pressure from their attacks, dealing more damage to the opponent, and the overall size of the attack ring means it has excellent attack range. Lastly, while it lacks the slopes that a number of [[Smash Attack]] ARs are able to use to destabilise opponents and score outspins, it compensates for this with some of the most effective stopping power of any Attack Ring; Cross Griffon is able to deliver powerful hits that interrupt the rotation of opposing beyblades, severely reducing their stamina, if not bringing them to a halt entirely.

While Cross Griffon has slightly more [[recoil]] than Triple Wing, this is naturally controlled by most standard [[Smash Attack]] setups; [[Wide Defense]] alone is enough to control recoil on rubber tipped bases, including the extremely fast, extremely light [[Dragoon Grip Attacker|Grip Base]], and either [[Wide Defense]] and an [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|MG Core]], or a [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|Heavy Metal Core]] and [[Wide Weight Disks|10 Wide]] are enough to negate any recoil on [[Gaia Dragoon V|SG Metal Flat 2]].

A further advantage Cross Griffon has over Triple Wing is its thickness. Along with the greater availability and lower price of Griffolyon compared to Trygle, the thickness of Cross Griffon means that despite the incredibly forceful impacts it produces, it is very unlikely to break, even on extremely fast bases such as [[Dragoon Grip Attacker|Grip Base]], making it a more economical choice. That said, the sharp wing tips can cause damage to Stadium walls and more fragile opponents, and this may counteract any savings from the lower price.

While the additional [[recoil]] should be accounted for, Cross Griffon may be used in any standard [[Smash Attack]] customization with outstanding results.

=== Use in [[Smash Attack]] Customization ===

Arguably the best use of Cross Griffon’s properties is:

* '''AR:''' Cross Griffon
* '''WD:''' [[Wide Defense]]
* '''SG:''' [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|Neo Right SG]] (MG Core)
* '''BB:''' SG Metal Flat 2 ([[Gaia Dragoon V]])

This combination is designed to capitalize on Cross Griffon’s most notable advantages. [[Wide Defense]] bolsters the already excellent stopping power of Cross Griffon, the externalised weight distribution making its movement and hits harder to interrupt, and also increasing speed and [[Survival]]. An MG Core is used to reduce the recoil to a point of irrelevancy, while having a small enough impact on stamina to allow the combination to effectively outspin a wide range of opponents, even without its signature stamina-destroying ability.

As always, SG Metal Flat 2 provides excellent speed and power for knock-outs, but its solid survival ability is what really makes this customisation so deadly. Cross Griffon’s powerful [[Smash Attack]] produces excellent stopping power; even if it fails to knock the opponent out of the stadium, the extremely heavy hits it delivers often disrupt opponents’ spin, heavily reducing their survival ability, sometimes even stopping them outright. The[[Survival]] ability of SG Metal Flat 2 capitalises on this, resulting in a combination that can defeat an opponent through both knock out and outspin.

A [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|Heavy Metal Core]] may be used for extra controllability, but due to the negative impact it has on Survival ability, it is generally a better idea to practice launching until you can control the combination.

=== Mold Difference ===
[[Hasbro]] versions of this AR have attachment points for the figurine located on the top of the AR rather than the base. These only add recoil, especially against taller opponents, and as such a [[Takara]] Cross Griffon is greatly preferred.


== Weight Disk (WD): 8 Balance ==
See [[Balance Weight Disks|8 Balance]]

== Base: Griffolyon Base ==
=== Ruling Clarification ===
Griffolyon Base is not legal for use in World Beyblade Organization-sanctioned tournaments. The following is included for informational purposes only.


'''Griffolyon Base''' has an integrated SG, similar to first generation beyblades. The main gimmick of this base is that the tip is not attached directly to the base, but instead is attached to a cylindrical body, which sits inside the shaft of the base, allowing a small amount of free-spin, albeit limited by the friction produced by plastic-on-plastic contact.

