Mizuno Neo Vista 2 vs Mizuno Wave Sky 9:
Which to Choose

The headline difference is the plate and the foam behind it. The Neo Vista 2 runs a PEBA-based midsole over a full-length Pebax wave plate (not carbon), which gives it a rolling, springy transition that firms up and rewards you as the pace lifts — its cushioning and responsiveness both sit at 5/6. The Wave Sky 9 skips the plate entirely, stacking soft nitrogen-infused Enerzy NXT over a firmer Enerzy carrier for the deepest, most protective ride of the two (cushioning 6/6) but only moderate energy return (responsiveness 3/6); it absorbs impact beautifully and returns it slowly, so there's no snap when you press. That plays out in their pace windows: the Neo Vista 2 is comfortable cruising but stays sharp down to roughly 4:15–4:45 min/km, while the Wave Sky 9's composure tops out around 5:00–5:15 min/km before the soft stack starts to feel vague. On build, both are genuinely tall — heel stacks in the mid-40s mm with forefoots in the high-30s — but the Neo Vista 2 is the lighter shoe at about 264 g versus 295 g for the Wave Sky 9, and it uses a slightly steeper 8 mm drop against the Wave Sky's 6 mm. Both are neutral with no pronation support, though the Wave Sky 9's wide, plate-free platform edges out the more elevated Neo Vista 2 on planted stability (4/6 vs 3/6), and the Neo Vista's height can feel a touch tippy at a crawl. In short: same distance targets, opposite personalities — one is a do-most trainer with an uptempo gear, the other a specialist in soft, easy miles.