This article, by Emily Rastl, will be one of a series of articles geared toward helping newer players get ready for their first large tournament. The topics we cover will include: general tournament preparation, the pros and cons of net listing vs. taking a home-brewed list, how to stress test a home-brewed list to see if it’s tournament ready, a guide to community resources, and a guide to turn zero considerations.

Net Listing – What Is It?

Net listing is using the internet to identify a list someone else has built and had success with, copying it exactly, and playing it yourself. A decent resource for identifying what the more popular lists that are out there is List Fortress. List Fortress is a community updated database of tournaments around the globe cataloging lists that are used and often their standings, as well.

The Pros of Net Listing

It’s easier! The number one reason to net list is if you are new to the game. When I first started playing X-Wing back in First Edition times, one of the first lists I took to the table was a very “meta” Rey/Lowhhrick build that was not my own design. I sort of felt like I was cheating, but at that time I didn’t have the breadth of knowledge to even decide what I liked or wanted to play. A pre-built list was my best chance to get a feel for my preferences without getting overwhelmed. A lot of new players will jump into the game and start running homemade lists with too many upgrades and triggers, usually thrown together without any broad understanding of the synergy between certain pilots and upgrades. There’s something to be said for learning by trial and error, but if you jump in and find the options overwhelming, there’s no shame in starting with a pre-built list. Look for something that is relatively simple and focused around a single interaction or set of interactions between cards.

Net lists have been proven effective. That’s how they became net lists! The play testing has already been done, and you’ll know it has a baseline potential; all you have to do is figure out how to use it.

It saves time. Even more experienced players may choose to net list if they don’t have the time or interest for the trial and error it takes to create their own unique concoction. If you’re more interested in honing your pilot skills than going down the rabbit hole of every possible iteration of ship combos, then starting with a squad of proven good logistics and maximizing its effectiveness through maneuver and play strategy is going to be easier for you.

Net lists can be a decent building block to learn how to build your own list in the future. They can teach you what works well in the current meta, and you can copy the parts that you like for your own list.

The Cons of Net Listing

You may feel less invested in the list and less motivated to stick with it long enough to learn it if it wasn’t your own creation.

If you pick a net list whose mechanics and strategy you don’t understand, you won’t be any better off than if you had built your own – and probably worse until you learn them!

You may feel like you’re cheating, or be resented by players who brought a homemade list that they have a lot of pride in. I wish I didn’t have to put this on the cons list, because it isn’t cheating to play what’s good, and many homemade list creators who aren’t aware of the meta will end up recreating it anyway; successful lists are successful for a reason. It feels extra good to win with something different and creative, but it shouldn’t feel bad to win with a standard list, especially when the point of Second Edition was to get back to an environment where dice and flying make a much greater impact than squad composition.

You are more likely to end up in a mirror match against the exact same squad, and the less experience as a player you have, the worse off you’ll be in that match-up. Even against a player of the same skill level, now your match is going to be decided ultimately by initiative or dice variance, and that just feels bad.

Experienced opponents are likely to be prepared for your list, and will have some idea of what targets to prioritize and what strategies to expect from you.

Home-brew list – What Is It?

Every net list started as a home-brew list that someone put together. These are the lists that are built ship by ship and upgrade by upgrade.

The Pros of Building Your Own List

The element of surprise when you make your opponent face a combo that is completely unfamiliar or has a different twist can give you an advantage.

If your list contains a counter to a popular meta, you have a greater chance of winning against those common meta lists that you’ll face more often.

Playing the same thing everyone else is playing can get boring. If you build your own list you have the opportunity to tailor it to what you think is most fun, and get more enjoyment out of the experience, even if your list isn’t maximally efficient.

Learning and remembering is easier when you have a greater personal and emotional investment in the subject, and building your own list adds an additional feeling of ownership to your squad.

List building is fun! It may not be an explicit part of combat, but it is an aspect of the game that appeals strongly to most X-Wing players. List building takes your game beyond the table top, and challenges you in different ways.

The Cons of Building Your Own List

It takes more time and effort to get a good, winning list. Again, net lists are net lists because they are proven and tried. You may be putting precious table time into lists that others have already found to be sub-par.

The process of trial and error can be frustrating and discouraging, especially for someone who’s still learning. When you lose, it’s harder to tell whether the problem is in your list or in your game-play, making it even more difficult to figure out the best adjustment to make.

The introduction of the Hyperspace format in Second Edition complicates list building, and it can be a big “gotcha” if you aren’t careful. Someone I know recently scrapped an entire list because much of lists’ the synergy fed off of Jyn Erso crew, who isn’t Hyperspace legal. The list still works in Extended, but it won’t be legal in every tournament.

Final Thoughts

As a newer player if you’re asking, “should I build my own list or find one?”, the biggest question is whether you have the time, interest, and dedication to create and perfect your own, as well as the humility to accept the game losses that will inevitably result from the learning process. If you’re missing any of the above, a pre-built list may suit you better. If, on the other hand, you have the time and interest, building your own list can enrich your X-Wing experience and bring your understanding of the game to a higher level.



For a bit more discussion on the subject from a different source, check out the recent Sith Takers Snap Shots Podcast where they cover net listing.

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