Discover Why You Need to Start Playing Burst GT, the Best New Tournament Format for Beyblade Burst (WBO Tournament Report)

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On April 24, 2022 the Toronto WBO Beyblade community gathered for Curse Glides towards Judgement Day at High Park, our second tournament using worldbeyblade.org‘s new, experimental, and tentatively named “Burst GT Format“.

Back on March 27, 2022 I hosted our first WBO Burst GT Format event: FOREVER BEYS. Unfortunately, the weather was extremely cold that day, making it difficult to play. After that event the consensus was that we needed to do a second one soon!

What You’ll Learn in This Report

In this Beyblade tournament report, you’ll learn the answers to:

1. What is WBO Burst GT Format?
2. What Beyblade combos were used in each stage of the event?
3. What Beyblade combos did the winning players use?
4. How to build some of the key winning combinations
5. Why you need to start playing WBO Burst GT Format

Tournament Details

• Date: April 24, 2022
• Location: High Park – Toronto, ON
• Format: Burst GT Format – Unranked (Rulebook)
• WBO Event Page
• Challonge Bracket (First Stage)
• Challonge Bracket (Final Stage)

Additional Notes

• If you buy something through some of the links on this post, you won’t pay any extra, but I’ll get a small commission. This helps me keep things running. Thanks for your support!

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What is WBO Burst GT Format?

WBO Burst GT Format is an alternative tournament format for competitive Beyblade play featuring a ban list centred around ensuring that Layers and Disks from the Beyblade Burst GT era are viable.

As described by the WBO:

Due to the large power-creep caused by Super King/Sparking and Dynamite Battle releases, GT and most of Cho Z Layer releases have lost their place within any format the WBO offers. The large weight difference mean that these releases simply cannot compete in the Burst Standard Format. So we’re trying to give them a place that they can be used again. Many players have these parts laying around somewhere completely unusable in competitive play. A lot of relevant parts are currently easily accessible due to the contemporary Hasbro Pro Series releases. There is no time like the present to experiment with this format. But this won’t just simply be a predictable repeat of the GT meta. The MFB remakes and some early Super King/Sparking layers are being put into the mix. Plus, all drivers release to date will be legal in this format, which spices up the metagame.

Tournament Preparation

How I approach new Beyblade formats

Before I can talk about Curse Glides towards Judgement Day, I have to take a few steps backwards and talk about how I approached FOREVER BEYS, our first Burst GT Format event that was hosted a month before this one.

At the outset for any new Beyblade format (or any new release), it’s typically a race to see who can find the most ‘broken’ combinations. In any experimental period for a new format, you want this because you want to win, but also because you want to help flesh out the format and produce useful data that can be used to make changes to the ban list.

So, my approach to FOREVER BEYS was similar to how I approached some of the initial events I played that used WBO Burst Classic Format and WBO Burst Limited Format:

At my second WBO Burst Classic Format tournament–IT’S TIME TO RIP IT! AGAIN–I was able to lean on Odin Yell Zephyr’ and win the tournament. I did the same thing at BEYBLADE NORTH 2019 and won the tournament. We ultimately banned Zephyr’.

At my first WBO Burst Limited Format tournament–Justin Thunder Cloud’s Skateboarding Adventure–Shining αmaterios and Shadow αmaterios played a role in helping me win. They were eventually banned. In my second tournament–HIGH PARK THROWDOWN 12–the Zone’+Z Driver played a role in helping me win my matches during the finals. It too, was eventually banned.

Key combos I tested for Burst GT Format

There are many obviously great parts in this format, but here is a selection of a few that I placed special attention on as I prepared for both Curse Glides towards Judgement Day and FOREVER BEYS:

Curse Solomon (Metal Chip Core) Vanguard Zone’+Z 1S

In preparing for FOREVER BEYS, my number one target to investigate was the Curse Ring. It felt like one of those parts that could be used in a combination that might be on the edge of being ‘broken’.

The decision to permit select Beyblade Burst Sparking era Rings and Chassis to be used in Version 1.0 of WBO Burst GT Format was a controversial one for some players, but as some on who is on WBO Staff, I can say that this decision was done intentionally knowing it would be that way.

