So, having thought about a few things, I have noticed that when I play Dodonna the Oppressor I become. . . well, over eager may be an understatement. So I am going to bench the list for now.

This topic of Discussion Time is about lists that you may have benched in the past and the reasons why you have done so.

I personally don't expect a lot of responses to this topic but lets see what happens

I wish I got to play enough that I would get to bench lists.

I did decide to not play DeMSU after trying it once, because winning even though I played poorly seemed like a bad way to improve.

ditched the 7 CR90 swarm because I suck at CR90s and screw rebels anyways

But wouldn't say I've ever banched a list...

I've never "retired a list" per se, but I have definitely gotten fatigued or over a list and it can seem more tedious than fun to fly. At that point I try one of the other lists I've built in the meantime.

If I've done well in a local tourney I tend to shelve that list for a while, in the interest of keeping things fresh in the local scene...

I have a 3 and 4 Glad list that is having a bit of a time out....

Reason for setting it aside for the time being is i needed a bit more time flying it before I fly it in tournaments. Course with the waves coming might be pretty hard getting back to it for a bit.

I have a 3 and 4 Glad list that is having a bit of a time out....

Reason for setting it aside for the time being is i needed a bit more time flying it before I fly it in tournaments. Course with the waves coming might be pretty hard getting back to it for a bit.

My 4 glad list is still my favorite I've ever come up with. Tarkin at the helm to give everyone free engine techs to spam CF commands is so brutal.

I would say less that I've "Benched" a list, and more that I have such an innate propensity toward creativity that I like to design and fly new ones.

I will sit down with different commanders, upgrade cards, and ship types and ask myself: "How would I play this unit and can I design a list in which it is effective?"

There are few things that will expand your strategical knowledge and tactical vision more than learning how to play a lot of different lists well.

Haha... I bench lists all the time... I don't think I've played any list twice in any tournament except the GenCon Special (once before GenCon)...

Too many cool fleets to build and, well, nobody ever knows what I'm gonna bring!

A word of wisdom I overheard today:

"Remember the words 'Over' and 'Next'.

When something is over, it is over. Don't try to keep it going. Look for what is next. And the gap between over and next? That is living in the moment,"

Long story short, the first time I ever spent a while planning and perfecting a list was my Rieekan Raiders for the Pittsburgh Regionals. And they did quite well for themselves. But by the time US Nationals came around, the meta had passed them by - they were "Over" and I hadn't found my "Next" yet. They've been benched, and I have been experimenting with Vader lead Imperials waiting for Wave 3 to come out. In the meantime, they have definitely been benched, along with Dodonna Squadrons, Tarkin Vics, and Fel's Flying Circus.

I could always pick it up again - it is a template I can build around going forward. Rieekan and Wave 3 are going to do wonderful things together, but so are Cracken and Madine (in Wave 4). Dodonna is always going to be viable as the cheapest Commander. Garm is in the wings looking for his time to shine.

I guess I just like to experiment and find something new.

I just can't roll a red die to save my life...

I just can't roll a red die to save my life...

Hence why the Mon Cals invented TRCs.

I just can't roll a red die to save my life...

Hence why the Mon Cals invented TRCs.

Still doesn't help.

Means I get 2 Damage out of a Salvo.... Wether its 2 dice or 5 dice from an assault frigate... because the rest'll be accs and blanks.

Solution B: CR90Bs w/ SW7 Ions. 3 damage x2 double arc w/ CF command. Rolling is for funsies to see if you actually get any crits.

I went to Torpedo Frigates today.

I went to Torpedo Frigates today.

My favorite rebel ship till the Liberty comes out

I went to Torpedo Frigates today.

I tend to play a list and make small iterative changes to it. Once I get to the point where I don't think it will get better I try something else.

Mind you I played a Neb/TRC list that I may give some more time to moving forwards, and even try and improve on with Wave 3. I like the idea that running away only costs you a red dice, which is going to end up a blank or an accuracy 95% of the time.

My aackbar star destroyers are now only allowed out in tourneys or against PT.

Reason, I just feel cruel everytime I table with them. So many more fun lists to try.

My aackbar star destroyers are now only allowed out in tourneys or against PT.

Reason, I just feel cruel everytime I table with them. So many more fun lists to try.

After playing rebel swarms of various configurations for all wave 2, I came up with my first two tournament wins with them, including a store championship. Then I went to two separate regionals and did mediocre at both, which was kind of a downer. So I'm taking a break from my beloved rebels and messing around with imperials for the first time since wave 1. I'll probably go back to them once Madine is available though.

I had my 3 nebulon jousting list back in wave 1 that got benched due to being unable to compete with Assault Frigates swirling (and demolisher flanking). I'm toying with updating with some tricks and trying again nowdays. That's probably the only list I've put aside after having fun playing it. I do always keep trying new lists though, just to try different builds, combos, and playstyles. I may only play that fleet 1-2 times, but it's not "benched" (meaning avoiding playing it), I'd play it again if I wanted to. Now that I think it about it though, I have benched my DeMSU. It was fun to play, but after taking it to two tournaments, I'm ready to play with other stuff. It's a competitive list, but has its weaknesses.

I'm not sure that I can bench lists given that I rarely play the same thing twice (last time was Sullust). I tend to create something of an overarching list epoch where some of the underlying themes are the same, often an admiral, then tinker with it every single time I play. From there, the list warps and mutates incrementally until it's essentially unrecognizable. That usually takes 3 weeks to a month.

But factions... factions are what I bench. Basically, every wave I shift allegiances. It brings a better understanding and keeps me perpetually enamored with Armada. So, I'm never going to master a faction, but I also don't suffer from burnout all that easily.

I did play a no-squadron list once, it was like touching a stove top. Bad Vykes, bad.

I play a mostly new list almost every time I play

I had my 3 nebulon jousting list back in wave 1 that got benched due to being unable to compete with Assault Frigates swirling (and demolisher flanking). I'm toying with updating with some tricks and trying again nowdays. That's probably the only list I've put aside after having fun playing it. I do always keep trying new lists though, just to try different builds, combos, and playstyles. I may only play that fleet 1-2 times, but it's not "benched" (meaning avoiding playing it), I'd play it again if I wanted to. Now that I think it about it though, I have benched my DeMSU. It was fun to play, but after taking it to two tournaments, I'm ready to play with other stuff. It's a competitive list, but has its weaknesses.

What do you think are the demsu's weaknesses?

I am too infrequent of a player to bench a list. Typically I'll play against myself, and I'll take turns refining a side until I feel it's just better than the opposing list.

When I do go to a tournament, I'll sometimes be inspired to make changes or straight up new lists.