- This article is about the Takara Tomy Layer. For Hasbro's Drive Chip, see Drive Chip - Regnar R7. For Hasbro's Blade, see Blade - Glory. For Hasbro's Gravity Ring, see Gravity Ring - Greatest Armor.
Greatest Raphael (グレイテストラファエル, Gureitesuto Rafaeru) is an Energy Layer released by Takara Tomy as part of the Burst System as well as the Dynamite Battle Layer System. It debuted in Japan with the release of the B-192 Greatest Raphael Over High Xtend+' on November 13th, 2021.
Description
Takara Tomy's Greatest Raphael is a round Layer that features the face of the Layer's namesake, Raphael, an archangel from Abrahamic religions. Greatest Raphael is one of two Layers to feature the "Overdrive System" gimmick: when its spin velocity decreases, Greatest Raphael will change from its Attack Mode to its Defense Mode. Unlike other Dynamite Battle Layers, Greatest Raphael is a single piece, combining the "DB Core", "Blade", and "Armor" together; it is the first non-customizable Layer released by Takara Tomy since the Gatinko Layer System's Bigbang Genesis in early 2020.
Its initial Attack Mode features a round shape with eight protrusions along its perimeter. Six of these protrusions are spike-like, with three on each side of the Armor, which is named the "Greatest Armor". In the latter half of a battle, as spin velocity decreases, the Armor will swing upwards toward the center. This gimmick is intended to create Centralized Weight Distribution (CWD) in its Defense Mode, helping maintain balance in the latter half of a battle.
In addition, Greatest Raphael has a "Metal Burst Lock" gimmick that activates as part of the Overdrive System. As spin velocity decreases, two metal protrusions on the left and right grooves of Greatest Raphael gradually move towards the center of the Layer, obstructing the Disc and creating resistance, lowering the risk of Bursting.
Greatest Raphael has medium sized Locks, resulting in decent Burst Resistance. Against Same-Spin opponents, Greatest Raphael falters due to being lighter than other Dynamite Battle Layers. However, against Opposite-Spin opponents, Greatest Raphael excels in Spin Equalization, due to the activation of its Defense Mode in the latter half of the battle. However, the activation of its Defense Mode can be stopped if the Armor is hit during the transformation, causing only one half or neither to activate. If a Blader is to use Greatest Raphael, it is recommended to pair it with Drivers such as Mobius or Drift against Opposite-Spin opponents.
Overall
Due to its excellent Opposite-Spin performance, Greatest Raphael can be used in Stamina combinations against left-spin Beyblades. However, due to its mediocre Same-Spin performance and light weight, it is overshadowed by other Dynamite Battle Layers.
As such, Greatest Raphael is not a must-have but a welcome addition for the WBO's Burst format.
Greatest Raphael is not legal in the WBO's Burst GT format.
Greatest Raphael is not legal in the WBO's Burst Limited format.
Greatest Raphael is not legal in the WBO's Burst Classic format.
Products
Takara Tomy
Gallery
Takara Tomy
