Well... it's been awhile since I've been on here. I was doing some reminiscing this past week and wanted to relive and remember the glory days of the WOTC era and the first couple years of the v-sets. So I gathered some data from old FB pages, bloomilk, gamers, and youtube. I plugged it in to chat to determine if it could find any additional data from the competitive scene (gencon champs, regionals). It's unfortunate the old dci rankings doesn't exist, and if one of you happen to have a later copy of it or a link to one floating around the web, I would be happy to plug this into the analysis.

But, my end goal, was to rank the Top 20 best competitive star wars miniatures players during the height of the competitive format. So from the WOTC days to the first two years of v-sets, when the Gen Con champs were pretty well attended. Keep in mind, this is no slight to those that came after and could be, arguably, just as competitive to those that came before. So, let those of us old timers reminisce.

Method

The ranking rewards:

Result Points
Gen Con Championship 20
Gen Con finalist 14
Gen Con semifinalist 10
Gen Con Top 8 7
Regional champion 8
Regional finalist 5
Regional semifinalist 3
Regional Top 8 1
Significant side-event win 2

Final Top 20: Competitive Era Through 2012
1. Bill Russell — 82 points

Bill is the clear number one.

His résumé contains the most impressive combination of championship peak and sustained elite performance:

2008 Gen Con champion
2009 Gen Con finalist
2012 Gen Con finalist
Additional championship-cut appearances, including 2011
Strong performances in major side events

Bill reached the championship match in three different seasons across a five-year span. He won with Rebel Speedy Cannon in 2008, returned with Rebel Slow Cannon in 2009, and then reached the 2012 final with Republic Skybuck.

That is extraordinary adaptability. The tournament format changed from 150 to 200 points, WotC production ended, V-sets arrived, and the meta transformed—yet Bill remained a championship contender.

Why number one: Nobody else through 2012 matches his combination of a title, two additional finals and overall championship longevity.

2. Deri Morgan — 43 points

Deri’s case begins with the 2009 Gen Con championship, won with his Rebel “Lobbin’ Luke” Cannon squad.

His documented résumé includes:

2009 Gen Con champion
Additional Gen Con elimination-round success
2009 regional champion
2010 regional champion
Continued relevance into 2012

Deri was more than someone who hit the right squad for one tournament. His regional championships in consecutive years demonstrate that he consistently understood the competitive environment.

Why number two: His championship gives him the advantage over several more prolific regional players, while his regional record proves that the championship was not an isolated run.

3. Trevor Payton — 41 points

Trevor was Bill Russell’s closest rival in terms of high-end championship achievement.

His results include:

2008 Gen Con finalist
2012 Gen Con champion
2011 Gen Con Top 8
Excellence with multiple factions and squad styles

He reached the 2008 final with the wonderfully named Rebel “Boba Fett, Rebel Hero” squad, then returned four years later to win with Republic GOWK/Mace.

That four-year distance is important. Trevor was elite in both the late 150-point WotC environment and the early 200-point V-set environment.

Why number three: Two championship matches and one title make Trevor an unquestionable all-time great. He trails Deri narrowly because Deri’s supporting regional record is stronger in our surviving dataset.

4. Tim Ballard — 40 points

Tim is probably the best pure regional player of the period.

His documented accomplishments include:

2009 regional champion
2010 regional champion
Three separate 2011 regional championships
Five regional victories from 2009–2011
Major influence on Separatist Lancer construction and play

Tim’s “Gunray’s Gladiators” and related Lancer concepts were copied, adapted and successfully played throughout the community. Even the 2011 California champion’s squad was credited as deriving from Tim’s design.

Unlike the three players ahead of him, Tim had not yet reached a Gen Con final by the 2012 cutoff. That keeps him fourth despite his remarkable consistency.

Why number four: The strongest regional résumé we can document, coupled with major influence on the competitive meta. A championship final or title before the cutoff might have moved him into the top two.

5. Ian Gordon — 36 points

Ian’s defining accomplishment is the 2011 Gen Con championship with Old Republic Beef.

His results include:

2011 Gen Con champion
2010 PA/MD regional champion
2011 Virginia regional champion

Ian succeeded in consecutive seasons with significantly different approaches. His 2010 victory came with Rebel Commandos, while his 2011 championship came with an Old Republic squad built around Bastila Shan and durable Jedi.

Why number five: A Gen Con title plus multiple regional victories. He wins the tiebreak over David Weeks because a championship victory carries more historical weight than two semifinals.

6. David Weeks — 36 points

Weeks may have the best résumé here without a championship victory during the cutoff period.

His documented results include:

2010 regional champion
2011 Gen Con semifinalist
2012 Gen Con semifinalist
2012 North Carolina regional champion

Two consecutive Gen Con semifinals are a tremendous demonstration of reliability. Weeks was one of the few players who repeatedly advanced deep into the tournament rather than relying upon one extraordinary weekend.

