Here is the back story, I just moved back home after a 6 year absence for college and a job in another city.  I joined in a league with my uncle and cousins at my old home center I would call it.  It's a competitive scratch league, with a 40 point system so each bowler bowls the opposing team's player for points and there are points for all four team totals. 

There is some tough competition, median average I'd say is about 215.  My big problem I am having is dealing with the sudden breakdown in lane conditions that occurs middle to late second game and just gets worse.  I haven't ever seen it this bad there before but it gets tough.  Oil up front becomes hard to find and the backends are just toasted.

I used to be able to power through conditions like this, I am a high speed high rev player.  Here is a link to a video I posted to give you guys some perspective http://www.ballreviews.com/bowling-videos/working-on-the-hinge-method-t292769.0.html;msg2393346#msg2393346

I have a couple issues, the big one being that I am coming off a wrist injury in may from playing softball, so when I started three weeks ago it was the first time out since then.  So creating extra ball speed is not much of an option considering my continuing elbow issues from high school baseball.  My other issue is and I think this will be my best option is my ball choices.  Currently I have the following, Seismic Venator, Roto Grip Critical Theory, Motiv Cruel and QZ2, and of course a Hammer Road Hawg lol.  All of these are pretty aggressive equipment, I don't have a good ball down option.  My problem is I have never had success with less aggressive equipment.  My best option has been my Critical Theory since I have polished it, but the core is just to strong off the break and to get it in the pocket I have to create a tough carry angle.  I tried cutting off the revs, even though my rev rate is hampered by my lack of wrist strength anyway, but I can't carry that route either.  I start stoning 7 and 10 pins.

So I have a few questions regarding something less aggressive.  Should I go the urethane route, something I have considered since I haven't tried it yet or stay with a reactive cover?  Should I go with or stay away from something that has a pancake block? 

Any feedback is appreciated, as well as good ball suggestions.  I have looked at a couple that interest me being the Hammer Grape Vibe, Visionary Ogre Urethane, or a  Storm Polar Ice.  Thanks guys!

Appreciate the input, I should have put in there that it is a lighter and shorter pattern than I remembered out there.  So there isn't much to work with from the start.  The thing that bothers me is that I'll hear guys complaining about this, but they are the same people throwing real aggressive equipment from third arrow to the gutter using up what little free hold is out there. 

My thinking with urethane was to be able to make a big adjustment right from everyone else and use what oil they're digging farther left to find and bringing out to the right side as a target line. As it stands I can't play that line with my current line up, but something less aggressive might allow me to camp there.  As it stands now every shot almost requires a move left from the previous shot or I am ripping of the break point through the nose.  Last week I couldn't keep a ball on the right side of the head pin, and when I did the angle was terrible and I was doinking 7 and 10's, almost left an 8-10 split or two as well.   

Gotta agree with Gizmo here. I see so many people use really aggressive equipment to start a night out on a drier THS and all they effectively do is create more headaches for themselves later on in the night. Looking at your style from the other video, you don't seem like one who would be playing inside of 20 even though most of your equipment dictates that sort of line. When you use aggressive covers like that you burn up whatever line you have in the first game or so and are then left scrambling the rest of the night. I have tried the urethane route with mixed success. Sometimes I can kill it, other times I leave corner pins all night. And while you can put up decent games with Urethane, your accuracy would have to be stellar to compete with 215+ average guys. I would recommend getting something in between like the Hyroad gizmo suggested. I find my Hyroad needs a little more oil than I usually get when the lanes start off like you said. Instead, I have pretty good luck with a 4000 abralon Frantic during these situations. Your main goal is to put something in your hand at the beginning of the night that won't tear up the shot so quickly. Sometimes polish is your enemy here as well as it makes the ball really jump off the dry. You are better off using something with a less aggressive cover at say 4000 than having something that's polished and is going to be snappy off the breakpoint.

Perhaps this will give you some insights:

My league is 30-teams of 5-players, which can make for big changes in the lane oil. The house always puts out a fresh, consistent shot for us. Almost everyone starts and ends with the same ball (no matter how many they may have brought), and their balls are usually too strong to begin with. The common progression (for righties) is to start-right and move-left while using the same release and speed. Some players will stay put no matter what (two of my teammates do this, both being "full rollers"). Sometimes I'll see a bowler start right then move further right, and this seems to work very well . . . but these players are willing and able to change their releases and ball speeds (changing targets and lines being a given). There are many bowlers who will change to different balls as the lanes change. There are two players who use two balls of the same brand/type, but with coverstock differences — so, like my teammates, they stay put with their targets and lines, too. Myself, I'm still learning how to throw well from different starting positions/targets/lines/releases/speeds, all while using one or the other of two balls — whichever I think is better for a given night. My 3-game overall score percentage is usually flat — all three games being close to 33%. I usually have a series average of 1.25 opens and 6 strikes per game, the rest being spares. Stringing strikes is my biggest downfall, second being those darn opens. All this is to say that learning to ADAPT and ADJUST are what this game is about, and the irony is that you have to be CONSISTENT to boot.