New Year’s Resolutions for Shatterpoint Self-Improvement

Picture of Matt Bronson

Matt Bronson

I love games, and I love Star Wars! The first Star Wars minis game I got into was Armada back in 2017. Since then I also got into Legion and now Shatterpoint. With all games I’ve played I love the competitive side. I hate when people set up “fun” and “competitive” as opposites because they don't have to be. For me they go together and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

It’s the first article of the year, which means it’s time to turn a new leaf and try to start some good habits for 2025. Now, you could buy a gym membership, go twice, and forget about it until January 1, 2026. Alternatively, how about trying to get better at Shatterpoint? If you’re reading my articles, I’m sure you’re already amazing. Even still, we all have room for improvement. Some of the following tips are more relevant to new players, but I think for the most part even experienced players can gain some benefit from them.

Before we get into the meat of the article, I do have to address the elephant in the room: bad luck happens! Sure, sometimes you’ll whiff dice rolls, the deck will come up in a terrible order, or the priority objective will go against you repeatedly. Sometimes, especially in tight games, luck can feel like it has a big effect. However, if your takeaway from every loss is “I just got unlucky” then that is not helpful for growth. A core belief underlying this article is that Shatterpoint is a game about managing the odds and skillfully making the most of every situation. I am a firm believer that player skill can make luck less important in determining the victor, so today we’re going to focus on ways to hone our skills.

1. Choose an ability and go all out

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When Shatterpoint first came out, I was lucky enough to get my hands on Padawan Ahsoka Tano. However, I didn’t have much success with her. Her reactive, Getting Ahead of Yourself Again, Snips, was a bit of an afterthought for me. Sure, it looked enticing, but I really only triggered it when I happened to be in range. Given all the new rules/units I was learning, I probably completely forgot to use it many times. One day I decided that my main focus for a few games would be to spam the reactive as much as I could, and it was eye-opening. Intentionally setting up and using the ability, my opinion on Snips went from “meh” to “oh wow” fast. After a few games really focusing on the ability, I had built up enough muscle memory to move focus onto other things while still getting effective value out of Snips.

Muscle memory is the key thing. There are so many interactions in Shatterpoint that you need to do some things on autopilot. Spending some time to put an ability through the wringer can also give some new insights into the nuance and creative plays it’s capable of. For a new player, applying this resolution might be as simple as remembering to use Coordinated Fire on every attack. For more experienced players, perhaps you spend some games really focusing on having Padawan Learners within range 2 of allies for heals from their tactic, Lessons Learned.

Once you have one aspect a the game figured out, choose another one to focus on. Rinse and repeat!

2. Play “enemy” lists

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This idea is based on a phenomenon that I really noticed playing card games (RIP Gwent). I would be playing a certain deck, say Deck X, and think “wow, Deck Y seems crazy powerful because I never feel like I have a chance against it.” Then at some point I’d swap over and try Deck Y, only to realize it’s fine. The problem was mainly that Deck Y matched up really well with Deck X particularly.

Now, I feel like there is (thankfully) a lack of hard counter lists in Shatterpoint. There are enough good units/lists that pilot skill will be a huge factor. However, there are still tough matchups and it’s always good to know your enemy. Even if you don’t plan on playing a big meta list, getting some reps in with it can help you better understand its tricks and its weaknesses. Seeing what opponents do against you is a valuable learning opportunity. Whether they stymie you successfully or spectacularly fail to stop you, take note of their tactics for ideas on what to or not to do in the future.

Regardless of your opponent’s plays, taking note of your own experiences can be helpful as well. What aspects of the game are you finding easy? What aspects are difficult or finicky? Which characters are your big playmakers? What sort of plays are you hoping your opponent will or won’t make? When you eventually swap back to your preferred list you’ll have improved knowledge of the enemy and you’ll be better prepared to counter them, either through gameplay or some unit choices in list building.

3. Know the layouts

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In my experience, one big thing that separates good players from great players is the ability to plan ahead. Yes, Shatterpoint is a very reactive game where you need to make the most of what you’re given, but you need to set yourself up for success. A perfectly timed Shatterpoint card might not be enough to save you if all your units are wounded or out of position.

There are many ways to set yourself up for success, but for this resolution we’ll focus on the layouts. Shatterpoint’s best-of-three format means you’ll always want to keep an eye on the upcoming struggle. Knowing which locations are most likely to become active can be essential to starting a struggle strong, or keeping your opponent from starting too strong. I’ve written guides on Shifting Priorities, Sabotage Showdown, and Never Tell Me the Odds, so you can check those out if you want some general observations. However, if you want to really take things to the next level, I’d suggest setting aside some time to memorize all the objective layouts. Knowing the overall frequency a particular point comes up is handy, but knowing what other points will likely become active at the same time is also very useful.

