First, the list I took to worlds.

Madine's Dancers (5.2)
Author: Vergilius

Faction: Rebel Alliance
Points: 387/400

Commander: General Madine

Assault Objective: Close-Range Intel Scan
Defense Objective: Contested Outpost
Navigation Objective: Navigational Hazards

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 20 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Bright Hope ( 2 points)
- Toryn Farr ( 7 points)
= 27 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 20 total ship cost

MC30c Scout Frigate (69 points)
- Admonition ( 8 points)
- Skilled First Officer ( 1 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)
= 94 total ship cost

[ flagship ] MC80 Battle Cruiser (103 points)
- General Madine ( 30 points)
- Skilled First Officer ( 1 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Quad Turbolaser Cannons ( 10 points)
- H9 Turbolasers ( 8 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 171 total ship cost

1 Tycho Celchu ( 16 points)
1 Shara Bey ( 17 points)
2 A-Wing Squadrons ( 22 points)

If you're just joining this thread and are unfamiliar with either me or my previous posts, then I'd invite you to do a search for the Houston and San Antonio Regional reports on the list. If you have followed my posts in the past, you'll recognize the above as the latest in the evolution in the list.

I started running Madine and Liberty in October in response to boredom with previous lists. For the most part, I had up until this point taken fairly major ideas from the forums and designed lists out of them, played them for a bit, and then tried something else. Justin (Brikhause) had encouraged me to pick a clear list concept and stick with it, since that is a great way to get really good at the capabilities of what your lists can do. Although I don't endorse this viewpoint entirely, I do think for the purpose of a competitive season, that it is worth sticking to a key concept. Unfortunately, the competitive season was pretty long across Regionals in November, December, and February, with an interruption for wave 5.

You can read my Houston AAR in particular for a good description of playtesting and redesigning of a list. Here's a really quick recap.

In our meta, we have Justin, the 2016 World's runner-up and the real pioneer of the Rieekan's Aceholes list. Since that build denies points in the squadron game, I built the list with two key insights. First, I took Q's comment on his nationals list about the squadron game as "the game within the game" and expanded it to look at objectives, ship-on-ship, and the squadron game as three separate subgames. I then looked at Ginkapo's conceptual comments in his Ackbar Star Destroyers list, where the point is to run first and only put one ship in danger at any given time, while using squadrons to dodge/stall just long enough to win the ship contest. That basically represents the theory-crafting behind my Madine approach. If I cannot win the squadron game or even score many points against some lists, can I simply deny that part of the subgame as much possible and win elsewhere. A second key aspect of the list design is that we have a major MC30 activation spammer in the area. This is a second very tough list archetype to match-up against, but one that can conceivably do well against squadron heavy builds. So if you don't have a way of dealing with MC30s, you don't have a good list.

In retrospect, the addition of everything that came with wave-5 made it much tougher for this list to work. The objectives are now much more brutal when going first against a squadron list. It was to the point where I really considered just going second despite the generally large bid for first. In fact, if those Pelta lists were generally picking up 90 points from whichever objective, then it was minimally worth denying them those points even if it meant going second. Strategic was another big consideration, and thus I went with objectives that wouldn't give anything to those lists. The objectives are not hugely favorable to me, but they generally keep worse things from happening to me. Relay means that some of the goal of popping flotillas became less viable as those flotillas can fly all over the board and stay back while their squadrons pummeled you. Norra improved the damage capacity of some builds. Even some Defender builds had the dice to wreck A-wings, and A-wings are right at the cusp where you want the opponent to kill them in two or more shots to maximize the number of counter rolls you can make. Basically, wave-5 provides a lot more tools for other builds to play against this one.

Evolution of the ships and upgrades:

MC80 BC: I've gone back and forth between BC and SC in my time with the list. The BC builds are much more expensive, but you really notice that loss of flexibility in the upgrades and red dice. And getting an extra black AS die is just a bonus over the SC variant. Although both variants can be quite competitive casually, I think the BC just matches up better to the higher levels of competition. H9/QTC: I had previously used Spinal Armaments. After all, if you are Gunnery Teaming your shots, an extra die helps, right? Much of the goal is to make the MC80BC the most reliable flotilla killer. I've certainly played plenty of games where removing those activations caused some lists to absolutely crumble. The point of QTC is to guarantee a second accuracy at red range looking both evade and scatter on a flotilla. From there, it may require a bit of luck, but it is perfectly conceivably to kill one flat out at red range, and quite possibly to put the right damage on it to kill with a ram or double ram. Furthermore, there are quite a few Liberty targets that really start hurting when a second or even third accuracy gets applied to their tokens. The H9/QTC guarantees two accuracies against the two redirects on an MC30. Finally, if you are shooting an ISD or VSD with ECM, you can always spend a blue accuracy (non-damage) to reroll the red accuracy that you just added from QTC. So you're not really losing out on that extra spinal die after all. Finally, one thing that really led me to QTC was it potentially applied to any arc. And sure enough, some side arc shots with two red accs and at least a point of damage came in handy.

