Meta Predictions - Waves 1 & 2
Let me start by saying, I don't usually do a lot of Meta discussion or competitive talk. I don't want to sway people into playing something they don't find fun, just to win. With that said, I think that dissecting what will run the Shatterpoint Meta should be easier than most games for a while since there are so few options.
I think off the bat we will see 3 major lists come into popularity. There are a few ways these lists could be built, but we won't know the best synergies till we have played a lot of the game. I am going to try and cover what I think will be the top lists within the first 2 waves of Shatterpoint.
Oops, All Mandos!
I think Mando-centric lists will be among the best lists off the bat. There are a few reasons why I think this will be the case.
- Bo and Gar are both quite strong in both their offensive and defensive abilities and they both support other Mandaolrians regardless of faction.
- So far, all of the Mandalorian units we have seen have at least 1 ability that will proc off of any mando, Mandalorains are Stronger Together. This ability will give you very easy access to free Focuses on almost all of your units.
- In theory, they can and should fit with almost any Primary unit in the game. I suspect we will see a few fit better though.
Those are just a few reasons why I think this list style will be very popular. I think they will fit with nearly any Primary in the game as well, which should add to the flexibility by a lot. You can choose different primaries based on what you think your list needs i.e. More offense, more defense, a nice mix, or maybe a primary that has a lot of supporting abilities to buff your mandos. At the time of writing the only Primaries you can't use are Anakin, Dooku, and Likely Obi-Wan. My bet is that the more popular version will consist of Ahsoka and Asajj as the Primaries. I think there's currently an argument to be made for Maul since he is just an offensive powerhouse, but the Mandos themselves should be offensive enough that defensive/support primaries are probably going to be better here. I am still a little bit on the fence about Asajj without any Dathos or Seppies just because she loses a bit of utility with her Slip Away ability, but I think her playing a little slower vs what I expect Maul to do will be better in this case.
Depending on the Squad Points available to both Grivious and Luminara they both could prove to be good in this list as well. I am hoping that Luminara has some defensive abilities to share with her allies and maybe Grievous has the more offensive side of things.
P: Ahsoka and Asajj
Se: Bo Katan and Gar Saxon
Su: Clan Kryze and Mando Super Commandos
Pros:
- Very mobile
- Solid objective play with buffs from Bo Katan
- Flexible Primaries
- All units are both decent in melee and at range
Cons:
- Somewhat flimsy
- Less ranged firepower than other options
Clone Bros
This is personally the list I am going to try after my first starter game. I think this one is going to be super fun, thematic, and good. I doubt there will be a ton of variation in this list, but I could see a few different possibilities. This list will likely consist of Obi-Wan and either Ani or Lumi as the other primary, Rex and Cody as Secondaries, and any combo of 501st, 212th, or Clone Commandos. The linchpins in this list will be Obi (for defensive support via Knowledge and Defense), Cody (for offensive support via Destroy it!), Rex (for all kinds of support through almost all of his abilities), and having 2 Clone Supporting Units.
Likely the first variation of this list most people will use is Obi, Ani, Rex, Cody, 501st, and 212th since they will all be out at drop. I am pretty excited to see what Luminara and Clone Commandos could bring to this list as well. I think it is unlikely that this specific archetype will function as it should without Obi, Cody, or Rex so, unfortunately, I think Barris and Padawan Ahsoka are out, but that doesn't mean they can't show up elsewhere. I am also inclined to think that, for this specific list, cross-faction list building will not be so great. I think a lot of the GAR units will love to stay with each other since they all seem to have at least a little bit of synergy.
P: Obi-Wan and General Anakin
Se: Captain Rex and Commander Cody
Su: 501st CTs and 212th CTs
Pros:
- They have really strong defensive capabilities and sturdier units
- A ton of really solid synergy to take advantage of
- Should be able to sit and control objectives fairly easily
- Good ranged offense
- Solid Melee support and linebackers
Cons:
- Not super mobile
- Somewhat reliant on Anaking popping off
- Potentially a bit telegraphed and rigid in playstyle
- The offensive or defensive output will suffer if you lose one of the linchpins
The Horde
This is the third and final list I will cover today. This list is focused on Separatist and Battle Droid units, specifically Kalani, B1s, B2s, and Magnas. While we haven't seen B2s, Grievous' Super Tactical Droid, or Grievous fully spoiled yet I would be surprised if they don't have a pretty key part in this list. I'm willing to bet that this list will almost always include Kalani, Grievous, and Grievous' Super Tac alongside any combo of Battle Droid Supports.
I think it is highly likely that Grievous has some excellent abilities to support Droids, specifically Droid Supports since he is the Supreme Commander. I am also willing to be his squad's Super Tac will prove invaluable to droid lists if he is anything like Kalani. Until we see some more abilities this is all speculation, but I imagine that the other primary will be pretty flexible. I want to say that Dooku could be good here, but if Grievous is an 8sp unit then Dooku will not provide enough points to run double Super Tac and double Droid Support. If Dooku doesn't fit then I think Asajj is the next best choice, but Maul should be okay.
P: Grievous and Asajj
Se: Kalani and Other Super Tac
Su: B1s, B2s, or Magnas
Pros:
- Probably the best synergy of all lists so far
- Lots of fun and effective shenanigans with Kalani and Supports
- Flexible in Support and Primary roles
- Good ranged firepower
Cons:
- Weak ranged defense
- Even weaker melee defense
- Relatively low health
- Probably pretty telegraphed
That's all I really have to say about what I am anticipating for the first couple of waves. I am sure that if they do monthly releases then the Meta will be pretty mixed up and flavorful. I am going to make a special note for a fourth list:
Saber City
Not going into too much detail here, but I would be surprised if a list that has 2 Primary and 2 Secondary Force Users will be pretty damn good. We won't be able to do this until Wave 2 when Barriss or the Inquisitors are available, but that's an okay wait.
P: Literally any Force user, but most likley Anakin, Luminara, or The Grand Inquistor
Se: Padawan Ahsoka, Barriss, Whichever Inquisitor is Secondary
Su: 501st, Commados, 212th, Inquisitor?? (if there is one)
Thank you for reading! We are getting closer and closer to release, get hype! I cannot wait to see what the Meta becomes, especially my local one. Let me know what you'll be running at the beginning!