The intro…
Hello there and welcome to this week’s blog!
It’s been another mildly eventful week in X-Wing with another communication masterclass from AMG…
It may just be a Facebook comment reply but this was all over various corners of the X-Wing social medias in fairly short order.
What do I think? Well, my first reaction is that it sucks. It’s fairly well established that there are several ships from certain factions which are fairly far ahead on the power curve. Han’s nerf with the Endor points release seems to have knocked him out of the current meta (JARGON ALERT!!) but it seems that generously costed standard loadout cards are the current staple and AMG seem to like it that way.
Reading between the lines is difficult here. It’s tempting to stray down the path of apathy and doom and gloom. I’d say that recent announcements regarding GT’s and Worlds indicate that there is interest in, at the very least, keeping the game alive.
I’ve long thought that rather than FFG’s ‘kick the meta every X months’ approach that AMG seem to be aiming for more of a ‘perfect balance’ goal. I don’t think it’s ever going to be attainable for the game to be at a point where every pilot and every chassis is so fairly balanced that everything is competitively playable but just because a goal is impossible, it doesn’t mean you don’t try.
That said, what I’m really starting to feel is that AMG is simply struggling. Too many games, not enough people, not enough budget, not enough time and too much to do. The intention is there, the will is just about there but the execution is lacking.
Hopefully we will hear about which events will be official GT’s soon and I guess we’re settling in for another few months to a year or the current points. With no further releases currently slated it could be that the meta gets even more stale than it currently feels to some.
Or maybe some people will get so bored that they accidentally find something good that they weren’t expecting that was actually there all along.
Or maybe people will get bored and stop playing.
I hope it’s not the last one.
Anyway, speaking of GT’s I suppose it’s worth mentioning that I have applied for the Welsh Open to be a GT! I am hoping it won’t be too long before we find out for sure but definitely watch this space!
On the subject of the Welsh Open it would be remiss of me not to plus it again!
We’ve got prizes galore (including from Iksentrik, Cog O Two, Onyx Squadron and Straight Five Designs) and of course the bounty table!
Your ticket includes gaming space on Friday evening as well as lunch on Saturday plus a side event on Sunday if you don’t make the cut.
So what are you waiting for? Get your ticket!!
While I’m on the subject of Wales, I think it’s high time to start talking about XTC 2024!
In case you’re not aware, XTC (X-Wing Team Championship) is an online X-Wing team tournament where countries vie to be the best. It’s kind of like the FIFA World Cup, but for Star Wars nerds.
I’m the current captain of Wales and last year I employed an application system to find out who would be interested to represent the country in this event.
Well this year I’m doing the same! So, if you’d like to throw your hat in the ring the check out the application form, fill in the details and get it submitted! Remember, teams can have a certain number of mercenaries from outside of the country so even if you think you don’t qualify but fancy trying, submit the form and we’ll see!
https://forms.gle/r9NoLaMHBuWQk5Bd6
Right, I think that’s about it for the intro, let’s get on with some X-Wing, shall we?
The pre-amble…
So yes, this is FINALLY the last blog where I’m going to talk about Worlds 2024. It’s been a long road and taken me a while (Worlds was almost 2 months ago now!) but there’s been a LOT to talk about and even more happening since it took place!
I’ve covered the warm up, the main event and the doubles, all that’s left to talk about now is the Sunday Swiss. A three round event to keep us non-cut players entertained while the main event was busy being super serious.
I had decided to NOT be super serious.
When figuring out what to pack for this event (since I’d long decided that flying the Resistance list for potentially 4 days in a row would be a bit much. Not that it was four days but still…) I had decided that more important that bringing something good was to bring something I like.
Not only that but I asked myself ‘what’s my one ultra lovely ship?. The pride of my fleet. The one bit of plastic that’s had more time and money spent on it than all the rest?’
Yes. It was time for Dash.
Wedge Antilles (BoE) (5)
It’s A Trap! (BoE) (0)
Predator (0)
Adv. Proton Torpedoes (0)
R2-A3 (BoE) (0)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Fenn Rau (Rebel Fang) (5)
Predator (3)
Beskar Reinforced Plating (3)
Mandalorian Optics (3)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (9/9) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
Gemmer Sojan (BoE) (3)
It’s A Trap! (BoE) (0)
Precision-Tuned Cannons (BoE) (0)
Chaff Particles (BoE) (0)
Target-Assist Algorithm (BoE) (0)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Dash Rendar (YLF) (7)
Trick Shot (4)
Ursa Wren (6)
False Transponder Codes (5)
Ablative Plating (4)
Outrider (0)
Ship Cost: 7 Loadout: (19/20) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 5
Total: 20
Now, is this list any good? Probably not, no. Did I care? Meh, not really. I miss pushing the YT-2400 around the board, I felt that Wedge and Fenn have good synergy and a very high initial damage output and Gemmer? Well, people had been banging on about him (or her? Or they? Not sure…) being good so I figured it was worth a try.
