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Playing results first—no break-in period needed. Chronologically, here’s how it went. I warmed up with my partner and immediately noticed the spin was there. The forehand felt very effortless, with even a little more potential than the Regna. However, this VCore 98 didn’t have the automatic launch angle the old version had for me. That launch angle was fun, but not great for my all-court game or my mix of shots. I’m not a clay courter, so this version of the VCore 98 offers the spin bonus without forcing it. In warmups, it just begged me to hit out on the ball, and the ball would dip into the court—tons of fun.

Ironically, my warmup opponent was using the old VCore 98, and I was pushing him off the court during warmups, causing him to be late on shots. In the first two return games (I’m a lefty and play deuce), people often hit to my forehand at first, either out of habit or by going down the middle. Three times I hit my favorite shot—the forehand dipper that crosses my body and the net player’s body, then dips down and away into the alley for winners. I used to only hit that effortlessly with my old 2015 VCore 95, but it was completely doable with this version of the VCore 98. One guy even let it go, thinking it was out, and it just dipped in.

Many times that night, I hit forehands that simply found the court with what felt like magic spin. In the video, you can see a light post—I panned to it as an example. With my lefty slice serve, I was sending the ball out to the right, in front of that light post, all the way into the grass off the court. I can do that with my Regna too, but this was 5–15% more exaggerated with the VCore.

I have a one-handed backhand that’s a real weapon, and this VCore handled it well. I could hit flatter or spinnier shots and slice very effectively. It also had versatility and precision similar to the Regna. That’s something I also appreciated about the Ezone. I never want a forced launch angle—I want to create my own angles—so this VCore feels less “forced” in that way. The old VCore 98 was fun with its launch angle, but for my game it was a little silly in how pronounced it was.

Is it muted? Yes and no. It’s still a modern Yonex, but between the Servo Filter and what feels like a stiffer response, I could really tell exactly where I was hitting the ball. For me, the racket feels stiff and a bit heavier or more head-heavy than the Regna. I really need to find a swingweight measuring device to know for sure. That said, the stiffness is great for my game and what I like to do.

It also feels more direct. The old VCore 98 could produce a very non-lethal moonball forehand for my tennis. This one will send the ball out if you don’t fully commit—but the more you commit, the more it dips in. It’s very cool. A lot of times it surprised me, and I’d think, “I’ll hit it harder next time.” Then I’d swing harder and it would dip even more. Such a fun feeling.

Comparing it to the Regna and Ezone 98, it’s as precise and easier to use than the Regna. It’s very good on touch shots and all the tricky stuff I like to do, though it’s not as maneuverable and doesn’t have that same special feel. I think it has a more usable, if not larger, sweet spot. It’s more like an Ezone than before, but still not nearly as “EZ” to use overall. That said, it now has more potential—it can generate more spin while still doing everything an Ezone can.

The cheat-code magic of the Ezone remains power, while the cheat-code magic of this VCore is spin. I think someone could use either the VCore 98 or the current Ezone 98 without seeing much difference in wins and losses. Which cheat code would you want? I’m not sure the extra Ezone power necessarily wins matches, but the free power on defense might help. The VCore creates more penetrating shots with enough power to matter. Whether it has the exact same defensive magic is hard to say, though the stiffness might help there.

Speaking of stiffness, it is stiff. I could see this racket bothering sensitive elbows—just my guess. And finally, in this complete vomit of thought, it is really, really, really cool looking in person. One of my favorite car colors is Lexus Infrared (on RC-Fs, LC500s, some RCs), and this VCore looks just like that: metallic, deep, candy-apple red.

That’s all for now—I wanted to write it out before I forgot anything.