John's Regionals and Worlds Write-Up!

It's been a while since I did one of these, huh?

I got bored of like the same 5 Leia pics, so, here, Carrie Fisher!

My List

Marley was dead, to begin with...

Before I begin, a note on what this is all going to be.  I didn't DO writeups of my Regionalses as I ran the same (or very similar fleets) throughout them and I played a lot of games against a lot of great opponents (and one GiledPallaeon!).  I enjoyed them all and I can do VERY quick blurbs about each of them below.  I'll then lapse into my Worlds games, with... again, abbreviated pictures.  Doing a great job as a blogger, you see.

So while I didn't bring this specific list to Ohio, I brought something close enough that we'll just post one list and not force you guys to consider two of these.  Hooray authorial powers!

Clear Y's, Full Hearts, Can't Lose (400/400)
CR90A with Leia Commander, Lando, FCT, Turbolaser Reroute Circuits, and Jaina's Light (98 pts)
3 HH Torps with External Racks (39 points each)
1 GR75 with Toryn (25 pts)
1 GR75 with BCC (26 pts)
Biggs, Jan, 2 X-wings, 2 VCX, and 4 Y-wings (134 total)
Precision Strike, Fire Lanes, and Sensor Net

So the shtick of this list is one I've been running for a WHILE.  Everything but Leia is essentially disposable, and everything can fling squads as needed.  There isn't a GREAT Slicer Tools target (beyond a flotilla, which sure feels great, right?) and the Hammerheads if they get to the target can put out a heck of a hurt.  The objectives all hurt and can easily swing me a slew of points, and if I have to go first I have 6 activations.  It's hybrid MSU/Squads, and I think it's really the best way to use Leia currently.  I brought something very similar way back when to GenCon last year, and we continue on in our experiments.  I even converted our friend Mike (comatose on the forums) to switch from Garm to Leia for HIS list, so I have converts now!

Close enough

Regionals Season - 2019

Our first Regionals was early, out in Ohio, where I visited my sister and her new husband before and after the Regionals.  I played Coward Raddus (lost), sommmmething (sorry?), tabled a 2-ship, and then beat a Vader ISD/Demo hybrid.  I ended up in 9th and traded Biggs my spot gloss Gladiator from last year for his candy dice that he got in 8th (and continued our constant streak of NOT playing each other).

I went down to Atlanta after that on Super Bowl weekend.  This was the first actual version of the list above, but I honestly don't remember Ohio that well (it was a while ago, sorry!).  I tabled a Raddus bomb that chose Fire Lanes, got on the stream and beat Valca 6-5, got blowed up by Matt (as stated in his write-up) because I'm not an ambi-turner (I literally would have survived if I had turned left, grumble at my own stupidity), and then played a Sloane list that ALSO chose Fire Lanes.  I ended in 11th and had a great time, and then ate a bunch of food in Atlanta.  Our local Nick won it running 2-ship down there.

Last Regionals for me was in Chicago; I faced down 2 Ackbar double large lists, one of which I pulled out a 7-4 against and the other I ended up 5-6.  My final match was against a Thrawn Interdictor/Demo list that I stole his Salvage Run out from under him, and I ended Chicago in 7th before eating a mess of Kuma's burgers.  I got the fancy dice and I didn't even need to trade for them!

So, 9th/40ish, 11/42, and 7/34 if I recall correctly.  I'm not winning everything, but I know what I'm doing with the list and I know how to handle it.  It is very important to me that you understand the fact that I was intensely familiar with the list, and that i have done previously very well with it, lest the following not appear to be the Dickensian tragedy it's about to become.

"...and everything ended happily and not ominously for everyone, THE END."

Worlds 2019

The best part for ME of Worlds was pre-day 1, hanging out at a local bar and just chatting with all sorts of Armada friends.  We closed down the bar after hanging out for 5 hours there, and then I drove home and got like 4 hours of sleep if I was lucky.  We went to our own breakfast at a local pancake house, Elly's.  I got to the convention center and my first round opponent was Gideon, infamous on the forums as Ginkapo.