I’d had exactly one game with this list and so set my expectations accordingly. It was likely to suck and I was likely to suck at playing it but winning was not the goal here!
Alright, on with the games!
The batreps… (JARGON ALERT!!)
Game 1 – Liam Lee
Wait a minute, I know this guy!! Yes, out of rather a lot of people playing in the Sunday Swiss (though since it was split into 3(?) pods, I’m not exactly sure how many it was), I get drawn in round 1 again my 1st round opponent from the Prep Tournament!
Liam was flying the same list as he had been fling then:
Gina Moonsong (4)
Fire-Control System (2)
Proton Cannons (4)
Plasma Torpedoes (5)
Stabilized S-Foils (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (11/11) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Keo Venzee (3)
Juke (7)
Vectored Cannons (RZ-1) (0)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (7/7) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Gemmer Sojan (BoE) (3)
It’s A Trap! (BoE) (0)
Precision-Tuned Cannons (BoE) (0)
Chaff Particles (BoE) (0)
Target-Assist Algorithm (BoE) (0)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Wedge Antilles (BoE) (5)
It’s A Trap! (BoE) (0)
Predator (0)
Adv. Proton Torpedoes (0)
R2-A3 (BoE) (0)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Luke Skywalker (BoY) (5)
Instinctive Aim (0)
Attack Speed (BoY) (0)
Proton Torpedoes (0)
R2-D2 (BoY) (0)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Total: 20
View in YASB: https://yasb.app/?f=Rebel%20Alliance&d=v9ZhZ20Z391XW113W470WW234WWW313Y597X123WW371Y655X502W518W507W517Y661X502W127W134W503Y555X73W475W136W477&sn=BAAXX&obs=yt2400debris0,pomdebris3,pomdebris1
The list he had finished in 23rd place in the main event. 23rd. In the main. Event.
Just to be clear, that is 260 places above me.
We were playing Scramble (which I think is ok-ish for me but being a ship down isn’t ideal) and I undertook the task of figuring out what exactly I was trying to do with my list.
The answer, apparently, was not a very lot.
I launched Gemmer into the mix to get some blocks, failed to do so and, despite being hailed as ‘almost indestructible’, exploded immediately.
Then I misjudged the distance I needed to travel (or rather, how quickly Liam’s ships would come in at me) at least twice, giving Liam some nice juicy shots into Dash.
Meanwhile I’d severly miscalculated Wedge’s trajectory and was making a HUGE mess of bringing him into the fight.
Long story short, I lost Gemmer, then Dash, the Fenn and all I got in return was Liam’s Wedge, all while being outscored on objectives in every single turn.
Final result: 8 – 24 loss
Mini conclusion…
Ok, well, that didn’t go great! Some very bad misjudgements made in that game which included (but was not limited to!) turn 0 setup, approaching obstacles, formation of ships, anticipation of enemy moves.
Stellar stuff.
Still, it was a fun game to play and I had the opportunity to make some adjustments immediately as we were straight into the next round…
Game 2 – Sean Milligan
…and I draw a Sith Taker! Funnily enough I’ve never played Sean before and at least I’d be able to understand his accent! Mostly!
Now, I didn’t get many pictures of this game, nor did I get Sean’s exact list but I think it was this?
Gina Moonsong (4)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0/11) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Braylen Stramm (BoE) (4)
It’s A Trap! (BoE) (0)
Homing Missiles (0)
Proton Bombs (0)
Delayed Fuses (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Sabine Wren (TIE Fighter) (2)
Beskar Reinforced Plating (3)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (3/3) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Wedge Antilles (BoE) (5)
It’s A Trap! (BoE) (0)
Predator (0)
Adv. Proton Torpedoes (0)
R2-A3 (BoE) (0)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Luke Skywalker (BoY) (5)
Instinctive Aim (0)
Attack Speed (BoY) (0)
Proton Torpedoes (0)
R2-D2 (BoY) (0)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Total: 20
The only thing missing is Gina’s loadout. It could be the Plasma Torp/Proton Cannon combo like Liam had but I can’t quite recall.
With reckless abandon I set up my ships poorly for a second consecutive game, putting my punchy i6’s outside of my tanky slow freighter. Idiot.
Gemmer was once again the first ship to die as I edged a little too close to the X-Wings and he (she? they?) popped with very little resistance.
I took Luke off the board in response the following turn but the B-Wings had now had enough time to get into position and they gave Dash an absolute pounding.
Meanwhile Sean had (very sensibly) picked up several boxes while I was struggling to keep hold of the few that I was picking up.
I took Gina out without losing either Wedge or Fenn but with Sean’s ships now carrying 3 boxes the game was over 2 turns later.
Final result: 10 – 21 loss
Mini conclusion…
My lack of thought in turn 0 is really screwing me here. Who’d have thought that turning up with no game plan would be such a disaster?!
It was lovely to play against and chat with Sean. My biggest learn from this game was (and the event as a whole I guess) is that those new B-Wings really can pack a punch.
