Upper Claw (RC Version)
Attack Ring: Upper Claw (RC Version)
AKA: Upper Upper Claw, Upper²Claw
Weight: 5.9g
Heavily modified version of Upper Claw with the slopes moved upwards to sit above the Weight Disk, and the leading edge of the slope wing in left spin inverted into an upper slope, as the original does not fit over an RC Blade Base.
Now has slopes in Left and Right, but at a higher starting point, thus no longer benefiting from combination with Upper Attack SP and due to this and the lack of WD protection inhibiting defensive ability, it is not capable in Driger V2 customs.
Weight distribution is very edge-focused, which assists with viability in Attack/Stamina Balance setups.
Right Spin:
Effective Smash Attack on par with the original Upper Claw, with comparative efficacy depending on height match-ups - generally the AR that hits side-on will have more Smash and the one that hits from below more effectively will have more Upper.
On lower bases (basically, anything shorter than Defense Grip Base), the RC Version tends to perform better, with more Smash Attack and nonetheless strong destabilisation (especially when banked) at the cost of some Upper Attack.
Unfortunately due to its height and high side-walls it does perform quite poorly on Defense Grip Base, the most powerful-for-the-money Blade Base, and its limited range inhibits its ability to hit over Circle Survivor so it fails to benefit from this at all. As such it is best used on shorter Blade Bases.
On shorter Blade Bases and setups (such as SG Grip Change Base Tip in SG (Bearing Version 2)), the combination of well angled contact points and destabilising slopes allow it to push around other opponents and knock them either out or so badly off balance that they proceed to scrape themselves to death.
With the legalisation of Storm Grip Base Tip Inversion this is even more notable, making it a very imposing part here for Traditional Upper Attack.
This attribute extends to Metal-Tipped Bases, making Upper Claw (RC Version) an excellent choice for SG Metal Flat Base (Gaia Dragoon V Version) where it is a more Smash-heavy alternative to the original Upper Claw.
This said, it is only comparable to the likes of Upper Claw and Triple Tiger, rather than the big Hyper Aggressive ARs, especially as the walled sides reduce consistency somewhat.
In addition, it makes an excellent Spin Stealing Attack AR, much like the original, again with more Smash Attack but less Upper depending on height match-ups. Heavy banking is a big asset to the overall performance.
However, it lacks any use for Driger V2 combinations like the original, which was perhaps its greatest attribute, exchanging this for a more generic Smash/Upper Combo Playstyle.
Overall, Upper Claw (RC Version) is a competitive Spin Stealing Attack and Smash Attack AR in Right Spin, though it is significantly hurt by its lack of efficacy on taller Blade Bases.
Left Spin:
The addition of an Upper slope and removal of the awful Force Smash slope makes Upper Claw (RC Version) a direct upgrade to the original in Left - though the original didn't have that much going for it in this direction in the first place, with reasonably well-angled but small, wear-prone contact points and general inconsistency from the walled sides.
While it still suffers from issues of contact point wear, the contact points are quite well angled providing effective Smash Attack
With the legalisation of Storm Grip Base Tip Inversion, the slopes for this direction become quite effective against taller opponents, and combined with the Smash Attack this makes for a very imposing Traditional Upper Attack AR.
The rounded sides improve spin stealing ability.
This combination again makes the Attack Ring effective for Spin Stealing Attack as well as generally effective on Metal Tips.
Like Right Spin, Upper Claw (RC Version) is ineffectual on taller Blade Bases like Defense Grip Base due to inability to reliably hit opponents. Thankfully, Storm Grip Base provides an excellent alternative.
Nonetheless it remains a competitive Left-Spin Smash Attack part as well as a Spin Stealing Attack option, though for the former it is hurt by its lack of ability on taller Blade Bases.
Beyblades including this part
Gallery
Alignment on Driger V2