OS mid or powered down fairway?

[Grippenripp]

I have been having some trouble with this lately. After buying an OS mid to compliment my prophecy cycle that I didn't get what I expected with I began thinking "do I even need this disc" I have my prophecy and a TB. Should I just throw my TB or other fairway depending on the wind? Should I put an OS mid in the bag as a bookend? What do you, my trusted DGCR colleagues think? How do you approach this and why? I should mention that I prefer to throw a full shot with the slowest disc possible but I'm sure I could learn to power down a fairway if need be. Let's hear it boys (and gals). TIA for all input.

 

[discgolfer25]

I was using a Gila for this space but I just never really found myself using it. I would always either try to power up my Jokeri or power down an OS fairway so I took it out of the bag. To me, the less choice I have the better. If I have three possible discs for one shot, I'm more likely to overthink it so that's why I decided to get rid of the Gila. If you do decide to keep an OS Mid in the bag, there's no question in my mind that the Gila is the best on the market.

 

[GripEnemy]

inb4 Are overstable mids pointless?

I've been a long time advocate of the overstable mid (been throwing Drones for a decade) but truth be told the past couple weeks I can't help but think I've been wrong all this time. Today was my first round without Drones in my bag in I-can't-tell-you-how-long (one in my small, two in my large) and truth be told I didn't miss it. I'll need at least another dozen or more rounds to really make up my mind but basically it comes down to your own playing style/skill level/distance/consistency/basically every variable possible.


EDIT: Same goes for slower stuff...overstable mid or overstable putter? OS putters never get a bad name but the mids sure do

 

[Broken Shoulder]

I don't carry an OS mid, although a Zone encroaches on that territory.
I'll hyzer a Roc or move up to Eagle or Firebird if I feel the Zone isnt the right disc.

 

[Audible Vibration]

I experienced this exact scenario tonight League, deciding between the prophecy or TB and everything. I recently took my OS mid out, and tried powering down the TB for the first time. I made the mistake of throwing it on the same line and power as a mid, and caught a big skip OB. I realize now if I put more hyzer on it, it wouldn't have skipped as much. But, that line might not always be available, and I don't think the prophecy would have held up to the wind. So for me, I think an OS disc might only get put in the bag on really windy days. I could play 10 rounds and never need it, but there occasionally comes a time where it does what I can't get any other type of disc to do.

 

[Grippenripp]

inb4 Are overstable mids pointless?

I've been a long time advocate of the overstable mid (been throwing Drones for a decade) but truth be told the past couple weeks I can't help but think I've been wrong all this time. Today was my first round without Drones in my bag in I-can't-tell-you-how-long (one in my small, two in my large) and truth be told I didn't miss it. I'll need at least another dozen or more rounds to really make up my mind but basically it comes down to your own playing style/skill level/distance/consistency/basically every variable possible.


EDIT: Same goes for slower stuff...overstable mid or overstable putter? OS putters never get a bad name but the mids sure do

Good point, but to be fair I find myself going for the OS putter instead of the mid often.

 

[Grippenripp]

I experienced this exact scenario tonight League, deciding between the prophecy or TB and everything. I recently took my OS mid out, and tried powering down the TB for the first time. I made the mistake of throwing it on the same line and power as a mid, and caught a big skip OB. I realize now if I put more hyzer on it, it wouldn't have skipped as much. But, that line might not always be available, and I don't think the prophecy would have held up to the wind. So for me, I think an OS disc might only get put in the bag on really windy days. I could play 10 rounds and never need it, but there occasionally comes a time where it does what I can't get any other type of disc to do.

Cool to see someone with a similar bag comment. I guess i could just hide a Gator3 in the Secret weapon slot LOL.

 

[slowplastic]

TL;DR: If you already bag a Firebird and an OS tweener approach, then you likely don't need a true OS mid. But a stable-OS mid I think is way better at midrange shots than a powered down fairway, because it will stop better on the ground and not get hard to range like a fairway that can get floaty at low power.

Depends on your bag. I feel like you need something true OS for different power ranges, so for me that's the Zone/Harp slot, then Firebird/speed 9 OS do everything slot, then super OS driver like a beefy Destroyer slot. I don't want to throw the Destroyer under 300' unless it's an insane spike or trick shot, so the FB choice is obvious. Then at a certain point when it's under 250'ish and it's not a trick shot, so you want the actual pure OS line, then it's time for the Zone type disc. Obviously there's some overlap of 20'ish between each of these so just go with your gut, and the ranges depend on the person of course.

