This is the reason why it depends on the player rather than the deck. AG is on tier list but still somehow gets destroyed easily. Maybe because the AG players didn't master the deck yet and you managed to counter them. Is that still "P2W" to you haters?
Yeah, I have more success with Balance + actually using backrows, than a version that's overly focused on Special Summoning Reactor Dragon.
Heck Reactor Dragon is actually better Tribute Summoned than Special Summoned, since it gains Piercing if you tributed an AG monster to summon it. Hydra is the one you'll want to Special Summon.
And I should add, with Geartown you can Tribute Summon Reactor Dragon using just 1 Tribute, and then after damage step and its effect activates, destroy Geartown, summon Hydra, then attack again with Hydra.