The tip itself is a tall, narrow, rounded tip, providing little movement, no [[Defense]], and very poor balance, which also results in poor [[Survival]].

These balance and [[Defense]] issues are compounded by the poles used to attach the included figurine (the main gimmick of the hidden spirit beys), which extend downward from the base, and scrape easily when the base loses balance, or is hit hard enough to move away from the centre of the stadium, both of which are extremely common events. This is further worsened by the fact the bases of these poles protrude from the otherwise round perimeter of the base, creating massive amounts of [[recoil]], allowing even the most passive opponents to violently knock it out of the stadium.

These issues come together to give it some of the poorest stamina ability of the entire plastic generation: even Defense Grip Base ([[Seaborg]]), a base that has such poor stamina that it sees almost no use despite having almost peerless [[Defense|Defensive]] ability, is able to consistently outspin it. Its [[Defense]] is so bad that it is easily knocked out by even the most passive opponents, and as mentioned before, it lacks any [[Attack]] ability. Furthermore, unlike other similarly terrible bases, such as [[Trygle]]’s SG Jumping Base, it lacks an interesting gimmick. All of these factors mean it is able to make a very strong claim for the title of “Worst Base in the Entire Plastics Generation.”

Obviously, even if it were legal, there would be absolutely no reason to use this base under any circumstance.


=== Mold Difference ===
[[Hasbro]] releases of Griffolyon Base have the poles removed (though the bases of them are still present). This provides slightly better [[Survival]]. However, it still uses the same tip, and the bases of where the poles are on the Takara version are still present, interrupting the circular shape of the base, and allowing easy purchase for opposing [[Attack]] types, and as such it still has poor [[Survival]]. Furthermore, the shape of the base makes is an easy target for [[Upper Attack]], although whether it is more or less vulnerable to low attackers than its [[Takara]] counterpart is questionable. While it is generally slightly better than its [[Takara]] counterpart, it is still just as useless competitively, and as such, best avoided, especially as it comes with a less useful mold of the Cross Griffon, the only useful part of this beyblade. The [[Hasbro]] mold of Griffolyon Base, just like the [[Takara]] Version, is not legal for competitive use.

== Other Versions ==
* Griffolyon 2 (Hasbro) (Dark Purple, [[Hasbro]] Mold)
* A-128 - Bakutenryu Etanzel Dragon (Red)
* '''Griffolyon''' - Black Ver. ([[Takara]])

== Overall ==
With its powerful [[Smash Attack|Smash]]-Focused Attack Ring and atrocious blade base, comparisons between Griffolyon and [[Trygle]] are inevitable. This, however, is not necessarily bad for Griffolyon, as it has a number of advantages over its more popular counterpart, most notably its increased aggression.

On the whole, Griffolyon should not be seen as a mere substitute for [[Trygle]], but a very viable alternative. '''All serious competitive bladers should own one of the two, if not both.'''

[[Categorylastic Beyblade]]
[[Category:Beyblade]]

Commentary (Click to View)

Yeah, the base section is pretty strongly worded, but use a takara griffolyon base and tell me it did anything remotely resembling “not absolutely terrible in every imaginable way”.

It’s like the design team set themselves a challenge of making the worst base ever, and succeeded to an unprecedented degree. Seriously, we’re talking Star Wars Holiday Special level terrible here: so bad it flies straight past “so bad it’s good”, swings all the way back around and becomes “so bad even George Lucas would be ashamed of it”. This might sound like an extreme appraisal, but I’m not exaggerating, I completely believe it is not only the worst base, but also the worst PART of the entire plastic generation.

Look I even did a star rating for it (using a 0-5 system)

Attack: 0
Defense: -83
Stamina: nope

That said, I did my best to remain objective whilst writing this article.

Cross Griffon really is a fantastic. I earlier said it had minor recoil issues, and I realised I did change a fair bit from the previous draft. I have used it extensively the last two days, to make sure this rewrite was as accurate as could be, and it truly is an absolutely incredible attack ring. I think there’s something about Four-Winged Smash AR’s that makes people ignore them.


