All This Has Happened and Will Happen Again

The More than Things Change, the More they Remain the Same

It has been a long time since I wrote some in-depth SWFC strategy communication. The main reason is the complete overhaul of competitive strategy options given the launch of Support Decks. I wanted to have a house grasp on how this has effected the competitive metagame before commenting on what I "assumed" would occur. Needless to say, I was not far off in my predictions (non that you would know since I never really posted them, merely I digress…).

Annotation: virtually of this article is aimed at the highest levels of competitive SWFC play, you will still gleam a lot from it if you are non operating at that level, but this is meant to exist a guide for helping you achieve and stay at that level of play/legion

Back up Decks are the largest change to the competitive landscape of SWFC since the release of Jar Jar Binks: Gungan Senator and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine iv*. The cataclysmic issue on the game is even so being felt, and many high finish players have chosen to leave the game over these changes instead of being forced to completely overhaul their collections and formations overnight. Those of united states that stayed have experienced a world unlike those in the past….or accept we?

Yous see, this is my chief betoken when it comes to Back up Decks: are they powerful? Yes. Do they alter the metagame? Certain. Exercise they change the fundamentals of how SWFC works? No! You encounter at its cadre SWFC is an app TCG, not an "actual" TCG, so the capacity for multiple strategies being "the best" is very hard to accomplish, especially when you are releasing 2-6 new meridian end cards each month. Even when these new cards are being printed, how many of the ACTUALLY affect the metagame at the highest levels?

Let's wait at the latest releases: Ackbar/Veers (also soon to tell, probable not), Podracers (no), Chewie/Bossk (no), Ben Kenobi (perhaps), Vader MOE (no), Shaak Ti (yep), GG TAE (not now..), Kalani (somewhat), Kit (no unfortunately), Obi RG (no), Magna (maybe at present?), Vader DU (yes), Luke HE (at present, yeah)

So we have to go back 8 v* releases, about two-3 months (about 4 LAWS), to find relevant cards released that made wholesale changes to the metagame, and honestly even the reliance on those cards is non very relevant. Now, this is non a diss on Konami and how they impress underpowered cards and have terrible R&D if they actually desire to sell new packs, but more of simple fact: at any time in the game there are only certain strategies that "actually" piece of work at the highest levels, and no issue, wholesale or not ever changes this.

I say this for an important reason. Many players assumed that the add-on of Back up decks would "add more to the metagame" and while certain SOME cards and strategies are more playable, at the core at that place are however very few actually viable strategies. You nonetheless take power creep, which means yous still have a state of affairs where "card A is simply Amend than card B" and then for top players there is NO reason to own card B at all. Now as I said before, this is not an absolute, there is SOME jerk room and room for innovation, as in that location always has been, only my point is that Sure strategies remain better than others, this theory has not changed since twenty-four hours one of the game. Certain, you could have walked into battle with a line of Darth Mauls, simply you would lose to Vaders every mean solar day of the week. And then the question was, even on day one, why would you want Darth Maul at all? This type of question remains, information technology just may be seen as "why would you lot not use this subset of cards vs. any other?"

Then that'due south plenty esoteric groundwork, allow'south look at the Support Skills themselves:

Nullify

We should starting time with the biggest outcome on the metagame, the ability to completely shut downward skills that affect your leader's line is extremely valuable. Recollect PRE-COMBAT skills from both players affecting that line are afflicted, that means YOUR upgrades and your opponent'due south degrades. The biggest strategic effect on the metagame thus far has been the increase of Cocky-Skill cards reentering competitive play, since now they tin be made immune the dreaded JJBSC (or Chanjar if you wish) combo previously decreasing them past 70%. Overnight this propelled previously "unplayable" cards due to their susceptibility to ChanJar from the sidelines to eye stage, only as I said to a higher place not EVERY self-skill card. In that location is still a hierarchy.

