so I have been running

Boba

VI

Tact

Mangler

EU

Kath

Predator

Mangler

Gunner

The list has a few obvious flaws.

1 being against a TIE swarm it won't perform well due to lack of damage (or any swarm for that matter)

It has some good stress mechanics but requires that the ships stay alive to keep it up. The predator/gunner/mangler combo on kath is good when she has support ships but I am curious if VI and a seismic would be a better option.

I enjoy the empire versions of the Firesprays and am excited for Krassis to get EM and a good missile. I don't think the scum versions are "better" as boba's ability while it won't trigger often, can keep him out of an arc or put him into a good position if needed.

Well. I mean you have much better credentials than I do. But honestly I never want to play he imperial firesprays. Heck. Even scum firesprays have a hard time in the meta ATM.

Why are Scum Firesprays considered good, yet Imperial Firesprays not?

Let's break it down.

Firstly, Faction plays a large role here.

The Imperial Firesprays have access to more faction-specific crew and Elite Talents than do the Scum ships.

The Empire has better synergy with other craft of the same faction.

That being said, the Scum ships allow for Illicit Upgrades, which provide their benefit without competing for the upgrade slot.

Individual Pilot Attributes.

Bounty Hunter vs Mandalorian Mercenary

Aside from the faction differences, the MM has +2 PS and an Elite Talent, while costing 2 points more

However, that caps your list at only 2 MM, while 3 BH is still potent, though underused at the moment.

Trelix vs Azzameen

Aside from the faction differences, this is the battle of Hats. Krassis loves Cannons as much as Azzameen loves Bombs.
However, the Empire shied away from Krassis due to the introduction of Shuttles and Defenders, which don't have the synergy, but cost substantially fewer points. Combine that with the allure of IG-88_B tempting the cannonade away from the Empire in general, and you can understand why KT hasn't hit the table in a while, despite having a built-in Predator in most match-ups.

Meanwhile, we're entering a Bomb meta, and Azzameen wields them like no other. His star's on the rise, theoretically.

Scarlet vs Scarlet

Aside from the faction differences, ImpKath's ability is a form of counterintuitive control, whereas ScumKath's is straightforward aggro.

ImpKath received quite a few buffs from the Scum and Villany wave, with Mangler Cannon and/or Calculation giving her some new tricks. The logic seems to be that, rather than seeking to deal less damage so that you deal a stress token, you should instead attempt to deal as many Crits as possible, and force your opponent to stress or die. However, she doesn't have the mobility to keep up with the ships that require Actions to survive, and no matter how you build her, the enemy has a way to render her ability moot.

Meanwhile, ScumKath emphasizes the greatest tool in the Firespray arsenal, and rewards you for its use.

Fett vs Fett

Aside from the faction differences, ImpBoba's ability is a minor form of post-planning mobility, whereas ScumBoba's ability is an insane survivability/offensive boost simultaneously.

ImpBoba saw some minor success with the release of the Navigator, and is currently the 2nd best vector for the Andrasta title. His ability is best used in two positions: When he cannot predict where the opponent will fly at his front, or when he wants to ensure the shot out of his rear arc. I prefer the latter, as it is a subtle boost along the same reasoning that make the rear arc more powerful than the front arc.

ScumBoba, however, rewards you for your opponent playing well, increasing your damage potential and damage mitigation for each enemy ship in the range where you traditionally prefer not to fight in a large ship.

Essentially, with Kath and Boba, the differences between factions are a question between moderately good yet subtle mechanics, vs borderline overpowered yet blatant abilities. Krassis still has relevance, but has simply been forgotten in recent history.

Might I recommend Recon Specialist for any version of the Firespray? It gives you 2 Focus to be used in offense and defense. With rolling 2 green, you get the eyeball often enough. Maybe you even need it twice for defense? It helps keep your Firespray alive longer, which is a good thing. It goes a long way for not that many points on a Firespray.

I feel like there can be better points spent then the 4 on the Mangler on Boba. Maybe a Fletchette torp and a seismic? The Torp gives you the option of double stressing a small base ship if you catch them at range 2.

