Hello guys,

I am new to armada, so far I've bought a starter set and a couple of expansions just to have fun with my brother. I am loving it and as soon as i find a good gaming group i will try the game competitively.

But before further investments, I would like to know a bit more about the metagame in tournament and how does the game looks like at a competitive level.

I know that the game is pretty new and the meta is probably going to be shaken with the wave 2, but still I would like to acknowledge the current meta. For me it's the best way to measure how good the balance is, which is a huge factor for me.

By looking around I have seen a lot of different builds and combos, but as a beginner i have no idea what is part of the meta and what is just fun/original/experimental builds.

So if you guys can show me where i can find a list of the most popular/successful list from both alliance and empire that would be great.

Thanks

Hello guys,

I am new to armada, so far I've bought a starter set and a couple of expansions just to have fun with my brother. I am loving it and as soon as i find a good gaming group i will try the game competitively.

But before further investments, I would like to know a bit more about the metagame in tournament and how does the game looks like at a competitive level.

I know that the game is pretty new and the meta is probably going to be shaken with the wave 2, but still I would like to acknowledge the current meta. For me it's the best way to measure how good the balance is, which is a huge factor for me.

By looking around I have seen a lot of different builds and combos, but as a beginner i have no idea what is part of the meta and what is just fun/original/experimental builds.

So if you guys can show me where i can find a list of the most popular/successful list from both alliance and empire that would be great.

Thanks

"Ask again in a couple of months."

Because we're all beginners. We're all still learning, because we don't have a 'full game' until Wave 2 Hits, sometime this year.

Of course, the other part of it would be to jump in and Experiement -w e're all that way... And we all have conflicting attitudes on what is "Good" and what is not. What is best is Experience with Moving, because that is where games are won and lost.

The state of the meta is honestly irrelevant.

We are one Wave in. We are playing at a point level that won't exist moving forward. Any amount of balance or unbalance that exists now is not something that is going to hold weight moving foward. Simply because we are at the absolutely minimum of available options and not even at the standard point level.

I don't think you can guage a games balance based on it's initial offerings, just whether a game is completely unplayable or not.

Hello guys,

I am new to armada, so far I've bought a starter set and a couple of expansions just to have fun with my brother. I am loving it and as soon as i find a good gaming group i will try the game competitively.

But before further investments, I would like to know a bit more about the metagame in tournament and how does the game looks like at a competitive level.

I know that the game is pretty new and the meta is probably going to be shaken with the wave 2, but still I would like to acknowledge the current meta. For me it's the best way to measure how good the balance is, which is a huge factor for me.

By looking around I have seen a lot of different builds and combos, but as a beginner i have no idea what is part of the meta and what is just fun/original/experimental builds.

So if you guys can show me where i can find a list of the most popular/successful list from both alliance and empire that would be great.

Thanks

Hmm. So. Gladiator beats Nebulon and Corvette. Assault frigate beats Gladiator and Victory. Victory beats Nebulon and Assault Frigate. Nebulon beats Gladiator.

It changes from place to place.

Hello guys,

I am new to armada, so far I've bought a starter set and a couple of expansions just to have fun with my brother. I am loving it and as soon as i find a good gaming group i will try the game competitively.

But before further investments, I would like to know a bit more about the metagame in tournament and how does the game looks like at a competitive level.

I know that the game is pretty new and the meta is probably going to be shaken with the wave 2, but still I would like to acknowledge the current meta. For me it's the best way to measure how good the balance is, which is a huge factor for me.

By looking around I have seen a lot of different builds and combos, but as a beginner i have no idea what is part of the meta and what is just fun/original/experimental builds.

So if you guys can show me where i can find a list of the most popular/successful list from both alliance and empire that would be great.

Thanks

Hmm. So. Gladiator beats Nebulon and Corvette. Assault frigate beats Gladiator and Victory. Victory beats Nebulon and Assault Frigate. Nebulon beats Gladiator.

What I am meaning to say is that unlike X-wing or magic or 40k, their is so many variables that no rock paper scissors exist. Play with ships to see which ones you LIKE to play, and which the one your good with. Being good with something and understanding how it works is how the game works currently.

Hello guys,

I am new to armada, so far I've bought a starter set and a couple of expansions just to have fun with my brother. I am loving it and as soon as i find a good gaming group i will try the game competitively.

But before further investments, I would like to know a bit more about the metagame in tournament and how does the game looks like at a competitive level.

I know that the game is pretty new and the meta is probably going to be shaken with the wave 2, but still I would like to acknowledge the current meta. For me it's the best way to measure how good the balance is, which is a huge factor for me.

By looking around I have seen a lot of different builds and combos, but as a beginner i have no idea what is part of the meta and what is just fun/original/experimental builds.

So if you guys can show me where i can find a list of the most popular/successful list from both alliance and empire that would be great.

Thanks

Hmm. So. Gladiator beats Nebulon and Corvette. Assault frigate beats Gladiator and Victory. Victory beats Nebulon and Assault Frigate. Nebulon beats Gladiator.

technically, it's GSD beats everything

Corvette beats everything

afmk2 beats everything

VSD beats slow things

Rhymer ball beats everything

Nebs beat long range things

B-wings beat whatever they can get their hands on

it's a pretty balanced state of affairs so far

Ask the people who play in your area, and then ask the forums again in a couple months.

Some forumites hold that squadronless lists are the way to go, but...I mostly don't see squadronless lists in actual play.