Yes, I changed the customisation a fair bit. I traded off some controllability for extra power, speed, and stamina. Just practice launching or whatever, the extra controllability is not worth the stamina loss.
Triple Wing simply can’t match Cross Griffon’s huge stopping power. Cross Griffon can deliver such powerful hits that the opponent flips upside down, something I’ve never seen any other AR do so often.

I know previously I had stated that Cross Griffon had recoil issues on grip base. I had forgotten that this was only with 10 Wide, as I didn’t wish to use my Wide Defense on that combination (Uriel 2’s tip makes other attackers look like bump king, sooo). I tried them out today, and Cross Griffon+Wide Defense+Grip Base doesn’t suffer any more recoil than Triple Wing. That said, I prefer SG Metal Flat 2 for Cross Griffon, as it makes far greater uses of its advantages. Tested it now, Grip Base, Cross Griffon does better

I also find Cross Griffon works better than triple wing on Fantom Grip base. It has slightly better range than Triple Wing, and an extra contact point, so it’s generally more efficient.

Storm Grip, ehh, I kinda like Triple Wing more. It has that slight upper attack that can come into play on such a low base. Triple Wing is slightly lighter which I guess also helps on such a sluggish base. Honestly though storm grip is a pretty poor base, IDK why it gets so much credit, it only really works with G Upper and even then Cross Griffon+SG MF2 outperforms it severely.

Poseidon posted some tests a while back (plastics part discussion maybe), with Cross Griffon and Triple Wing on SG MF2, where cross griffon outperformed it, and this matches all of my observations. I can throw together some of my own testing if absolutely neccessary, but I'd first recommend you TRY it, especially in the combo listed (and don't use an HMC, srsly). The same setup is also the best I've found for Triple Wing on SG MF2, but yeah.

TESTING! (Click to View)

Cross Griffon Tests

Attack Combo

AR: Cross Griffon OR Triple Wing
WD: Wide Defense
SG: Neo Right (S-MG Core)
BB: SG Metal Flat 2

Always launched second with a banked sliding shot (however, shot directly in front, angled with the slope there, as it gave maximum contact and best results in pre-testing rounds)

Compact:
AR: Tiger Defenser
WD: 10 Heavy
SG: Neo Right (HMC)
BB: SG Semi Flat
Straight shot at the centre.

Stadium: Tornado Attack

Triple Wing Tests: (Click to View)

1. COS
2. COS
3. CKO (Recoil)
4. TWOS(Smash)
5. TWOS (Smash)
6. TWKO
7. TWOS (Destab.)
8. TWOS (Destab.)
9. COS
10. TWKO
11. TWKO
12. TWOS (Destab.)
13. COS
14. COS
15. COS
16. COS
17. TWKO
18. COS
19. COS
20. TWKO
Draws: None

Notes: Compact seemed to interrupt the movement, strangely, but yeah. Triple wing often needed multiple hits to KO, and lacks cross griffons ability to KO without a run-up. A lot of hits just didn’t do much, and Triple wing relied on destabilising with its slopes an awful lot. It actually uses them a lot more than people seem to think

Win Rates:
Triple Wing: 10/20 = 50%, 5KO, 5OS (3 OS’s from Destabilisation, 2 from Smashing opponent to stop)
Compact: 10/20 = 50%, 1 KO, 9 OS (KO was due to Triple Wing’s recoil)

Cross Griffon Tests: (Click to View)

1. CKO (recoil)
2. GKO
3. COS
4. COS
5. GKO
6. GOS (Smash)
7. GOS (Smash)
8. GKO
9. COS
10. COS
11. COS
12. GKO
13. GKO
14. COS
15. GKO
16. GOS (Smash)
17. COS
18. GOS (Smash)
19. GOS (Smash)
20. GKO

Draws: 2 SO (R2, 17) 3DKO (R6, 12, 16)

Notes: Cross Griffon smacked the compact around with every hit, and its hits were much, much cleaner. When it KO’s, it does so in one hit. It’s basically acting like Triple Wing is supposed to. Oddly, while it’s spin was less interrupted by contact with the compact, it’s recoil showed up in the draws. I’m assuming this is something to do with CG maintaining rotation well, but not entirely sure how it works.

