Voltaic Ape
AKA: Vortex Ape (Hasbro), Voltic Ape (Error), VApe (Fan)
The Author's Favourite Beyblade
Weight: 6.0g
Despite defensive appearance, Mountain Hammer is a very aggressive AR
Strong Smash Attack in Right Spin, usable but not exceptional in Left
Quite recoil-prone (mainly rotational) but still works in regular Smash setups in Right, being about as powerful as Triple Wing with slightly more recoil.
With good recoil control it has power on par with Hyper Aggressive Smash ARs in Right, making it a truly excellent Smash Attack AR.
Less effective in Left Spin due to less power and more recoil, not competitive in this direction.
Elevated contact points make hitting lower opponents an issue on taller bases, but on these bases it is one of the more effective ARs against Circle Survivor Defense, as it often hits above Circle Survivor itself.
Minor use for very aggressive Compacts, but generally the recoil is too much and the elevated contact points cause issues.
Has good capability for Rotational Smash, and as such Ten Heavy becomes a viable Weight Disk for it if a Blade Base is fast enough to support it without major speed loss. This also allows its contact points to reach more effectively over Circle Survivor due to less WD interference. However, there are trade-offs to aggression when doing so and as such this is something for the individual Blader to see what they prefer.
AKA: MG WD, MGWD, Magne WD, Magneweight Disk, Magnetic Weight Disk, MagnaWD, MagneWD, Magna Weight Disk, MG Weight Disk.
Note on Legality: (Provisional - Check with your Judge) Magne Weight Disk may not be used without the soft plastic outer shell parts. Magne Weight Disks lacking these are considered to have been modified/damaged to the extent that they no longer perform as intended and as a result are illegal.
Weight (Mold 1): 14.3g
Weight (Mold 2): 14.8g
Relatively light, with an even weight distribution over a large area, making for rather unspecialised performance.
Gimmick serves little use in battle but can interfere with bearings of the combo it is used with, slightly reducing survival ability.
Soft plastic shells/outer part provide a slight ability to take hits but shape means it still has more recoil than Wide Defense and Wide Survivor.
Light weight and unspecialised weight distribution further reduce usefulness for any type
Ten Wide works better for all purposes except defensive zombies, though Magne Weight Disk doesn't work particularly well there either, due to its light weight.
Nonetheless, a somewhat usable alternative for Zombie and Defensive Zombie customizations.
Mold Differences:
There are two versions, a later one with a continuous outer plastic shell, and an earlier one where it is split into two halves. The latter are very prone to flying off Beyblades at launch due to the weak adhesive with which the plastic parts are attached. As such, the non-split version is always preferred, and the Split Version is best not used for competitive play. It is also worth noting that Mold 2 tends to be slightly heavier.
Spin Gear: Neo Right Spin Gear (North Magnecore)
Weight: 1.15g ea (total 2.3g)
Generally preferred to regular Right shells due to being compatible with all SG-Compatible bases, in particular for being compatible with Neo SG Cores and the Heavy Metal Core.
This means they are a necessity for Compacts, Weight Based Defense, Force Smash, Traditional Upper Attack and Driger V2 Combinations, at least aside from the rare occasions Left Spin is desired for one of these types, in which case Neo Left Shells are preferred.
Overall a crucial competitive part, but thankfully exceedingly common.
Weight: 3.3g
Only compatible with Neo Shells.
Magnet polarity has little impact outside of Magnecore Stadia.
Only real effect is when using a magnetized tip (Magne Flat Base Tip and Customize Grip Base Tip , which repel North Magnecores) or Magne Weight Disk (which can be flipped over as needed anyway), and even here the effect on performance is negligible, it just makes assembly slightly more difficult and puts a bit more strain on the Base Clips.
Only real effect is weight: not as overwhelmingly heavy as a Heavy Metal Core, yet with enough weight to help a little with recoil, Magnecores tend to be a decent choice if trying to control recoil on Attack types, with Heavy Metal Cores generally slowing the Beyblade down too much on some Bases. That said, this is generally a last resort outside of SG Metal Flat Base (Gaia Dragoon V Version), where it is often around the right weight for a good balance of recoil control and movement speed.
Defensively, it is outclassed by the significantly heavier Heavy Metal Core, however it is the next best thing, and still works okay for Defense/Compacts, albeit not nearly as well as an HMC due to the significant difference in weight
In Magne Stadia, North Cores are intended to be defensive (attracted to magnets in Magnecore stadia, thus staying in place).
Weight: 2.91g
Best LAD of any Support Part, heaviest of the defensive SP due to the low reach and angle of the bottom surface, and with a somewhat compact weight distribution and a low-recoil design.
Primary choice for Survival due to LAD, though Defense Grip Base 2 provides some competition, usually Customize Grip Base with Defense Ring is a better choice with the most competitively viable Zombie tip (Neo SG (Double Bearing Version) Shaft) making this part more useful overall.
However, while Defense Ring seems like the perfect fit for Defensive Zombies, the fact SG (Bearing Version 2) Shaft can occasionally catch in Customize Grip Base does mean that Defense Grip Base 2 can be a less risky choice. Nonetheless, the additional weight of Customize Grip Base and Defense Ring is advantageous and Defense Ring remains a top tier choice here.
Primary choice for Defense and relevant Compacts due to the LAD, weight, and compact distribution, so while Cross Survivor provides more of a protective barrier, Defense Ring is generally the top choice.
While its weight distribution isn't ideal for Attack Types, the fact it is out of the way means it works well with ARs such as Mountain Hammer and other setups that would prefer the BB not to protrude any further than necessary. The additional LAD can also be useful in some situations, especially when using Customize Grip Base.
Overall, perhaps the most versatile and best SP available and a must-have competitively.
Weight: 5.8g
Sharp Metal Tip with plastic surrounds similar to MFB's WD tip, provides solid stamina and good precession
Decent balance, better than other Sharp tips, especially with the assistance of the surrounds
Better than other Sharp tips defensively, but still easy to knock out, especially with the design being easy for opponents to get under.
Decent LAD given good Support Parts
Can be used for Zombies, but is outclassed by Bearing supported parts.
Decent for RPM-Based Defense/Stamina Combinations using traditional Compact parts, though generally Customise Metal Change Base is a better choice, making for a more conventional Weight-Based Defense Combination.
May be the closest thing Plastics has to a conventional Stamina type part - it is one of the best Same-Spin Stamina parts in Plastics due to low friction and good precession, allowing it to face down most Zombie in the same spin direction,
It is held back by its tendency to lose to heavy opponents capable of utilising Force Smash, due primarily to its limited stability.
Slightly better LAD than Volcano Change Base, another Tier 2 choice, but also markedly less versatile.
Overall outclassed, but not something to expect an easy win against.
Overall
Having a very effective Attack AR and the most versatile (and frankly best) SP of the generation, as well as a decent and somewhat interesting Blade Base and relatively useful SG, Voltaic Ape is a must-have Beyblade, and as an aside, my personal favourite - and not only because it introduced me to one of my best friends.
Related Beyblades
Vortex Ape (Hasbro BBA Championship Version): Hasbro exclusive release, replacing all Magnecore parts with regular ones.