Launch Techniques

Even with some inaccuracies in the show, I appreciate the time put in to display two fundamental aspects...

Power and Style

Launch techniques are another fundamental aspect of the game, though it's normally overlooked by casual players or spectators. To further add to the game's versatility, you need to decide and use a launch that works best either for your bey and/or for dealing with your opponent. Being the other factor you can directly control during a battle, one should put in some time to understand how each launch technique works, and how to perform them yourselves when the time comes. 

So with that, let's start breaking them down, shall we? Before we start, please note that the techniques I'll describe here are generally for standard stadiums, and they may not be able to work in stadiums with gimmick designs. Additionally, when I mention holding a launcher, holding a grip attached to the launcher is an interchangeable term as well.

- Standard Launch

This is the go-to launch when starting off and learning how to play the game. Generally, the hand that holds the launcher is held over the stadium at an angle parallel to the center of the stadium floor and doesn't move from its position as the cord is pulled. This causes the bey to drop to the center of the stadium before going into the general movement pattern caused by the tip. You can change up the launch by pulling harder or more softly to increase/decrease spin power respectively. 

Increasing power will give the bey more stamina and movement while decreasing power can soften the impact of attacks and restrict movement, which also reduces the chance that your bey bursts. While it's a solid launch, your bey is somewhat open to attacks as a result of being in the center, so you can mix it up by aiming for different spots in the stadium. In general, this launch is recommended for beys that have limited movement, such as defense and stamina types, to maximize endurance.

- Banking Launch

The banking launch works like the standard launch with a catch. You still have a stable grip on your launcher as you pull the cord, but you now "bank" the launch by holding it at an angle where the bey is parallel to the slope of the stadium instead of its center. 

Since the performance tip now lines up with the stadium slope your bey will have a wider range of movement around the stadium before it becomes upright or loses enough spin to return to its standard movement. While this launch can be used for beys with stable performance tips to dodge or initiate some attacks on their own, this launch greatly benefits beys with more movement such as attack types, as the movement allows for attacks to better target the center instead of just riding around the outside of the stadium. 

You can also use it on other types in an attempt to avoid attack patterns. The wider movements do take some stamina away as a result, but altering the initial movement pattern of your bey can aid in using the remaining stamina to maximize the other aspects of your bey. In addition to practicing banking, I'd suggest trying out other angles to see what else may work for your beys.

- Catapult Launch

This launch starts in the same position as the standard launch, but as the name suggests, the bey is "catapulted" into the stadium by pushing  the launcher forward at the same time as you pull the cord back when launching.  This generates more power than the standard launch to further increase stamina, and the force can also allow for a strong opening attack. However, it's difficult to use initially as the power comes at the cost of some control and accuracy. If launching straight out be careful so that you don't hit your opponent or another object. 

This launch benefits any bey as the stamina is increased, but the greater amount of rotations can leave it vulnerable to recoil, and beys with more mobile tips may have a harder time remaining in the stadium. Since it may also divert from the normal movement pattern due to inertia from the launch, consider using it with tips that have smaller ranges of movement for more control. Practice keeping the launch within the stadium without a bey attached at first, and also have an idea in mind of where you want your bey to land in the stadium to adjust before you launch.

-Sliding/Rush Launch

This launch combines utilizes both aspects of banking and catapulting into one launch technique, which is popular among competitive players and has gained more notice due to it being featured in the Beyblade Burst anime series. To start, have your launcher held in a banking position parallel to and targeted at the stadium slope. Then, launch from that position via catapulting your bey. 

This results in the movement shifting at the start to continuously move to and from the center in a flower pattern (as the small circular movements resemble the petals around a flower's pistil) for mobile beys. Because of that, this technique is recommended for beys with more movement, especially attack types as you get the extra power from catapulting, with less stamina wasted since banking the launch lets you get more attacks on the center initially. To practice the launch I'd suggest starting with catapulting practice to get your launch under control, and then adding banking to work on developing the desired effect.