Ask the people who play in your area, and then ask the forums again in a couple months.

Some forumites hold that squadronless lists are the way to go, but...I mostly don't see squadronless lists in actual play.

sorry,

I think my Bs ate them all

Ask the people who play in your area, and then ask the forums again in a couple months.

Some forumites hold that squadronless lists are the way to go, but...I mostly don't see squadronless lists in actual play.

sorry,

I think my Bs ate them all

Honestly, even if a new wave of ships wasnt about to hit the shelves, i'd say this is the only game where the meta really doesnt matter. As of right now there is no bad ship, and all the named squadrons have their perks too (though harder to use in some cases). Bulk of the game is knowing your positions and being able to predict opponent movements.

Yes there will always be the netlist (common term for wargamers: a list someone copied off some website thats powerful) but because nothing is terrible or overpowered as hell in this game, every list can be countered if you know what youre doing.

Its almost entirely preference. Personally i despise the Nebulon but my friend adores it and does manage to pull crap with it i can never seem to do.

Yea. US Nationals was won by no squadrons, but many of the other tournaments were won by other people.

See, and thats one thing i personally dont get. Every time im either on the receiving end or delivering end of someone having free 3-5 squadrons to bombard my ships after our epic mosh pit of squadrons was over, the fighter side wins. Its just so much extra damage that most ships have a real hard time removing.

More powerful for Rebels obviously since X-Wings are nasty good.

Honestly, even if a new wave of ships wasnt about to hit the shelves, i'd say this is the only game where the meta really doesnt matter. As of right now there is no bad ship, and all the named squadrons have their perks too (though harder to use in some cases). Bulk of the game is knowing your positions and being able to predict opponent movements.

Yes there will always be the netlist (common term for wargamers: a list someone copied off some website thats powerful) but because nothing is terrible or overpowered as hell in this game, every list can be countered if you know what youre doing.

Its almost entirely preference. Personally i despise the Nebulon but my friend adores it and does manage to pull crap with it i can never seem to do.

indeed there are no bad ships, there are just some that take more getting used to

the VSD and Neb are these ships

both are incredibly dependent on navigate because they're so or spindly, respectively, and because of that they're a lot more difficult to come to terms with than the more flexible GSDs or fatties

when Wave 2 hits, I expect the large ships will give VSDs great targets (if tractor beams already don't) and the extra neb will really make a difference

as is, though, they still work splendidly; they just take extra practice

Thanks for those answers!

Sorry for the the late reply but I guess it is due to the fact that i am posting from France.

Whatever, I am just going to buy a bit of everything from wave 1 and see how things are going in the next wave.

Cannot wait to do some tournament!

Do not try to work out the META that's impossible. Instead only try to realise the truth. There is no META. Then you will see it is not the META that exists only yourself.

From what I see, it's also a game of numbers. My sister pumps minimally upgraded ships against my heavily loaded ones and I loose terribly every time.

Most recent game, we fielded squadron but I still loose. Though not before Fel's Flying Circus and Rhymer's Raiders obliterated her squadrons and half her fleet.

Do not try to work out the META that's impossible. Instead only try to realise the truth. There is no META. Then you will see it is not the META that exists only yourself.

That's pretty deep.

Right now, I'd say that the meta is more of a negative thing. There are a lot of lists that bring in redundancies that are more likely to be wasted than other things. Of course, what your opponent decides to bring helps determine what was redundant.

For a while the notion that 'No Squadrons' beats 'Few Squadrons' beats 'Many Squadrons' beats 'No Squadrons' (a.k.a. Edsell-Blerg theory), but the big Vassal tournament of a few weeks ago saw nothing of that pattern. A bit earlier than that, No Squadrons did seem to reign supreme, but that seems to have gone away.

So, essentially, we've been groping to find a meta, but we haven't really found one. Instead, I think it's about just being a good builder and player with that build. There's no shortcut to developing skill.

On the other hand, there is a shortcut to developing luck. It's called the Dark Side. If you declare yourself for the Empire and dedicate yourself to mercilessly destroying your opponents' hopes and dreams, the dice will favor you. However, you will have to go to ever-greater lengths to demonstrate your loyalty to the Dark Side to get the same dice favor. Forever will it dominate your destiny after that.

All other things aside:

Having more hulls in space helps.

Not saying it will win you any games, but it will help.

Play what you like. Experiment. Get a decent gaming group of friends. Learn to love the Gladiator.

About the only meta I have seen in our local community is:

• No Squadrons beats Few Squadrons
• Few Squadrons beats Many Squadrons
• Many Squadrons beats No Squadrons

However, a lot of that is also dependent on the skill and experience of the players involved and a fair amount of luck. For instance, in our last tournament I played a two AFM2 carrier build with 4 B-Wings and 3 A-Wings. I crushed my first two, experienced opponents. One of those was a 2 VSD, 1 GSD, no squadron build that I beat 322 to 0 (he did make a couple of critical errors that I exploited). However in my final game I lost by a margin of victory of 15 points. The final game was against a fellow playing his second ever game and an almost random mix of ships and squadrons. He was the same fellow who came in last in the tournament. The fellow I beat 322 to 0 came in second, behind me.

Yep, the meta is still up in the air, and with the release of wave 2 things will just shift around more. By the time the dust seems to be settling from wave 2 we will probably already be bracing for wave 3.