Dragoon S (Anime Version)
AKA: Dragoon Storm (Full Name), Dragon S (SonoKong)
Re-release of Dragoon S with Red Stickers, matching the anime, with its own product code (A-1).
Weight: 3.5g (Takara) | 4.0g (Hasbro)
Left Spin Smash AR
High rotational recoil as contact points are slightly too outward angled, meaning it requires very good recoil control to be effective - primarily Defense Grip Base or SG Grip Change Base Tip.
Once the recoil is controlled, Reverse Dragon is surprisingly powerful, however it suffers from its limited range, leaving it short of being truly competitive.
It is important to note that it does suffer from breakage issues due to the lack of reinforcements to the main contact points.
Nonetheless, it is a viable choice in Left Spin with the right parts.
In Right it has little power and still suffers from recoil, meaning it has little use in this direction.
Notable Mold Differences:
The Hasbro version of this part is significantly thicker than the Takara version to reduce breakage (though it still breaks somewhat often), adding some weight but having fairly minimal performance impact.
There is a second, even more reinforced mold from Hasbro used in the 2005 BBA Championship release which fills in most of the area behind the spikes with a thin layer of plastic and adds a small spike in the area sprouting from the central ring of the AR for further reinforcement. While this largely negates breakage issues, the overall performance impact is likely minimal.
Weight (Hard Edge Mold): 12.7g
Weight (Soft Edge Mold): 12.2g
Very light weight
Two molds, one with sharper edges used exclusively by Takara, and one with softer edges used by both Hasbro and Takara (after production moved to China, presumably). The Hard Edge mold tends to be heavier on average but there is huge crossover between them and the difference can largely be considered negligible. The soft edge mold also often has bumps, generally smaller than those on Ten-Series Weight Disks, at one or both ends, which theoretically could make for poorer balance, though the impact is negligible.
Wide weight distribution, albeit less so than Ten Wide, Wide Defense and Wide Survivor.
Minor use with Attack AR's whose contact points are obscured by wider weight disks (eg Double Wing), though these limitations inherently render them inferior to many other options, and overall the lighter weight of Eight Wide leaves it outclassed.
Spin Gear: Left Spin Gear
Spin Gear Shells: Left Spin Gear Shells
Weight: 1.12g each (Shells) + 1.12g (Metal Weight Gear) (Optional)
One of two sets of shells used to allow Left-Spin use, alongside Neo Left Spin Gear Shells.
Designed to be incompatible with Four Layer System Attack Rings
Incompatible with Neo Cores, and thus certain MagneSystem Blade Bases, though Wyborg's SG (Auto Change Version) SG Core Part can be used to allow use with some.
Generally Neo Shells are preferred for their greater compatibility, mostly their ability to use Neo Cores - for Left Spin, this is particularly relevant with Double Bearing Core.
Generally uses a Metal Weight Gear with all compatible SG Cores. This gear helps reduce wobbling/rattling and adds a small amount of weight. It does not, however, work as a gear in any capacity.
Nonetheless, per BBA Survivor, BBA Attacker, BBA Defenser and BBA Balancer having Regular SGs but no Metal Weight Gear, it is not required for legality.
This allows Left Spin Gear Shells to produce the lightest SG setups for Left Spin when using SG (Auto Change Version) and no Metal Weight Gear.
Spin Gear Core: Regular SG Core Part
Note: The correct name for this part is "Gear" however this name is commonly used to avoid confusion with the Metal Weight Gear in standard SGs.
Weight: 0.61g
Small core part to fit into the Base and be clipped to by the Base Clips, holding the Beyblade together. Also used as a ripcord gear by Bearing Gyros Beyblades.
The plastic part is the second lightest of all Core parts, being just slightly heavier than Wyborg's SG (Auto Change Version) core part.
Incompatible with certain MagneSystem Blade Bases as the tip shafts are too wide for the hole in its base.
With Neo SG Shells, it creates one of the lightest setups, making for what is theoretically the best SG for most attack types not requiring a Neo core or their own shafts, though the difference is generally theoretical only, due to the minimal weight difference, and often going heavier is better for rotational recoil control.
