That would be an excellent one to start with considering the length and scale, especially if you include the ancillary carrier operations (Santa Cruz, Eastern Solomons, etc.). I've read quite a few very arguments that Guadalcanal was even more important than Midway (for one, the losses to Japan's experienced air crews were over stated considering so many simply jumped over the side and were rescued. Guadalcanal was the battle that truly ground them up).
This setup appears periodically in AvA. It works very well if you have a certain minimum number of people. When that happens, the Americans fly historically, that is, with wingmen, using B&Z tactics, and it's a competitive environment. If you don't have that minimum number, the Americans, flying Wildcats and P-39Ds against A6M2s and 3s, have an unpleasant problem (also historical). You always come away with respect for what the real US pilots were up against.
Agreed on importance of the battle. It was the death of the Japanese navy, and of its best (and irreplaceable) pilots.
- oldman