Win Rates:
Cross Griffon: 12/20=60%, 7 KO, 5 OS : All OS’s by smashing opponent to a stop.
Compact: 8/20 = 40%, 1 KO, 7 OS (KO was due to Cross Griffon’s recoil)



There is one big downside to cross griffon: it breaks things. I need to tape up the walls of my stadium (dw, not inside the play area, all legal still, relax), and it actually made a base clip disappear. It wasn’t even a loose one, so I’m kinda annoyed, it just hit the compact really hard on the base after having knocked it off balance with a previous hit, and I assume it cracked it and it flew out (so did the compact, hah) It has done other damage to beyblades, normally breaking off the small bumps on either side of the bitchip that help keep it in place (not the main things they click into, the bumps in front of that), then knocking out bitchips. Not sure if that’s worth including in the article.

EDIT: UPDATED: GRIP BASE TESTING!
Attack Combos:

AR: Cross Griffon OR Triple Wing
WD: Wide Defense
BB: Grip Base

Grip base is near mint

Compact Combo:
AR: Tiger Defenser
WD: 10 Heavy
SG: Neo Right SG (HMC)
BB: SG Semi-Flat

Tornado Attack

Cross Griffon Results

detail (Click to View)

1. COS
2. GKO
3. COS
4. COS
5. GKO
6. GKO
7. COS
8. GKO
9. GKO
10. COS
Draws: 1 DKO round 10
Notes: The KO in round 9 was amazing, it smacked the compact so hard that it rocketed across the stadium, the AR scraped just before the wall, and it then rocketed right back across and out the pocket!

Cross Griffon Win Rate: 5/10 (50%): All KO
Compact Win Rate: 5/10 (50%): All OS


Triple Wing Results

detail (Click to View)

1. COS
2. COS
3. CKO (Rebound)
4. TWKO
5. TWKO
6. COS
7. TWKO
8. COS
9. TWKO (right over the wall!)
10. COS
Draws: 2 DKO (R3, 7)

Triple Wing Win Rate: 4/10=40% (all KO)
Compact win Rate: 6/10=60% (5OS 1KO)




Comparative:

SG Metal Flat 2:
Cross Griffon: 12/20=60%, 7KO, 5OS + 5 Draws (3DKO, 2SO)
Triple Wing: 10/20=50%, 5KO, 5OS (No Draws)

Grip Base:
Cross Griffon Win Rate: 5/10=50% (All KO) 1 DKO
Triple Wing Win Rate: 4/10=40% (all KO) 2 DKO

Quote:=== Mold Difference ===
[[Hasbro]] releases of Griffolyon Base have the poles removed (though the bases of them are still present). This provides slightly better [[Survival]]. However, it still uses the same tip, and the bases of where the poles are on the Takara version are still present, interrupting the circular shape of the base, and allowing easy purchase for opposing [[Attack]] types, and as such it still has poor [[Survival]].

Quote:The [[Hasbro]] mold of Griffolyon Base, just like the [[Takara]] Version, is not legal for competitive use.

Quote:{{Beybox
| image = Griffolyon.jpg
| full item name = Griffolyon
| item number = A-28
| beyblade system = [[4-Layer]]/[[Hidden Spirit]]
| beyblade type = [[Attack]]
| starter or booster = Booster
}}
__TOC__

== Attack Ring (AR): Cross Griffon ==

The Attack Ring of Griffolyon, Cross Griffon, takes the form of four sets of griffon heads and wings, and is somewhat thick compared to other commonly used Attack Rings.

