- Mixed Breed Crossover

First Impressions
The Visionary Mixed Breed is a real eye-catcher visually, with its striking color blend of bright orange and red swirls. Beneath the cover sits an extremely complex and innovative core design. The manufacturer combines the best properties of the Mohawk core and the Serpentine core to create what they call the Mixed Breed Asymmetric core. It's a special Z-Spin design that opens up unique layout possibilities. The hard technical specs on a 15-pound ball confirm the aggressive nature of this model: a medium RG of 2.520 meets a high differential of 0.052 and a significant intermediate differential of 0.015. This dynamic engine is wrapped in the Xiphos II Solid coverstock, known for minimal oil absorption. Out of the box, the surface comes with a coarse 1000-grit Abralon finish. This combination of a dull, extremely tacky cover and a high-performance asymmetric core should generate a great deal of traction and move into a powerful roll phase early, without losing energy at the end of the oil pattern.
Comparison In a comparative look, the Visionary Mixed Breed shows a very characteristic ball motion that is deeply rooted in its genetic lineage. Using in-house references, this ball combines the extremely strong midlane roll of Visionary's own Spartan with the explosive direction change of the Visionary New Breed series. Compared directly to a modern, established solid ball like the Storm Phaze II, which is known for its even and very steady arc, the Visionary Mixed Breed is noticeably more asymmetric and more angular. Where the Storm Phaze II reads the entire lane smoothly, the Mixed Breed digs aggressively through the oil in the heads thanks to its extremely coarse surface, and the special Z-Spin core produces a considerably harder, more defined breakpoint. It generates noticeably more continuation than many purely symmetric models in this category. Once the oil pattern goes into transition and the outside boards open up, however, the 1000-grit Xiphos II cover often reacts too sensitively to the developing friction, which makes the ball burn up markedly earlier than weaker benchmark balls.
On the Lanes Because of its heavily traction-oriented construction, the Visionary Mixed Breed is the ideal tool for heavy to medium oil volumes and fresh house or sport patterns. The coarse 1000 Abralon cover keeps the ball holding securely in the oil rather than skidding. That makes it especially valuable if you throw with higher ball speed or less side rotation and naturally need help getting the ball into a roll early. As soon as the ball reaches the end of the oil pattern, the asymmetric core delivers an extremely strong hook and a steep entry angle into the pocket, which results in excellent carry. If you like to send the ball well out over the boards, you'll benefit from the strong recovery and the enormous energy the ball releases in the backend. As the lanes dry up, or on lanes that have a lot of friction to begin with, the aggressive setup quickly reaches its limits. In those cases the ball builds friction too early and lacks the necessary punch at the end. It's therefore often advisable to adjust the surface slightly on drying conditions, or to switch to a polished alternative early.