A few years ago, the brilliant engineers over at Beyblade HQ put their heads together and decided to make the fastest, strongest, most exciting Beyblades of all time, and they came up with something no one expected.Beyblade X, the fourth generation of Beyblade, combines the key features of every previous generation with a new “X-celerator Rail” system, which supercharges the Beyblades and sends them flying into each other at speeds that, frankly speaking,kind of scare me.
It’s been great fun getting back into the hobby with Beyblade Xfor the first time since I was a kid, and I’ve loved building and battling with the new Beys, even when (or especially when) they burst into pieces and go flying out of the arena. Beyblade X was a hit right out of the gate and has revitalized the franchise tremendously, so much so that theBeyblade World Championshipis making a return for the first time in seven years, and inviting competitors over the age of 13 for the first time ever.
As much as I love Beyblade X, I do have one big concern. Beyblade generations evolve and grow over time, but the Beys in this generation are already so powerful, I’m worried that Beyblade X peaked too soon. Is this generation destined to be a victim of its own success, starting so strong that it’s left no room to raise the stakes? Thankfully, I can put those worries aside thanks to Hasbro’s new Drop Attack Stadium - an arena that looked at the old Xtreme Stadium and said, “Hold my launcher.”
Welcome To A New Era Of Beyblade X
What’s more Xtreme than a Bey smashing into an opponent so hard that it explodes? How about a Bey launching itself off a ramp and flying straight down on top of its opponent to crush them where they spin. Yes, the new Drop Attack Battle Set features an elevated X-Celerator Rail that allows your Bey to get above its enemies and drop down like the Undertaker leaping off of the top rope. It sounds awesome, and it is.
The Drop Attack Beystadium is similar in size and shape to Hasbro’s Xtreme Beystadium, but it now has a rotational incline along the rail, which forces Beys that connect up onto a shelf that they then drop down from, hitting any Bey foolish enough to spin below them with a tremendous amount of downward force. It’s a very cool gimmick that works exactly as advertised, leading to chaotic, high energy matches that end quickly and spectacularly.
Because of the ramp on each side, the battlefield itself is much smaller than the Xtreme Beystadium, and much,muchsmaller thanks to Takara Tomy’s tournament Beystadium. This creates a lot more contact, and matches that end quickly. To facilitate this more deadly stadium, two additional Over Finish zones have been added to the opposite corners, behind the ramp. In my testing, Over Finishes were practically guaranteed, while the Xtreme Finish, which has a significant lip that blocks its entrance, was much harder to land than other stadiums.
This stadium has the potential to change what is considered good in Beyblade X. Some blades have built-in downforce and are more equipped to attack from above, so they may benefit disproportionately from the drop attack gimmick. Ultimately, I don’t think the Drop Attack BeyStadium will be considered competitive because it’s so small and chaotic, but for casual play, it’s easily my favorite arena. If you love the excitement of seeing big smash attacks, the Drop Attack Battle Set is built for it.
Two Major Hasbro Bey Releases
Along with the stadium, you’ll also get two Beys in this battle set. Impact Drake 9-60LR is a popular UX attack-type that has good weight and four rubber contact points, making it one of the most unique blades. The dark blue and black 9-60 is a great addition to any collection, since it’s one of the best ratchets, and the Low Rush bit is a must-have, meta-defining attack-type bit. This is the first time you’ll be able to get Low Rush outside of Japan, making this battle set even more valuable.
As great as it is to finally have a Hasbro version of Impact Drake and LR, the real prize here might be Hover Wyvern 3-85N. Hover Wyvern is a Hasbro-exclusive blade, which means international bladers will get to experiment with it first before Japan does - a rare treat in the Beyblade world. While the 3-85 ratchet and Needle point are nothing to write home about, Hover Wyvern is still a very interesting blade with a lot of potential.
It’s an oval-shaped defense blade with a “top-down control” gimmick, meaning its adept at deflecting attacks from above and below - perfect for the new Drop Attack Stadium. From my testing, Hover Wyvern has a tremendous amount of recoil that can send attack types flying out of bounds with even a light touch. I’m excited to see what players do with Hover Wyvern; it’s one I’m planning to test with a lot.
It’s not often we get a brand new Hasbro Stadium (the next one is a tournament stadium in November), and this one is exceptional. It creates brand new interactions between Beys that has me going back to the drawing board with a lot of my combos to look for new opportunities, which is exactly what you want a new stadium to do. Well, that and deliver some incredibly exciting matches, which the Drop Attack stadium constantly does. Throw in the Hasbro release of Impact Drake with Low Rush and the brand new Hover Wyvern, and you’ve got a must-have battle set for casual and competitive Beyblade fans alike.
