The Game Breaker 5 is the latest release in Ebonite’s famed Game Breaker line. This ball uses the same symmetrical Enhanced V2 core as all of the previous symmetrical Game Breakers since 2014, along with a solid version of the GB 12.7 coverstock. We saw this shell previously on older Hopkinsville-manufactured Ebonite releases like the Mission Unknown and the Matrix Solid. Coming out of the box at 500/1500 SiaAir, the GB5’s early-revving core and aggressive coverstock provide plenty of hook and continuation.

Cranker has always had a soft spot for the Game Breakers, and the Game Breaker 5 provides more hook than every other version. On the heavy oil pattern, this let him start farther left than with any other current Ebonite ball. With such an early-revving motion, Cranker loved the amount of hook he saw at the breakpoint and back end. As the lanes broke down, he could simply move left and find more oil. For such a dull finish, the ball retained plenty of energy until the end of the session as he kept moving inside. He never had any reason to adjust the surface away from the box finish, and he really loved this ball for this condition.

Cranker thought he might struggle on the medium oil pattern, given how much hook he saw on the heavier oil pattern. He needed to keep the GB5 in the oil as long as he could to keep it from hooking too early, but he had a very good reaction on the fresh. The dull cover really ate up the front of the lane, pushing him into the left gutter quickly. To avoid a ball change later in the session, Cranker added Factory Compound to the shell to allow him to start a little farther outside. At this ...