Fixing Broken Pieces

 

This weeks letter from Thrillhouse is short but is quite a doozy:

 

            What suggestions do you have for fixing the broken pieces of SWM?  And what pieces are the "most broken"?

 

Thanks, Thrillhouse

 

Thank you for the question Thrillhouse.  To be quite honest, I really do not like the term broken as it relates to SWM.  I used to played Yugioh.  Now there was a game that was broken.  The perfect example of this is how the game’s playability is more dependant on what cards are banned over what cards are out there to be used.  In my opinion, SWM is a remarkably well balanced game over all, but yes there are some figures that have caused their share of problems over the sets.  I would term these as overpowered pieces instead of broken.  A truly broken piece would dominate the game to no end, and I really do not think we have any pieces that do that right now.  Instead we have pieces and combos that become ‘gatekeepers’ in the competitive format.  To be competitive you have to have answers on how to beat these squads. 

 

As far as how to ‘fix’ overpowered figs, I think Rob & Co.  Have done a very good job balancing the game.  They will introduce a figure that becomes powerful (sometimes not what they thought it would be), and in a later set we get a figure that can counter said overpowered figure.  R2's door control was huge early in the game.  As an answer we got Lobot, who was probably not the greatest counter in the world, but it was something.  Finally, in CotF we get the cheap ugnaught that completely counters door control.  When Vader, Jedi Hunter came out, he completely smashed the jedi that dominated the metagame at the time, but finally people grew smart and learned how to fight him.  Super stealth came out big at first after CotF, but with even a few people playing Depa, SS will usually get nerfed pretty quickly, so it can be a risk to play SS. 

 

Basically the best counters to overpowered squads/figures are smart players.  People have learned how to stop B&B.  San Hill has gone from bottom of the tackle box to a top squad format.  Mon Mothma has also followed suit.  Whenever a set comes out you get the ‘quick and easy path’ as Yoda would call it, but then after a month or two, people start to create the ‘smart’ squads that really dominate.  A squad like B&B is no longer the cream of the crop as there are many builds that will now beat it, but it is still playable enough that if your squad can’t beat it, you had better hope for some favorable pairings.

 

Now as much as I don’t like the term broken, there are some figs/teams that I would rather have seen not have been made, or at least in a different format.  On the top of the list is Boba Fett, BH.  There is just too much there on a fig that is just too cheap for all he brings in the end.  Disintegration on such a powerful figure just makes for cheap wins.  They need to make it so disintegration can be avoided by evade, deflect and the like.  Bodyguards can divert disintegration, so what do they do?  They give him a flamethrower.  All this on top of evade, twin, mobile is just too much.  I dread to see what they are going to do with the Boba that is in A&E.  A good counter would be to have a character that takes away flight so he can’t hit and run as well.

 

Mas Amedda is one that will be thrown into this list by many, but I really do not think so.  He has done wonders for many commanders that otherwise are just unplayable.  He really has been very good for the game, but where he hurts the game is his cheap affinity for the Empire.  This created the infamous Thrawn/Swap squads.  I really wish they would have either made him fringe as Sly Moore was, or tie him to the Emperor for the imperials, so its not as easy to abuse him.  He doesn’t need to be fixed.  I would just like to see a fringe version to help the weaker factions that actually need him.

 

Thrawn would also be at the top of the list, but I have never seen him as anywhere near overpowered.  The auto init is huge to be sure, but having his best qualities limited to six, kept him at least halfway humble.  Mas plus Thrawn is when it became more of a problem.  His counter is forth coming in the form of a Han in A&E that negates Thrawn’s ability to control initiatives.

 

Honestly, those are the only concerns I see in the game right now.  The 100-point format has been and always been up to the heavy hitters.  He who hits hardest, wins.  Boba, BH was actually good for this format as there really is no top squad now.  In the 150-point format, B&B is the gatekeeper, but no longer top squad.  This format has always been about synergy.  In 200-point formats, the meta game is as wide open as it has ever been.  The question is who outguesses whom on what to play.  For example, Nom bombs are deadly, but it only takes one person running a well-constructed Depa squad to boot them out of the running. 

 

It always sucks to see one of your top squads get nerfed out of playability when a new set comes out, but that is the state of every expandable game that has ever been played.  Figs and teams will always grow obsolete.  Just trust Ron & Co. to counter whatever problems come along.  All it takes is the possibility of running into a squad that counters a tier one squad to see it fall out of favorability, but I will cover that a bit more in next weeks email.

 

Again, thanks for the email Thrillhouse.  If you have any questions or issues you would like me to comment on email me at sithrdragon13@yahoo.com, and may the force be with you!