I suppose you have a point. I think the problem recently is that everyone is ragging on this game pretty hard and it feels like the only people who are having fun are the ones who are winning and the ones who are winning are the ones taking the absolute top of the meta lists.
Hell, I'm finding myself struggling to enjoy the game anymore as I'll find a list that I like and I'll come against a list that doesn't beat me to a point where it was a close game, but beats me to a point where my only saving grace is that I killed something and got points. It's hard to explain, when I win, it's always a decent win, but when I lose, it's almost always one sided, rarely close. It's like my only strategy is point and shoot and if that doesn't work, I get utterly destroyed.
The ones who are winning are the ones taking the absolute top of the meta lists, yeah, except when they don't. I'm probably spoiled due the usually wonderful local meta and mindset we have in Barcelona, but I've always seen the meta (and consecuent netlisting) as a simple demonstration that humans are fucking lazy.
Sure, it will be easier to win a tournament with Dengar-Nym than with Leautenant Lorrir, and if it's considered a top tier list is because it deserves it as it's fucking easy to play and extremely good on what it does, but the truth is there are three reasons why those lists win so much:
1.- They are pretty good lists (duh)
2.- They are flown by pretty good players
3.- There are a gazillion of them on each tournament so they have a higher chance to do something even by pure luck
#2 and #3 are usually overlooked on these talks. Especially #2, as those dudes would probably be there anyways with other lists... and we have constant proof of that, with Nathan Eide and his Corran lists as probably the biggest example. But people is as lazy as scared of trying new things, so here we are, with a crappy copy-pasted meta that changes by batches and nerfs.
But when people try, things happen, which leads me back to how the things work here in Barcelona, and I'll use one of our best players as example. He just made top8 in the French National this last weekend using TIE/sf with
Juke, and before that he was 15-1 in stores with that same list. He was the champion last year (with Crackshot Defenders, yeah, but he was
the first), and made top4 the one before with one of my all-time favs: Carnor + 2x Sigmas with Sensor Jammer. Some of the lists he has played recently with outrageous records include 3x TIE Strikers + Upsilon, Manaroo + 3 Protectorates and a Fenn-Teroch-Inaldra-Sarko Attani list.
Although one doesn't need to be good
to try. Here I am with my lists with Emon and the rest of the Firesprays, Quads, double ARCs and whatever I want to fly. Maybe I won't ever win a big event (from Store upwards), but oh boy, it's quite rare the game I don't enjoy the hell out of myself due that. I could do some netlisting and increase my chances to win something, but I don't give a shit on that. If someday I win something, I want it to be on
my terms. Meanwhile, I'm quite happy squeezing as much as I can my lists and giving a hard time to my opponents.
And neither me or the guy above are exactly outsiders on this here. We have our good share of netlisting players, sure, but we also have a lot of people actually
trying.
I think I need to go back to basics and try to remember what makes this game fun. But not only that, I need to actually start playing the game. Whenever I play, I never really have a strategy and I just play it by ear so when I lose, I don't know why I lost, I don't know what I need to do to improve and I just end up angry at myself.
So, I suppose my questions are:
- How do you approach a game? What factors help you formulate your strategy?
This depends a lot on both lists, how they move, how they want to engage the other, how to avoid that and so. It's not an easy answer, and it would probably deserve a thread on the FFG forums.
There's one thing I always do on each game tho, and is asking myself three things:
1.- What enemy ship is the most dangerous for my ships?
2.- What enemy ship I don't want to face in late game 1v1?
3.- Which one of the above can I kill faster?
#3 answer usually becomes my main target and I base my moves and actions on it, but I always keep an eye on the other in case the opportunity to catch it appears. If I'm not sure of the answer, I go for #1.
- What can you do to learn from each loss? How do you establish the weak points and how to improve on them?
That can be done in two ways. One requires a good deal of self-criticism and analysis of not only what you did but what you could have done each turn. Is not easy, but can be trained starting by asking yourself a "In what moment I fucked up the game and why did it happen?". From there you can go down to less important mistakes and so. To be honest I'm pretty bad on this
, although I'm trying.
The other is easy: ask your opponent what did you wrong and learn from it. Most people will be glad to point you something, although how good the advice will be is usually related on how good the player is.
How is everyone feeling about the game? Is the negativity from the forums, subreddits, facebook groups and podcasts getting to you?
Overall I'm fine and happy with the game. Sure, there are things better than others and we could all agre that the game has lost some of the "the guy who maneuvers the best will win" feeling that had time ago, but let's be honest: it has never been perfect, and *always* has been something stupid or broken. Biggs, big fat 360 ships with boost or barrel roll and better dials than fighters, the pre-nerf Phantom, TLT spam, Jumpmasters, Miranda, Sabine, x7 Defenders, Palpatine, Attani... If I should rage for everything I don't like of this game, I would have quitted years ago when the meta was Chiraneau-Whisper or Soontir and Corran-Dash or Fat Han. Those were some really dark times.
And if someone is really hating the status of the game, meta or whatever... well, it's not like the only way to play is the 100/6 tournaments. Play casual games with any crazy list you can think of. Play Epic. Play Heroes of Aturi Cluster. Play furballs. Play regular missions or scenarios. Play Mario Kart. The competitive scene is just a part of what makes this game great.
Hey guys, you've all been so helpful so far so I come to you yet again for advice. I've built up a decent fleet of Rebels and Imperials (the ones that aren't sold out), and now I'm looking to build up a modest fleet of Scum. Any advice on the best ships to start with? I've got about $100 to spend. Not looking to get any of the huge ships yet either, just small and mid-sized stuff.
Right now the Protectorate and the new Scurrg are probably the safe bets on small-medium ships. The Most Wanted pack is cool and brings a shit ton of things, including toys to Scummize your Imperial Firesprays and Rebel Y-wings and HWKs. The Starviper may not be great until the Aces Pack is released, but the miniature is fucking gorgeous and if you don't proxy cards it has the Autothrusters your A-wings and TIE Interceptors want. Buy the rest of small-medium on a "hey, this ship is pretty" basis.
Scum really shines on the big ships tho. The Jumpmaster is what a Swiss knife always wanted to be, both the Lancer and the Aggresor are pretty unique and agile ships to fly and the YV-666 is the Lambda on drugs.
Well, and the Firespray, the best ship in this universe and part of the next. If anyone says otherwise, is lying.
