Ding Counter: 1 (pictured)
A fairly recent addition to the onedrop lineup, the Wyvern is sort of a hodgepodge of hallmark onedrop features that results in a pretty nifty throw. My review on this one is going to be a bit strange, so bear with me. The weirdness starts when I claim that this yoyo plays narrower than it actually is, which gives it a neat comfortable feeling. This comfortable feeling is only expanded upon by the wide catchzone of the Wyvern, since hitting the flat rims will result in the string sliding into the gap 99% of the time. Now, while the Wyvern obviously has some rimweight (the material is there afterall), the Wyvern still manages to approach the level of agility that narrower throws often have. You can see this in the design, with most of the weight of the yoyo pushed towards the center in between the flat rims, giving it that nice level of zip. This yoyo is a great example of “don’t judge the yoyo by its specs” (shoutout g2 jake), since the Wyvern and a Thesis Invictus have very similar stats, but play differently.
So we know the throw is agile, what else does it have going for it? The Wyvern has decently high spin times, plenty to get the job done, but is not the most stable yoyo in the world due to the aforementioned weight distribution. I would attribute the Wyvern to being a comfort yoyo, and the design influence seems to speak to the Wyvern being designed to slot cleanly into the onedrop lineup without causing too much disruption. Meaning that it plays similar to a handful of other onedrops while being unique enough to justify owning. The official description for the Wyvern cites it as having a great hand feel, being floaty, and having great spin times. The first is 100% true, the Wyvern is extremely comfortable on the throw/catch and in the hand. As for being floaty, there’s definitely an argument to be made for the Wyvern, but I don’t personally consider it among the most floaty onedrop throws out there (atleast, it would not crack my top 5). The main strength of the Wyvern is having a quite high spin time while possessing just enough float to give the yoyo a unique feel. Compared to other yoyos, the Wyvern reminds me a bit of the play characteristics of the Panorama, but trades off on the floaty fun levels for added spintime and stability.
Now, I’ve gushed a bit about the yoyo, it’s all around solid and if the above has piqued your interest, here’s the downsides. The Wyvern is not as stable as a lot of the other onedrop yoyos, and due to the weight being pushed towards the center, tends to tilt off axis easier than some other more rimweighted counterparts (this is a common comparison point between the Wyvern and the Free Solo). This makes the yoyo a bit frustrating sometimes to use with a flat bearing, as when your string rubs against the response the yoyo tilts as a result, but your mileage may vary. As for the tier rating, I decided to put the Wyvern in B tier because the design overall doesn’t truly excel at anything, and isn’t the best generalist/jack of all trades comfort’ onedrop yoyo, at least in my opinion. However, it’s far from the worst, therefore to me it’s a great candidate for being near the higher end of B tier. I kind of draw a parallel between the Wyvern and a “greatest hits” album release. If you’re a fan of the band, you’ll like – maybe even love – the greatest hits album because it has all the features that you’ve come to love over the years. However, if you’ve never heard the band before you probably won’t resonate with the album as much, and I feel this holds true for the Wyvern. The Wyvern is an absolutely phenomenal yoyo if you’re a onedrop fan, and you’ll find it get along nicely with a number of their other releases, but I think there are better and more unique onedrop offerings out there to be had if you are just getting into the brand.
If you like the Wyvern, consider the Panorama, Fat Tire 20/20, Sugar Glider, Summit, and Cascade.
Get your pitchforks ready for the next one! Especially if you like very delayed releases.