If you go with a super beefcake mid like a Justice then maybe you don't need the Zone/Harp too, or maybe you lean on one of those slots 90% of the time and the other is just for insane OS Justice shots too short for a Firebird, or for very short range Zone approaches where a Justice would skip...that depends on the person's tendencies.

Anyways, those are for super true OS. While you're talking about powering down a Teebird for an OS mid, that is more the straight-fade OS to me rather than pure OS. I do throw a Verdict and for me it's completely necessary. I don't want to throw a Teebird under 300', yes it would trace basically the same line as the Verdict if you did a follow flight, and yes I'm still able to throw with my normal form at that range, but the disc is just going much faster when it hits the ground so I'm way more likely to get a skip. Also if it hits a tree I find it kicks way more than a mid. Plus if it's a mild-medium headwind and I want to throw my straight mid normally...the Verdict will handle that situation without a problem. But if I throw a Teebird instead, I find it cuts through the wind so much better I'll usually not just hit the line but also go quite deep because the wind keeps it up to speed.

 

[Grippenripp]

My train of thought here is that of a simpler (not minimalist) bag setup. As DG25 pointed out you can overthink things and that's usually bad (for me anyway) IDK. interesting group of responses.

 

[discerdoo]

I can't do without an OS mid, mainly for FH flex shots. I bag a Zone and a DGA Quake and both get used most rounds.

 

[DiscFifty]

My bag would not be complete without my G* Gator. Anny flex shots, meat hook hyzers, grenades, skip shots, etc. So many uses. When I think my harp is just out of reach, I pull out the gator and throw the same shot.

 

[Grippenripp]

TL;DR: If you already bag a Firebird and an OS tweener approach, then you likely don't need a true OS mid. But a stable-OS mid I think is way better at midrange shots than a powered down fairway, because it will stop better on the ground and not get hard to range like a fairway that can get floaty at low power.

Depends on your bag. I feel like you need something true OS for different power ranges, so for me that's the Zone/Harp slot, then Firebird/speed 9 OS do everything slot, then super OS driver like a beefy Destroyer slot. I don't want to throw the Destroyer under 300' unless it's an insane spike or trick shot, so the FB choice is obvious. Then at a certain point when it's under 250'ish and it's not a trick shot, so you want the actual pure OS line, then it's time for the Zone type disc. Obviously there's some overlap of 20'ish between each of these so just go with your gut, and the ranges depend on the person of course.

If you go with a super beefcake mid like a Justice then maybe you don't need the Zone/Harp too, or maybe you lean on one of those slots 90% of the time and the other is just for insane OS Justice shots too short for a Firebird, or for very short range Zone approaches where a Justice would skip...that depends on the person's tendencies.

Anyways, those are for super true OS. While you're talking about powering down a Teebird for an OS mid, that is more the straight-fade OS to me rather than pure OS. I do throw a Verdict and for me it's completely necessary. I don't want to throw a Teebird under 300', yes it would trace basically the same line as the Verdict if you did a follow flight, and yes I'm still able to throw with my normal form at that range, but the disc is just going much faster when it hits the ground so I'm way more likely to get a skip. Also if it hits a tree I find it kicks way more than a mid. Plus if it's a mild-medium headwind and I want to throw my straight mid normally...the Verdict will handle that situation without a problem. But if I throw a Teebird instead, I find it cuts through the wind so much better I'll usually not just hit the line but also go quite deep because the wind keeps it up to speed.

These are all good points. I like the Idea of a mid BC as I said I like the full shot with a slower disc vs. powering something down, that gets finicky, unpredictable. Maybe it's just gonna be a process of finding the one that's right for me. Thanks.

 

[Grippenripp]

My bag would not be complete without my G* Gator. Anny flex shots, meat hook hyzers, grenades, skip shots, etc. So many uses. When I think my harp is just out of reach, I pull out the gator and throw the same shot.

NICE! I actually just ditched the Gator BC I couldn't get comfortable with that bead man, it's unique for sure. Also was looking for something with a bit more glide to use in more situations as I found myself reaching for the P3X where I was using the gator.

 

[Keller]

I don't know, but to me this craze of one over-stable disc in each category (putter, mid, fairway, control and distance) seems to be causing more harm than help to the average player. I play with one guy who was actually really good with nothing but Aviar P&As and Rocs who started chasing the OS game and his game has gone to hell. He has lost all his finesse and he's constantly chasing more OS discs to "fix" his new problem.

I used to bag a Drone, then found there wasn't anything it did for me that I couldn't use a Banshee for, then I dropped the Banshee for a Max weight Eagle-X. One mold, very versatile and with a few in different states of wear I've been good for the last few years. I throw short spike hyzers with it and at times I'll even throw 150 FHs with no problem, just have to learn the mold.