Knowing the layouts can give insights into the overall flow of each mission. This information can help even before the first activation. Which squad deploys on which side can be heavily influenced by the different objectives. If you have priority, knowing the layouts might influence your choice of table side. In Premiere, it could influence which two squads you choose.

4. Discuss with your opponent

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Alright, this resolution can take two forms. Form #1 is suited more to casual games where you and your opponent have decided to play with a lot of dialogue. As you go through turns, both players might chime in with some ideas about possible paths of play. Instead of having a competitive game, it’s more cooperative. The degree to which you are having these discussions can vary. Most commonly it would probably be something like “I’m thinking about doing X or Y for these reasons, which one do you think is better?” or “I am not seeing a good way to do something effective with this character, do you see anything?” Something like that. This method can work well with similar skill levels (mutually beneficial) but also when there’s a discrepancy (at which point it’s more about a learning experience for one player to pick the other’s brain). The important thing is that both players know going into the game that it’ll have a cooperative vibe.

Form #2 is generally better suited for competitive/tournament play. After the game is complete, ask your opponent what you could have done better. They may have some interesting thoughts or a different perspective that can add valuable insights. If you have specific situations that you want to revisit you can mention those! This method can be a bit hit or miss, it depends on the opponent. Some will have great insights while some might just say “I dunno” or may not be the chatty type.

5. Take note of key decision points

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This resolution ties in with talking to your opponent, but it’s also broader. As you play a game of Shatterpoint, you’ll come to a number of forks in the road. Should I go left or right? Should I dive into my opponent’s backline aggressively or cautiously defend my claimed objectives? Should I activate Hunter or Wrecker? When you feel like you’re making a pivotal decision, take a little mental note. Flag it in your mind. After the game, you can re-evaluate the decision you made. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps you’ll have a strong feeling about whether you made the right or wrong decision. Even more important is that you think about the “why.” Why did you make the decision you did? Maybe you nailed it, maybe you didn’t consider some key information, or maybe you overestimated how important a certain factor was.

Generally, I’m a big proponent of process over results. If you choose to defend an objective because “everything is OK as long as the 212th guy doesn’t run his tree into Mando” then don’t beat yourself up for “making the wrong choice” if the 1% chance happens and the 212th does run his tree. Don’t get caught up chasing your tail or fighting past battles, to mix a few metaphors. Learn from experience but make the decisions that give you the best chance in your current game, not a past game.

Really this resolution is a bit of personal preference. I sometimes find it difficult at the end of the game to think “OK, what could I have done better?” if I don’t actively flag some moments as I go. Find a method that works for you so that you can focus on key decisions when you debrief, whether that’s solo or with your opponent.

6. Tell yourself the odds

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Oh wow, a shameless plug for my dice simulator! I’m not advocating for you to necessarily go through and memorize the odds for every possible situation (but if you want to then I won’t stop you). It’s not like I’m getting paid by the simulation (though that would be great, maybe something to consider Evan?1). However, when you feel like something really lucky or unlucky swung the game it can be handy to toss it in the simulator and see what it says. Perhaps it was only a 5% chance that it would happen, and it was a bit of an outlier result. However, maybe it was a 42% chance and not that crazy at all.

Do with the information what you will, but I find knowing the odds helps me gauge how lucky something really was and sets expectations for how much I could expect a repeat in the future.

7. Experiment!

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It sounds obvious, but to learn you actually have to try things. I fall into this trap all the time where I get comfortable with a certain playstyle that is maybe only “good enough” but I don’t push myself to venture outside of that. If you have an approach you like then it feels safe and it’s tough to deviate because there’s some chance things go wrong or even horribly wrong. However, maybe it will go great! You have to try and find out. If you are generally a conservative player but you see an aggressive line of play, try it out once in a while. If you generally keep your supports at the back, try pushing them forward sometimes and take note of the results.

Experimentation can also apply to list creation. You might assume Unit X is a better choice than Unit Y, but maybe give it a few reps with Unit Y just in case. I’ve had some fun experiences lately with character combos I previously thought were sub-optimal.

Experimentation melds perfectly with point #5 about making mental notes. When you try something new, log that somewhere in the ol’ brain to circle back on later. And if, for example, you try out a bunch of aggressive plays, it doesn’t mean you have to completely change your playstyle to become a more aggressive player. Rather, it’s about knowing when to seize the opportunity and zig when you’d usually zag. Add more tools to your toolbox, even if you still use the hammer or screwdriver 80% of the time.

Summary

As I said at the top, bad luck happens! Sometimes you’ll make the sensible choice but fate has other plans. That’s how the force works, right?

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Luck will always be a factor in Shatterpoint games. However, improving as a player means you’ll set yourself up to mitigate bad luck and take advantage of good luck. If you follow my 7-step program above, I guarantee (not enforceable) that you’ll see results within two months (randomly chosen timeframe) or your money back (again, not enforceable)!

The important thing is to put some intentionality into growth rather than simply playing lots of games and hoping you get better.

  1. LOL, no ↩︎

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