Vortex Ape - Hasbro BBA Championship Version

  • Note: As this is a Hasbro-only release, the Hasbro name is used.

  • AKA: Voltaic Ape (Takara), Voltex Ape (Stickers), Voltex (Stickers), Voltic Ape (Error), VApe (Fan)

  • Hasbro release of Voltaic Ape for the BBA Championship line, with its Magnecore parts removed.

Picture provided by @4d_fury

Attack Ring: Mountain Hammer

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.

Weight Disk: Ten Balance

Weight: 15.0g

  • Decent weight, with a compact yet edge-focussed distribution which makes for good all-around performance.

  • Thanks to the additional weight, the weight distribution provides a good mix of RPM maintenance/grinding and overall survival ability.

  • Generally outclassed by Wide Defense unless a more compact weight distribution is required. This is most noticeable in Compacts and Semi-Flat Base Stamina, where the compact weight distribution helps their stability and grinding ability while providing a little extra survival over mode compact options. However for compacts, the greater weight of Ten Heavy is generally preferred.

  • Overall a good part.

  • SonoKong G-Blade Mold (as opposed to their earlier mold) is generally very similar to the regular mold, meaning it can be used interchangeably.

Spin Gear: Neo Right Spin Gear (Metal Weight Version)

Spin Gear Shells: Neo Right Spin Gear Shells

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.

Spin Gear Core: Metal Weight Core

Weight: 2.5g

  • Only compatible with Neo Shells.

  • Has a cylindrical metal part in the centre to add weight

  • Slightly lighter than Magnecores, which limits its usefulness, even for Attack Types where the small difference between it and other cores in terms of weight means it generally fails to find a niche, or at least fails to stand out as significantly better in most cases.

  • This does not mean it is outclassed for all setups, however, odds are it provides the right mix of recoil control and speed for some setups, it is just that the difference it would be best by would inevitably be quite small.

  • Does still work well for Attack Types in general, despite usually being outperformed by other options the difference is quite minimal.

Support Parts: Defense Ring

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.

Blade Base: Customize Metal Sharp Base

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 very arguably best) SP of the generation, as well as a decent and somewhat interesting Blade Base and relatively useful SG, Vortex Ape is a must-have Beyblade. In addition, the BBA Championship version trades off a slightly more useful SG Core for a much more useful (albeit more common) Weight Disk. General consensus however is that the Takara version is more visually appealing.

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