So, the quick version..a question. How do you deal with a crisis of confidence?

The long version...

Ive been playing a fair while and within my local area I've tended to be not quite "the best", but right up there with them. I've tended to at least give our best a really tough game whilst winning perhaps 40% but winning maybe 90% or more against the rest of the field.

I'm our 'nearly guy.' I'd made my piece with it but lately I seem to be really struggling. I still really enjoy all my games but I do seem to be on a downward spiral results wise. Winning isn't everything blahblah but.. it is nice.

Our weaker players have got much better but when I'm on point i still out fly them but I'm just not at my best. I'm making mistakes to throw away games so much more than I used to.

I'm double guessing good manoeuvres, being utterly convinced a move will land only to turn out to be 'obviously' terrible. Missing a golden opportunity to attack something due to getting fixated - a weird one for me as I've historically been good at surprising an opponent with a bait and switch move. The list of failings goes on.

I've been trying new lists, trying to find one that fits my generally aggressive play style. But nothing from the last couple of waves is doing it for me.

I'm thinking I just need to go back to an old trusted list for a bit to rebuild some confidence. Either Chirpy (EU, Vader Gunner) with Fel or an Ace with Howl led mini crackswarm. Our local meta (living in a fairly isolated place) is a little funky so I'm not overly worried about "the big tourny meta" as I know either of those is a decent list for here.

What else can you do to regain your mojo?

just don't take things too seriously, especially if you mess up due to your own flying because then you know it's just something for you to improve upon

the worst is losing consistently to freak dice, because then your contributions as a player really have no impact on the game whatsoever

in which case, always run guaranteed damage and just enjoy flying and improving your flying

it's a game after all, no fun if you always win

for double guessing and stuff, though, you'll want to take x7s for a spin. They're very forgiving and sturdy buggers (misjudge a 4k? no sweat; no stress and enjoy your free evade!) and they look awesome to boot

I'm really trying not I'm sick of talk about my dice lol!

Largely as even though they have largely deserted me.. I'm putting myself in positions for them to do so.

Its all good in that I still really enjoy the game when losing but it's frustrating that my most commonly heard comment after a game atm is about how I threw it away from a great position!

Well don't think about game throwing

That's the thing with dice games, there's rarely a position so unassailable that it is impossible to lose fromm

Not to mention that there are TONS of pilots in the game capable of miraculous comebacks, including every nonshuttle member of palp aces (even Wampa!)

The "upper hand" is an illusion; merely overconfidence trying to get you to lose

I think going back to trusted lists sounds like a good idea. You can let your menatl muscle memory of the list do most of the work for you and reconnect with how you used to fly. Then maybe it'll transfer over to new squads easier.

Otherwise, try some alternate formats. You seem to have a reputation to keep in the 100-pt dogfight. Maybe if you play furballs or missions, you can let go of all that and just enjoy the game without as much stress about winning. You'll still be playing the game, though, so I think you'll have fun. And youcan use it to explore newer ships without so much pressure.

Finally, maybe try giving yourself a goal other than winning. I love flying gimmick lists where winning isn't my #1 goal; getting my funky combo to work is my priority. Then I feel successful, even if I lose the game. And if I win, even cooler!

As your opponent's skill increases, your maneuvering becomes more important. It may seem like your maneuvering is getting worse but it may just be worse relative to your opponent's improving. If that's the case, it's good because you're not declining and you have competition that will push you to improve.

There's only a handful of legitimate maneuvers in a round. Of those viable maneuvers, some are riskier than others. What I do is, based on how far ahead of behind I am, I base my maneuvers on how risky I need to fly. If I'm behind, I'll take the higher risk, higher reward play to try to make up ground. Otherwise, I'm probably going to lose anyway. Sometimes, that might put me on a rock because the maneuver is very close but if it works, it might catch me up. If I'm ahead, I'll pick the viable maneuver that is safest. If I'm about even, I'll pick the middle ground play.

I judge how risky a play is based on my opponent's viable maneuvers. The lower risk, lower reward play might be to dodge his arc but I won't have a shot. If I'm ahead, I can just avoid interacting until/if he catches up. A high risk, high reward play is putting myself in a spot to guarantee a shot between two possible maneuvers of his but putting me right in his arc. If I don't kill that ship before it returns fire, I might lose out on the round. A moderate risk play is to avoid the most effective maneuver my opponent has relative to my dial and position while getting off a shot, likely or not to hit.

Maneuvering like that will always maximize your chances of gaining value. It won't always work but it will always give you the best odds. Be familiar with your opponent's dial, visualize his range of moves and go from there. Good luck.

