Th3 problem with "the meta" is it doesnt really affect the majority of us

Unless youre local store hosts worlds scale attendence, that is

Arcs can easily compete with x7s and mindlinks and they CURBSTOMP dengar via tailgunner

Theyre more than adequate for the average 3-5 rpunds

While the worldwide meta affects each of us more or less (depending how much the local players wat h the news), there most certainly is a local meta everywhere, and if you want to do well, it's that local meta you need to worry about.

Th3 problem with "the meta" is it doesnt really affect the majority of us

Unless youre local store hosts worlds scale attendence, that is

Arcs can easily compete with x7s and mindlinks and they CURBSTOMP dengar via tailgunner

Theyre more than adequate for the average 3-5 rpunds

While the worldwide meta affects each of us more or less (depending how much the local players wat h the news), there most certainly is a local meta everywhere, and if you want to do well, it's that local meta you need to worry about.

Depends on what you mean by "do well." If you're looking to at least make Top 8 at Regionals or better, it's that world meta you gotta worry about, not the local meta. At least around here, it seems like an awful lot of people are willing to travel up to about 500 miles for a Regional. While about half of the Regional attendance will be local guys (~50 ppl), the other half is generally folks from 200-500 miles away (~50 ppl). This means even if you're well-suited for your local meta, you still need to be able to handle non-local metas. The only way to do that is to have your finger on the pulse of the "world meta," which means following Regional Result threads here and on other places, following strategy discussion on other sites (since these boards are overwhelming casual (e.g. see the general position on the ARC, for instance) and most competitive players rely on places like TC and FB groups for strategy discussion), and keeping an eye on Vassal. All of that makes for a fair amount of work, and it's why groups of players ("teams," "squads," whatever you want to call them) have a better chance because they've got more sets of trusted eyes out there paying attention to the data and signs and talking with other high-level players.

Fact of the matter is, if you take any strategic advice or squad-building advice from the FFG Boards, you're pretty much letting the blind lead the blind. You never ever see the vast majority of high-level players offering or asking for advice on here when it comes to builds, strategy, or meta. Why would they? It's hard to take the meta's temperature and build competitive squads that can still surprise people, so it's a waste of their time to sit there and educate or train the masses (and it only makes their job harder when regionals come around). And it would be a one-way street, because their experience and theory-crafting skillset so far outstrips that of the average poster here that they'd get little in return from the collaboration.

That may sound like a harsh reality, but a reality it is.

*snip* ...that may sound like a harsh reality, but a reality it is.

Counting what was just released, you can make a "nold" prediction and immediately write off Bistan, bodhi and Baze

The 3 Bs of Bad

While I agree that Bodhi crew sucks, the pilot talent is interesting.

It's an interesting way to get around LRS's restrictions, if it works like I think it does...

I feel like this was a year of titles. Almost every new ship comes with a free title now. It's bad and good at the same time. Bad because it signalizes power creep and need to make ships "fixed" right from the start, but on the other hand, it makes them feel more different.

It's a workaround for the early design choices. Generic pilots do not have special abilities, so if a ship should allow a certain ability, one of the few ways to add it is through a title. This doesn't have to lead to power creep, if the titles are balanced - but effectively, the titles just take up space that could have used for a PtL or Crack Shot card. Ah well.

A clear example power creep are the 0 point upgrades that only offer advantages and can be added to most any ship, like Trick Shot, Adaptability and Collision Detector.

If the Pancakes start to be affected by Power Creep, do they become Power Crepes?

I feel like this was a year of titles. Almost every new ship comes with a free title now. It's bad and good at the same time. Bad because it signalizes power creep and need to make ships "fixed" right from the start, but on the other hand, it makes them feel more different.

It's a workaround for the early design choices. Generic pilots do not have special abilities, so if a ship should allow a certain ability, one of the few ways to add it is through a title. This doesn't have to lead to power creep, if the titles are balanced - but effectively, the titles just take up space that could have used for a PtL or Crack Shot card. Ah well.