I'll let you choose which Beatle he was most like.  But he was DEFINITELY dressed like this

He brought Sloane on a Pryce ISD, Centicore, one Gozanti, and a slew of squads.  Mauler, Maarek, Jendon, 2 Phantoms, and some other rigamarole.  After outbidding me (of course) he selected my Most Wanted.  I had changed it the night before from Precision Strike after watching Eric and Nathan flip it on me literally 5 games in a row from them.  So, I chose his Centicore and the BCC flotilla.  He Pryced on 2, alphaing my squads after I had killed a few of his.  The Biggs ball I had was able to tank a good chunk of what had hit it, but the first activation from Pryce took most of them down.  The VCXs and Y-wings killed a Phantom and put some hurt into a few other squads, and I got Centicore.  End of the day, thanks to some shoddy positioning on my part, he ended up with a 7-4 win with a 60 MOV.  Jusssssssssst on the edge of it, too.  If I had been smarter and protected my squads when I had the chance instead of trying to kill one last thing.... I apparently broke his brain though, as he had killed a LOT of my stuff.  But 2 HH and Leia escaped, along with a Y-wing, so it somehow totalled enough to give me 4 points.  Gink was a fun opponent, and a pretty nice guy to talk to throughout the weekend.

After talking to several other people, Truthiness and Biggs also had 4-7s, and Biggs had the same MOV as me.  Was this the BLOGFIGHT, finally come to pass?

He was just like this

So I pulled Truthiness.  He was running what he won NOVA with; Raddus with 3 CR90A's with TRCs and Engine Techs, and 2 Slicer Tool Flotillas, dropping in a Liberty Star Cruiser HIE.  I got swarmed so fasssssssst after he chose my Most Wanted.  Highlight of the game was Lando jumping out the airlock to attempt to save Leia from a Lib side arc HIE shot to get.... the literal exact same roll.  Dang it, Lando...  I then moved Leia right into range of Raddus's CR90 to get him next-

Lando had already jumped out the airlock.  Oh dammmmmmit.

So Leia died to my own stupidity.  The HH and flots died soon after that.  When Leia dies, the ball ends and the HH turn back into pumpkins.  Tabled.  But I had a fun game, and Truth was a great opponent.  I had effectively neutered the Raddus drop (If I remember right, it got like 2 side shots and the final shot on the final Hammerhead to kill it) by not having a stronk center.  So, 5 points going into round 3 is.... NOT where I wanted to be.  How bad could it get?

Round 3 I played Alexander who was running a near identical version of Truth's list.  OH COME ON! (He had one Slicer, one Comms Net, and the Liberty was slightly different, but 3 different CR90s with TRCs and Engine Techs).  He chose Most Wanted (who notices the theme here!) and I stuck it on a CR90 that I thought was going to be coming at me.  I lucked into one moment when my navigating Hammerhead rolled JUST enough to crack Raddus's CR90 after the drop and kill it with the ram.  I'll trade my Hammerhead for Raddus's ship any day.

End of the day I was 2-3 damage shy of killing the Liberty, after trading my 2 more Hammerheads for a flotilla and another CR90 of his.  I had to keep hitting it in the front with squadrons for the worry of him just jumping out ahead of where my squadrons had ended up, and then him getting away.  I got a 6-5, but this basically guaranteed that I wasn't getting to day 2.

Kallus Flechette Raiders HURT and stop me from doing my crap!

Round 4 I played Eric (not OUR Eric, haha), who brought Imp MSU with squads.  Jerry on a Raider, Demo, the Kallus Flechette Raider, and 2 Gozanters; with IG88, Bossk, MMJ, Mauler, Dengar, and.... I think that's it? Maybe a TIE?  Listen, it was round 4, man, and we both were feeling tired and ecstatic about everything that had led us to this point (table 39, woo).  He picked Most Wanted, and I ended with a 6-5.  I'm sorry these last 2 write-ups aren't as in-depth and fancy pants as my first two, but these last two games were much quicker and less definitive in the wins on my end.  I had 4 great opponents and 4 great games, but my Worlds matches were to end Thursday.

Worlds Day 2 - Hanging Around!