We wanted to use the experimental period to see how far the limits could reasonably be pushed without completely smothering the generation the format is intended to be based on. However, even though it is intended to be based around Beyblade Burst GT, we also do not intend to keep the name “Burst GT Format” forever; it’s a placeholder meant to represent the general era or weight-class the format will permit.

As far as the Curse Ring goes, I didn’t believe it could rival the best of the best for same-spin stamina. But because of the ever-present threat of vicious attack type Layers like the Zwei Layer Base and Judgement Layer Base in WBO Burst GT Format, I wanted to see if it could work as a hybrid defense/stamina type.

I eventually came up with Curse Solomon (Metal Chip Core) Vanguard Zone’+Z 1S. The idea was to maximize both weight and burst resistance along with a high enough amount of Life After Death (opposite spin performance) to be competitive in a format that–like the standard Burst Format–is largely dependent on it thanks to the lack of Driver bans.

One thing that I noticed with this combination was that because of the newer, extremely powerful Beyblade Burst Dynamite Battle launchers everyone now uses, balance tuning the combination as well as using a brand new as sharp as possible Zone’+Z Driver is key to ensure controllability.

I found that it does well versus attack type combinations using the Zwei Layer Base and decently well in opposite spin stamina matches, but it’s not something you can use without thinking. It will lose many same-spin matchups.

Naked Diabolos Paradox Drift Goku 

The Naked Layer Base is a part I’ve always wanted to find a way to use in a competitive setting ever since it was released and I saw players using it at Beyblade tournaments in Japan back in 2020. However, because of the pandemic and the eventual release of the Rage Ring–which would destroy it–by the time we were able to have tournaments again, it never happened.

In WBO Burst GT Format, I knew it would have a chance to shine again. The Naked Layer Base has among the best left-spin LAD in the format. The Drift Driver maximizes this and when paired with the Paradox Disk in upper mode, Naked is protected to a degree from incoming attacks.

At first, I was very much concerned about the same-spin stamina of this combo; it’s abysmal. And I was concerned it wouldn’t do well against attack types. However, while the former problem cannot be solved, it does in practice do decently well against at least right-spin attack types like Judgement if you launch hard to try and disrupt them. The movement of the Drift Driver can help you in these matchups.

Imperial Achilles Vanguard Rise

Rise was originally a criminally underrated Driver in the western Beyblade community.

I originally highlighted this in my World Spriggan review and then eventually proved its worth by using it to help me win two back-to-back tournaments: HIGH PARK THROWDOWN 12 (Burst Limited) and HIGH PARK THROWDOWN 12 (Burst). Since then, many other players have used it.

It’s my favourite Driver because the matchup spread is so incredibly wide; it’s a jack-of-all-trades and while it is a master of none–except maybe speed around the ridge of the stadium–it has the potential to beat almost anything.

So, I knew that I needed to find a viable combo for the Rise Driver in WBO Burst GT Format.

Initially, I played with the Lord Layer Base on 0 Lift Rise. The idea was to replicate the Right αrtemis 0 Lift Rise and Rock Valkyrie 0 Lift Rise Gen combinations I had found some success with in WBO Burst Limited Format. Lift is nice on Rise because you can flip it depending on if you’re playing a same-spin or opposite-spin opponent. And Lord is good thanks to the burst stopper, which Rise sort of needs.

However, I eventually ended up going with Imperial Achilles Vanguard Rise to inject a bit more offensive power into the combination. The Imperial Layer Base felt perfect because it is known for having great stamina for an attack type.

I was able to purchase the updated mold from B-178 Random Booster Vol. 24, which made me feel a bit more comfortable about using it due to the increased burst resistance it provides.

Finally, the Vanguard Disk was also essential because of the added burst resistance it provides above and beyond the updated Imperial mold itself.

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First Stage Report

Tournament Participants

Blader Kei’s First Stage Matches

Round 1 – Curse Solomon (Metal Chip Core) Vanguard Zone’+Z 1S  (Kei) vs. Ace Dragon D5 Around Iron (Stott blader)

Winner: Kei (3-0)

Curse was a safe choice here against a light attack type Hasbro Beyblade.

Round 2 – Imperial Achilles Vanguard Rise (Kei) vs. Perfect Phoenix (Level Chip) Ωuter Volcanic’ (henwooja1)

Winner: henwooja1 (3-2)

I was eager to test out IA.Vn.Rs in this tournament, and henwooja1 seemed like a good opponent to do so against. Especially being so early in the tournament, I had no idea what he might use.