A clear example power creep are the 0 point upgrades that only offer advantages and can be added to most any ship, like Trick Shot, Adaptability and Collision Detector.

If the Pancakes start to be affected by Power Creep, do they become Power Crepes?

Powdered Crepes?

I feel like this was a year of titles. Almost every new ship comes with a free title now. It's bad and good at the same time. Bad because it signalizes power creep and need to make ships "fixed" right from the start, but on the other hand, it makes them feel more different.

It's a workaround for the early design choices. Generic pilots do not have special abilities, so if a ship should allow a certain ability, one of the few ways to add it is through a title. This doesn't have to lead to power creep, if the titles are balanced - but effectively, the titles just take up space that could have used for a PtL or Crack Shot card. Ah well.

A clear example power creep are the 0 point upgrades that only offer advantages and can be added to most any ship, like Trick Shot, Adaptability and Collision Detector.

If the Pancakes start to be affected by Power Creep, do they become Power Crepes?

Powdered Crepes?

oooh yes I like that...

mmmmm, strawberry....

Admiral Deathrain, on 23 Dec 2016 - 2:51 PM, said:

Stay On The Leader, on 23 Dec 2016 - 2:21 PM, said:

1. TIE/sf

2. ARC-170

3. G1-A

ARCs are great, G1-As won a regionals and are mostly not represented because people are afraid to try them out. TIE/sf doesn't fit into most imperial lists, but calling it a miss is a still a bit ill-informed as Quickdraw holds great potential and will quickly rise if there are complementary ships and upgrades at some point.

Hey, where can I find the list of thr G1-As regional winner?

Depends on what you mean by "do well." If you're looking to at least make Top 8 at Regionals or better, it's that world meta you gotta worry about, not the local meta.

Fact of the matter is, if you take any strategic advice or squad-building advice from the FFG Boards, you're pretty much letting the blind lead the blind. You never ever see the vast majority of high-level players offering or asking for advice on here when it comes to builds, strategy, or meta.

I think that varies from region to region tbh. Now I live in a pretty remote place (as far as x-wing is concerned) so I can't speak from personal experience,but what I gathered from listening to Podcasts and watching tournaments on both sides of the Pond has given me the impression the US and European metas are two different beasts altigether. For example Triple Scouts were way more popular in Europe than in the US, and the same seems to be true about Manaroo with Fangs.

I also think you're underestimating these forums a bit. While you probably won't learn the winning strategy for worlds from here, there are several very good players that post here at least semi-regularly.

Depends on what you mean by "do well." If you're looking to at least make Top 8 at Regionals or better, it's that world meta you gotta worry about, not the local meta.

Fact of the matter is, if you take any strategic advice or squad-building advice from the FFG Boards, you're pretty much letting the blind lead the blind. You never ever see the vast majority of high-level players offering or asking for advice on here when it comes to builds, strategy, or meta.

I think that varies from region to region tbh. Now I live in a pretty remote place (as far as x-wing is concerned) so I can't speak from personal experience,but what I gathered from listening to Podcasts and watching tournaments on both sides of the Pond has given me the impression the US and European metas are two different beasts altigether. For example Triple Scouts were way more popular in Europe than in the US, and the same seems to be true about Manaroo with Fangs.

I also think you're underestimating these forums a bit. While you probably won't learn the winning strategy for worlds from here, there are several very good players that post here at least semi-regularly.

Lets also not forget just how vulnerable these small groups are to group-think where they can miss something easily. 8 people just don't realisticaly have the time and creativity to really try out everything. There is a reason why only a few of these groups truly are on top. And even them will always miss something!

The list building forum can be great, if you know which posts to discard and which to listen to. You won't go there and create the perfect list, but in the formative step it is incredibly usefull for covering tiny ideas you missed (like Enhanced Scopes for a bombing U-Wing, I have 6 of these cards and still didn't think of it).

"Swing'miss" Heroes of Resistance pack.

