Fighting the META's
First, who is "nightmare"?
Second, my shard is a combination of these teams:
1) JTR Team - JTR, R2, CLS, Thrawn, Tank or Raid Han
2) EP Team - EP, DV, DN, DS (or other tank), Thrawn
3) CLS Team - CLS, Ch-aze, R2, Raid Han/Thrawn
4) Rare but barely occasional night sisters.
Can we definitively set the strats to kill these three teams so they go away forever? God I hate them. Every single fight is the same combination of these three teams no matter if you're back in the mid-100's or in the top 20.
Can't the devs come up with something better? There's the new movie squad, they just redid bounty hunters, there's ewoks, Jedi's, FO, Imperial Troopers, Rogue One, Phoenix..
But EVERYONE runs these 3 squads. I almost wish there was like a quota, so the top one hundred can only have a few of these squads in them.
Or if you don't use these squads, and you are in the top 100, you get a bonus. I think that's what I'd prefer.
Second, my shard is a combination of these teams:
1) JTR Team - JTR, R2, CLS, Thrawn, Tank or Raid Han
2) EP Team - EP, DV, DN, DS (or other tank), Thrawn
3) CLS Team - CLS, Ch-aze, R2, Raid Han/Thrawn
4) Rare but barely occasional night sisters.
Can we definitively set the strats to kill these three teams so they go away forever? God I hate them. Every single fight is the same combination of these three teams no matter if you're back in the mid-100's or in the top 20.
Can't the devs come up with something better? There's the new movie squad, they just redid bounty hunters, there's ewoks, Jedi's, FO, Imperial Troopers, Rogue One, Phoenix..
But EVERYONE runs these 3 squads. I almost wish there was like a quota, so the top one hundred can only have a few of these squads in them.
Or if you don't use these squads, and you are in the top 100, you get a bonus. I think that's what I'd prefer.
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Replies
There is always going to be a meta. If they introduce something new, there's just going to be a new meta. The key is to not introduce things too quickly, so that free players have time to participate in the current meta before it moves on.
A lot of those teams aren't necessarily the best, but rather they're the most straightforward to assemble, and the least out-of-the-way. But honestly, right now, this is a pretty diverse meta. There are about 150 characters in the game, and I'd say about a third of them are arena viable. What mix of them gets used will vary from shard to shard.
I don't think I'd say a third. I'd go more with a fifth.
For units that are under multiple headers, I'm gonna list them the first time they come up, but not again. So while R2 is almost always with JTR, I'm not listing him with JTR 'cuz he crops up with CLS first.
CLS Rebels:
R2, Raid Han, Ezra, Hoth Leia, Chirrut, Baze, Princess Leia, Old Ben, Captain Han (10)
Nightsisters:
Talzin (possibly lead), Asajj (probably better lead), Daka, Nightsister Zombie, Acolyte, Spirit, Talia, zBarriss (8)
Sith:
Palpatine (probably lead), Vader, Nihilus, Sion, Traya, Maul (for AoE daze as a specific counter to certain teams), Sith Trooper, Thrawn (8)
First Order. Seldom #1, but they are certainly viable in the arena:
Literally everyone except Phasma. (7)
JTR and the droids:
BB-8, General Kenobi, Amilyn Holdo, Chopper, Enfys Nest, Scavenger Rey, Resistance Trooper, IG-88, IPD possibly L3 (10 or 11)
Rex titans:
Only real addition here is Wampa. (2)
Empire: (especially under Thrawn, strong on offense, particularly against nightmare, though poor on defense)
Krennic, Deathtrooper, Shoretrooper, Snowtrooper, Veers, Starck, Tarkin, TIE Fighter Pilot, maybe Magmatrooper in this debuff heavy meta (8 or 9)
Ackbar hybrid (still works on offense)
Hermit Yoda (2)
So, by my tally, 53-55 arena viable units.
Not every new thing is the new meta. The bounty hunter rework was for PvE, not the arena, as are most of the new scoundrels. The exception being Enfys Nest, who's explicitly designed to counter the turn meter train meta, and is already carving her niche in JTR and Rex teams.