So Friday I got up, I went to the Pancake House (again), and then wandered around the convention center.  I got a fancy Vulture droid (that I traded away Sunday for more shield and Speed dials) and looked over some games.  I watched most of Eric's round 5, and I then headed over to Texas de Brasil for All-you-can-eat lunch (spoiler: guess who forgot it was Lent? DIS GUY).  I came back and watched a few more games, chatted with Ian, Brooks, Jimmy, and a mess of other Armada nerds (shout-out to all of them, but it's easier to name-drop FFG employees...).  I watched the end of a few more games and the jockeying for positions in the final rounds and tables, with a lot of good lists and great players.  End of the day, it turned out to be Nathan and Dennis, and that's when the fun began.

I stress YET AGAIN, not affiliated with FFG or any FFG-based product!

So Truth and I did commentary, off Karneck's phone (side note, go subscribe to his channel so he can keep streaming off it!) and I had a delightful time.  We got to blather for 3 hours, correctly guessed most of what was happening, and just relaxed.  I WAS pulling for Nathan the whole time, but I was at least HONEST in my homerism, haha!  After it all ended, a few of us (including Dennis, the NEW World Champion) headed over to Kuma's Corner for burgers, Mac n Cheese, and great beer and metal music.  I then went home and crashed for like 10 hours, haha.

Team Tournament!
Sunday came around, and it was team tournament day!  So we went to the Pancake House, again, and then to the Convention Center, AGAIN...

Armada's like a box of chocolates...

Eric and I ran Rieekan MSU and Ackbar Big Fun, and we ended up winning our game, getting a fancy plastic CR90 and a full-art Jan Ors.  We sat around for JUSSSSSSST a bit longer and reminisced with Armada bros, and had a very fun "next year in Jerusalem at Worlds!" moment with everyone.

1970s Musical jokes are ALWAYS popular!

Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up
So what the heck happened with my list? I could attribute it to Pryce and Raddus being broken or whatever, but blaming others for my own play is a dumb plan.  I could blame it on Leia, but my Regionals and GenCon last year results show that I know what I'm doing with the fleet.  I hit some BAD matchups (double Truth don't help, that's for sure!) and I scrambled what I could out of them.  My fleet is a grinder, and if I don't have the chance to grind (like against Gideon because of the squad defenses, or both Liberty's, and Eric, my final opponent escaped with JUST one hull left on Jerry's Raider.  The tabling would have been nice, but ah well).  I could blame it on squadrons or whatever (not having my squadrons painted may have been what did it, no luck in THAT), but mainly, not having the time to grind them through the buzzsaw is the major issue there, I think.  If points were infinite, I would have loved to have fit Boosted Comms and blah blah blah.  I personally wonder about the efficacy of generic Y-wings these days, but that's a topic for another time.

Yes, I bought another Assault Frigate recently.  I have painting plans...

End of the day, I had fun at Worlds, played a Commander I still love, flaws and all, and got some fancy shmancy alt arts and a new damage deck.  I AM putting Leia down for a bit, though; I haven't played one of the 4 "real" Rebel Commanders in significant fashion in over a year (literally, I've been playing her solid for a year now.  I'm not going to claim I'm the best Leia player in the world, but.... I won't disagree if that title is given).  I have dumb Rieekan lists to try, Ackbar lists I miss, and ironically? The game against Truth made me not hate Raddus.  So, uh, sorry locals, Blue Fish might be making an appearance soon.... I haven't given up on her.  I still LIKE her and what she CAN do for you.  I know I'll have some damned fool list soon enough just to try to maximize X or Y or a Pelta or more Hammerheads or blah blah blah.  So many options!  I'll still make occasional Leia lists

But as for ME, I got articles to write.  The Squadrons Encyclopedia needs an update, of course, and Medium Squads remains LOOMING (Worlds DID reinvigorate my desire to blog more and update the articles I need to).  My apartment continues to need cleaning, but that's par for the course.  I have several article ideas that are incoming, and we'll see when I get to them and all.  And hey, someone has a marathon to start training for soon enough, so more running and eating better isn't out of the question, is it?  As for Worlds and lists themselves, let it be known that I agree fully with what Eric said on the data article from a week ago.  I'm looking forward to Rebellion in the Rim (Roger Roger) and the SSD dropping (specifically so I can start killing it in reality instead of in proxy games), and the new announcements of Clone Wars from Celebration have me excited to get me a Kenobi Commander.  I can't wait to say "Hello there" to THAT!