-Bank Down Launch

This is a variant of the sliding/rush launch where your launcher is angled further down from the normal banking angle, where it's a bit closer to being launched vertically against the stadium. Like the previous launch, this is done while catapulting and has nearly the same results as a sliding/rush launch. By angling the launcher further down it's easier to perform than the previous technique since the angle is tilted further decreasing the chance of correcting the launch to be parallel to the center of the stadium. 

However the impact of the launch from catapulting takes the endurance benefit that's normally granted as a result, making the technique weaker than the sliding/rush launch. It also leaves some tips prone to breaking from the impact as well, so I wouldn't recommend using it aside from as practice to ease into learning the sliding/rush launch.

- Flash Launch

This launch is like the bank down launch without catapulting. By setting your launcher at an angle past the regular one for banking, the launch sends your bey to the center and then has it perform its regular movement pattern. This is also recommended mainly for attack types, specifically in attack vs attack battles as your bey will be in the center and then catch the opponent spinning around the ridge of the stadium, giving you an opportunity for an over or burst finish.

- Snipe Launch

This launch doesn't focus directly on any traits of the previous techniques, but rather requires timing. First, you have to guess or figure out where your opponent is aiming for their bey. Then, within the allowed time of launching you delay your own launch slightly aiming at that spot to hit their bey with your own either in mid-air or just as they hit the stadium. 

The direct attack can give you an edge or decide the match when performed correctly. It's recommended to use the catapult technique with this launch for the extra power. Since this technique doesn't necessarily rely on specific traits or parts from your bey, you can use it with any type, but you should consider your own bey's burst resistance and points of recoil against theirs as well.

- Conclusion

Overall, there are various techniques that you can use to give yourself an edge in the game, and it's up to you to figure out what you should do to make the most of them in conjunction with your bey.

I also recommend checking out this video that provides some visuals and another explanation for each launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCrDJFh1ivM&t

Some things you can consider when deciding on a launch:

How likely is it for my bey to burst in this battle?
What type am I up against?
Where will my opponent aim?
How will my opponent's bey move?
What will my opponent's bey do to win?

Also take note that in a match with multiple rounds, you might not be able to rely on the same launch in each round as you and your opponent use info from previous rounds to decide what to do in the current one. It may be possible to take some wins with one solid launch, but it's better to be well versed in various launches to prepare for more situations. Hopefully, this guide gives you some insight to further improve your launches and adds another aspect to mess around within the game.

Hopefully people don't injure themselves trying this IRL...

                                                            

Beyblade Types

Attack, Defense, Stamina and Balance...

I am an organized type chart!

 

Now that I've gone through an overview to help you decide on a launcher, let's go over another fundamental part of the game, beyblade customization. One of the game's most appealing aspects is that bladers are able to mix and match parts to make many different kinds of beys for various purposes in battle.

 Given all of the options we have with parts, beyblades usually fall under four different classifications or "types" that describe general playstyles. For bladers of previous generations, the type system hasn't really changed from Metal Fight and the original series' toylines, though now the burst finish is another factor to consider when building your beys. 

Other various factors considered when deciding what type your bey is are things like weight, movement patterns, and spin time, though not every condition has to be met for their label. For now we'll take a look at the common traits each type has, their strengths and weaknesses and how they fare against other types, and also use stock examples that represent these various traits fairly well. Hopefully by the end of this you are able to better understand how each type works and can have a better idea of what to consider when customizing for and playing with each type.

Attack

Let's start off with the most popular type, attack. This type is usually the most recognizable due to the dynamic movement inside the stadium. It's also used by almost every protagonist across the different incarnations of the anime series. The goal of an attack-type is to use great force to overpower opposing beys, hitting hard, fast, and consistently enough to end games with over/burst finishes.

The movement comes from using a performance tip with a flat base. This generates friction to move around the stadium, building momentum for their attacks. The layer will have various ridges/protrusions to control where/how force is applied when making contact, and the disk may also distribute weight to match the contact points on the layer. 

