Watching the show Sunday, and noticed that Larsen had both and Optimus and Marvel Pearl in his arsenal ( he was throwing the Optimus ). What surprised me is that they were showing the Marvel Pearl as a 10 and the Optimus as a 9.5. I have a Marvel Pearl that has become a go to tourney ball ( thank you Tim Mack ), and it is indeed a strong heavy rolling pearl. However, my understanding was that as a replacement for the MP, the Optimus was supposed to be a stronger shell with the same core.