MetaNoia: The War is Fake, the Salt is Real.
I am undertaking quite the endeavor. Starting today I’m going to strenuously attempt to maybe try to semi-regularly stick to a writing/posting schedule for wargaming. A series of articles that range from strategies, attitudes, and the importance of community in the hobby. Hell, I might even post some pictures of my overwhelmingly average painting skills.
Let’s talk about Netlisting. It is a topic I don’t shy away from, and I genuinely have some strong feelings and opinions on it. I suppose before we talk about it, we should define it. What is it? What is Netlisting. Netlisting is the practice of finding players that are better than you, copying their army lists in the hope that they are busted jank in an effort to hide your poor wargaming skills, all so you can high five your homies while you simultaneously pat yourself on the back for how good you are when you meta-hop netlist after netlist.
What it actually is, is the practice of finding tournament lists that have won, copy/pasting them, and playing that exact (or some REALLY close facsimile) list. It is a common practice, and I think games like Magic (Here it is Netdecking) are what really started making it an extremely common practice.
The internet has made information so much easier to access, and because of this Netlisting as a practice has become all-too-common.
This doesn’t mean that every instance of netlisting is bad. In fact it can be a useful tool. Okay, I hear you. “Chris. You just made fun of it. Now you say its useful. Come on, man!”
So let’s dig into the Pros and Cons
Pros
- Time Saving and Efficient
- New to the game but still want to feel like you know what you are doing at your first tournament? This will help.
- It also helps for tournament prep. Understanding what every chud with a fat wallet is bringing will give you good prep.
- Good Learning Tool
- Netlisting and studying netlists can help players learn and see different interactions they may not have noticed. Especially if those interactions fall outside of your normal play-style
- Level the Playing Field
- Lack skill in a game? Simply netlist the most recent jank that busted a GT. Then, as aforementioned, high five the bros because you’re so god-damned good
- Known Builds
- Having common builds can make strategy discussions easier. I
It really does have its place, and can be a useful learning tool
Cons
- Stifles Creativity
- Legit. I went to a 2-day event late 9th edition. 30 (ish) players. Necrons were strong (in their own weird, shitty way, but that’s a topic for later).
- Out of the 30-40 players there were 10-12 necron players and 80-90% of them ran literally the same list. After 3 games out of 5 against the same list I wanted to hang myself with my underwear (3-0 against it, but it was still super boring)
- Skill Mismatches and Salt
- Played a guy at a 8 round event early 10th. Eldar were about as broken as my arthritic toes. Beat the dude’s ass with a bike/kopta heavy ork list. Instant salt. The busted list/army was supposed to carry him through the game. Nah dawg.
- In some ways this is a joke, but it is also real. There are truly players out there that feel the need to play “what’s busted” over just being better. I understand time is a factor, but if you cannot dedicate the time to being good, why not just focus on the enjoyment of the game?
- Pay-to-Win
- There was definitely a period in a certain game’s recent history in which almost every new codex was so inherently broken that it garuanteed model sales. Genius.
- Meta Fatigue
- See my rant above about late 9th Necrons
So you all know my feelings about it. Now let’s talk about how we can use it without abusing it.
- Start with a fraction of a netlist
- Maybe just 50% of it, or even 75, then pare it down as you find units within your playstyle. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a unit that is SUPER GOOD, and an “auto-take”. But that doesn’t mean you HAVE to bring as many as you can, and copy/paste the whole list. At some point you will hit a buzzsaw that is just better than you, and then you’ll be sad.
- Remember that a good pilot with a bad list can still beat a bad pilot with a good one
- I’m not great at 40k now. I’ve had more than a year off. But at my peak I was a damned-good player. I relished in taking meme-lists to tournaments and just seeing how far I could go with it. My Cag Bash list from a couple of years ago is a testament to that!
Look. I’m not saying don’t ever netlist. I’m not saying that doing it makes you a filthy fucking pig-person deserving of the depths of hell. I’m simply saying don’t be afraid to play things you like. Focus on getting good and having fun. If everyone netlists, communities dry up and the game slowly dies off. I’ve seen it
What are your thoughts: Necessity or hobby cancer?