I only started looking at FEs at the start of May. Missed the drop 2 weeks ago ....
I specifically targeted 3090s as there was a better historical record of stock availability, and they tended to stay in stock longer due to pricing people out.
Worked first time. Looking at the timings, I beat the discord notifications (even if i'd have seen them) by about 30s. Plenty of time to complete the order and crack open a beer.
It's competitive, you have to get ahead of the pack. If you rely on Discord etc, you're getting the same data at the same time as the masses. Also, get your account prepped. Cards saved, browser ready - be prepared. No last minute panic. People spending months trying to catch FEs aren't trying hard enough