Quick Hitter 2: Fixing Hyperspace (January 2020)

Note: I've published this post on the FFG Forums as well using my KEEDS4 username.

I was perusing the available ships and upgrades after the most recent points changes and Hyperspace realignment. Even though I assume that many of the changes were made to counteract the overuse of certain pilots and upgrades in tournament play, it is the opinion of this semi-casual (and occasional tournament) player that the changes went too far. Not only are certain factions not so balanced compared to others, but now many upgrades are now unusable and have to sit in my binder, never to see the light of day outside of casual play.

Now, I know that FFG is made up of people who are just trying to stay gainfully employed and are doing the best they can to balance a game that is played by a relatively tiny percentage of the world population (and even a tiny percentage of board gamers). I salute the work they've done. With that said, without succumbing to rampant verbosity, let me quickly list my (somewhat minor) grievances:

• First Order has only four ships from which to choose... and NO big base ship. That's right: Upsilon has been completely excised from Hyperspace. I wouldn't have minded, say, Tavson being removed; I mean, FFG did remove Quickdraw from Hyperspace, which is fine... However, having just four small-base ships from which to choose (before the release of a somewhat-mediocre-looking Xi shuttle) and NO big-base (or medium-base, for that matter) ship is incongruous to other factions.
• Many low-point-costed upgrades are gone... Composure, Crack Shot, Marksmanship, and other low-point upgrades should just be staples of Hyperspace, as should most munitions (torpedoes, missiles, and so on), sensors, and tech. The preponderance of certain upgrades has (thus far) been effectively managed by modulating squad points... Why deviate from that approach? Besides, I know that there are many folks out there who are salty at seeing certain upgrades being used all the time, but removing them altogether from the creative palette of the squad builder tends to sap the game of its variability. I would see this as the classic "cutting off your nose to spite your face."
• Newly-released ships aren't even in Hyperspace... For example, I believe that the VCX-100, which came out in a recent wave, is NOT in Hyperspace. Wasn't Hyperspace supposed to capture the more recently-released content? Interestingly, Decimator is available for the Empire.
• No U-Wing? No TIE Interceptor? No Scavenged Millennium Falcon...? Certain ships should just be staples.

Here's my pitch for Hyperspace:

• Every faction should have at least one big-base ship, one medium-base ship (if available), and three or four staple small-base ships from which to choose. THEN, cycle in or out any number of ships. Cycling out pilots of ships is also fine, though it would be nice to see Wedge Antilles return someday.
• Don't overreact to the meta; keep ALL of the possible upgrades available in Hyperspace. You all did a GREAT thing by making the point totals virtual, so adjust points in response to overuse. Please don't remove upgrades outright.
• As with Magic: The Gathering, the most recent two waves of ships and upgrades should be readily available in Hyperspace to reflect market availability by new players...
• Yet, unlike Magic, I think that there should be 3-5 staple ships for each faction that are ALWAYS available, regardless of waves. As I said previously, I am all for cycling in and out pilots (and certain ships), but the truly indicative ships of each faction should also be there. For instance, the Rebel faction should always have T-65s, A-Wings, and B-Wings (and U-Wings, please!); the Empire should always have TIE/ln Fighters, TIE Interceptors, and TIE Advanceds; and, First Order should have Upsilons!

Please keep in mind that I'm really picking nits here. I do like being forced to create squads from a limited pool, but I am also sad that many fine upgrades and ships will not see the light of day until the next Hyperspace change (I hope).

Quick Hitter I: Know the Meta

(Note: Quick Hitter articles are posts that are my short reflections on X-Wing concepts and ideas. These posts are meant to be concise and somewhat incisive.)

Whether you're starting out in X-Wing or have a few chronological years of experience (but not a lot of competitive experience), one of the key pieces of advice I can give is to know which squads are popular in the different tournament types out there. In other words, beyond the rules of the game, you have to familiar with the "metagame," or meta, which is the game above the game. This specifically refers to understanding the squads and upgrades that are prevalent in current tournament play.

For the X-Wing player, you only have to concern yourself with two types of tournaments: Extended and Hyperspace. The primary difference between the two types is that Extended allows for ALL ships and upgrades to be used in the creation of your squad, while Hyperspace limits the pool of available ships, pilots, and upgrades to ones that both coincide with the waves of released ships and with whatever ships and upgrades Fantasy Flights Games (i.e. the maker of the game) have deemed permissible so that any one faction is balanced with the others. In other words, if you own one or more Conversion Kits, and you want to pick from the full panoply of options, then Extended is the way to go; however, if you have been buying Second Edition X-Wing ships in retail blister packs, then consider Hyperspace format.

Now, once you have selected a tournament type, check out this site: https://meta.listfortress.com/, which is also known as MetaWing 2.0. Through this website, you can select the tournament type and research which ships, upgrades, and "archetypes" (i.e. templates of squads) are prevalent at tournaments. From here, you can either select your ships and kit them out with the upgrades that are used by high performers, or select an archetype that has been successful and emulate it. After that, I strongly recommend planning, preparing, and practicing with that squad archetype to learn its tendencies and strengths. After that, try out a local tournament, observe what others are playing, and do your best to fly your squad well.

One more thing: realize that what people play at tournaments depends on the importance of the event. During X-Wing casual night at your local game store, count on other players (particularly the competitive ones) playing with wacky "fun" squads or with squad concepts that they are testing for future tournaments; this is not a reflection of the meta. During the monthly tournaments that your local store may run, you may find meta-prevalent squads, depending on what prizes are at stake. At Hyperspace Trials, store championships, and other large-scale tournaments, you can expect to find meta squads in full force. Whatever squad you bring should be driven by your goals for any tournament, whether your goal is to test an idea, learn a meta squad, or to just have fun. Of course, winning is always a goal!