Poe 9 33p is fail, new Falcon pilots are laughable and bad.

Only snapshot, trickshot, pattern analyser and primed thruster were interesting to use.

I've done some experimenting with Ray crew on Kanan, it's pretty amazing. Having access to 3 focus tokens keeps him alive a lot longer whilst keeping his attacks modified.

"Swing'miss" Heroes of Resistance pack.

Poe 9 33p is fail, new Falcon pilots are laughable and bad.

Only snapshot, trickshot, pattern analyser and primed thruster were interesting to use.

Rey (crew) is a very good card for 2 points. She is my new favorite crew on Lone Wolf Dash. On Nora she is pretty good as well. On the U-Wing. Yes, she is a very useful card.

Rey (Pilot) is also a fairly good ship, definitely my favorite Falcon pilot so far.

Nien Nunb (Pilot) is pretty cool as well. I have not played that much around with him yet, but he seems pretty good.

Don't forget M9-G8 ...

...or Snap Wexley, Jess Pava, or the Black One title, or Burmout SLAM, or Smuggling Compartment...

Misses:

Deathfire

Tomax

Generic TAPs & Valen

Non-OL TIE/FOs

TIE /SFs (though I am sure many will argue against this)

Misses:

Deathfire

Tomax

Generic TAPs & Valen

Non-OL TIE/FOs

TIE /SFs (though I am sure many will argue against this)

I feel like Deathfire is mostly hampered by not having the right context. He takes the slot of an ace in Palp-aces, he isn't quite good enough as a third ship with two Defenders (although maybe here we have the best fit for now). A lot easier to fit than Deathrain for sure, but that doesn't say much. Should bomb-synergy stop being a rebels only thing at some point I see Deathfire in a good place.

5. Fearlessness

A clear example power creep are the 0 point upgrades that only offer advantages and can be added to most any ship, like Trick Shot, Adaptability and Collision Detector.

I'm not so sure that the 0-point upgrades are actually power creep. It feels more like correcting for a pricing anomaly that's developed over time. Having an Elite and/or System upgrade slot seems to add to a ship's cost; more so than, say, an extra secondary weapon slot does (I.E. the Virago title and Baron of the Empire pilot). And while system and elite upgrades are pretty powerful, if you don't have the points to put anything in those slots, the points you spent to get them on the ship (which are built into the ship, so you can't choose not to pay for them) are essentially wasted. 0-point upgrades ensure you get value out of the slots that you are paying for when you choose the ship even if you don't spend more points to unlock those upgrade slots' full potential

Boba was nonimpact purely because Scum have a huge roster of ridiculous crew and limited crew slots.

Give that card to Rebels/Imps, you'll see it alot.

Misses:

Deathfire

Tomax

Generic TAPs & Valen

Non-OL TIE/FOs

TIE /SFs (though I am sure many will argue against this)

I came second place in regionals with 4x generic taps list, lost the finals to a 3x jump list that I crushed in round one of Swiss (Played really bad, was completely cooked after 8 games).

Just because you have not found a way to use a ship well does not mean it's bad...

Misses:

Deathfire

Tomax

Generic TAPs & Valen

Non-OL TIE/FOs

TIE /SFs (though I am sure many will argue against this)

I came second place in regionals with 4x generic taps list, lost the finals to a 3x jump list that I crushed in round one of Swiss (Played really bad, was completely cooked after 8 games).

Just because you have not found a way to use a ship well does not mean it's bad...

*looks at my Backdraft, Deathfire, Lambda list*

Yeah ... I'm going to have to agree with Icelom, here.

tie/sf definitely is NOT a miss.

Backdraft is a terror.

5. Fearlessness

Try it on Boba Fett. You might be pleasantly surprised. Get into R1, pop som stims, and get rerolls. Usually yeilds 4-5 hits consistently for me.

I love Fearlessness. One extra hit? Yes please. I'll put it on pretty much everyone...

tie/sf definitely is NOT a miss.

Backdraft is a terror.