#stingzer

Bakugan GeoForge Dragonoid

Yeah I collect Bakugan. Is it that surprising? They’re a bunch of small, semi-complex transforming toys that all have a geometric alternate mode of the same shape. It is absolutely up my alley. I do also have a decent enough amount of knowledge about the game, so I’ll be looking at this as both a toy and as a group of game pieces. Because someone might want to know about these before picking it up >_>

The Good: It’s seven tiny toys that combine into a giant dragon. I own the comparative molds for each of the Geogan, and while none of the combining versions are quite as nice as the non-combining ones, they all actually function like a Geogan should, deploying when they hit a metallic surface. The titular Dragonoid is also unique among current Bakugan, with its core being made primarily of metal.

The combined mode is a little clunky, but does have a tiny bit of posability in the arms and with the transformation points (they’re round pegs in hexagonal holes). It’s more of a novelty than anything, as it serves no gameplay function, but it’s a cool way to package a group of unique game pieces.

The Bad: While the Geogan for the most part work fine, GeoForge Arcleon in particular doesn’t ever fully pop, though it is obvious when it should for gameplay purposes. The combined mode has some balance issues, and it can take a minute more than you’d think to get everyone combined together. Also, my Talan was slightly deformed, which is a bummer.

Gameplay: If you were worried about needing to buy 3 of these to get any full playsets, then don’t worry. Each of the Geogan is marked as a card from the latest set, with the only unique game pieces (apart from the toys themselves) being the GeoForge Dragonoid card and a Gate Card with art of the combined mode. It also comes with a -4D Flame Fist trap Core (most likely because Dragonoid’s effect mitigates it), and a +650B Magic Shield (which I believe is still the highest MS Core?). As for a quick rundown of each of the cards:

GeoForge Stingzer: Most of the Geogan in this set are very powerful to the point that if your opponent doesn’t use a Geogan against you, you’ll win. While Stingzer’s damage is low, paying 5 for an auto-win and draw 2 is nice.

GeoForge Titan King: Probably the best Geogan in the set. On a Magic Shield, it’s 2950, 8 damage, and triggers a Team Attack on victory for the same cost as Stingzer and most of the other cards.

GeoForge Montrapod: The cheapest, but also the weakest Geogan in the set. Breaking 1600 isn’t nearly as hard as 2200, and its on victory is just Scry and draw 1, which isn’t great.

GeoForge Arachnia: I’m torn on Arachnia. Paying 6 for 2200 in comparison to all the great 5 for 2200s in this set feels like it’s too expensive, but that 8 damage and 2 frost is going to stop a lot of Flips, meaning all that damage will most likely take.

GeoForge Arcleon: Having 2800B is incredibly high, but like with Arachnia, when compared to something like Titan King it feels lacking. With that Double Strike, if it had 4 damage instead I feel like I’d appreciate it more.

GeoForge Talan: Talan is just a more consistent Titan King with slightly less damage. I could see you running either depending on the deck.

GeoForge Dragonoid: Might be the best piece in the set in the right hands. Having 900B to start is very high for a non-Aurelus. The 1 damage is low, but having that Flame Fist trigger helps compensate. Also, it’s (probably, because I haven’t compared) the heaviest Bakugan in circulation. While that might seem unimportant at first, it means that if you have a quick shot you can hit your opponent away from their target, or BakuTech-Style Critical KO them without knocking yourself too far out of alignment. It’s a strong and technical Bakugan.