And so on to my last game at Worlds 2024!
Game 3 – Laurent Richardot
My final game was against Laurent who, by his own admission, didn’t speak great English (although better than my limited French!) but we managed well enough!
Laurent had brought a Scum list which had 2 Fangs (both Mandalorian Royal Guards), Cad Bane in the Rogue Class and Maul in the Gauntlet.
We were playing Assault so with a matching ship count and a large base ship each it was fairly well balanced.
This time i felt I did better.
I scared off the two Royal guards with Wedge and Fenn while drawing Maul in towards the middle.
Things were evenly balanced until I put Gemmer into what I considered a relatively safe spot…
Maul can’t shoot as he’s on the gas cloud but fron long range, the Fang and Cad take Gemmer out.
Disappointing.
Vengance is mine the following turn though as I take out not one but two of Richardot’s Fangs.
Maul is in a bad spot and with time running low and two stress tokens he hard turns for the board edge. I anticipate it and Dash, Wedge and Fenn converge to take the Gauntlet out and the game is over.
Final Result: 21 – 8 win
The conclusion…
Firstly, it was lovely to end the week away with a win. Neither of us had brought high performing top meta lists and in spite of the slight language barrier it was a good, fun, well contested game.
With regards to the list, well, it is what it is. It’s certainly not a meta beating list, in fact it can immediately be improved just by taking out Dash and replacing him with Han or Luke plus Sabine. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that I got to fly my beautifully painted, LED lit favourite ship at the World Championships half way across the world. The results were largely irrelevant.
I guess this is a good point to share my closing thoughts about Worlds.
It was awesome to hang out with people I sort of knew, to spend time getting to know them a bit better. IT was great to spend time with new people too, or people I only sort of half knew. On the one night I didn’t go out with the guys I was in the same hotel with, instead going to Miller’s with some of the 186th and some other people. I’d half invited myself which is not something I’d normally do but I figured this wasn’t the time to be cautious or self-conscious. And I’m glad I did.
What would I do differently? Well, for starters I’d go a day earlier and stay a day later. I had made the decision to take the bare minimum time off work and while it’s paying dividends elsewhere in my year, I felt like I was somewhat rushed or short on time almost every day.
Pictures. I did not take enough pictures. Photos of games or touristy shots are one thing but I didn’t take anywhere near enough pictures with people. Local friends, online friends, new friends, old friends. Not enough pictures.
I had a little shopping to do before leaving and so, with a (frankly quite bizarre) dinner booked fora certain time, I ducked out early on the Sunday afternoon. I should not have. Not only did I miss the culmination of the event and crowning of the winner, I missed the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to many many people I’d met over the week. Some I would likely never see again in person.
Rob Smith had booked us all in for dinner. A dinner I am likely to never forget…
Yes, we went to Medieval Times, ate food with our bare hands and watched men on horses fight wtih swords and joust each other.
It was so surreal and such good fun that we didn’t care how silly we looked or that a bunch of grown men were booing at knights along with the 10 and 12 year olds who were there to celebrate their birthdays!
Afterwards we went back to the sports bar near to the hotel and played pool while chatting about Worlds and going home and life in general.
All in all Worlds was an absolute blast.
A celebration of the game we love, a gauntlet of high level players to challenge ourselves against, a microcosm of a worldwide meta. A place to meet new people and finally meet online friends face to face. A time to hang out, speak to random strangers, give out swag, be given swag. Exchange thoughts and ideas, make plans for the future and so much more.
With Worlds 2025 now properly confirmed, I can say with great enthusiasm, if you have the opportunity to go, you really should experience it. Even if it’s just once. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who I played against, who I chatted with, who gave me things. Whether it was just small talk in the queue for the prize wall or some deep conversation over dinner, you all contributed towards me having such an amazing time that I will never ever forget.
That’s it from me for this week. I’ll catch you next Tuesday!
The outro…
Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I hope you’ve enjoyed it! If you’d like to support me in continuing my X-Wing blogging adventure there are a few ways you can do that.
You can follow my social media accounts for updates
If you’re looking to buy some gaming ‘stuff’ and don’t have a local gaming store, you can use my affiliate link for Firestorm games. They’re great!
If you would like to directly support the blog then please consider becoming a Patron! I would be forever grateful!
A MASSIVE thank you to my wonderful Patrons for their ongoing support for the blog and enabling me to give away shiny things!
Exile Initiates:
Douglas Thomson
Exile Rookies:
Ben Kennedy
Exile Veterans:
Mark Beor, Daniel Barringer, Michael Bird, Steve Boulton, Jason Desmarais, Darin Schwarze, Alex Peters-Bean, Mark Packer-Hughes
Exile Commanders:
Kevin Larsen, HasNolo, David Bryan
Exile Legends:
Rebecca Westwood, Admiral_Ackbar47, Phill Blackmore, Chris Fear, Jamie Howard, Sean Oakley, James Humphery, Opi-Wan Kenobi
You are all amazing humans!