The only other comment I can make is that I really like Skilled First Officer. You get some Slicer Tool or Comms Noise protection on your dial. I've tried Major Derlin and Raymus, but with Comms Netting flotillas, you get plenty of utility without the need for Raymus. Derlin is good, but also expensive, and points can be at a premium.

MC30 Scout: I really missed the CR90 in the old versions of this list. I also had plenty of games where the MC30 just wasn't doing all that I'd hoped it would do. So what I was looking for was a way to make it much more competitive and stronger. Could I get more shots on the way in and the way out, while still delivering the payload that MC30s know and love. I think the Scout officer really thrives on the Intel Officer, but I really wanted my bid, so I just went with a generic Skilled First Officer.

Beyond that, I find that Toryn powerfully boosts the A-wings and their counter, and can offer Admonition a little boost to its AS Flak. You also get some subtlety with the Liberty's blues in anti-ship attacks if you need to reroll a blue to fish for either damage or an additional accuracy. The squadrons can be overwhelmed with the right kinds of set-ups, but against many set-ups, they do a splendid job.

I was really still unsettled about my list going into Worlds, since I wasn't at all confident about the answer to squadrons, fearing that they'd really become too powerful. In all honesty, it might be that a list like Aresius that really goes hard-core into the squadron game might be what is required. The Liberty is the single most important ship in this list, which means bid and activation set-up are fairly critical to its success. It is weak against squadrons, so keeping squadrons off of it is pretty much required. Of course, to go that route flies in the face of what I'm generally trying to do here by point denying in the squadron game. Worlds is in the books now, and Wave 6 and whatever adjustments FFG makes to the game will likely seal these questions off in the history books.

More on the match-ups in the next post.

Game 1: My opponent was a fairly casual Armada player. He was running the Liberty and Rieekan. He had a small Biggs ball. I am glad we got to see some casual players come out to the tournament and enjoy the action with us. I had first player and activation advantage and manage to set up shots fairly well to snowball that advantage further. 10-1.

Game 2: I played Matt Antilles, who had won the FFG regional with a pair of TRC Scout Shrimp with Intel Officers. I had the bid and the chance to go first, but it did mean both of his Shrimp would activate after me. I liked my odds going into the game, but I realized this would be very tight and those TRCs would be a huge threat for the entirety of the game. I was looking to even up the activation count early while looking for good beads on his Shrimp and escape routes for my Liberty. In the end, I think I did poorly at obstacle placement and coming up with an early Liberty plan, both of which came back to bite me. Matt loves to rush forward, so we came at each other pretty fast. Normally, I'd really not sneeze at a blue range obstructed shot, but my Liberty failed to put up the damage that it need to kill his Slicer Tool flotilla. Yeouch! I couldn't ram without landing on an obstacle and it was also clear that I was having trouble creating a real escape route around it. We were on his Capture the VP which he bagged for 50 points. In the end, he was able to pour a lot of shots into the LIberty, which couldn't escape. We traded some squads and I think a flotilla or two. I probably should have looked for a way to make my Scout do something more useful. I think I played too hesitantly with it throughout the tournament. It was a clear 8-3 for him.

Game 3: This took me to 13 points and a game against an Ackbar Death Pickle with Strategic. I decided I still wanted to go first. Without any Intel, I figured I could lock up the VCX at some point while keeping the points scored on Sensor Net to a minimum. That was worlds better than Fire Lanes or Advanced Gunnery, though Advanced Gunnery with only two combat ships with the flotillas flying off might have been more viable than it sounds to most people. The real decisive action is that I set up Admonition to bag his CR90, which it did, but I had the hardest time dodging his side arc and creating an angle even with Madine that would keep him on the board with the result that I eventually had to fly him off. He had a Damage Control Officer and I landed a couple of broadsides and a front arc shot on his MC80. In hindsight, I was fearful of the Ackbar side arc, but given board state, I probably could have driven the Liberty right at him and two good shots in combination with Admonition likely would have finished him. In actuality, I decided to turn and pick off two flotillas before making my exit. We tied on Sensor net tokens. I won the squadron game handily and ships were roughly even for a small MOV advantage and a 6-5 to me.

Game 4: I played Chris from Pittsburgh. I had 19 points, which tends to be low for me after 3 rounds. He had a three activation list and a bid for first. I just happened to have bid lower and that pretty much sealed it from deployment. The overall list included a VSD with Vader decked out to be an absolute killer. Any front arc shots were going to hurt and hurt very hard. He had a Demolisher and a flotilla, plus a medium amount of squads, mostly defenders. He challenged my squads on my turf which tilted the squadron game in my favor. The Liberty delivered a fantastic blow to the side arc of the Gladiator, locked both brace and redirect for 5 total damage, 2 to shields, 3 to hull, before ramming for the final two points of damage. Meanwhile, the Scout had been chipping at the VSD. 10-1.