So the Nullify Support needs to be analyzed in four stages, each one building on the ones earlier:

1. The "now All-time" and the "now Worst"
2. The secondary effect on #1 to Mids/Longs/Vehicles
3. Redoing skills based on the above changes
4. How the meta evolves, can holes in information technology be exploited? How do you reply information technology?

Point 1: The Best and the Worst

So in that location is skillful news and bad news. The good news is former powerhouses like Yoda GM, Leia Organa, and original Sidious return to the top of the heap. Also cards that never had a chance to polish like Shaak Ti, Luke HE, Droideka, GG EC, and Magnaguard can come across their full potential. Certain cards remain powerhouses similar Vader DU, Jango TOW, Zam, and C-3PO.

The thing I need you to understand is that while no cards actually "suffer" every bit a result of these changes, what you have is just the cards above condign meliorate positioned in the new metagame. In this respect, the game does non change. Since the dawn of SWFC this has been the case, Yoda replaced Luke, TCO replaced Yoda, MOD replaced TCO, and and then on and then forth. So what you lot lose by not using the "new all-time cards" is actually the opportunity cost of Not using them, in other words, if you desire to exist the best you have to use the best cards and then there is downward pressure on the older staples.

The reason that cards such as MOD/QFD/Exile were good in the past was considering their main strength was amnesty to ChanJar. And then what you had was the highest stats possible given the fact that cards like GM/HE/SID were vulnerable to their abilities beingness reduced by 70%. Now, since yous can nullify the forepart line, the "benefit" of being immune to ChanJar is completely negated. There is no reward to running MODs for example over GM, you are no longer playing the vanquish game of "well, does he have ChanJar, because if he doesn't I'm gonna run my GMs!" The fact that at times running ChanJar now tin can actually be a detriment is more in the pocket of the new short staples.

Then since GM/HE/SID/DU are now "the best cards" to play with, you are left with another state of affairs. Equally forepart lines are using Nullify (more to come in a scrap on why you lot should e'er be using Nullify on shorts regardless of your deck fix) dethrone skills on shorts are impossible to play. This has a radical event on Evade decks, because you tin no longer reliably utilize Grees to reduce the accurateness of your opponent. I have talked in the past of why the Accuracy Degrade > Evade Upgrades, but now it is even worse. If y'all assume you MUST Nullify your front row (see below) then you lot cannot fifty-fifty finer Apply Evade Upgrades even if you wanted to, simply allow's say you are stubborn and say "no manner I can yet utilise Evade Updgrades, now with Skill Upward % I can guarantee my 72% upgrade on my Evade!" Certain, this is true, but then your unabridged front is once again vulnerable to ChanJar (who all the same sees lots of play) to only 21.half-dozen% to start, but information technology is worse than that and hither is why, permit's look at the typical "former" Evade decks:

Evade Scenarios:

		Yoda GM Acc	GM Acc westward/Queen	GM acc w/Q + Bail
		170	196	213
General Grevious Evade:	135	35	61	78
w/max Evade Boosts	232	-62	-37	-20
w/max Evade Boosts vs. JJBSC	164	6	31	48
due west/SCP	172	-2	24	41
w/SCP and Mas	176	-6	nineteen	36
Mace Mov Evade:	110	60	86	103
w/max Evade Boosts	189	-19	half dozen	23
westward/max Evade Boosts vs. JJBSC	134	36	62	79
w/Queen	140	thirty	56	73
west/Queen and Bail	144	26	52	69
Sebulba Evade:	160	ten	36	53
w/max Evade Boosts	275	-105	-lxxx	-63
w/max Evade Boosts vs. JJBSC	195	-25	i	18
w/SCP	203	-33	-eight	9
w/SCP and Mas	209	-39	-xiv	iii