He ended up using LC pP.Ω.Vl’, which was quite unexpected. I don’t think the Vl’ was fully “awakened”, though. So, it still moved around the stadium quite a bit.

I was able to go up 2-0, but somehow ended up being KOed three straight times and lost the match. In a match like this, it can be a bit difficult to know how to launch Rise; if they launch hard you want to launch hard and run them out of the stadium. If they launch weak, you want to bank it and try to not circle the ridge of the stadium so you can win by outspin. There is a mind-gamey aspect to using this combination in that sense when you go up against smart players.

Still, this match demonstrates the wide matchup spread of Rise. I had no idea what he would use, yet I came away just one point short of winning.

Round 3 – Imperial Achilles Vanguard Rise (Kei) vs. Judgement Joker 7 Bump Quick’ Zan (BladerBeast)

Winner: BladerBeast (3-2)

Back during the Beyblade Burst GT era, BladerBeast often used Judgement. But he had also been using some high LAD combos like Perfect Phoenix Drift in the first few rounds.

My previous match against henwooja1 was so close and it was still early in the tournament, so I went with IA.Vn.Rs again as it provided a decent chance against everything I had seen BladerBeast using.

I went up 1-0 to start, but then suffered a burst finish against his JJ.7B.Qc’ 斬, which put me down 2-1. I won the next round, but then lost the last one.

After this match, I concluded that this combination might be better when playing the WBO Deck Match Type. In that situation you don’t have to rely on it to win three points by itself; you can pick and choose it when you need it. And because of the wide matchup spread it provides, it’s a good pick in the situation where you are the winner of the previous round and are forced to pick your next Beyblade first in that format.

Round 4 – Master Diabolos Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+ (Kei) vs. Judgement Diabolos Blitz Xtreme’ (Lrexman)

Winner: Kei (3-0)

My record was now 1-2 and with more than half of my matches still in front of me, it became imperative that I not lose more than one more match in order to have a chance at making the finals.

As such, I switched from a more experimental mindset to a safe one.

I don’t particularly love Master Diabolos Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+, but unless you’re playing Zwei or a specialized left-spin stamina combo (I used mine in left-spin), there’s not a lot it doesn’t have a chance against.

By this point it seemed like there was more Judgement going around than Zwei and nobody was using something like Tact on Hybrid, so it seemed like a safe choice.

Judgement does have a chance to beat this combo with a good shot and some luck with avoiding wall-saves, but I was able to avoid being KOed and won 3-0.

Round 5 – Tact Longinus Hybrid Goku (Kei) vs. Master Spriggan Around Bearing (Ghost_Ninja)

Winner: Kei (3-2)

I had seen Ghost_Ninja using Lord on Xtend+ earlier in the tournament, so I knew it would be a bit risky to go with MDb.Wh(H).Xt+ again as it would likely put me into a 50/50 win percentage type situation.

I decided to go with TL.Hy 極, knowing I was taking another type of risk: a spin-direction based risk, since the Hybrid Driver would not have enough LAD to win against Xt+, Dr, Zn’+Z, etc.

However, what Hybrid does have is excellent same-spin stamina. I bet that he would use something left-spin and was correct.

I accidentally had Hybrid in right-spin mode during the first round, which killed my stamina and gave him the win. But after switching I was able to win three of the next four rounds to take the match by a score of 3-2.

Round 6 – Naked Diabolos Paradox Drift Goku (Kei) vs. Zwei Diabolos Blitz Xtreme’ (Dan)

Winner: Kei (3-0)

To date, my matches with Dan have typically featured at least one aggressive combo. This time, despite knowing that I needed to keep winning, I knew that it would be better for me to lean in to some type of specialized combo rather than to go for something more generic like MDb.Wh(H).Xt+.

There was risk in both directions, but particularly against players you know something about, it’s often the lesser of two evils to go for something specialized that might give you a clear upper hand against them.

Having built some confidence in this approach after defeating Ghost_Ninja, I went with NDb.Pd.Dr 極, another combo I had been searching for a moment to use.

What I noticed during my testing was that not only was it good against right-spin stamina types, it was also good against right-spin attack types if you launched hard.

