First Impressions
I think Storm has finally given us a true partner for the Phaze II.

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Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 365 rpm
PAP: 5 1/8 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 4 x 20

Tyler Church (Righty)
Style: Power Player
RPM: 425 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/2 up
Average Speed: 19 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: med
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 45

Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/2 & 1 1/2 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 45

“Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.”

Pattern
THS: 44ft, 25.8ml, 12:1 ratio
Sport: TBD

Specs
The Storm Phaze II Pearl uses the Velocity symmetric core inside the new TX-25 Pearl Reactive coverstock.

15 pound = RG of 2.48, diff of .051
14 pound = RG of 2.53, diff of .050
Coverstock finish: Power Edge

Tweener’s Take
Alright, I guess there’s been a lot of hype generated for this ball. I think it’s fair to say right off the bat a lot of bowlers will like this ball. It does what it does well. It is very recognizable when it comes to the Phaze II. We had so many versions over the years and while they were all good in their own way, this pearl version is really the closest to the original solid Phaze II. That ball was and still is pretty magical for many bowlers. I’ve seen many resort to polishing it for a house shot which is a perfectly legitimate option. This version comes along and it’s safe to say you don’t need to do that anymore. It has the big Velocity motor in it that I have personally enjoyed for many years in the OG Phaze II. The cover has some underlying read so it’s not the super long and strong type ball but rather a clean but big slightly later mid lane read where the core turns over and creates a nice big strong arc. It’s predictable while still having strong shape. On this medium longish house shot, it worked extremely well. I had excellent carry even with off hits. I had way more forgiveness from out than any ball I’ve thrown recently. I could get fairly deep as well on a shot that’s been pretty tricky to get deep on. It feels legitimately versatile. While I’ve slotted the Phaze II in the Strong Control, the Phaze II Pearl is bit more of a chameleon. Not super angular to go in say Mid Defined. Not super smooth to be in Mid Control. So it’s a good ball to cover both and simplify the bag if you chose that option. I don’t think there’s a whole lot more to say about the new Phaze II Pearl, it kind of speaks for itself.

For me, the take is similar in terms of shape. It didn’t quite match as perfectly as it did for Tyler but still nice. The difference I saw was that the bit of forward look kept it from driving as nicely for me. For me, with the lower rev rate, the lower desire of this ball to want to flip harder meant a more compact side to side motion. The nice thing is that I didn’t feel like it would jump because the core revs up a little earlier than the end of the pattern and with the forward behavior meant it wasn’t going to just jump sideways. I did get very good carry with the light hits. It somewhat reminds me of something like the Attention Star. Lots of control side to side so you can manage front to back better. That ball had lots of looks on tour and possibly could expect something similar here. For me, while initially, I was a little iffy with the bit of smoother downlane reaction, there is something nice about a ball that I’m not worried about gripping hard and turning side ways. Being able to use a large volume core is always a nice option for a middle of the road rev rate bowler.

Power Player’s Perspective
Let’s start with Tyler. I guess the obvious thing will be that it looked spectacular for him on this house pattern. He struck a lot. Good look past the 3rd arrow. It does get good length as you would expect. The core transition is the nice element here. You don’t particularly note that it’s a hybrid or pearl because it’s shiny. But you do notice that this doesn’t feel skid/flip. It’s doesn’t have the biggest board coverage. But it provides that big core control on a pattern and lane bed that needs cleaner midlane due to built in friction. The fairly clean length allows some energy storage but the core transition isn’t such to where it explodes but rather climbs with a hint of forward roll to remind you it’s an asym. With that sort of more forward look for Tyler, it felt very controllable and reliable without feeling like it’s going to snap. He really liked it and wanted to keep throwing it until he stopped striking. It’s the kind of look he had with the Absolute. However, due to the Absolute being a clean weak solid cover, that made it pretty condition specific for him. The Viking looks like it will be more versatile.

Stroker’s Stance
Bryan had an interesting look. This is also one of those things where you sometimes need to give balls a chance to come in, burn in to the cover a bit. When he started, it was a little soft with a very arcy smooth backend. But after a little bit, the ball started to grip and pop more downlane. As the hit improved, so did Bryan’s feelings on the ball. Yes it’s going to be fairly direct around the second arrow. However, Bryan had no issues with getting the ball through the mid lane unsurprisingly. Then it had the compact downlane punch. He seemed to have a reasonable window to get to the pocket and good carry. Main thing was this ball would work well when Bryan needs to push through the midlane friction while not requiring a really strong downlane motion.

Bottom Line
The Viking is a mid defined ball for all our bowlers. For all 3 bowlers, it is a reasonable option for a fresh medium house shot. Tyler had the best look followed by myself and Bryan close to each other. I think would need a little less volume to have it look a smidge better but I like the slightly forward look. Bryan would probably use this as a stepdown to something with more surface.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching.