Dropping Test a few weeks before comps is normal...
Running a cycle without it is silly, maybe you could get away with something like a DHT+something aromatisable like EQ or Dbol but it isn't smart. At the very least you should be using hCG so that atleast your natural system is producing test or run something like 100-200mg Test per week as the base.
I run on 200mg Test as my cruise and keep it at 200mg year round, using other AAS to blast.
For the average gym-goer not running test in a cycle is not advised and not necessary (a triple negative).
But I've seen guys run primo only cycles, primo and var cycles, hell I know a guy who ran deca only cycles, competed at 245 SHW in his last comp, 285 off season. Lots of guys have ran oral only cycles, like dbol or var. Especially with all the Designer Steroids and ProHormones out there.
It's not like you are going to die without Test, especially if you have other androgens on board. There was a study done on rats using low dose trenbolone (no test) as androgen replacement. They found that low dosed tren did not increase prostate mass, nor hemoglobin concentrations while of course building muscle, preserving bone density and keeping visceral fat accumulation at bay. 17?-Hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one (trenbolone) exhibits tissue se... - PubMed - NCBI
I run 200mg test every week as well for my TRT. I am always on at least 200mg/week now.