The first thing to go wrong...or "differently than expected"...is that the Special Ops needed to 'switch spots' with the YBS.
I'm a "progression bowler"...so my bowling balls go in a certain order from strongest to weakest and then to skid/flip if carry down is believed to be a factor.
It's not uncommon to have to switch a ball...I had to do it with the last arsenal when the Grudge Hybrid turned out to be stronger than the Aura Mystic. But, it's still unfortunate because the Special Ops came so highly touted...and now it was essentially the 3rd ball out of the bag...or ball down option to the YBS...depending on the lane conditions.
The next problem was the Optimus Solid. As expected...it wasn't bringing me inside of the 10-board. Actually, I was moving right. I tried to add surface to the ball, hoping that would get me into the oil...but all that did was cause the ball to burn out before it hit the pocket and result in weak strikes, 10-pins, 5-pins, or 2-pins.
I tried to add surface to the YBS to counteract the ultra-high RG...same result...weak strikes, 10-pins, 5-pins, 2-pins, etc...
And I desperately tried to hold onto the "idea" that the Special Ops was a strong ball...trying to play more aggressive lines than the specs indicated it was capable of...only to be consistently reminded...that the specs don't lie. The Special Ops is a very weak ball...a ball down option for when the lanes have transitioned. To expect more than that is to flirt with disaster.
The only bright spot has been the Pyramid Force Pearl. However, I've somewhat "messed up" that ball with "creative surfacing"...forgetting that the ball has a bit higher RG than the Exile and Scandal Pearl...so I've sometimes polished it and failed to adjust my line a little...and had the ball sail on me a bit. I usually have to move my feet just a little right and bring my target in (vertaically) just a little to account for that higher RG. But, BOY does the ball carry when you're lined up! Definitely the bright spot thus far.
So, now...after the summer of experimenting...I think I gotta accept that this arsenal is just weaker than I would like it to be...especially the first 3 balls...and I need to play 5-7...LESS surface rather than MORE surface to keep the balls from burning up/out...and give up on that dream of developing an inside line...at least for now.
Going forward, no more "closet of destiny". Future arsenals will be put together with much more thought and purpose. Hopefully that will allow me to eventually develop an inside game...or at least get somewhere around the 12-board rather than playing in the dirt.
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