I predicted that Dan would likely use Curse on Zone’+Z (Hasbro +Z) or Judgement on Xtreme’, so Naked made sense as a choice here. However, I was wrong and he went with ZD.Bl.X’!

My first reaction was instant regret, but it turns out that I underestimated NDb.Pd.Dr 極’s capabilities against left-spin attack.

This combo can avoid self-KOing to a degree if you launch hard and bounce off the walls. I was able to do that and circle the stadium, scoring three consecutive KOs to win the match.

This particular matchup is one that I think this combo certainly could lose, but the fact that it was able to beat it here made my interest and confidence in this combo skyrocket at that moment. It felt so much less two-dimensional than before.

Round 7 – Master Diabolos Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+ (Kei) vs. Dread Bahamut 00 Cross Eternal Gen (Aigasrage)

Winner: Kei (3-0)

I wasn’t too sure what Aigasrage would be using other than maybe his Judgement combo on the Quake Driver … so knowing that I just went for the ‘safe’ pick here and it worked out against his Dread Bahamut combo.

Round 8 – Master Diabolos Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+ (Kei) vs. Zet Achilles 11 Xtend+ (MamaBlader)

Winner: Kei (3-0)

To finish off the First Stage, I again opted for the safe choice here and selected MDb.Wh(H).Xt+ once again. Mamablader had been using Zet Achilles for each of their matches up until this point.

I didn’t realize they were using Xtend+ until I got into the match, but thankfully the rest of my combo helped it to have better LAD than zA.

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Final Stage Report

Finalists

Semi-Finals – Kei vs. Dan

Winner: Kei (5-3)

Kei’s Deck Composition Strategy

Having defeated Dan during the First Stage with NDb.Pd.Dr 極, I was pretty confident in its versatility as an option in my deck.

I chose TL.Hy 閃 to cover its one key weakness: same-spin stamina.

And finally, I went with IA.Vn.X’ to offer an option with a bit more attack power than the Rise variant I was using earlier in the tournament. I used the red/yellow B-00 Xtreme Dash Driver–which has harder rubber–because it has higher stamina than any other Xtreme’. Usually, I would never use this version, but given the Imperial Layer Base’s high stamina, it has good synergy with this version of Xtreme’.

I knew that Dan would have either Zwei or Judgement on Xtreme’ in this deck and I desperately wanted to avoid any situation where we both had one or the other in our decks. Having gone through the Beyblade Burst GT era the first time around, one thing I learned was that despite it being such a blessing to have such powerful attack types at your disposal, their power is actually diluted by their relative ease of use. If everyone is using them, it’s hard to create an advantage for yourself.

Ideally, you want to be the only one using an attack type like Zwei or Judgement in any given match because at that point, you are much closer to being in full control of your destiny.

So, considering this I went with the arguable “anti-meta” choice of Imperial on Xtreme’. IA.Vn.X’ was also something that I saw several players using in Japan when I visited in 2020, so I was excited to have an opportunity to use it here!

Match Play-by-Play

I opened with NDb.Pd.Dr 極 as it had the ability to defeat all three of the combos in Dan’s deck. I cannot recall what Dan opened with, but I was able to score a couple points against it.

From there, I continued using Naked and Dan switched over to his CLc2.00E.Zn’+Z(H). Thanks to a well placed launch, he quickly KOed me in the first round of this matchup. Then, we continued with the same matchup for several rounds of draws until I eventually was able to win one.

Eventually, with the score at 4-2, I lost a point. This brought the score to 4-3 and gave me the advantage going into what could be the final round.

I decided to switch over to IA.Vn.X’, partially out of a simple desire to try something different. It would have a good chance against his Judgement and Curse combos, but I wasn’t too sure about Tact. In any case, I had a slight cushion being up 4-3, so I could afford the risk and force him into a matchup he hadn’t dealt with up until that point.

Dan went with JO.Bl.X’ 極 and I was able to take the final round to win the match by a score of 5-3.

Semi-Finals – henwooja1 vs. Ghost_Ninja

Winner: henwooja1 (5-4)

Match Play-by-Play

This was a tightly contested match featuring a significant amount of Master Layer Base usage.

Round 1-2

Ghost_Ninja scored a quick, fortunate KO to open the match with his MS.Ar.Zn’+Z versus henwooja1’s MS.Wh(H).Xt+ and then did it again in the second round to go up 2-0.