I'd rather use an Ion Pulse Missile to know where they are going to be. Dont' forget you get to keep the TL to adjust. If you catch them at R2 then they are ionized and stressed.

The real problem in my opinion facing imperial firesprays is twofold:

1) The scum pilot talents are better across the board somewhat substantially.

2) K4 security droid is so good on firesprays that it's obscene. I've never regretted taking that crew.

If the imperial version had something like K4 then I think they'd see more play, even with weaker pilot talents.

I still love all the Imp Firesprays:

Bounty Hunter: No EPT fun like the Mando Merc, but very cheap and even naked a Firespray can be a force.

Krassis Trellix: Guy should never be forgotten about, and the introduction of the Mangler gives him yet another option to play with, as might the upcoming Extra Munitions with the Slave 1 title.

Kath Scarlet: Probably the weakest Imperial Firespray, but both Calculation and the Mangler Cannon have breathed some new life into her so-so ability. Pair Tactician with either of those, however, and she can be nasty to deal with. Scum Kath, however, mostly outshines her.

Boba Fett: Honestly? I still think Imperial Boba is better than the Scum one. Give him VI and a Navigator, and the Fettman gets unprecedented control over the battlefield and he turns into a nightmare for Phantoms and various arc dodgers.

Scum Firesprays have the advantages of the K4 Security Droid (love that thing), illicits and a superior Kath Scarlet. BH vs MM is a bit of a wash as one is cheaper but the other is only slightly more expensive with a higher PS and access to EPTs. Trellix vs Azzameen also a bit of a wash, as both excel at two very different things. Then I give a personal slight edge up to Imp Fett over Scum Fett, though Scum Fett's ability is still solid (though all too many times I've seen it result in someone just getting Fett killed trying to use it). They're probably overall better thanks to Scum Kath and the scum-only upgrades at their disposal, but there's definitely a place in the game for all four Imperial Firespray pilots.

For 2 points over the cost of Trellix you can take a Mando Merc with Predator. You get the same PS and Predator is a much better version of Trellix's ability. It works with Primary weapons as well so you can get the benefit of the reroll out the rear arc or when at range 1 (if you are sporting an HLC), and when shooting low PS generics you get an extra reroll. You get a lot of mileage out of those 2 extra points.

Predator kind of crapped on Trellix.

To the OP'nat least in my local meta, swarms have not been an issue. It's the bros, my 2 imp firesprays has been been holding their own. I've been running :

Kath

Mangler

Predator

Gunner

50pts

Krassis

HLC

Gunner

Anti pursuit(yes, really)

50pts

For brobots' you block with krassis,all kicks in, then unload on robot one with kath. His ability shuts down the advanced sensors/push the limit combo,crowding the table makes them split up, and rear arc keeps them form getting too close behind. Also four more hp dosent hurt. It makes the bros play defensively. I have not tried it against turrets yet, but the PS 7 and 5 have been enough to hold their own round here.

Bounty Hunter and Trellix remain the best Imperial Firesprays. Kath and Boba are point traps that don't usually pay off in the end.

I had a fun build of dual imp firesprays. I can't remember the list verbatim, but here's the jist.

Boba

Expert Handling

HLC

Rebel Captive

Kath

Ysanne Isard

Hull Upgrade

Something to that effect. The extra survivability helped and it gave my opponent two undesirable targets. It was also designed to go toe to toe vs Dash.

I think I would have a hard time running imps again because of how good the scum firesprays are. For me, the illicit slot is important because you can run Hot Shot Blaster or Feedback Array out of your blind spot for an "almost" turret. Also, as mentioned K4 Security Droid is exceptional.

If I were to run Imps again, I think I would consider the Mangler Cannon, but I don't think there was enough goodies in the Scum and Villainy pack to make Imp Firesprays more competitive.

I miss Krassis, I was just looking at his card yesterday, having not flown Imperial Firesprays since Scum came. Good input from everyone, definitely going to go back and give them a spin soon.

+1 for Security Droids being awesome on Scum firesprays. That's the main reason do it. Second reason, less important, is the Mandalorian mercenaries have an EPT.