Dr. Porg’s Health Check

The first PQ weekend completed. There are already a number of videos and certainly will be more breaking everything down, but we’re writing about it anyway.

** If you still want a video, you probably didn’t start here anyway, but check out our Where to Start With Streamers for a few good ones.

Meta Health

Thinking back a few months ago to the Shadows of the Galaxy meta at the end of that cycle’s meta, Boba Green was oppressive and Boba Yellow was no joke either. There seemed to be consistent events back then where a top eight would feature three to five Boba decks of some color combination.

We noted recently in our “Thrive or Demise?” post that the meta was likely very health after the Boba suspension. Now we have proof.

Fourteen total PQ events. Ten different leader and base combination winners. Thirty two different leader and base combinations in top 8s. Seeing this level of diversity is a massively good thing.

You can find a full breakdown of the first PQ weekend’s data over on SWU Competitive Hub.

Attendance Health

The other really awesome thing is that with all those qualifiers happening in the same weekend, plus SCG Atlanta drawing players as well, the average attendance across the PQ events was a very nice showing.

Some people were worried during the holiday season at the tail end of 2024 that things were slowing down. Well it seems that it was just the time of the year causing an impact. Over one thousand PQ participants around the globe, along with multiple large events at SCG Atlanta and a few store showdowns to boot.

Plus the online presence was excellent as well. Multiple live streams were running simultaneously. Discord chats were popping off like crazy. Even Porg Depot page hits have been up in the past week.

Are we at Magic: the Gathering levels? No, of course not. However, we are on a good trajectory as we eventually move into official Organized Play Season One. Also, we should have details around sectional and regional events which will help boost enthusiasm for the game. Plus ideally the prizing will increase which will drive turnout as well.

Fun Factor Health

There were some surprises in many of the events. Nobody would have bet money on a Cassian deck getting into a top 8 except for maybe the person that was planning to play it.

There was also a Hondo Yellow, a Chancellor Palpatine Tarkintown, a Cad Bane Blue, and a bunch of other off meta combinations and well.

Minor Symptoms

While the weekend was overall a success, there were reports out of Las Vegas that there were some incidents tied to one specific player being a bad actor. Check Facebook, Reddit, or Discord for additional details if you have not heard about this already.

This should be considered an isolated occurrence. Ideally FFG will strengthen the rules regarding bad behavior and give judges the ability to stand up to those individuals and institute appropriate penalties.

Conclusion

The meta is healthy, recent attendance is good, the game is fun, and anything to the contrary should be considered a nuisance symptom that is fixable.