Round 3

henwooja1 then smartly switched over to his HDr.Ar.Dr 斬, which has superior LAD compared to MS.Ar.Zn’+Z. He won by outspin, bringing the score to 2-1.

Round 4

henwooja1 stuck with his Heaven combo and Ghost_Ninja countered with JD.Bl.X’. In the video, you can see that henwooja1 launched relatively lightly. This was, in my opinion, a mistake. It was a mistake because there is a good chance he would have been outspun if he wasn’t KOed.

This is one of the reasons why I feel that when using Drift it is generally a better idea to launch powerfully. Drift has poor same-spin stamina to begin with–especially with GT Beyblades–so you need that power to have a chance at winning by outspin. And you need movement to try and avoid your opponent’s attacks and hopefully knock them out.

Round 5

With the score now at 3-1, Ghost_Ninja switched back to MS.Ar.Zn’+Z. henwooja1 then made the choice to switch back to his MS.Wh(H).Xt+, despite having lost the first two rounds of the match with it.

As you can see in the video, the reason is because he realized that he did not need to launch it as hard as he had been in order to outspin it. He launched MS.Wh(H).Xt+ with a mid-powered launch so that it would stay calm in the middle, allowing Ghost_Ninja’s combo to waste all of its stamina riding the tornado ridge.

Round 6

Ghost_Ninja lost that round, bringign the score to 3-2. He forced a replay. He reduced his launch strength in this round like henwooja1 had in the previous round, but lost. The same strategy henwooja1 was able to use with Xt+ doesn’t work with Zn’+Z due to its inferior same-spin stamina (as well as the Around Disk likely having less stamina than the Hasbro Wheel Disk). The score was now 3-3.

Round 7

henwooja1 stuck with Master and in the next round and took his first lead of the match by winning via outspin against Ghost_Ninja’s LDb.?C.Xt+ in right-spin. It was now 4-3.

Round 8

By this point, Ghost_Ninja likely recognized that his stamina combinations could not counter henwooja1’s particularly well. As such, he switched into JD.Bl.X’ against henwooja1’s MS.Wh(H).Xt+ and was able to score one of Judgement’s trademark late-game KOs to even the score at 4-4.

Round 9

Ghost_Ninja chose to stick with JD.Bl.X’ going into the decisive final round. henwooja1, chose to switch into IA.0E.Ds’. Personally, I think that sticking with MS.Wh(H).Xt+ would have been the safer choice, but as it was an unranked tournament, I think there was an element of just having fun here, so he decided to switch.

Luckily for henwooja1, he scored a KO to complete the comeback on Judgement before it bounced back in and KOed him!

3rd Place Match – Dan vs. Ghost_Ninja

Winner: Dan (5-3)

Match Play-by-Play

When you look at the decks in this match, they are conceptually the same. Left- and right-spin stamina combos using Xtend+ and Zone’+Z accompanied by the attack type Judgement on Xtreme’.

This meant that more than anything, the result of the match would likely come down to who could pick better and execute effective launches with their Judgement combos.

Unsurprisingly, every single round in this match featured at least one Judgement combo. Each player probably had a same-spin advantage in one matchup, but the opposite spin matchups would have been a bit of a toss up. Hence, there was an incentive to use an attack type to have more control over your destiny.

Rounds 1-3

The first three rounds played out between Dan’s JO.BL.X’ 極 and Ghost_Ninja’s LDb.?C.Xt+.

Dan scored a KO, then suffered a burst finish, which he then followed up with another KO to even the score at 2-2.

Round 4

From there, Dan stuck with Judgement and Ghost_Ninja switched into his JD.Bl.X’. Both players never looked back and each of the remaining five rounds were played between their Judgement combos.

This is the exact type of situation I wanted to avoid personally, which is why I avoided using decks which contained combos I was certain my opponent would also use.

That said, I do not mean to suggest that there is no skill required here or no way at all to gain an upper hand on your opponent. Launch style, strength, and prediction are just as important in this type of matchup as they are in any other.

As can be seen in the video, Dan launched flat and somewhat lightly while Ghost_Ninja heavily banked his. Dan’s combo was able to KO Ghost_Ninja’s as it ran into it before it had a chance to wind-up and zoom around the stadium. The score was now 3-2.