It makes perfect sense. The new groups just aren’t viable aside from nest. These are the newest viable teams.
That's because not everyone shard has every team listed above! The reason there is always a META is because it is an acronym: Most Efficient Team Available. Right now some teams can lose against some teams but win against others.
Sion was special in that he was usable fresh from the marquee. However, he just dropped as free to play and a lot of folks are still getting him up.
JTR is only a couple cycles old, and most folks couldn't get her first cycle. Sion's been generally available for less than one. That's still pretty new. Introduce too many earthshattering changes and the teams the free players have been working towards are irrelevant by the time they have that team ready.
As to your particular shard? Shards vary. Yours seems to be an uncommonly homogeneous shard, for not having a single Nightsisters or Rex/titans team on the leader boards.
Just because a unit is arena viable does not mean the individual will choose to use it.
Characters in SWGOH arena top 50 (Dec 2017 shard):
Commander Luke Skywalker
R2D2
Han Solo
Chirrut
Baze
Emperor Palpatine
Darth Vader
Darth Nihilus
Darth Sion
Sith Trooper
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Grand Moff Tarkin
General Kenobi
Kylo Ren Unmasked
First Order Stormtrooper
Kylo Ren
First Order Officer
First Order Executioner
Shoretrooper
TIE Fighter Pilot
CT-7567 “Rex”
Death Trooper
First Order TIE Pilot
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Old Ben)
Boba Fett
Asajj Ventriss
Mother Talzin
Old Daka
Nightsister Acolyte
Nightsister Zombie
Stormtrooper
First Order SF TIE Fighter
Wedge Antilles
Biggs Darklighter
34 total
Basically, they’re grouped as Sith/Nightmare, Empire, CLS Rebels, First Order, Nightsisters, Rex mix. I’m sure my shard will also get a few Rey (Jedi Traning) teams after the upcoming event. So that’s 6 different team combinations (with room for one more) in the top 50. In your shard, it sounds like it’s more established so more folks have Rey teams. But the reason you don’t typically see Jedi or Jawa or Ewok or Separatist or Tusken teams (among others) in the top end of arena has nothing to do with players being unimaginative. Players use the same few teams because they work. They win battles on offense and don’t fall too far on defense. You can feel free to switch to any team you want, as long as you don’t mind losing rank and getting fewer crystals. At least you can be happy that there are options. Three team options are better than only having one that destroys everything else and has no counter. So if you’re getting bored with your battles, you can change up your own team to try something else. It just might cost you some arena rank to do it.
Honestly I would not say the Scoundrels are not viable yet.
The Scoundrels seem built to break Palp and JTR and other TM teams. Also they are anti-AOE teams. I suspect Beckett and/or Vos are going to add to their options too. I know what the videos say, but the few I watched didn't even have Nest in them and Nest is THE anti meta toon among them. Her main weakness is solved by Vandor and she gives another assist source for Young Han.
Im guessing if they are releasing $1800+ worth of toons, they will beat the meta. Right now I would say the arena-viable version is Qira, Vandor, Young Han, Nest and L3. Lando is the prep-spreader but he takes time to build up so I think he is more for PVE. Bossk or Raid Han may fit in here too.
AOE daze, 3 counters, 3 healing sources, a rez and a very reliable and hard-hitting assist.
Also, Vandor is broken right now but if they fix him his Rez zeta will be wortwhile. Right now its useless and will almost never proc. L3's counter is almost certainly broken too.
New arrivals like Wampa and Nest, slightly less new like CLS, JTR, Talzin, Thrawn...sure, but how about old ones. There's only 2 that have never faltered...2 !!
Rex and GK and only 1 of those 2 is available to everyone. Rex is the 1 winner hands down that can lead 4 hodge-podge OP toons and make them meta. No-one else even comes close.
First time I have heard someone put it that way. You have helped me decide who my next fleet shop farm is.
What team are you running? Without knowing the only strategic advice i can offer is kill them.