The overall weight is average or light when compared to other types, heavy enough to reduce the impact of recoil on itself while being light enough to reduce pressure on the driver to allow for more movement.

Victory Valkyrie/Valtryek V2 is one example of what attack-types can be like. It has various edges on the layer to direct how it's force is applied, the disk while light, is designed to push air downwards initially to have more force on impact (though in practice it's unable to do so), and the rubber driver adds on to friction for speed in exchange for a low spin-time, and gets faster with use since the spikes wear down and create a flatter and faster tip.

Attack-types have the lowest spin-times due to using a less stationary performance tip, while the uneven weight distribution also doesn't help keep the bey upright as it starts to slow down. This can be taken advantage of if the attack type fails to land hits on the opponent. Movement can also be hard to control with the driver making it vulnerable to over finishes as well. 

                                                                                                       Defense

On the opposite end of the spectrum, defense-types are intended to hold up against the best features of an attack-type, minimizing the damage taken from attacks while also being able to spin longer and wait for the opponent to wear down. One core aspect is that these beys are heavyweights, to have resistance against recoil.

The performance tips have moderate movement with ball shapes or wide cones, giving enough stamina to outlast attack-types while also enabling  movement for counterattacks or to dodge incoming attacks. The disk is designed to distribute weight more evenly and along with the layer, adds the most weight to the bey. The Layer is designed to be somewhat rounded to reduce recoil, but some ridges are included to enable counterattacks. 

An example of a good defense-type be would be Dead/Dread Phoenix 0 Atomic. The layer is much rounder compared to an attack-type and features a gimmick where the outer armor can fall of instead of having the beyblade burst from an initial hard impact, allowing the remaining bey to be even rounder while conserving stamina. 0 is a fairly heavy disc that distributes weight evenly to further help with defensive properties, and the Atomic driver is a free-spinning ball to aid with stamina while allowing for moderate movement.
                                                                                          
While it's designed to have more stamina than attack-types, defense-types don't have the most stamina as the weight puts pressure on the driver, and the components are not oriented to make the bey spin as long as possible. 

Stamina

Since spin-time is an aspect fairly important to the game, it makes sense that there's an entire type dedicated to it. Stamina-types really only have one goal, spin for as long as possible and win the match with a spin finish.

The performance tip will have a pointed tip, either breaking into the wider cone or having a thinner design. This is done to minimize friction against the stadium by limiting how much contact is made while spinning and to decrease movement in order to conserve spin.

 The disc will distribute weight evenly, and alongside the layer will have average weight to further limit friction on the performance tip, but have enough weight to handle some recoil. The layers will also be very rounded or have a design intended to further extend spin-time. The parts may also work together to enable Life-After-Death (LAD), where the bey is able to generate extra rotations after it has lost stamina and fallen on its side.

Deep Chaos/Caynox C3 4 Flow Bearing serves as a good example. The layer's shape helps to maintain stamina and the sloped ridges provide minor defense, 4 is a lighter weight that reduces pressure/friction, and bearing's free rotating tip along with its use of ball bearings helps to greatly increase the spin time.

While they spin fairly long, since friction is minimized and the design has less defense/offense to extend spin time, they are prone to taking more damage from beys that can generate recoil. They also make easy targets since they generally stay in the center of the stadium where they will move the least. 

                                                                                                    Balance

Following the main three types, Balance is unique in the sense that it's a combination of the types mentioned above. With a balance type, you use parts that combine traits from two or all three of the other types and use their synergies to create a jack-of-all-trades of sorts. 

Due to their nature it's hard to pinpoint specific aspects of what classifies them, since the parts you want to use depending on what types you want to borrow from. 

For attack traits, I recommend looking for layers that apply recoil, or drivers with a flat tip. For defense traits, heavier disks or layers that reduce the impact of recoil. For stamina traits, use more stable drivers or smooth and round layers to more evenly distribute weight.

