Ball Review:
For those light to medium oiled conditions or lanes in transition the new Match Up Pearl will be a great option to have in your hands.
Don't let the Match Up Pearl confuse you with it's abralon finish (2000) as beneath that finish is a pearl coverstock that will get the ball clean through the fronts yet provide a smooth motion in the mid-lane.

I tested this ball on pretty beat up conditions as there was a lot of open play prior. I had to get pretty far left and throw it to the dry; roughly board 7 as my break point.
For a low end ball the Match Up Pearl hooks. This is in part to its sanded (matte) finish.

This ball will be good on the light to medium light fresher conditions or lanes transitioning when your symmetrical solid and sanded bowling balls are too aggressive for the lane conditions. The Match Up Pearl will help blend out the pattern with its 2000 grit finish and mitigate that over/under reaction.

Storm Match Up Black Pearl
Layout: Pin 4.5 inches and below the ring finger, with a weight hole below mid-line
Rev Rate: 300 rpm
Testing information: 41 foot THS (medium to light volume)
Bowling Center: Fulton Bowling Center
Kegel Machine – Brunswick Anvilane

Ready.Aim.Fire – the Match Up Black Pearl is here.  This ball is ready to make an impact.  The combination of the Reactor Pearl Coverstock, the Stinger 2.0 core, and the 2000 Matte finish is a good match. I know there are a lot of bowlers just like me that like to see a solid color ball going down the lane so the Match Up Black Pearl will fit your eye.
I drilled this ball with a pin down layout with a low weight hole.  The rings on the track flare were relatively tight and the bow-tie was at the top left edge of my middle finger.   The total flare was about 4 inches.
We compared the Match Up Black Pearl to the Match Up Hybrid (a very under rated ball in its own right) and my all time favorite, the Hy-Road.   I could stand and play very similar lines with both Match Ups, but the Hybrid was more angular.  The difference in layouts could have been part of the reason.  The Match Up Black Pearl definitely had a different motion though, which was expected and a good thing.  The pearl coverstock of the Match Up Black Pearl created some hold area to the left and the matte finish helped blend out the motion at the end of the pattern without losing a strong motion on my misses to the right.   My Hy-Road was one and one right of the Match Up Black Pearl and more angular also.
In my opinion, a THS is not when the Match Up Black Pearl is going to shine.  I can see myself using this ball when I need a ball to roll up a little sooner to create a better angle to the pocket.  The Match Up Black Pearl will also be useful when the back-end of the pattern is critical. 
This is another great value ball by Storm.  The Match Up Black Pearl provides a good amount of hook and hitting power for the price.  #Stormnation

Storm Match Up Black Pearl
With the all-new Match Up Black Pearl, we have adjusted the surface to better handle more oil in most environments. At 2000-grit Abralon, this is the first Match Up with a sanded surface. Reactor Pearl gives clean length, but still blends out the pattern with its matte finish.
Color: Black Pearl
Coverstock: Reactor Pearl Reactive
Weight Block: Stinger 2.0
Factory Finish: 2000 Abralon
Flare Potential: High
Radius of Gyration (RG): 2.57
Differential (Diff): 0.035
Intermediate Differential (Diff): N/A
Fragrance: Berry Splash
Since joining the #StormNation I have been focusing on the bigger balls. Since it's the summertime I am getting my bag fully stocked for the upcoming season. I am a player that can stay in bigger balls longer, but even that will not hold up 100% of the time. What I really like about this ball is how well the midlane is read due to the surface of the ball. My “A-Game” is when I can see the ball rolly and this is a big rolling ball ball. I can still stay near the track even when guys are balling down and jumping a zone or two left of me. This ball reminds me of the Torrent which is another favorite of mine.
Do not miss out on getting this one as this ball has much more bang for the price point.
Go get the new Storm Match Up Black Pearl and Bowl up a STORM!
BOWLER STYLE: RH - Stroker Rev Rate: 320 - 350 Ball Speed: 15-16 PAP: 4 7/8 right 5/8 up.
Storm - Roto Grip - VISE - Logo Infusion Staff Member
Brian Hirsch

LANE CONDITION

Length:40

Volume:Med-High

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Cover: Reactor Pearl Reactive
Weightblock: Stinger 2.0
Finish: 2000
RG: 2.57
Differential: 0.035

Me:
Right-Handed Tweener
Speed: 12-13 mph
Rev Rate: 315
PAP: 4 7/8 Right 3/8 Up

Ball Layout: Pin Over Ring 60 X 4 7/8 X 30

Storm's new Hot line release may be their best to date. The Match Up Black Pearl adds a sanded pearl to the line. Don't let the word Pearl fool you this is the smoothest Match Up that has been released and the strongest.

The Stinger 2.0 core was modified from the core featured in the original match line to provide more flare. The combination of the smooth reacting cover with the 2000 grit finish on the Reactor cover gives you a great benchmark reaction. The ball rolls evenly remains continuous and is in play on a variety of conditions.

