I am looking to purchase a new Motiv ball, and was looking for some advice as to which direction I should go.

Currently I use my Rage Remix as my #1 ball, and while it used to work great for me all night, the owner of the house I bowl in switched the oil they were using back in the fall to a new kind that supposedly requires less for the same reactions, the result for me was my Remix dropped from a 3 game ball to about a game and a half ball, to the point where by about frame 15 on the evening I'm struggling to hit the pocket on the right side while standing on 40 and aiming for around 25.

I dug my DV8 Thug out of the closet at the start of 2017 as a switch to ball, and while I can hit on the right side with it, It just doesn't hit the pins consistently for me. The other balls home in my closet aren't coming out again any time soon either, and the last 2 weeks I found myself finishing out the night with my Arctic Sniper as my strike ball, so time for a new one.

I keep leaning towards the Cobra, try and talk myself out of it, and towards other balls, but keep coming back to it. I'm intrigued by the Carbon, but kind of need something now, not at the end of the season, and right before tournament time.

Is the Cobra the way to go, or should I consider a lesser drop in ball to something like the GT, or even a slight drop to A fear/Revolt type of ball? I find the lanes to be consistently very dry by third game in my leagues.

Thanks in advance

I like everything I hear on the Cobra, but can't seem to find much on it, Other then on here, and Staffer reviews, which as a bowler just approaching completion of my 2nd year, I don't take a lot of stock in a staffer review as it doesn't really apply to my game yet,hence the request for feedback.

So I appreciate the feedback.

My pro-shop owner is a Columbia 300 pro, so he doesn't usually have much of a feed back on Motiv. 

One thing you have to consider is how/why the shot gets to the point you can't use your Rage Remix.  Going to a weaker ball is fine unless it puts you in an area of the lane with a ton of traffic and inconsistencies.

If you can start the night further to the right, then the Cobra might work well depending on the shape you like to see.  Another option is the Shock which is smoother and can blend the wet/dry better than the Cobra and may be more controllable.  When the shot becomes too dry for the Shock, you can move to the Rage Remix.  But this would require you to not start the night with the Rage Remix.

You just have to be aware of where the traffic is during the night and make plans accordingly.

If you want something to switch to after the Primal Rage Remix is too much I would definitely be looking towards something polished/intended to be cleaner down the lane. That would be the United Revolt, Primal Fear, Paranoia, Octane Burn, or Venom Cora for the Motiv lineup. A Freestyle or Graffiti Tag fits that description too but either of those two might be too big of a step down.

For what it's worth I would look for an Octane Burn. Should be able to be had at a good price and it's a really nice option for when the lanes dry out. Not as angular off the break as the Venom Cobra, although that would still fit really well too if you're comfortable with that motion. I'm thinking any of the other options would still be a bit too strong.

The octane burn is a good recommendation. The shock was also a good thought. You might find the shock would be your new three-game ball

At this point, almost every ball in the Motiv line up has been suggested.

Cobra
GT
Shock
Paranoia
Fear
Tag
Octane Burn
Octane Carbon
Trident
United Revolt
Freestyle

As of now, you start with the Rage Remix, which is pretty strong ball which is more skid/snap than it is smooth.  Using a ball this strong, and strong off the spot, can require you to get pretty deep on fresh backends.  The ball is just too aggressive off the spot to be able to control the reaction in the dry.

I think the best option for you would to be to re-evaluate how you approach the pattern.  Starting with a ball as strong as the Rage Remix can cause issues for when the pattern starts to break down.  At some point, it becomes more difficult to get deeper.  And if you want to move back to the right (I assume you are right handed) then you are in the middle of transition from the other bowlers.

My suggestion is to find a ball you start the night with that keeps you further right to start.  Then, as the transition forces you deeper, you can move the Rage Remix and be where you would be at the beginning now. 

As for which ball that is, I would suggest something medium strength, smooth and predictable.  In the Motiv line up, that means the Venom Shock or the Chronic Paranoia.  The Venom Shock is a tad stronger and smoother than the Cobra for most people and the Chronic Paranoia is a tad stronger and has a little more backend than the Shock.

Your pro shop seems like an honest group and I would consult with him about a plan of attack for accomplishing a ball progression that allows to have more predictability and better scoring.

First of all, thank you to everyone for the input and suggestions, especially based on the vagueness of what I asked. As essentially a new bowler my knowledge of where the issues are is somewhat limited, so I'll try to shed a little more light on where I am coming from.

Basically I am looking for a secondary ball, or perhaps a primary ball pushing my Remix down to being my secondary if the other works better, my current back up selection is the Hammer Badass, the DV8 Thug and the Columbia Scout, my first 3 I bought, and none of which work well for me, (and would prefer they sit in my closet at home). I bought the remix about a year ago, when I wasn't really able to get much hook, being one of the most aggressive balls out there, thought it could help, which it did, but as I have refined and adjusted my mechanics, as well as since they changed the type of oil used, I have struggled in league with it. Comparison, I am a 155 avg bowler, in leagues though I'm jumping around all over the place, with some weeks my series is well over 500, while others I'm in the 420-440 range, where as in practice, which is usually just me and 1 other person, I average right around 200. So there is some sort of disconnect happening in the league as the lanes break down.

For how I got to starting on 40, putting the ball across 25, my benchmark starting point, is starting on 30, targeting right side of the three ping, and bringing my line back to target the ball crossing the arrows at 20, with a break point happening around the 7 board.

I did get my PRO shop guy to watch me last night for a few frames in the third game, though being exhausted at the start last night I wasn't anywhere near my best form. But his suggestion was for me to wait on buying a ball, even though he's losing the sale at this time, and try to focus on increasing my ball speed to get the remix out where I need it to be at it's break point as the lanes break down, as opposed to looking for a "weaker" ball to drop down too. Only problem with that is, when I increase my ball speed, I start to have break downs in my mechanics. Plus if I'm not getting the power I need to get the ball to the right, it would be nice to have something I can drop down to, so I don't have to go as much left to right.

Also once I pointed out to him that the last 4 teams we have face, including last night, all had 3-4 straight throwers using Urethane balls, he said more then likely they were pushing the oil to the middle of my line, and the only way to combat that is with higher ball speed to get the ball through it and over to the right. And no matter what ball I throw, if I don't have the speed up, it's not going to get in the pocket.

So while all that is good and fine, it still leaves me with no alternative to the Remix if it isn't working. I tend to look at practice as a basis of my ball issue vs league games, and in practice I'm having to switch my ball out after a game and a half, maybe 2.

He also mentioned if I am set on adding another ball, I should be looking for angular as opposed to smooth. Said the GT would be no good for me based on what he has seen with it, and how I throw and thought from what he has heard on the Cobra it would be a better fit, but can only go on what he has seen on videos, not first hand knowledge.

I'm set to practice tonight, and he said he's going to come out have a better look, find out how from me how I'm feeling about my approach and release, to better judge what I may need as I was admittedly in poor form last night. I will take the suggestions from here you guys and bounce them off him for his input as well.     

He's scared to sell you a weaker ball. Trust me on this one.