Useful for completely optimizing a Spiral Change Base zombie (which are the only competitive stamina types that do not require a gimmicked SG), as cores are not useful for recoil control due to its low friction and the lighter weight in the centre slightly improves survival. Technically SG (Auto Change Version) may be superior as it does fit, but the difference is likely to be too small to measure.
AKA: SGB (abbreviation), Storm Grip
Weight: 4.4g
One of the shortest Blade Bases in plastics - designed to allow low hits and getting under opponents.
Flat rubber tip with relatively small diameter.
There are two materials for the tip - the one used by Takara is a harder rubber which still has some grip (slightly more than Fantom Grip Base), the Hasbro and SonoKong versions use a softer rubber more similar to Defense Grip Base,
Standard Tip Mode:
Rather slow compared to most flat-tipped bases because of the grip and small tip size (not much more than a Semi-Flat Tip), though it can move at a decent pace for a near-decent amount of time with a strong launch. However, inverting the tip (see below) produces a much more impressive performance.
The Takara version moves a little faster but doesn't pattern as well, both properties being a result of the harder rubber.
Storm Grip Base was the preferred base for Traditional Upper Attack due to low height and ability to hold a Heavy Metal Core, however many competitive types (eg Circle Survivor Defense, Compacts, Weight Based Defense) are resistant to the type, which had left the type languishing until Inversion of the tip was legalised.
Directly outclassed by Grip Base in Right Spin and generally too slow and with too limited an aggression window to be on par with even SG Metal Flat Base (Gaia Dragoon V Version), and taller bases are still more effective overall, especially with the presence of Circle Survivor Defense in the meta.
In Left Spin, the lack of another rubber-tipped Attack base in its height range means it is a fair choice and can be quite effective with something like Square Edge, for example, but again taller bases tend to be more effective, leaving it outclassed.
Wears down fairly quickly.
Can be used to some degree as a Grip Defense part using a low recoil Attack Ring and Wide Defense, taking advantage of its low height to avoid heavy hits, though its stamina is perhaps even more of a concern than even that of Defense Grip Base, making the latter generally a better choice.
Tip Inversion:
Inversion of the tip of Storm Grip Base is possible primarily with Takara Blade Bases and SonoKong or Takara Tips. Hasbro tips do not work as they are narrower with a side cutaway, and Hasbro and SonoKong Blade Bases have a wider hole for the tip thus do not retain the tip.
Fitment can vary somewhat due to tolerances, however this has long been a very common configuration, and was even featured in Spin Up Book Vol 1. Some Takara setups can be looser, however slightly compressing the tip, while of questionable legality, tends to make them a little tighter.
The softer rubber of SonoKong tips generally allows more recoil control, and as such is preferable - though it could separate more often in looser Blade Bases due to this extra grip.
Overall, it is analogous to a slightly less consistent Defense Grip Base inversion.
It is a ridiculously fast and challenging tip to use, but has incredible power as a result while still being able to be flower patterned. If controlled, it is comfortably one of the most powerful Attack tips in any format.
This makes for an incredibly high-speed, low height Attack Base - a true alternative to Defense Grip Base for attack, with more reliability against low opponents in exchange for somewhat worse performance against Circle Survivor Defense as well as poorer controllability.
However, just as critical if not moreso - Storm Grip Tip Flip allows Traditional Upper Attack the speed it needs to be a competitive force once more, as well as being a solid option for low-height Smash Attack.
While setups using it can still struggle slightly with Circle Survivor Defense, Left Spin setups fare slightly better.
It is important to note that such setups perform markedly worse in shrouded stadiums as opponents can deflect off the shroud, as well as having no way to throw opponents over walls. As such, shrouded stadiums are best avoided for Plastics.
Overall
Having a decent AR and what is now an incredibly high-octane Blade Base alongside a useful SG, Takara's Dragoon S is a must-have addition to a capable Attack user's collection. However, it should be noted that variance means bladers may have to buy a couple to get a combination that works for this.
Related Beyblades
Dragoon S - Original Release