Round 5

In the fifth round, the matchup remained the same but Ghost_Ninja’s launch strategy switched from a heavy bank to launching flat alongside Dan. This style and matchup continued for the next four rounds until the end of the match.

During this period, it effectively turned into a stamina match until the final round, which is unusual considering how much recoil the Judgement Layer Base has.

Ghost_Ninja won round five to even the score at 3-3.

Round 6

Round six was resulted in a rare same-spin draw, which I had argued was a slight outspin for Ghost_Ninja. This particular round is an interesting one that I think could be used as an example for helping to define what ‘spinning’ means in WBO Organized Play.

Round 7

In round seven, Dan won by OS to take the 4-3 lead.

Round 8

Then, in the final round Dan finally scored a KO to win the match 5-3.

Final Match – Kei vs. henwooja1


Winner: Kei (5-1)

Kei’s Deck Composition Strategy

My deck in this match was designed assuming that henwooja1 would include MS.Wh(H).Xt+ and HDr.Ar.Dr 斬 in his deck again after having used them in the semi-final against Ghost_Ninja.

I took out NDb.Pd.Dr 極 because I didn’t want to deal with a left-spin versus right-spin Drift matchup and because his Master combo would have been able to easily outspin it.

I kept Tact Longinus Hybrid in my deck to counter Master and Imperial.

I swapped Xtreme’ for the Rise Driver on Imperial Achilles Vanguard to provide a bit wider coverage against different opponents. Although, I did do so knowing that it likely wouldn’t help me against  MS.Wh(H).Xt+, which I found IA.Vn.Rs to have problems with in testing before the tournament. I was happy enough to have it able to beat IA.0E.Ds’ and HDr.Ar.Dr 斬.

Finally, I was honestly a bit stumped as to what I should do for the final slot, but felt that I would need something additional to discourage him from using Master. So, almost out of desperation I slotted ZD.St.X’ into my deck.

If you recall, earlier I had talked about wanting to avoid Zwei or Judgement mirror matches. I knew for certain that one of these two would be in his deck, but in this scenario ZD.St.X’ felt like a good answer to my uncertainty given it is arguably one of the most ‘versatile’ combos in the format. There’s a reason why the very similar Zwei Diabolos Sting Jolt’ was the #1 best Beyblade Burst combo of 2020.

Unfortunately for me, henwooja1 decided to go in a different direction for his deck in this match as well! He went almost all-in on attack by including not only Imperial, but Zwei, and Judgement combos as well.

The reason why I say “almost all-in” however is that there was a distinct lack of Xtreme’, which was good news for me as it meant I would have no problem outrunning him if needed.

Match Play-by-Play

Round 1

henwooja1 opened the match with IA.0E.Ds’ up against my TL.Hy 極. Especially on the Destroy Dash Driver, Imperial has difficulty with left-spin opponents. I was able to win by outspin and take a 1-0 lead.

Round 2

He then switched out to JD.Bl.Qc’ after I declared that I would be staying with TL.Hy 極. We both had some technical issues with our launchers, which resulted in a few relaunches between the both of us. Finally, in the one ‘successful’ round between these two combos, henwooja1 self-KOed. The score was now 2-0.

Rounds 3-4

In the last half of the match, henwooja1 ended up switching to ZL.St.Z’ 極, but couldn’t beat TL.Hy 極 in both rounds we played.

The Zephyr Dash Driver is one I’ve always liked, but generally it really does seem to have been outclassed ever since we left the Dual Layer System era. Back in the day, parts like the Neptune Layer, Deathscyther Layer, and Valkyrie Layer were popular on the Zephyr Driver.

However, it seemed weak here and also when I tried to use it with the Twin Nemesis Layer at Toronto’s first WBO Burst Limited Format tournament, Justin Thunder Cloud’s Skateboarding Adventure.

The last time I feel it was really good was during the initial stages of the WBO Burst Classic Format before it was banned. I won a couple of events thanks to Odin Yell Zephyr’.

Rounds 5-6

After defeating henwooja1’s ZL.St.Z’, I wasn’t confident that TL.Hy 極 could win again if I stuck with it and henwooja1 switched back into JD.Bl.Qc’.

JD.BL.Qc’ was in fact henwooja1’s best overall combo against my deck, so I made the choice to switch into the safest overall combo in my deck against his: IA.Vn.Rs.

