I'm a newbie. Jumped into xwing with the sale-craze during the holidays.

I'm a gamer, I play hearthstone, LOTR LCG and lots of other games, and I know what it is like to 'deck build'...

but if there's one thing I hate is just to internet-deck, to just "copy" "lists" (why did the community settle on that term, why not squad?)... so I want to go with my own creative squad build, however I feel like it, and I would love to go to these (in)famous championships coming up... am I doomed? is it me or am I right in fearing that you can't go have fun unless you play List N of the top 5 "lists" the internets has agreed are OP OMG WINZ WINZ?

Or is there a good way to find a way to play x wing for casual (yet competitive-ish, where each side did try to build their list)... I almost would like to say "want to play x wing, but if you just copy internet lists, not interested"... what do the long term folks, and recent newbies, think of my concerns? Is the x wing community open to "just having fun"?

I am not a good player, and I have never been to a tournament where I didn't enjoy myself.

If you go with X top 5 list, you will find tons of counter to those list because people fear they will face them. Go with your own list and your chance to win are higher.

In our community, net-squad is something rare. Most people come up with their own list. We all have tons of fun.

Fly casual.

As long as you go in with the mind set to have fun... I don't know how you can lose.

You never learn the game like on a tournament.

Yes.

You can lose every game 100-0 and still have a blast IMO.

For semi-competitive play, try a local league if you can find it. Check Facebook and ask at gaming stores.

I always think having fun depends on you. Do you want to learn a lot about the game? Do you not mind if this learning comes from losing? Of course you want to win, and that would be great, but if your goal is to play a bunch of X-Wing in one day, then I think anyone can have a good time.

Will your fun be dependent on doing well and winning most of your matches and maybe placing? Stay home.

Would you consider a full day of playing X-Wing with people you don't usually play with a good time even if you lost every match? Definitely go.

Your inexperience is probably a bigger barrier to winning than not wanting to run a popular list. In my experience a good player with a reasonably well thought out squad will tend to do well at tournaments even if what he's running isn't the current hotness.

I almost would like to say "want to play x wing, but if you just copy internet lists, not interested"...

This is in my opinion a silly and hard to 'enforce' policy. Did I net-deck so to speak because I play a list with Vader, palp shuttle, and soontir? Does it matter that I built it myself and happened to come to the same reasonable conclusions as many others? Seems like after playing the game for a decent length of time you'll realize that certain upgrades go well with certain ships. Unsurprisingly the vast mind of the internet can also reach these conclusions. Is building a good list that coincides with popular meta choices really such a bad thing?

I have won, and I have had fun, and let me tell you, winning is a lot of fun.

Yes. Just keep your expectations in check based on your experience.

I almost would like to say "want to play x wing, but if you just copy internet lists, not interested".

In some games copying a list off the internet means you can play that list/deck with perhaps as much as a 75% chance of really making it perform well, and letting you swing above your weight class as it were.

I could copy a MtG deck or SW LCG deck and with basic understanding make it work nearly as well for me as it does the person who designed it.

With X-Wing on the other hand that's not nearly as true. I could give a newbie a Corran/Dash list and while they might do ok, they'll most likely never do as well as I would with it. Because half of this game is manuvers, position, and target selection. The list isn't nearly as important.

Is the x wing community open to "just having fun"?

Depends on. You can normally find a casual league or the like at a LGS. But people can and do have a ton of fun at Store Championships, or Regionals. I had a blast at last years regionals no matter how my games went. But I also enjoy playing games competitively and that's how everyone there took it. Fun, friendly, mostly laid back, but also out to win.

My first 2 tournaments were store championships, and they were a blast. Go, have fun, and play.

I've found that X-wing tends to draw a lot better class of players. Most people are really nice and you can have a great time even if you lose every game.

Losing games is the best way to learn! Tournaments will give you a lot of experience in one short amount of time, which is nice.

You also get to meet a bunch of local players and find out about local meet ups. Great way to get into the scene.

There are usually a favorite store or Facebook page that locals find games. That's the best way to find local players and not have someone show up to just kick your teeth in.

Of course you can. Go, get yourself a Threepio alt art, meet new people.

I've found that X-wing tends to draw a lot better class of players. Most people are really nice and you can have a great time even if you lose every game.

Also, because of the way that Swiss tournaments handle pairings you'll end up playing someone with a similar record. This usually gets the hyper-competitve players separated out from the more casual players by round three or so.

Yes you can. Just go there act as though you know exactly what your doing even if you don't. If you go as a "newbie" and others don't know it, you just might win a couple. Don't act timid or the wolves will feed on you. Fly casual. Relax. Remember it's just a game. You just might learn some new tricks. Have fun. Good luck.

My first competitive play was the giant Plano regional last year. Now I was already an above-.500 player at that point (just barely) but it was a total thrill!

My first match was against a newbie with a terrible list (it included Saboteur on a HWK!) and he didn't fully understand how target locking worked. I actually helped him out a time or two by reminding him he could spend his target lock to try to get some more hits with his roll before I rolled my evades. Hopefully you find players who are willing to extend you the same courtesies. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that guy lost all his matches, but I chatted with him a couple times later in the day and he was still having a blast!

Go. Have fun. Be honest about your newness and don't let any WAAC jerks ruin your day.

I suggest going, having a good time, meeting new people, and playing a bunch of matches to the best of your ability.

But leave the attitude about net listing at home. Store championships aren't about who has the best special snowflake list, they are about who can pilot their chosen list the best. Devaluing your opponents win because they didn't meet some arbitrary criteria you imposed isn't good sportsmanship.

Yes. Just keep your expectations in check based on your experience.

It depends on your definition of fun and the folks at the scene where you play at. Generally with Store Championships other folks from out of town come in because of the prize support.

My first tournament experience was at Worlds 2015. I went in with the expectation of losing more than winning. I ended up going 2-6, but was able to play against lists for the first time and learned a ton. I'm hoping to take that knowledge and do better at the store championships. Go, have fun, and get ready to learn.

Go! Build a list you enjoy flying, tell your opponent it's your first tourney (xwingers are very helpful), ask for some feedback after the match, make some new friends and have fun!

I love tournaments. First one I ever did was GenCon nationals and now I go anytime I can. They are a blast!

My first store championship I lost everything game. I told my first round opponent he was the fifth person I'd ever llayed, third if you didn't count people I'd taught to play. I had a blast and met the group of guys that I play with now.

It's hard not to "netlist" to some extent with x wing, things that are powerful are pretty common, my biggest advice for people who are going to store championships are to include a ship that you like to fly so that you'll have fun in every game. X wing has gotten more competitive of late as we continue to take in players from other communities, but it's still about fun. The highest I've ever made it to was top 8 at nationals and I was still making spaceship noises during my game. I can't recommend going to tourneys enough.