Yeah, all the elite top level players seem to have lots of OS stuff, but, they are elite! Not the average pro. I think of pros that I will never be as good as and who's game I admire and none of them regularly use meat-hook mids or putters.
Philo
MJ
Barry Schultz
Climo
If they can get by without them, what makes the average chucker think he needs them?

For the last few months, I have been playing rounds with nothing but;
Aviar P&As, Rocs, Eagles, Gazelles, and depending on the course I add a Sidewinder and an Orc, and my scores have gone down!
But I'm more of a finesse player who only throws around 330ft, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I'm not saying an OS disc doesn't have it's uses, but to me, this over-stable everything craze is selling lots of discs, but not helping a lot of peoples game.

 

[Grippenripp]

I don't know, but to me this craze of one over-stable disc in each category (putter, mid, fairway, control and distance) seems to be causing more harm than help to the average player. I play with one guy who was actually really good with nothing but Aviar P&As and Rocs who started chasing the OS game and his game has gone to hell. He has lost all his finesse and he's constantly chasing more OS discs to "fix" his new problem.

I used to bag a Drone, then found there wasn't anything it did for me that I couldn't use a Banshee for, then I dropped the Banshee for a Max weight Eagle-X. One mold, very versatile and with a few in different states of wear I've been good for the last few years. I throw short spike hyzers with it and at times I'll even throw 150 FHs with no problem, just have to learn the mold.

Yeah, all the elite top level players seem to have lots of OS stuff, but, they are elite! Not the average pro. I think of pros that I will never be as good as and who's game I admire and none of them regularly use meat-hook mids or putters.
Philo
MJ
Barry Schultz
Climo
If they can get by without them, what makes the average chucker think he needs them?

For the last few months, I have been playing rounds with nothing but;
Aviar P&As, Rocs, Eagles, Gazelles, and depending on the course I add a Sidewinder and an Orc, and my scores have gone down!
But I'm more of a finesse player who only throws around 330ft, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I'm not saying an OS disc doesn't have it's uses, but to me, this over-stable everything craze is selling lots of discs, but not helping a lot of peoples game.

Heard! Maybe I'll just stick with my mids and Fairway setup for a while. Keeping the P3X as the only OS approach disc, it compliments my game well though. I've been practicing with a 150 dx Stingray to up my finesse and it's begining to show. As soon as Inpurchased this OS mid I was like "do I really need this?" then I didn't really like the feel of it so...... Yeah. Maybe learning to control my TBs better is the way to go.

 

[tbird888]

Maybe you should work into a cycle with a mid that starts a little more overstable to fill the potential void. KC Rocs or Gilas could make nice bookends until they start losing enough stability to replace your current set up. I can't speak to Gilas, but Rocs are great at every point in their lifespan. You even have the option of DX if you get bored waiting on your first KC to need a new complement.

 

[Grippenripp]

Maybe you should work into a cycle with a mid that starts a little more overstable to fill the potential void. KC Rocs or Gilas could make nice bookends until they start losing enough stability to replace your current set up. I can't speak to Gilas, but Rocs are great at every point in their lifespan. You even have the option of DX if you get bored waiting on your first KC to need a new complement.

I believe that the prophecy is very similar to the Roc in all stages. And in moderate wind performs fine. The question here is really about when the wind comes kickin but not FD3 type headwind. Maybe I can learn to control the prophecy a bit better (which is what I'm tbinkong now) vs bookending my cycle and just jump to TB/OLF/FD3 as needed.

 

[Blobfish]

Fwiw, I throw a lot of thumbers and distance on these go hand in hand with overstable molds. I was overthrowing downhill tree shots with my ace race Mantis (a little more os than production) so I switched to a hornet which was the perfect distance but I lost it and I replaced it with the even more os verdict. I really like the verdict for a midrange thumber. Seems like it would be as great flex shot disc too but I don't have that shot yet.

 

[tbird888]

I believe that the prophecy is very similar to the Roc in all stages. And in moderate wind performs fine. The question here is really about when the wind comes kickin but not FD3 type headwind. Maybe I can learn to control the prophecy a bit better (which is what I'm tbinkong now) vs bookending my cycle and just jump to TB/OLF/FD3 as needed.

Release angles make a world of difference.

 

[Grippenripp]

Release angles make a world of difference.

I have been working on learning them this year. I'm only in my second year of playing though, I have good form advice from some friwnds who have been playing 10-30 years. I listen to them.