I threw my Match Up Black Pearl for the first time on the Don Carter pattern in my summer challenge league. The lane topography of this particular center had caused most of the higher rev players on the league to gravitate to urethane. My own rev rate being more in the medium range I needed a bit of help to stay in the part of the lane that seemed most conducive to scoring. i decided to try a shot in practice with the Black Pearl Match Up and i struck every shot in practice and the first 8 in the game. Starting a difficult pattern with a 260 game is definitely not the norm for me as i usually struggle until I see more friction but the motion of the Match-Up was perfect.

I've also found it to be particularly useful on the High Volume House Pattern in my home center. The Match Up is strong enough to not miss the spot but a step down from my stronger balls like the Idol. This allows me to stay right longer which is a great strategy with the lane play in this center. The high volume usually moves people into the center of the lane right away as misses right of the track tend to really labor downlane. Most people find that playing in the middle of the lane and throwing to the track gives them move forgiveness on the fresh condition. As a result the inside part of the lane breaks down quickly. Being able to stay closer to the track keeps me away from the rapid transition in the middle of the lane and makes the lanes better for my teammates by creating the friction further right.

I recently returned from Syracuse and I used my MUBP more than any other ball during the USBC Open Championships. In Doubles particularly I had a great look playing out with the Match Up. It tends to keep me in the same part of the lane the higher rev players are with their stronger urethane releases, but of course helps me avoid "urethaning" the pattern(yes I invented a word lol). Using urethane on tougher tighter patterns like this one seems to me to create friction at the front of your line and tighten up the back of your line which generally causes a great look with urethane to not only deteriorate after a couple games but make it more difficult to transition to a reactive ball because of the carry down. Next time you want to play in the track but not adversely affect the pattern by using urethane, give the Match Up Black Pearl a try.
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

For full review, video, multiple testers and patterns:
http://tamerbowling.com/storm-match-up-black-pearl-bowling-ball-review/

Excerpt:
I want to say “Wow” upon seeing the Match Up Black Pearl’s motion. The other part of me wants to say why give me so much in the lower end, making me get in and then finding the weak link which is the weaker core. Again, this is definitely going to be someone’s cup of tea and not so much for others. Sean had an absolutely perfect look with the Match Up Black Pearl. The ball has backend for days while still having surface. That’s a rare combination. For me, I did like the Black Pearl. The shot I would personally look for is the fall back shot, where I need to be pretty deep but also don’t want to give away the pocket. Think 20 at the arrows to 12 at the breakpoint. That will take advantage of the strong backend without asking the ball to come back from no-man’s land. In that regard, it’s almost a step down to the Roto Grip Idol. For bowlers closer to Bryan’s rev rate, it’s a bit hard to see this coming into play too often other than a step down to the surfaced big asyms where you still need surface but you want to ball down and go straighter. All in all, I think this ball offers a lot of performance for the money. If you are a beginner to intermediate bowler, this will be a good step up ball. For the experienced bowler, the review gives you a better idea of where it fits in your arsenal.

Orientation:  Right Handed
Rev Rate:  375 RPM
Speed:  16-17 MPH
PAP:  4 5/8 straight across

Location:  Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO
Pattern:  High Volume THS
Layout:  45, 4 ¾   , 70

The Match Up Black Pearl is a great ball for me.  I haven’t been a huge fan of the Match Up series because they’re too clean for me.  The Match Up Black Pearl catches just enough midlane that I can use it on a lot more conditions.  If I find a pattern that’s pretty dry right out of the gate on the fresh, I can actually use this ball.  It’s also really good on the transition on most patterns.  The Match Up Black Pearl is a great value and a lot more versatility than previous Match Ups.

My stats: 16.5 mph ball speed, 285-315 rev rate, up the back type release with a high track. To summarize, medium speed - forward roll type of release with moderate revs.

I put the MATCH UP BLACK PEARL at 50 x 4.375 x 30. This layout ended up with close to 2 oz of side weight which now doesn't require a weight hole as of August 1, 2018.

I have used my MATCH UP BLACK PEARL on many house and some on longer sport conditions. On the longer sport, it was not enough ball in box finish. It took a few games to get it to read enough to carry the corners. With that being said, this is not the pattern the ball was designed for. I got it on some sport that was in the 39-41 foot range and more reaction. It let me keep closed angles compared to other stronger pieces in my bag like the RG HALO, SURE FIRE, and INTENSE FIRE. It was also weaker than my IQ TOUR which is expected since we are talking a much weaker coverstock than R2S.

Compared to other piece in my bag and progression: This is going to be on some sport where I need early enough read to miss downlane hang but not over reaction off the friction in the back. I throw an IQ TOUR a lot on shorter patterns and when it starts to check early or really ping tens, the MATCH UP BLACK PEARL is going to be in play big time. I also may add a RG HOT CELL to my tournament arsenal. I can imagine the MATCH UP BLACK PEARL will be in play before I progress to the HOT CELL.

I think that straigher/tweener players may pass on this one, at least for general house conditions. Avid tournament players should put this in the bag as a ball up option from urethane. Heavy handed players will like this one as it will lay off for them in the back but get rolling strong enough to merit putting in play.