He won the 2012 North Carolina Regional with Sith Revan/Kaan/Jaq and later reached the Gen Con semifinals that same season.

Why number six: He ties Ian in points but lacks Ian’s championship. Nevertheless, his repeated Gen Con success makes him one of the safest choices in the entire ranking.

7. Jason Kiernan — 34 points

Jason “urbanjedi” Kiernan combined repeated regional victories with a 2011 championship semifinal.

His results include:

2010 regional champion
2011 Michigan regional champion
2011 Gen Con semifinalist
2012 Illinois regional champion

His Illinois victory is especially interesting because he returned to the fully WotC Rebel Cannon framework that had won the 2010 championship, replacing Obi-Wan’s Force Spirit with Juno Eclipse for additional Disruptive.

That victory demonstrated an ability to recognize when an older squad remained viable in a changing environment.

Why number seven: Three regional championships and a Gen Con semifinal across three consecutive seasons. He lacks the title of those above him, but his consistency is excellent.

8. Graham Bingham — 29 points

Graham was one of the dominant players of the 2011 regional season.

His documented résumé includes:

2011 Atlanta regional champion
2011 Kentucky regional champion
2011 Tennessee regional champion
2012 North Carolina regional finalist

Three regional victories in a single season is extremely difficult to dismiss. Graham then demonstrated that it was not confined to 2011 by reaching another regional final in 2012 with Old Republic.

Why number eight: His regional record is outstanding, but the surviving evidence does not show a corresponding deep Gen Con finish through 2012. That creates a natural dividing line between Graham and the players above him.

9. Daniel Stephens — 28 points

Daniel “Echo” Stephens won the first community-run post-WotC championship.

His accomplishments include:

2010 Gen Con champion
2011 Maryland regional champion

His 2010 Rebel Cannon squad—Han Smuggler, Luke Rebel Commando, Elite Rebel Commandos, Leia, Rieekan, Dodonna and Crix—became one of the defining squads of the late WotC environment.

The championship also carries historical significance: 2010 was the first 200-point championship and the first after WotC announced the end of production.

Why number nine: A championship always matters enormously. He sits below Graham because the surviving results show less repeated high-level activity around that championship.

10. Kelly Krieble — 20 points

Kelly “Dr. Divot” won the 2007 Gen Con Championship with Republic Broken Boba.

That championship represents the highest possible individual achievement, and it occurred in a tournament environment quite different from the later 200-point game.

Unfortunately, much of Kelly’s surrounding tournament history has disappeared with the old WotC forums. That makes it difficult to determine whether he should be placed higher.

Why number ten: A verified championship guarantees a Top 10 position. The lack of surviving regional-era evidence prevents a stronger comparison with the repeatedly documented players above him.

11. Aaron Brueckman — 20 points

Aaron “Lobostele” Brueckman was a major player in the late WotC period.

His résumé combines:

A documented 2009 regional championship
Championship-cut and major-event success
Strong results with high-level Rebel builds

Contemporary reporting describes Aaron and Bill Russell as established players of superior skill, which fits the competitive record we can reconstruct.

Why number eleven: Aaron’s overall body of results is stronger than that of several one-result finalists below him, but Kelly’s Gen Con championship wins their points tie.

12. James Naegele — 18 points

James “FrakkinMando” Naegele was a regional champion in consecutive seasons:

2009 regional champion
2010 regional champion
Additional major-event success

Winning in consecutive seasons is meaningful because the game was changing rapidly during that period. James demonstrated that his success was not tied to a single squad or isolated tournament.

Why number twelve: His repeated regional record places him ahead of players with only one documented major finish. He falls short of the Top 10 because we lack a comparable Gen Con elimination-round result.

13. Hinkbert — 18 points

Hinkbert’s 2012 season was excellent:

Western New York regional champion
PA/MD regional semifinalist
2012 Gen Con Top 8

His principal squad was the Republic GOWK/Mace “Homicidal Surgery” construction. The 2012 regional thread specifically notes that he finished first and third at separate events with the squad.

That regional performance was then validated by reaching the Gen Con quarterfinals.

Why number thirteen: A regional win, another Top 4 and a Gen Con Top 8 in one season is a strong complete-season résumé. James Naegele receives the slight edge for winning across multiple years.

14. James Wyszynski III — 16 points

James “jew3/jameswys” Wyszynski won two documented 2009 regionals.

That alone places him among the most successful players of the first regional season. Winning twice is particularly valuable because those events were geographically dispersed and generally required surviving Swiss followed by elimination games.

Why number fourteen: Two regional championships create a clear case. He trails James Naegele because Naegele’s wins came in different seasons, which provides more evidence of sustained adaptability.

15. Ben Johnson — 16 points

Ben “buttcabbage” Johnson also won regionals in consecutive seasons:

2010 regional champion
2011 Missouri regional champion

His results span the transition from the final WotC-only environment into early V-set competition.

