I do understand that the concept of there being a meta ship build is distasteful and very regrettable because of greatly reduced choices and variety. No one likes to be forced to journey on well worn obvious paths. Of course, this is due to choices made by the game designers. Nevertheless, the current Meta Fdl build is a thing of beauty with great adaptability and power.
It is also incredibly difficult for a lot of us to master. Not only is one advised to learn flight assist off and all that that technique entails, but also the plasma accelerator is by far the most difficult weapon to use against humans. Not only is the PA reticle almost twice as far from the ship than a multicannon reticle, but also the PA reticle at larger distances, can be very deceiving and useless unless you know the target's trajectory. In organized PvP in asteroid fields, the reticle is often obscured by rocks. Nevertheless, the generous fall off distance of 2km and the high absolute damage of the PA is unparalled. All that frustration and diminishing patience used in training to use PAs is well paid.
I get sad when people descry the meta FDL. Especially if they make such a judgement simply because they cannot fly it to perfection right away. Yeah, it sucks that there is hardly any choice, but personally, my attempt to learn to fly the meta properly, to its fullest potential, is the most satisfying aspect of Elite Dangerous for me. The meta may seem ubiquitous, but in reality, there are very few masters of the build.
o7
one day I sure I'm going to win! 
