Discraft Cicada - ESP

The Cicada slots into Discraft’s fairway driver lineup between the Stalker and the Sting. This disc is a hyzer-flip specialist and has the torque-resistance to handle both forehand and backhand shots of any arm speed. Though similar to the Stalker in flight, the Cicada features more mid-flight turn, allowing it to drift at higher speeds or hold straighter for longer. In comparison to the Sting, the Cicada will not turn as much and will maintain the fade at the end of its flight.

What the Stalker and Sting can’t match the Cicada with is glide. Discraft’s new release boasts a glide rating of 6, putting it on par with the Heat in regards to effortless distance. And it does not disappoint. Distance is not an issue for the 7-speed Cicada as it stays in the air for longer, out-flying the Stalker and Sting consistently.

Feel is every bit as important as flight and the Cicada fits naturally in the hand. The rim is more angled, with a sharper contour than the Sting or Heat. It is also shallower, missing the microbead featured on the Heat and the larger bead and rounded upper rim of the Stalker. In addition, this first batch in Z plastic is relatively stiff out of the box, giving each Cicada a comfortably firm feel. 

Less experienced players, and throwers with slower arms, are going to love the Cicada as a do-it-all workhorse disc. Intermediate players will find success shaping lines and carving up the woods with minimal effort. Highly-skilled players are going to use the Cicada exclusively for hyzer-flip shots or even rollers.

First taken off the press and put in the hands of the Discraft Elite Team in January 2023, the Cicada was finally approved for production by the PDGA in August. Power arms like Ezra Aderhold and Brodie Smith found that it handled high-speed releases well, turning over slightly, but always providing a gentle fade. Holyn Handley went even further to describe it as a slower Undertaker.