Why number fifteen: Nearly interchangeable with James Wyszynski. James receives the narrow advantage because both of his victories occurred during the larger inaugural regional circuit, but Ben’s cross-era adaptability is a strong counterargument.

16. Dave Battey — 14 points

Dave’s primary claim is a documented Gen Con Championship final during the early period.

A championship final carries more weight than a regional victory because it requires advancement through the game’s strongest and largest annual tournament. Unfortunately, surviving documentation of Dave’s surrounding results is limited.

Why number sixteen: A national final places him above players whose best result was a semifinal. Incomplete early records make it difficult to place him more aggressively.

17. Brandon Patton — 14 points

Brandon “Bsp02” reached the 2010 Gen Con final with Imperial “Gimp Imps,” built around Lord Vader and Imperial swap mechanics.

He finished second to Daniel Stephens in the first 200-point championship.

That single result represents an exceptional peak, particularly because it came during a major format transition.

Why number seventeen: Championship finalist is enough for this range. Dave Battey receives the slight advantage because his result came in the less completely preserved early era, although Brandon could reasonably be placed ahead.

18. Matt Spry — 14 points

Matt “spryguy1981” Spry reached the 2011 Gen Con final with Republic Skybuck.

He defeated a strong field before losing to Ian Gordon’s Old Republic squad in the championship match. Skybuck was one of the defining archetypes of this competitive period, and piloting it through the championship field required far more than simply choosing a recognized squad.

Why number eighteen: His documented peak equals Battey and Patton, but we have less supporting regional evidence through the cutoff. Positions 16–18 are effectively one tier.

19. Matthew Peterson — 14 points

Matthew Peterson’s place comes from an early championship-final appearance.

Like Dave Battey, he is penalized by the destruction of much of the WotC forum archive. We know enough to credit the final, but not enough to reconstruct the broader season or determine how often he performed well in other events.

Why number nineteen: The championship final keeps him inside the Top 20, but the lack of surviving supporting evidence places him last among the finalists.

20. Dave Fanjoy — 10 points

Dave Fanjoy receives the final position based on a documented Gen Con semifinal.

A semifinal is a genuine elite finish: reaching the final four of the largest event carries more weight than a single regional victory.

He narrowly takes the last spot over Gerry/DarphNader only as a historical-cutoff judgment. Gerry’s 2012 semifinal is equally valuable under the formula, so this is essentially a tie.

Why number twenty: Gen Con semifinalist, with the acknowledgement that incomplete records make this the most debatable position.

Just outside the Top 20
Gerry / DarphNader — 10 points

Gerry reached the 2012 Gen Con semifinals. Numerically he is tied for twentieth and could reasonably replace Fanjoy. I would officially record this as 20T, even though a traditional Top 20 requires choosing one.

Thanks!

Oh man, yeah I was at GenCon 2008 too and it was my first as well. Had a blast of a time seeing all of those people I had seen on the forums back then. I played in the Championship too, I always played the Yuuzhan Vong.... finished in the middle of the pack but at least top of those that played Vong in the Champs. hahaha I never got to play against Bill in the Finals...I was too far down in the tables to do that.

Being from the Carolinas, most of the players I played against was Weeks, Daniel Stephens, Graham, and spryguy1981. Me and buddy were discussing the days of Regionals and GenCon and that led me into creating that ranking system. Just for fun, and not without flaws I'm sure.

With all due respect, I have to say that even though I am a West Coast SWM player, I have been playing and competing in SWM since the game was released in 2004, and I have been running SWM's events at Gaming Conventions in California since 2006. I would like you to give me credit on this list as well. Here is my resume;

In 2006, at GenCon Indy in the 150pt SWM's championship on Saturday, in the championship game, I lost to Bill's "Black and Blue Classic" squad ( I was playing a "Black and Blue" variant squad )

14 pts.

In 2008, at GenCon Indy, in a tough, elite, and top tier playing field of 90 participants, I was a Top 8 finisher, in which I lost to Matt Peterson's Rebel "Speedy Cannon" squad ( slight variant to Bill's championship "Speedy Cannon" squad ) in the first round of the playoffs ( I played a Boba, Han NR, and uggie squad )

7 pts.


In 2011, I was the California Regional Champion.

8 pts.

In 2012, I was again, the California Regional Champion.

8 pts.


So, then I believe, I should be on your list as well, with at grand total of;

37 pts.


PS

As Bill was the 2006 champion, he should have an additional 20 pts., bringing his grand total to 102 pts.


PPS

In 2006, at GenCon Indy, I was also the finalist runner-up in the 150 pt constructed event that took place on Sunday, which would give me an additional 14 pts., however there were only a few players competing in the Sunday 150 pt event ( Bill Russell didn't compete that day ), so I would concede that, I probably shouldn't be awarded any points for that event on that day.