While it was long overlooked, largely due to the ban on competitive use of [[Hidden Spirit]] Parts, recent testing has shown it to have [[Smash Attack]] to be on par with that of the famed Triple Wing ([[Trygle]]), and the legalisation of the Hidden Spirit Attack Rings for competitive play has resulted in Cross Griffon finally seeing tournament usage.

The main contact points, the four wing tips, are sharp and well spaced, producing an incredible amount of [[Smash Attack]] in right spin. The shape of these contact points helps focus the pressure from their attacks, dealing more damage to the opponent, and the overall size of the Attack Ring means it has excellent attack range. Lastly, while it lacks the slopes that a number of [[Smash Attack]] ARs are able to use to destabilise opponents and score outspins, it compensates for this with some of the most effective stopping power of any Attack Ring; Cross Griffon is able to deliver powerful hits that interrupt the rotation of opposing beyblades, severely reducing their stamina, if not bringing them to a halt entirely.

While Cross Griffon has slightly more [[Recoil]] than Triple Wing, this is naturally controlled by most standard [[Smash Attack]] setups; [[Wide Defense]] alone is enough to control Recoil on rubber tipped bases, including the extremely fast, extremely light [[Dragoon Grip Attacker|Grip Base]], and either [[Wide Defense]] and an [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|MG Core]], or a [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|Heavy Metal Core]] and [[Wide Weight Disks|10 Wide]] are enough to negate any Recoil on [[Gaia Dragoon V|SG Metal Flat 2]].

A further advantage Cross Griffon has over Triple Wing is its thickness. Along with the greater availability and lower price of Griffolyon compared to Trygle, the thickness of Cross Griffon means that despite the incredibly forceful impacts it produces, it is very unlikely to break, even on extremely fast bases such as [[Dragoon Grip Attacker|Grip Base]], making it a more economical choice. That said, the sharp wing tips can cause damage to Stadium walls and more fragile opponents, and this may counteract savings from the lower price.

While the additional [[Recoil]] should be accounted for, Cross Griffon may be used in any standard [[Smash Attack]] customization with outstanding results.

=== Use in [[Smash Attack]] Customization ===

Arguably the best use of Cross Griffon’s properties is:

* '''AR:''' Cross Griffon
* '''WD:''' [[Wide Defense]]
* '''SG:''' [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|Neo Right SG]] (MG Core)
* '''BB:''' SG Metal Flat 2 ([[Gaia Dragoon V]])

This combination is designed to capitalize on Cross Griffon’s most notable advantages. [[Wide Defense]] bolsters the already excellent stopping power of Cross Griffon, the externalised weight distribution making its movement and hits harder to interrupt, and also increasing speed and [[Survival]]. An MG Core is used to reduce the Recoil to a point of irrelevancy, while having a small enough impact on stamina to allow the combination to effectively outspin a wide range of opponents, even without its signature stamina-destroying ability.

As always, SG Metal Flat 2 provides excellent speed and power for knock-outs, but its solid survival ability is what really makes this customisation so deadly. Cross Griffon’s powerful [[Smash Attack]] produces excellent stopping power; even if it fails to knock the opponent out of the stadium, the extremely heavy hits it delivers often disrupt opponents’ spin, heavily reducing their survival ability, sometimes even stopping them outright. The[[Survival]] ability of SG Metal Flat 2 capitalises on this, resulting in a combination that can defeat an opponent through both knock out and outspin.

A [[Spin_Gear#V_and_V2_Series_Spin_Gears|Heavy Metal Core]] may be used for extra controllability, but due to the negative impact it has on Survival ability, it is generally a better idea to practice launching until you can control the combination.

=== Mold Difference ===
[[Hasbro]] versions of this AR have attachment points for the figurine located on the top of the AR rather than the base. These only add Recoil, especially against taller opponents, and as such a [[Takara]] Cross Griffon is greatly preferred.