I believe it was at this point that henwooja1 was able to win one point to bring the score to 4-1. The next round ended up being the same matchup and IA.Vn.Rs was able to outrun the slower JD.Bl.Qc’ and knock it out of the stadium. That clinched the 5-1 match and tournament win for me!

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What were the winning Beyblade Burst combos at this tournament?

1st: Kei

• Curse Solomon (Metal Chip Core) Vanguard Zone’+Z 1S 
• Master Diabolos Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+ 
• Tact Longinus Hybrid Goku 
• Naked Diabolos Paradox Drift Goku 
• Imperial Achilles Vanguard Rise (Deck Format Finals Only) 
• Imperial Achilles Vanguard Xtreme’ (Deck Format Finals Only)

2nd: henwooja1

• Heaven Dragon 2 Around Drift Zan
• Perfect Phoenix (Layer Chip) Outer Volcanic’
• Turbo Spryzen S4 10Lift Bearing (Hasbro)
• Master Spriggan Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+
• Imperial Achilles 0Expand Destroy’
• Judgement Diabolos Blitz Quick’ (Deck Format Finals Only)

3rd: Dan

• Master Spriggan Wheel (Hasbro) Xtend+
• Tact Longinus 10Wall Drift Sen
• Curse Lucifer2 00Expand Zone’+Z (Hasbro) 1S
• Judgement Odin Blitz Xtreme’ Goku (Deck Format Finals Only)

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Why you need to start playing WBO Burst GT Format

Why is it good?

WBO Burst GT Format is off to a great start because it has what the standard Burst Format lacks: diversity.

In the current standard format there is such parity between the different stamina Drivers that it can be difficult to garner an edge over your opponent through your combo choice alone. And attack types are good, but not quite as powerful as they are in WBO Burst GT Format.

This problem doesn’t exist to the same degree in WBO Burst GT Format because attack is even more powerful and because there are stamina Drivers which demonstrate more clear differences in same-spin stamina potential.

For instance, Drift acts more properly as a max LAD Driver with poor same-spin stamina and the Hybrid or Ignition Dash Drivers seem a little bit more reliable for same-spin stamina. 

Plus, it brings the series’ trademark Burst Finish back into the realm of possibility.

Finally, the undeniable accessibility of the format thanks to Hasbro’s Beyblade Burst Pro Series featuring many top-tier parts for the format makes it difficult to not recommend if our goal is to make the game more widely playable at a high level by more players.

What changes might be needed?

Honestly, I’m not sure at this point. It might help that the Beyblade Burst GT era was one of the most balanced competitively to begin with, but it does feel like WBO Staff did a good job of putting together something balanced competitively.

I will be able to form a clearer opinion once we’ve gathered and analyzed the complete set of data required by the experimental period for the format, but my impression after having now played in two Burst GT Format events is that nothing feels so blatantly overpowered that it needs to be banned.

Some players may make arguments that certain parts may be reducing diversity in other areas (ex. If we ban X, it will make Y and Z viable), which might be the only discussion to be had here. But even so, the format already feels balanced and diverse to me.

There is also a certain point where too much diversity can hurt a format in a certain sense. Diversity makes the entry point to a format lower, but it raises the bar for competitive play because it requires a greater time and monetary investment from players to be able to acquire all of those parts and fully understand them.

The Beyblade Burst Sparking Rings that are permitted were among the most concerning additions during the planning for this format, but they don’t appear to have a centralizing, overpowering effect on the format.

If I had to pick out one part that stood out the most to me at this tournament it would be the Master Layer Base. Every player in the top four of this event used it on the Xtend Plus Driver. But even so, despite that being a ‘safe’ stamina combination, it saw no usage in the vast majority of the final stage.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this tournament a success!

Specifically, thank you to:

• Dan for hosting.
• henwooja1 for bringing stadiums and judging.
• BladerBeast for judging and bringing a stadium.
• All of our other judges for helping the tournament to run smoothly.

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What do you think? Comment below!

I’d love to hear what you guys think of the WBO Burst GT Format metagame as it stands right now, whether you attended the tournament or not.

Comment below and let me know!

If you enjoyed reading this article, please also feel free to share it with any of your friends who are into playing Beyblade competitively or enjoy hosting tournaments.