Cho-Z Spriggan/Turbo Spryzen 0Wall Zeta' is able to use traits of all 3 types fairly well. The layer while corrugated is still rounded and has rubber to take hits and metal to dish out attacks. It can also alter between left and right rotation for further variation. 0 is a fairly heavy disc with the wall frame adding to the weight as well. Zeta' allows you to choose between a flat attack tip, a ball defense tip, and a sharp stamina tip to suit your matchups, while the stronger spring makes it harder to burst.

Using balance-types, one should be careful as the various traits implemented may not mesh well, resulting in a bey that is unable to do well in any aspect. While they are versatile, Balance-types are also masters of none, since having to use various traits means there's no one area it shines in. As such they are less likely to win against beys that take advantage of the types they've tried to implement, or beys that are clearly focused on one type. Overall, to use multiple traits the bey sacrifices the ability to be strong in one area, relying on its versatility to win.

Specialist

The last category I'll include is not officially recognized, but I think it's distinct enough to mention. Simply put, the specialist type is one used for beys that don't really fit within the other four categories. 

I think of it as the opposite of a balance type. While the balance-type wants to use various traits from the other three types, a Specialist goes against all other types in favor of focusing on one specific aspect that isn't labeled by the other three categories. While the balance-type is a jack-of-all-trades, specialists are one-trick-ponies.

 This can be a mechanic or gimmick that it chooses to build around and focus on for its strategy. However in a similar manner to balance types, the limit to building this kind of bey depends on what aspect you want to go for. It can include parts from the other types, but the main focus should be on what you want to specialize in. There's also a risk to building these beys since you may be lacking or forced to give up an aspect that's normally included by nature of being within the four more defined types.

Wizard Fafnir Ratchet Rise Sen is one example, where even though it's been officially labeled a stamina type, I feel it belongs in the specialist category. The wizard layer and ratchet disk use rubber and a plastic ring respectively, in order to absorb spin from right-spin beys, while the rise performance tip helps keep the bey upright to further enable spin stealing.

Due to their nature, specialists will be favored to win matches that they are designed to take advantage of, or that you've learned how to prepare for from experience. On the other hand they are also favored to lose match-ups that abuse their weaknesses, or where their weaknesses can be learned and taken advantage of. For example with Wizard Fafnir, the sen weight makes the bey somewhat unbalanced, and the ample amount of rubber used increases recoil and by extension, the chances for a self-caused over or burst finish as a result.

                                                                                             ConclusionGiven all the types, a chart that organizes them looks something like this:          
                                        

Attack, Defense and Stamina are arranged in a fashion similar to rock, paper, scissors, considering their pros and cons. Balance is in the center and Specialist is outside the main four, fitting of their traits. A summary of each:

- Attack: Uses high movement and recoil to win. Has advantage against Stamina-types since there's less resistance to their attacks, and the limited movement lets them set up easier. Disadvantaged against Defense-types due to the heavier weight, lower recoil, and moderate movement to avoid attacks.

- Defense: Uses heavier weight and lower recoil to reduce the impact of attacks while maintaining some stamina. Has an advantage against Attack-types due to holding out against their attacks. Disadvantaged against Stamina-Types since their own stamina isn't maxed out.

- Stamina: Uses moderate weight alongside other parts to maximize spin times. Has an advantage against Defense-types since there's less of a chance to prevent an endurance battle. Disadvantaged against Attack-types since there's less resistance to an over or burst finish.

- Balance: Uses parts to have traits from the aforementioned types in order to win through versatility. Advantage/Disadvantage depends on what traits are built upon, though it may also lose due to not being overly strong in one area.

- Specialist: Uses parts to ignore strategies from other types and focus on a more specific/unique aspect of the game to win. Advantage/Disadvantage depends on how much the opposing bey plays into/against your specifications.

While there's still the possibility of some beys performing better than others, with how much one can customize there's no such thing as a perfect bey. It's up to you to find what combinations suit you and how to adapt your strategy to account for their weaknesses, or the opponent's strengths.