Before I mentioned about always using Nullify on the front row. Yes, while it may exist very exciting to dust off the Leia Organas and boost them with Orrin from the side, Queens from behind and get to town, sure, but you are playing a dangerous game. You see without using Nullfiy on your forepart line, you over again run across the ChanJar trouble (which is why they still come across play to counter act this). If you nullify your front and use Queen/SCP now you are guaranteed to be buffing all stats by 15%, no reduction. Add in Bail/Mas and you are adding in some other 10%. For nigh decks the main Queen/SCP will exist enough, for some like GM you lot lose nothing by using both. So you should assume that most lines will be buffed xv-25% of their stats in addition to ridiculous self-skill buffs. If you chose to get against this grain and do Not Nullfiy your front AND they utilise ChanJar, well your ain 15-25% just became 4.5-7.5%; giving upwardly between 11.5% and 17.5% right to your opponent immediately on the front line. Confronting a GM using both and you simply using Queen/SCP with ChanJar you are looking at a 25% vs. iv.v% or a 21.5% loss of all stats. Tin can you front line survive that hit to its stats? I didn't think so either…so for your own protection you accept no choice BUT to Nullify your front end, regardless of the units you are using, only to allow your Ain politicians to be effective, because you KNOW theirs will be..So you are going to live in a world where you lot assume that JJBSC does not exist if yous are GG or Sebulba, and if you are MOV, that world does not even assist you at all times. If they remain in existence, you are looking at virtually no scenarios where you can assume any semblance of survival, and this is non even considering that you are being hit by a unit that now hits similar a Mac Truck…sorry Evade, your time in the spotlight is over..

The only scenario I can see counter to this statement is some combination of Nullify with Proximity Alert in vehicle based decks. This is considering typical vehicle decks are 3-4x boosting these vehicles each round with in-combat skills and well-built ones are simply using the front line as a ruse. The Proximity Alarm would requite you enough time and thus value off of the Nullify'd vehicle to make up for the lines coming together right away, considering trust me when yous meet, it will not be pretty…I have not withal tested this scenario, simply it is the only not-utilize of Nullify on the front end row I can conceive of to make it worth it. Even a similar scenario for Longs such every bit Leias or Zams would not work considering 3PO will oftentimes eat up their hits, considering they are non AOE bursts like most vehicles are.

Point One TLDR:

Best options in new meta: Yoda GM, Luke HE, Old Sidious, Vader DU, C-3PO; potential for Droideka, Magna, Shaak Ti, TOW, Lumi, GG EC

Worst Options: Evade, things that aren't best..

Nullfiy your front line because of politicians

Point 2: What almost the residue of your formation'due south attack units?

Ok so we have to operate in a new earth where the above cards see radically increased play. So now our world is full of units with nigh 20k or more defense force who hitting similar Mac Trucks, or make information technology very hard for you lot to actually damage them (Droideka, Magna, Vader DU, etc). With these 2 points in mind, the onetime concepts of "Boosted Mids" and "Damage Reduction" are out the window.

The old champion deck of Boosted Bobas was already beingness speedily hated out the top level environments past the likes of Zam gunning him downward from the behind a protected line and C-3PO taunting his shots. Now, booted Bobas are in a grab 22. If you lot chose to Non Nullify the Boba row, as I suggested earlier and continue to boost his assail equally normal or use something similar ChanJar to supplement, yous will not actually punch through the high defense shorts. You lot cannot use degrades, because of the necessity of decks to Nullify the front, then actually what is a boosted Boba really nowadays other than a loftier powered Defensive Reduction unit of measurement who is vulnerable to ChanJar? Their time in the Sun is at an terminate.

Let's then shift focus to the other pick in Defensive Reduction. At present, multi hit units were NEVER able to actually harm high defense shorts, but it was a lot easier reducing a MODs defence (starting at fourteen,428 united nations-skilled) and then a GMs defense which can beginning at close to 20k or a Sid who when procced has a defence force over 26k. Information technology is a matter of time…the units you will be facing will likely decimate your front line long earlier Defensive Reduction has time to "do its thing." DR was a battle of attrition, the Globe War I of battles if y'all will. Well, now we are staring down a WWII Blitzkrieg and you cannot look in trenches for information technology to whorl over yous. I suppose if you used similar shorts to what you expect to face, the defensive reduction may be a factor in the long run, but there are better means to reduce the defense of GMs or HEs, and trying to defensively reduce Sidious nowadays will be an effort in futility. At present, the ane caveat to all of this is that the Vader DU and Droidekas of the world Will nonetheless be hurt past the multi hit mids, just since all height end decks SHOULD be using C-3PO, how do you call back that's gonna work out?

