So for a while before store championships last year I was planning on running dash/corran. Then the boards exploded with people talking about the build and planning to bring it to their tournaments. That bothered me, for some reason. I switched gears and took a leebo and 2 bwings instead.

Ever since then I have generally flown non standard builds and mid range pilots, usually rebel toolbox builds of some kind. Now that we are in a new store tournament season I again picked my list weeks ago and have been dutifully practicing it. But now I am seeing variations and exact copies of it pop up in the forums and am resisting the urge to change again.

Is this something anyone else struggles with? Do you ever change your list solely because you see others running it too?

Mirror matches are boring ****, yes

Nope, I run whatever I have been practicing with and am comfortable flying.

I get this feeling all the time. I want to run the neglected ships and lists, or at least explore the other part of the game that isn't completely min/maxed. However, if you came up with the idea on your own, I wouldn't fret it. Try not to worry what your opponent thinks of your squad, he should be distracted enough by your practiced flying instead

Fortunately the meta is open enough that you can pretty much use whatever.

The first store championship in Atlanta had 43 people. I made top 8 with a t-65. Never saw soontir all day. Only saw one Poe.

It's not possible to be separate from the meta unless you only play by yourself. The meta will adapt to your attempts to be separate from it, and eventually, if what you run is effective, you will see people either bringing things that counter it, or bringing things that resemble it, or both.

I try to avoid mirror matches, and to vary what I play and try out new things and new combos, but I accept the fact that as a relative newcomer to the game, when I find a cool new combo, unless it's from unreleased material, it's almost certain that someone's thought of it before.

I understand the want to be a snowflake that's different in every way. There's a secret though. Whatever list you fly will be special, because you'll be the one piloting it and only you will make the choices on how it moves and performs, so it'll perform like no other list.

That sappy pep talk work?

I'm one of those people for sure. I actively try to not use what is deemed "the best". Mostly to my detriment, sadly.

I must say, though, that the Kanan crew card has me REALLY wanting to play Dash/Corran!

Is this something anyone else struggles with? Do you ever change your list solely because you see others running it too?

I often attempt to fly lists that are outside of the meta's expectations. It can be a huge advantage to fly lists that are unexpected.

Nope, I run whatever I have been practicing with and am comfortable flying.

This is ultimately the best advice. I often find myself flying Starvipers at more competitive events because I KNOW that ship. I fly it a lot. That is 99% of the reason that I do well with it.

I usually fly things that are not considered competitive, just to see how many people I can beat with it. I've done pretty well so far.

I am thinking of just skipping the whole tournament scene lately, though. Going for these "competitive" games of meta only lists is not really what I find fun these days. I'd rather just get with my buddies (who don't go to tournaments) and play some scenarios.

Nope, I run whatever I have been practicing with and am comfortable flying.

I feel ya. It's not that I won't use mainstream stuff, I will. I just don't enjoy winning with the best toys as much and especially if everyone is using those same exact toys in the same exact ways. It cheapens it.

The desire to be a special snowflake is normal, but imo you should just fly what you like and not worry about what other people are doing or what baseless conclusions they are drawing about you in their heads. It's a game, just play.

I try. I really do try to be fluffy and against meta. My current list, Biggs, Roark, blount, Stresshog I like to think is different.

I do this because A: I don't want to be the shameless copycat of someone greater, and B: If people are building anti-meta builds, they aren't necessarily hard countering me.

I'm the a-hole who flys 4 thug tlt y's just because I lack the desire to search through the plano for all the cards needed for less douchy builds.

So, to your original question...not so much.

The desire to be a special snowflake is normal, but imo you should just fly what you like and not worry about what other people are doing or what baseless conclusions they are drawing about you in their heads. It's a game, just play.

The snowflake ting probably plays into it but its more than that. Flying rogue is freedom and its rewarding and refreshing. Plus its much more fun when you face the guy that would of been your mirror.

If wanting to fly your own lists makes you a special snowflake, well then honeycakes! Get your coat on cuz it's fairly blizzarding in here!

The question is: what is the cause of that feeling? What is it that underpins the need to be running a unique list or rather a list that is seen to be unique?

You said yourself, that you've come up with lists independently and then by the time you get them to the table, the list is better known.

YOU know it's your list, by at least some form of definition. YOU know that it came from your ideas and your experiments, not from online, facebook, the forums.

And yet you are still uncomfortable running it. So it seems that you don't have a need to be running unique lists, but you have a need to be seen to be running unique lists.

That makes it less about you and your subjectivity and knowledge of the list and more about the way others see you and your list choices.

And THAT comes from the whole idea of people judging people's lists in the first place - not judging their playability, competitiveness or anything like that, (we should all be doing that when paired up with an opponent) but more abstract things like the extent of it's originality and 'netlist-ness'.

I say no one should be made to feel like their list choices are invalid, incorrect or whatever.

Fortunately the meta is open enough that you can pretty much use whatever.

The first store championship in Atlanta had 43 people. I made top 8 with a t-65. Never saw soontir all day. Only saw one Poe.

Daym, I WANT DAT META

I struggled with this until Palpatine came out. Then I built palp aces independently of the thousands of other people doing it, ended up in roughly the same conclusions they did, and now have way too much fun with the list to care about who else flies it.

That's certainly a flipside, many of us have invented the same wheel, because the tools were right there.

I wouldn't let that kind of griping change your list. Run what you know and enjoy. Smart players aren't going to complain about that anyways. It's not like Dash/Corran was one man's creation. Everyone who flew Corran saw the potential as soon as Dash and outrider title was spoiled.

Also the meta right now is so wide open that mirror matches are more rare than they've been since.... ever?

I run with what I enjoy flying. If someone else enjoys the same list that's awesome. Most people will switch it up when new releases drop anyways, so it doesn't bother me that much. Fly what calls to you.

That's certainly a flipside, many of us have invented the same wheel, because the tools were right there.

No, clearly I'm the only person who could think of accuracy correctors on tempests or Palpatine riding in a shuttle with 2 already hard to kill aces. Nobody else has my artistic vision or prowess!

Don't change your list because you found others fly it or variations of it. In fact, you're doing quite the opposite of what the meta shouldn't produce, flying meta lists because this other guy did well with it.

The list doesn't make the player, the player makes the list. Fly what you're comfortable with, and what you enjoy, and ignore everything else. Don't let others decide what's best for you.