:UPDATE:
After throwing the Mystic on a variety of sport and PBA conditions, and getting a good amount of games worked into it, I'm going to post my full review of this ball.
ROTO-GRIP MYSTIC
Layout: Pin roughly 5" from PAP, no X-hole. Cover left in OOB surface of 2000 grit + polish.
Bowler: Left-handed, Speed at roughly 15-16 MPH, rev-rate approximately at 250-275 RPM (Very rough estimate.)
Synthetic Lane Surface.
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Condition #1: PBA Pattern - Cheetah.
Standing with right foot on 31, swinging the ball from 17 out to about the 3 board. The Mystic seemed to excel here, better than most other patterns. I think the reason being, is since the Cheetah is only 35 feet in length, the Mystic hit friction a lot earlier, but with the angle I was playing, it was smoother off of the breakpoint, which is what I crave on shorter patterns. I was able to play that wide angle I like to play on short patterns, but without worrying about the ball checking up high on me unless it was a personal error (Tug to the right, bad release, etc). When I had to move further outside and play a bit more direct, I started to fluff the ball from the 10 board, out to about the 5, with my right foot ending on the 23 board or so. When coming up the back, you see the ball suffer in carry as it wants to pick up even earlier, and quits on me in the back-end of the lane. When I was "playing the wheel" with it, I saw a more pronounced, yet controlled move, with better pin carry, thus better scores/results.
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Condition #2: PBA Pattern - Scorpion
This pattern was a fun one to play on. 41 feet in length, a lot of head oil. We had more left-handers (three) than right handers (2) this week, so I was going to see a fair amount of transition on my side. I started out standing at the 20 board, playing straight up the 8 board, coming up the back of the ball more, trying not to let it go past the breakpoint. After bowling on Cheetah and watching this thing be a great benchmark ball, this was a bit of a change of pace. An extra 6 feet of length made a world of difference in ball reaction. The Mystic got down the lane a lot longer than expected, but still recovered. It was my best bet of the night to be honest, after two games with my Total Inferno, pin 3 3/8" from axis, 2000 grit no polish. The lane got a nice line burning up anywhere from the 8 board to the 12, thanks to another stroker playing my area with his Total Inferno, at original Rough Buff finish. By the final game, game #6, I was ending at the 32 board, playing 17-10, coming around the ball a bit more, pretty much my normal release. This pattern played well for it, but I would've been better suited with something I could've kept playing straighter with, like a weaker solid reactive.
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Condition #3: 44 Foot Sport Shot.
I bowled on this during a GM-JBT tournament. This pattern played pretty well for it I suppose. I was playing 18-13 with the Mystic for a good game or two, with my feet ending on around 33. Carry was hard to come by the first two games. I started fidgeting with my release and quit turning it so much so I could play tighter inside, and that did the trick for carry. The problem I see with this ball is trying to force it to hit it's breakpoint and react accordingly. You'd be better off with something stronger, non-pearlized for longer conditions like this.
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Overall, this ball really excels on medium length patterns, which is what the rep at the Open House said I should get it for, Tyler Jensen. I told him what I was looking for and after throwing the Mystic and pretty much falling in love with it, I decided to get me one and have it punched up fairly similar to the layout on the ball I threw that day before. Great ball produced by Roto-Grip. Fairly versatile, just know when to hold 'em (short-medium patterns), and know when to fold 'em (longer patterns where duller equipment can make the move a little more fluently).
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Colton Coan - Sport Bound for 07-08.
:Arsenal:
(PBA) Brunswick Ultimate Inferno
Brunswick Total Inferno
Roto-Grip Mystic
Track Heat
Track Slash
White Dot