I am right there. Slightly above the middle of the pact and regressing. I went back to playing B-Wings which I love (not that BBBB crap)

I have a problem with Combos but have a unique scum list I fly for fun.... It is fun...even when losing.

If you are serious about stepping up your game try recording games and then watching it. Don't focus on dice but your decision cycle....

Recommend some other formats like someone mentioned Furball, also Hunger Games, and to of with Highlander (mixed factions).

Here is to hoping I win half my games at GenCon.

I'm largely in the same boat, or rather I was, as I'm starting to get out of it.

Long story short my x-wing career got off to a great start: I went to my first tournament with about 10 games played, a list I had 0 practice with and managed to place top half being the only one the winner didn't get a win against (he only got a 3 point modified win in our game). Then I bought Brobots and all I did was win, win, win casual games (I was a bit sloppy recording, but my brobot win rate is about 80% on the results I did record). Could not make it to any tournaments for half a year due to work related travel.

Fast forward some months, wave 8 gets released and I buy 3 JM5K. Scum is nowawesome, but somehow I'm not. I keep making silly mistakes game after game. I especially got depressed because I felt I was losing the results game (it felt like the stars aligned to make me get the worst deal out of MOV, pairing, tournament rules etc.)

So I decided to stop caring about win rate and simply focus on the details I could improve on mtself as a player: dial knowledge, spatial awareness (I practiced and got much better at judging where ships end up), predicting my opponent's moves etc. I derive satisfaction out of this and I'm confident results will come before long

“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.”

-Bruce Lee

Imperial Aces with Shuttle Emperor is the easiest list in the game for anyone who has a decent level of skill.

Go with that for easy wins.

I have to get back my mojo - I didn't play for over half a year. Right now, I'm obsessed with list building and strategy reading though. Now I have to get back to knowing the maneuvers by heart. I did win a store championship once, so I can't have been that bad

What I find really improves my game is questioning what I did wrong after every lost game. In that regard, lost games might just be better than won ones, because they show me where I can improve. Also, for lists I don't like, I think it's important that I fly them. Like that, I find out what their strengths are, but more importantly, also what their weak points are. When I'm flying them, what is it that I really dread? Where am I locked after my opponent does a particular thing, which things can't I do without restricting my options later?

And then, when I play against a list, I know what it is that they'll hate.

Imperial Aces with Shuttle Emperor is the easiest list in the game for anyone who has a decent level of skill.

Go with that for easy wins.

also can lead to long games as the list is a lot of late game and highly defensive

which can make winning or losing more of a deal than it ought to be

Meh. I don't own Palp and am not likely to for a considerable amount of time.

I'm not really after lists to run per say because I've already been experimenting. If anything too much considering lol. It does mean I'm rarely surprised by what a ship can do but I haven't been settled on a list since just after TLT hit when I was runnin Vader and 5 obsidions a lot and before hat Decided Del. That's why the two options I listed will be my choices for a bit.

I really like but, don't have the option to record my games. I might start taking a lot more pics and notes for referring back. Perhaps in the form of battle reports.

I really like but, don't have the option to record my games. I might start taking a lot more pics and notes for referring back. Perhaps in the form of battle reports.

Not sure whether a proper report is needed. I just record my plays on BGG. Sometimes with more, sometimes with less details. It's enough to remind me of most plays - and where it isn't, it's still nice to know when I played where.

But of course, battle reports are always nice to read

I know the feeling, I was in a similar spot in the local meta for a good long time. Now, the two top players have moved away, so I have much more of a claim, but it was still frustrating.

My solution is to try to fly as casual as possible. Especially if I'm having trouble deciding on a move. If I get to that point, I think "you know what, f*** it," and choose the riskier move, both to keep the game moving and also because if I let myself take any one match too seriously, all I'll be is bummed out. So I have to engineer myself more of a care-free attitude, which always means I have more fun.

Most of the time, the "ah f*** it" move doesn't work, but that's the whole point, really. It certainly keeps the game more interesting.

“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.”

-Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee played X-wing?

And his squad? One HWK with gunner

“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.”

-Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee played X-wing?

And his squad? One HWK with gunner

just like bruce lee could do hand stands on only his thumb, he can kill you with only one die

Gozanti.

No seriously, play some Epic. Especially Team Epic. Two players per team, 300 points per team (so roughly 150 per player). Lets you fly in a way you don't normally fly, ships and builds that don't usually work well can shine in epic, certain always-used builds that dominate dogfight get their arse handed to them in Epic, and of course the addition of Huge ships will make you fly your approach and engagement in a whole new light, with different tactics that need to be employed. Also, in Team Epic the game goes faster and you can confer with a friend about your maneuvers and strategies. If you're feeling in a funk, this cooperative gameplay might just be what you need.