Game 5: At this point, I was pretty happy. I had scored 29 points at GenCon, and I was now matching those 29 points. This was my big goal going into the tournament. Just get more points across the 5 rounds than I'd done previously and let the rest of tournament take care of itself. Here, I drew Caldias' MC30 activation spam list. Since I have Ardaedhel in my area. I'd played such lists before. I had the bid and went first. I had no interest in Solar Corona, which weakens my deployment further and messes with the accuracies that I want. My sense was that any good player knows how to hurt you with Hyperspace Assault. Considering I tend to spread out with my list, getting key shots on multiple targets might not have been as possible as I thought. In the end, I figured first player would allow my Liberty to get wave and dodge even if he assigned it the Most Wanted, which is what I ultimately selected. I liked my odds with a Liberty that could easily lock up both redirects, pump 6-7 damage through, which even with Mothma evades, Derlin, Foresight, and Admonition, is only going to reduce that damage a little bit, followed by a ram or double ram. We managed to trade some flotillas. My Liberty took a shot at another at red range, but couldn't nail it down. I had to be wary of creating escape latches. The third or fourth turn ended up being the fateful one. My Liberty was going to have to turn in and face the MC30s, and he could position them how he wanted with activation advantage. In the end, he had trouble not parking Foresight in the double arc of the Liberty while setting up Admonition a bit in front of it to block it off. And here's where I made what had to have been the biggest mistake of my tournament. I activated the Liberty first with a clear frontal shot at Foresight. Locked both redirects and after rerolls and Derlin, forced 4 damage through. 3 Shields, crit to the hull--structural. Good so far. The side arc shot was looking good. 3 dice. After H9/QTC to lock redirects, one damage after rerolls. The Foresight just needs a ram. Unfortunately, it was positioning just off to my side where a straight forward movement would not ram. I'd ram Admonition instead and give up at least 3 if not 4 Most Wanted arcs to those MC30s. No turn to the inside of the board didn't ram. It appeared there might be space between Admonition and the edge of the board, but it was a really big gamble. Here's where the fatigue after 5 rounds comes to play. I missed entirely that all I needed was to turn the tool so that the first click on the tool was angled out toward the edge of the board. Combined with Madine Yaw, a speed 1, 2 or 3 maneuver would have all bumped somewhere and force the tool back to that first slot which would have swung the Liberty's rear over Foresight and ultimately back to where I started. Dead Foresight. With two braces and only arcs to my fully shielded front, Admonition wasn't going to kill. In the event, I attempted to squeeze the Liberty between Admonition and the edge, assuming it was lost to attacks regardless. It didn't fit. And that was the story of the 9-2 loss that easily could have been a 7-4 win. And that's how one mistake can be the difference between 24th and 6th place. In the end, this is a good illustration of the kind of fatigue that affects players as a long event like this goes on. I absolutely want to give full credit to Caldias here for setting up a good trap, creating tough decisions for me, and for playing the game very well and being one of the best people I've met at tournaments across the country.

The tournament was a blast. It was great catching up with many old friends and forum personalities that I met initially at GenCon last year. Camaraderie was great.

Reflections on the list: Madine is good. The Liberty is far better than people give it credit for. It really did what it needed to do. For as much talk as there is of lists and how they match-up, I really felt like the match-ups were alright and the primary problems were my own. In a very long tournament like Worlds, mistakes with it tend to turn into lost Liberties, which in turn lead to game loss or lower point scores. In the meantime, I want to play a few things that aren't Madine Liberties for a while. I need a break.

Great battle report, man! You were absolutely one of the nicest, most laid back guys I have ever played. Had you turned the other way to ram Foresight and stay where you were, it definitely would've been interesting and was something I didn't see either! My plan was to speed 4 my third 30 to the rear of your Liberty had that happened, and blocked again with Admonition, but it's tough to say what the outcome would've been! I don't remember the positioning enough to know if I could've gotten there, or if Admonition could've survived the front arc twice, or if you couldn't have danced out of it, so it is a bunch of what mights and could bes, but those are definitely fun to mull over after a tournament, and learn from. Having Foresight double arced was a calculated risk, just to ensure that magic Lib would stay where it was and let me stay at a high speed to keep a good position on Admonition. We were both playing big to try and win big, and at the end I'm just very grateful for having five games against five dudes who were really wonderful opponents, with you being one of the highlights.

I too will be laying 30s to rest for a time, but not for good.

It was a good gambit. Much of the strategy in strategy games involve putting enough pressure on an opponent mentally so that they do break and make a mistake.

In what I've been able to calculate out in retrospect, the Liberty could take 3, but not more MC30 arcs. On a Projector Misaligned, two would do it. I don't remember Admonition's position well enough to remember what arcs it had on the Liberty going forward. Foresight was the big problem preventing a Madine wiggle to the middle since it would definitely bump Foresight but the rear of the Liberty would now land off the table at position-1. So pull Foresight off the table and the Liberty now goes toward the center and Engine Techs out. Another turn would also get Admonition moving at least one click on the tool. Ah well, it is just a game. And the bigger point is going and having fun with some great people who all share the same passion!

Thanks for your kindness throughout the tournament, and great wishes in starting your family!

Really appreciate the list-crafting background and thought process.