Blade: Sphinx Cowl

Weight: 32.6g (LOW END) - 33.1g (HIGH END)

• Design: Sphinx Cowl is a 9-sided blade with a jagged shape, designed to deflect opponents from any angle.

• Gimmick Barrage Defense: The blade’s design focuses on deflecting attacks from various angles.

• Attack vs. Attack (AVA): Sphinx Cowl can be explosive in AVA matchups, but it lacks stamina. It performs decently against other attackers, but its effectiveness is limited by its stamina. 

• Attack vs. Defense/Stamina: When used with a 70-height setup, Sphinx Cowl can be an effective aggressive attacker, capable of KOing or depleting the stamina of opponents. 

• Stamina/Defense: On stamina or defense combinations, Sphinx Cowl is subpar. Its lack of stamina often results in losing points via being out-spun or a spin finish.

Strengths:

• Strong Impact: The unique jagged shape of Sphinx Cowl can deliver powerful blows, repelling opponents effectively.

Weaknesses:

• Gap: Like any blade with a gap, Sphinx Cowl is more vulnerable to Burst. It’s recommended to be cautious with your launch and use it at a 70-height setup.

Overall:  Sphinx Cowl is a welcome addition to any collection. While it’s not a top-tier blade, it has potential with the right 70-height setups and aggressive bits. However, it requires further support from additional 70-height releases and bits to become more relevant in competitive play.

Gameplan: Sphinx Cowl with low-height setups paired with aggressive bits that have stamina, such as High Taper on a 60-height ratchet.

Combos:

Attack: Sphinx Cowl 3-60/9-60 HT

Ratchet: 1-80

Weight: 6.5g

• Design: 1-80 is a ratchet with one side and a tall height. The contact area is one wide point. 

• Tall Height: It is one of the tallest ratchets. Due to its height, it is best-used attack combinations or anything that can use deflection.

• Impact: By being focused on one point, 1-80 is unique and uses its one side to the advantage of having one strong impact hit.

Weakness:

• Stamina: 1-80 generally has poor stamina and balance as mentioned before it is best used on attack combinations or anything that can be used to deflect opponents. 

Overall: 1-80 has limited practical use compared to the other tall ratchets and while it is cool to see Takara Tomy explore other heights with 1 side there is no benefit in use right now, as such it should be used only for collection.

Bit: Gear Flat

Weight: 2.3g

• Design: Gear Flat is a variant of the regular Flat Bit with a jagged gear shape and an indent. It features an 80 rating for Burst resistance. 

Strengths:

• Maximum Attack Potential: Gear Flat is currently the fastest bit in Beyblade X as of January 2023, offering the highest attack potential. 

• Xtreme Dash: Designed for Xtreme Line launches, Gear Flat excels in KOing or Xtreme Finishing opponents.

• Burst Resistance: With an 80 rating for Burst resistance, Gear Flat provides minimal Burst risk.

Weaknesses:

• Low Stamina: Due to its high speed, Gear Flat depletes stamina rapidly. Be cautious with your launch strength. 

• Vulnerability to Self-KO: Similar to other flat bits, Gear Flat can self-KO with a hard launch or improper angle, although it may occasionally result in an Xtreme Finish against the opponent.

Gameplan:

• Flat launch or a somewhat tilted angle shoot:Use a flat launch or a slightly tilted angle to leverage the stadium’s gimmicks and aim for knockouts.

Overall: While Gear Flat offers exceptional attack potential, its high risk and susceptibility to RNG make it a risky choice. It’s a valuable addition to any blader's collection, but its performance is highly dependent on precise technique and launch control.