Whatever you do though, I hope it works out for you.

“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.”

-Bruce Lee

This is actually terribly relevant. You don't win the game by thinking about winning; you win by making the correct decisions for the context of the particular game you're in. And specifically when the OP talks about things like second-guessing himself or getting fixated on a particular target, I think about the "mind like water" in Japanese martial arts.

Like most bits of Buddhism-derived philosophy there are a lot of layers to unpack, but one of the more accessible is that water reacts right away when it's disturbed. But it doesn't think, let alone anticipate someone throwing a stone at it. And a milestone in a lot of martial arts is the acceptance that thinking mostly just gets in the way: you train until your subconscious and your body can act correctly and together, without prodding from your conscious mind.

Think about driving, which is something most Americans do a lot. If someone abruptly cuts in front of you, you don't think "Oh, I see an obstacle! I should flex my right foot so that the brake pedal will engage, and the car will stop." You just think "stop" and the car does it; you don't think about the brake pedal any more than you think about which muscles need to contract. Chess masters do the same thing: they discard most of the possible moves without ever consciously considering them.

And you know how to play X-wing: you've been doing it for a while, and you've done pretty well. You probably know what the right maneuver is, given the constraints on a given situation, and you probably know which ships you should be looking at attacking. So instead of working to figure out what you should do and how you should act to improve your play, try doing less . Set your dials quickly, and once you choose something (even in your mind) don't backtrack. Rather than trying to build your strategy and tactics carefully, brick by brick, see if it works for you to just let things happen.

...I need to stop drinking and go to bed.

I think Vorpal Sword just told you to turn off your targeting computer and trust your feelings.

That crazy old hermit...

I was in that spot a few months ago. I'd had a few frustrating outings for competitive play running a named TIE mini-swarm with a shuttle to back them up. After I tried battling through it by continuing to play the list, I realized I wasn't going to find the success I'd enjoyed with it earlier.

I decided to break out my TIE Phantoms. Echo, in particular, because I never had the chance to fly her competitively. I had a few matches with her, flanked by Carnor Jax and Omega Leader. Then I switched to using Echo and Whisper with a support ship. I didn't win all my games (about 50%), but I had a ton of fun playing phantoms.

Now, I feel much more confident, going into regionals on the weekend. I have a list I really like, and I've been playing very well with it. So... breaking out one of my favorite ships worked for me, maybe it would work for you?

Part of your problem could be a 'tell'. If you play against a certain group of people all of the time they may have noticed you resort to a small set of maneuvers under certain conditions. This makes you predictable. Coupled with their increase in skill this puts you at a disadvantage.

Two of the guys I play against have a tendency to do greens immediately following a stress generating maneuver even if it's not necessary. With the ships they normally fly this limits their movements and final position the turn after the stress was applied. Makes it easier for me to get a positional advantage.

I developed a pattern when flying X-wings and a couple of S&V ships against certain lists. I'd push forward fast, k turn through the opposition's formation and then break for dogfighting. I did this often enough that my opponent picked up on it and started countering the move.

When you do your after action post mortem try to think about your movements. You may have developed a pattern in your flying that's being exploited.

Similar to the Bruce Lee quote above is my advice: avoid results based thinking as it is always wrong. To elaborate with an example; if you have the opportunity to lay a beautiful block on Soontir Fel, and you do, and dice are dice so he is unharmed, was it a good play on your part? The answer is always yes. Similarly if you are taking a risky line of attack and your opponent rolls hot to your cold so you end up dying, was it a good idea? Always yes. If you make a maneuver based on logical movement prediction and your opponent moves erratically such that you're punished, was it a good choice? Still yes.

Play to the statisical odds and make the best big picture tactical plays you can and over time it pays off, even though it's very easy to have a move backfire and then feel it was a poor idea. The line of reasoning 'it worked so it was a good idea' is as flawed as 'it failed so it was a bad idea'. Get that in your heart and start playing as optimally as possible regardless of how it results and eventually you will regain the upper hand. That's not to say if you're getting trashed you shouldn't reexamine what you think was optimal but you shouldn't take a bad result as always indicating a bad play.

Have you tried to git gud? I hear that works.

Go easy, bro and fly some crazy squads like IG and YV

Combination of rusting, interest, and people's rate of improvement. You can try harder and strain yourself to the point of burning, or you can take a break and try new things/a new game.

Worked wonders when I was a Ranker on Armored Core. By that point I was ready to stick my hand through the tv and strangle the Japanese players.