Metal Spring, ~16g.

• As compact as it is light, Metal Spring is unfortunately a featherweight and suffers tremendously for it.

• The only HMS AR that has zero plastic contact points, the perimeter is completely metal.

• As promising as that idea sounds, Metal Spring produces far too much recoil and doesn't have enough weight to be used as an actual Attack AR. Its contact points are far too impotent to produce meaningful Smash Attack.

• In pure Stamina combos Metal Spring also suffers not just because it is easily knocked around but because the rough pure metal contact points deplete it of its own spin at an alarming rate.

• Realistically, the only places this style of AR can call home is in Compacts and wall-style Defense. Unfortunately Metal Ape has it absolutely beat in the weight department, and it shows how big a difference the extra couple of grams can make on an ARs performance. 

• Had it been a touch heavier, it may very well have been much more viable and not the butt of every HMS joke.

Best Possible Combo:

AR: Metal Spring (Either spin)

WD: CWD Reverse Defenser (with Metal CWD found in RBA2)

RC: Bearing Core 2

or

AR: Metal Spring (Either spin)

WD: CWD God Ring (with Metal CWD found in RBA2)

RC: Metal Change Core

Game Plan: I've provided two combos for Metal Spring, not because I like Metal Spring or that it is incredibly versatile. Instead, it is because not only do I feel bad for it, but you may as well try it out in all of its glory if you intend to use Metal Spring. The first combo works almost passably because Metal Spring is so small, and the CWD can bear the onslaught of Attack type aggression quite well on its own. The second one is a Compact that is unique but equally dubious in providing decent performance, mostly something to try out of novelty.

Circle Heavy

• See the Common Weight Disks page.

CWD Free Defense Ring, ~20g.

• Found in RBA2 releases of secret Einstein MS in a yellow colour. Found in RBA5 releases of Sea Dragon MS in light blue. 

• The Free Defense Ring alternative CWD is roughly a gram heavier than the original Defense Ring's plastic component, while also being considerably chunkier and recoil-laden.

• Compared to the original Defense Ring, Free Defense Ring is free-spinning, much thicker and larger in diameter, and can actually be a point of contact in battle.

• For quite a while this CWD was viewed as not particularly useful or stand-out, and for good reason, it was too recoil-prone to be good for anything other than Attack types, and the top tier Attack types don't particularly need the extra recoil from below to do well.

• Where CWD Free Defense Ring shines is not among The Big Three of HMS Attack combos, but with ARs like Metal Upper and Jiraiya Blade, who need a little bit of extra push in their game to reach a similar level of consistency as the other pillars of Attack.

• Brings these two aforementioned ARs, especially Metal Upper, up from mediocrity and propel them onto the competitive list.  It also serves as kryptonite to wall-style Defense combos that rely on CWD God Ring or Reverse Defenser to cushion blows. 

• By providing that bit of extra recoil from below, more significant hits can be landed on those chunky Defense combos, something many of the mediocre Attack ARs need desperately to even be borderline viable.

Best Possible Combo:

AR: Metal Upper

WD: CWD Free Defense Ring (with Metal CWD found in RBA2)

RC: Grip Flat Core (Ultimate Version)

Game Plan: Knock things out, it is that simple. Metal Upper was missing just a bit of secret sauce to make it stand out, because on its own it was a bit lacking compared to The Big Three. CWD Free Defense Ring is that secret sauce, giving it just the nudge it needs to be a powerhouse against an overwhelming majority of what can be thrown at it from the HMS series.

Spring Core, ~2g.

• Spring Core is a tall RC that has a relatively light weight to it along with a spring in the center. This spring's sole purpose is to contract when coming in contact with the stadium, typically only experienced when launching.

• Apart from this gimmick, it is just a very, very tall semi-flat RC.

• Easily the hottest take in the entire site: Spring Core is great. It has a very particular but incredibly useful niche that no other RC comes close to rivalling. Spring Core is the very best same-spin Stamina RC in HMS, surprisingly.

• Largely because of its height, Spring Core is able to out-spin majority of Bearing Core combos in same-spin battles. The most forgotten and joked about RC is the only one capable of one-upping Bearing Core at all, which no other RC in HMS can say.

• It is able to destabilize shorter opponents and stay alive longer than them. This added precession is afforded to it because of its tall height, allowing it to edge out even fairly close endurance battles against Bearing Core.

• In opposite spin Spring Core cannot destabilize Bearing Core enough to secure victory, often narrowly losing out despite its great precession, so it is not a silver bullet, but a safe same-spin option.

• If you find yourself up against a Bearing Core based combo in same-spin with Spring Core, victory isn't completely guaranteed. Spring Core is even easier to hit out of the stadium than Bearing Core, so it is definitely possible that with the right AR, the Bearing Core combo can win by knock out. 

Best Possible Combo

AR: Samurai Upper (Same-Spin)

WD: CWD Defense Ring (with Metal CWD found in RBA2)

RC: Spring Core

Game Plan: Using this Stamina combo means you expect to only face Stamina and Defense combos. In most any matchup you can be knocked out, this includes against Bearing Core and Bearing Core 2 combos. Needless to say, Attackers will knock this combo out before you can blink. Because you are aiming to be in the same spin direction as your opponent, weak launching is not on the table. In same spin its ability to destabilize is incredibly powerful and will allow it to out-spin any other combo provided it stays in the stadium. It is as simple as that. Strategize or predict the spin direction of your opponent, launch flatly, and try not to get knocked out.