== Weight Disk (WD): 8 Balance ==
See [[Balance Weight Disks|8 Balance]]

== Base: Griffolyon Base ==
=== Ruling Clarification ===
Griffolyon Base is not legal for use in World Beyblade Organization-sanctioned tournaments. The following is included for informational purposes only.


'''Griffolyon Base''' has an integrated SG, similar to first generation beyblades. The main gimmick of this base is that the tip is not attached directly to the base, but instead is attached to a cylindrical body, which sits inside the shaft of the base, allowing a small amount of free-spin, albeit limited by the friction produced by plastic-on-plastic contact.

The tip itself is a tall, narrow, rounded tip, providing little movement, no [[Defense]], and very poor balance, which also results in poor [[Survival]].

These balance and [[Defense]] issues are compounded by the poles used to attach the included figurine (the main gimmick of the Hidden Spirit Beyblades), which extend downward from the base, and scrape easily when the base loses balance, or is hit hard enough to move away from the centre of the stadium, both of which are extremely common events. This is further worsened by the fact the bases of these poles protrude from the otherwise round perimeter of the base, creating massive amounts of [[Recoil]], allowing even the most passive opponents to violently knock it out of the stadium.

These issues come together to give it some of the poorest stamina ability of the entire plastic generation: even Defense Grip Base ([[Seaborg]]), a base that has such poor stamina that it sees almost no use despite having almost peerless [[Defense|Defensive]] ability, is able to consistently outspin it. Its [[Defense]] is so bad that it is easily knocked out by even the most passive opponents, and as mentioned before, it lacks any [[Attack]] ability. Furthermore, unlike other similarly terrible bases, such as [[Trygle]]’s SG Jumping Base, it lacks an interesting gimmick. All of these factors mean it is able to make a very strong claim for the title of “Worst Base in the Entire Plastics Generation.”

Obviously, even if it were legal, there would be absolutely no reason to use this base under any circumstance.


=== Mold Difference ===
[[Hasbro]] releases of Griffolyon Base have the poles removed (though the bases of them are still present). This provides slightly better [[Survival]]. However, it still uses the same tip, and the bases of where the poles are on the Takara version are still present, interrupting the circular shape of the base, and making an easy target for opposing [[Attack]] types. As such it still has poor [[Survival]].

Furthermore, the shape of the base makes it an easy target for [[Upper Attack]], although whether it is more or less vulnerable to low attackers than its [[Takara]] counterpart is questionable.
While it is generally slightly better than its [[Takara]] counterpart, it is still just as useless competitively, and as such, best avoided, especially as it comes with a less useful mold of the Cross Griffon, the only useful part of this beyblade.

== Other Versions ==
* Griffolyon 2 (Hasbro) (Dark Purple, [[Hasbro]] Mold)
* A-128 - Bakutenryu Etanzel Dragon (Red)
* '''Griffolyon''' - Black Ver. ([[Takara]])

== Overall ==
With its powerful [[Smash Attack|Smash]]-Focused Attack Ring and atrocious blade base, comparisons between Griffolyon and [[Trygle]] are inevitable. This, however, is not necessarily bad for Griffolyon, as it has a number of advantages over its more popular counterpart, most notably its increased aggression.

On the whole, Griffolyon should not be seen as a mere substitute for [[Trygle]], but a very viable alternative. '''All serious competitive bladers should own one of the two, if not both.'''

[[Categorylastic Beyblade]]
[[Category:Beyblade]]

(Feb. 06, 2012  7:55 AM)th!nk Wrote: Purchase is used there as a synonym for grasp, basically, they're easy for attackers to hook into. Couldn't think of a better word but maybe it's one of those things that isn't that common outside of certain localities. Give me a few minutes and I'll have something better.

As for the base part, I wasn't really sure whether I needed to re-state that, so I played it safe. Will lop it off.

Admittedly, the base section was the one I was most worried about. It's a struggle to sound objective when you're dealing with a part that is just so utterly terrible at everything, but it really is just that bad.