(On a side note, this is also why Boba TRH is no longer a viable selection)

(Second side note, if mids aren't practiced, guess what else isn't good? Blaster Reflection)

And then if mids are out what are we left with? Well, by default Snipers become very playable for multiple reasons. First of all, as I said, mids practice nothing, at least Snipers can still striking valuable units. Also, Snipers can take out the support units or simple "stat add-on units" that the GM/HE decks use, and actually make short work of the "cheezy let me run some ane* or stacks to boost my stats" decks as well.

There is some other option: Area of Effect (AOE) Vehicles. I exercise not profess to exist a Vehicle expert, but the plethora of multi-hitting, AOE vehicles are now a viable pick for you to consider. Hailfire Droids, Blizzards (though they are hard to disguise), Slave 1, Octos, B-Wings (untested), Juggernauts, etc. are all viable options to exam and find what works best for your deck. Given an absence of Leias or Zams, I would much prefer to use AOE Vehicles than any other mid option.

So if you follow the train of idea of AOE vehicles backwards, you will over again arrive at the same decision about Mids, they will too be destroyed by the AOE vehicles. So here is the railroad train of logic: Shorts too strong, Mids bad, AOE Vehicles/Longs good, Mids bad. Every determination most the Nullfiy based metagame speaks to ane giant point staring you in the confront: Mid-Level Shooters are awful at the highest levels of competitive play.

Indicate 3: And so now what skills do I use?

Well this is simple. Assuming you lot are able to afford some type of skill upwardly (preferably level v) whatsoever skill in the game is available to you. Well, your shorts should be nullified so then what? Well, you really just have iv options:

1. Yous heave your other units, the Longs or Vehicles assail
2. You degrade their formation, preferably set on from the Longs or defense your Longs hit
3. Yous upgrade the defense of your support units/attackers
4. You use ChanJar and your option of a buff

Pretty simple logic here, the only signal I desire to make is to make certain you Do NOT Boost YOUR FRONT LINE BECAUSE IT IS NULLIFIED!

Point four: And then now what?

At this bespeak I actually do non run into some magic pill. For at present it is a matter of seeing the consequence of different skills (how practiced are the Queens? How good is Veers? How good is Ackbar? Etc..) or different combinations to battle what you expect to see. Understanding your opponent's weaknesses are very important, so scouting potential opponents is key. Maybe using fewer skills is a feasible option in favor of freeing upward those slots for more assail units? Maybe there are untested strategies that a group can exploit? Correct at present I am focusing on the highest level and easiest effects on the metagame that have seemed to hold true for the last couple of LAWs with no significant changes for whatsoever new 5* featured.
Well, I was going to write about the other Back up Skills, but realistically, practice they even matter that much? I mentioned many of the others throughout this and tried to weave in various pieces of advice on how to use them likewise. Any specific ideas or strategies effectually them allow me know in the comments or pm/email me.

Thanks for reading, let me know how I can aid.

-AUStarwars

Are you looking for this blazon of analysis and assitance on a daily basis instead of waiting for my blog to come out? Are you looking to take your SWFC game to the side by side level and compete for the top Legion spots each LAW? If so, the EMPIRE Coalition is always recruiting players looking to meliorate with certain minimum requirements. LINE is a must, only if you would similar to hash out the future prospects of joining the number 1 ranked lifetime Legion in the game, transport me a PM! If I cannot achieve you lot, I will put you in touch on with the other ship Captains/Commanders. Take you showtime step into a larger globe!

ziemerseaspicea.blogspot.com

Source: https://austarwarsswfc.wordpress.com/2015/08/12/all-of-this-has-happened-before-and-will-happen-again/

Share this post