Into the Garbage Chute, Flyboy!
It’s all broken. All of it. Sabine — instant damage, kills my aces. All the bombs around — they’re making me fly big ships. Jumpmaster — look at that dial, and the cost and the availability of upgrades. Mindlink — easy mode. Fenn — If I had his upgrades on Soontir or a Poe — it would cost at least three more points AND Fenn gets an extra hull. They don’t want you to fly Imperials anymore.
The above aren’t my words. Honestly. I might agree with some sentiments there, but what I find most intriguing about the way players react to the meta, is particularly embedded in that last statement and the emphasis that is placed upon the ethereal They.
What I find particularly profound is that often people do not realise the power they have over the cycle that is the meta.
Though there may be a number of arguments surrounding the meta; the division and unity that goes with #whatmeta? (started by our very own Jesper Hills) could be weighed up equally, my main focus for the next few paragraphs will be exploring philosopher Slavoj Žižek’s ideas on the John Carpenter 1988 feature They Live.
Google memes of Žižek and you will find him standing next to a trash can
Žižek argues that we eat from the trash can of ideology every day, that we are unaware of its pervasive nature, seeping in through consumerism. He uses the character of John Nada from They Live (Nada in Spanish literally means nothing) who one day finds some magic sunglasses. He discovers that when he puts the sunglasses on — they show the real hidden meanings behind each of our consumerist needs.
For instance, you might look at an advert in a magazine whilst wearing the glasses and see this
You might look at a billboard advertising a computer and see
It’s what Blake referred to as the Mind-Forg’d Manacles, those things designed to keep us in place and restrict our thoughts and actions. By wearing the magic glasses, Nada is able to see the hidden ideologies that enslave us and decides that he must break free of them in the most violent way possible, freeing the world from the invasion of the consumerist bodysnatchers.
Žižek cites one scene in particular where Nada tries to force his best friend to wear the glasses in order to free him from the bodysnatchers that have tricked us into consumerism. Nada tells his friend
What ensues is a bloody brawl where his friend is then literally forced and beaten out of the shackles of ideology. Žižek argues that to be free, you must endure pain.
What has all this got to do with plastic spaceships?
I’ll tell you. With the release of a new wave, there is already talk of DenNym, a horrible and monstrous beast that obliterates all in its path with revenge shots and unlimited bombs.
How do we beat it? Let’s just join it. It’s broken again. FFG don’t listen.
You know who has the power? Wait for it…in fact, I’ve even put some glasses for you to cut out and put together.
Ready for it?
Cut ’em out, get the coloured filters and glue. I can wait. Don’t read anymore until you’ve assembled them. You might need an adult’s help with sharp scissors.
Have you got them on?
Good. Things might look the same. Don’t worry, they’ll work in a minute.
Now stand in front of the mirror — who has the power?
You.
You make the meta, not FFG.
There are definitley power players, bogey man lists and ships that are undercosted in comparison to others. There are negative play experiences and there are positive play experiences (subjectivity is inescapable here), but you are the ones in control of what is run. The real choice is whether to run the list or not. Don’t hate on the guy or gal that went with it, though.
Look at Jesper Hills winning a store champs with his meta call of bro-bots using PTL, Advanced Sensors, Ion bombs and Rigged Cargo Chute. Look at Kevin Bellamy running Glitter-Crack bro-bots and when the meta is apparently all about stress, alpha strikes and heavy hitting hammers.
The #whatmeta has sparked so much controversy as to what the meta is or isn’t and how taking a counter to the meta will, in fact, be shaping the meta. David Sutcliffe’s exploration of meta and netlisting via Magic The Gathering (both parts 1 and 2) is by far the most succint argument against and for netlisting.
Oliver Pocknell co-wrote an article with Phil GC M*ta: It’s not a Dirty Word where they each examine the merits of The Meta. The most useful advice is towards the end where they suggest what ships you might bring to counter your own local metas.
Despite this, I can’t help but feel there’s still something missing. Fly what you want, regardless of meta or possible counters. I always pack my tournament bag with the components for an A-Wing swarm but I never play it. How do I feel about that? Ashamed, not of the meta, but of me for not putting the ships on the mat.
The more we remember that these are toys and that we came to have fun, the better.
Which brings me back to the trash can. You need to accept that you will lose with your snowflake list. You need to eat the trash can in order to break free.
The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea
Nobakov
Challenge: send me your Scurrg lego attempts and I’ll send you my double alt art cards (Veteran Instincts, Predator and Imperial Gunner). You probably already have these, but LEGO!
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You can also read some of my older posts at https://itsgettinghothinhere.wordpress.com
