In my opinion, the best Scum small ship is the Headhunter because of its low point cost and its ability to mount illicit upgrades. The second best is probably the Y-Wing, given its ability to attack twice.

I am doubtful that the Khiraxz Fighter and Mist Hunter will be major players on Scum builds. One reason for this is history - the Scum have the Scyk interceptor and the Star Viper, and neither of them get much use. Another reason for this is faction characteristics - the Scum appear to be more of a Swarm faction, generally lacking the synergy of the medium-point-cost Rebels (e.g. Biggs) or the high PS and strong pilot abilities of Imperial pilots (e.g Soontir Fel, but also folks like Carnor Jax and Darth Vader once TIE Adv title is released).

What do you think? Will Khiraxz Fighter and Mist Hunter be useful on Scum builds? Or will they be relegated just like the Scyk and the Star Viper?

I think a not!X-Wing that gets 5 attack dice at range 1 is going to appear in some lists.

The Special K looks like it will form up the backbone of Scum's non named pilots along side the headhunter. It costs 8 pts more for the Cartel Marauder versus a Z-95 Binayre, but it has 3 attack dice and an extra hit point. That 3 attack is very important. I've had several games where my swarm was having a hard time getting through arc dodging interceptors/a-wings when I couldn't block them. The Khiraxz also had a really nice generic (Black Sun Ace) with an EPT so you can do shenanigans with lightning reflexes and inertial dampners. Plus the dial is more nimble than a typical Z. Talonbane looks like he is going to be an excellent pilot, with a PS of 9 and a very good pilot skill. It's disappointing Graz doesn't have an EPT and I think that will hurt his playability but overall I feel my Scum builds needed something like the Special K to round them out.

I really don't think we can judge the Mist Hunter until we know more about its expansion. We know the slots and stats, but we don't know the dial, pilot abilities, upgrades, etc.

Idk, but I want to try this

Cobra

Lightning reflexes

Mandolorian Merc

3 Binyare Pilots

Uhh... YEAH!

I think a 5 Khiraxz swarm will put the fear of God into large ship builds. The top Pilot is PS 9, with the addition of an engine upgrade, to get the most out of his ability, will be plenty effective vs other ships. So, yes I think the Khiraxz will see play. I don't know enough about the Mist Hunter yet. If it has the right dial, it could be the Scum equivalent of a B wing. I'm already thinking about some nice beefy G-1A / Y- Wing builds that could be pretty effective. I'm hopeful, but we will have to see a little more before I am ready to say.

Kihraxz x5:

More attack dice than BBBBZ, more speed, but no barrel roll and less health. You know how awesome those hard one turns are on B-Wings? Well...on the Kihraxz they are white.

Cobra Commander:

PS 9, 5 dice at range 1, 4 agility at range 3, glitterstim is perfect for him.

Most Hunter:

Need to see cost info, pilot abilities, unspoiled cards and what exactly tractor beam does, as well as the maneuver dial, but it's a 3 attack, 8 health small ship with system upgrade and crew native. Even if it isn't costed to be a scum B-Wing exactly, I know at least Zuckus will show up in some squads, even if I don't do a full swarm.

Also, StarViper fills the same "role" in Scum as a defender and e-wing, and you see them with the same frequency: rarely. I have seen some lists do very well with Xizor adding some bite to a z-swarm, and Guri with glitterstim is going to be a big thing. Biggest problem with the StarViper is the title. It's unique and (in my opinion) should be free, but as is you need the system and illicit slot to get the most out of it, so usually you are just gonna see one.

Scyk has plenty of problems, but primarily cost.

Kihraxz does not have these problems, we will have to see about the mist hunter.

Ya the scum is not what I would consider a swarm list faction. Sure you can spam warthogs but it's nothing like an 8 tie fighter list and sycks just suck haha. The kihraxz will see a lot of play due it's awesome pilot abilities. The mist hunter in not sold on yet as I don't think it'll replace ig's or fire sprays as the tanks. The mist hunter falls into a weird spot imo. But again we need to see dials and abilities first before deciding.

For 100 points you get !!!.

It can make 15 focused attacks, or 10 focused evades. At range one you are doing 20 attacks, and at range three you are doing 15 evades.

Get with the program... this is the best ship for SCUM.

The BEST ACE in the whole game comes in the pack too by the by...

In waves 1-2, the Empire was a swarm list faction. As more ships were introduced, it gained a lot of other options.

Mist Hunter is basically B-Wing statline. Zuckuss has a pro pilot ability, as well.

Mist Hunter will be hands down the most useful

why?

**** gets barrel-roll, son!

seriously, the worst part about scum is how ******* stiff it is. What makes B-wings or Ties, for example, so amazing isn't just their amazing jousting value but just how amazing barrel-roll is setting up angles of approach (and blocking!), amazingly

Zuckuss getting 5 Atk at Range 1 will be fun.

For 100 points you get !!!.

It can make 15 focused attacks, or 10 focused evades. At range one you are doing 20 attacks, and at range three you are doing 15 evades.

Get with the program... this is the best ship for SCUM.

The BEST ACE in the whole game comes in the pack too by the by...

Are there any good builds other than 5x Khiraxz? I also look at the versatility of the ship in determining its usefulness.

Also, since the X-Wing is generally considered to be "overpriced," I find it hard to believe that a ship that is substantially similar to the X-Wing will be considered to be a "good buy" max-min and meta wise.

the rookie is overpriced

the marauder is a whole point less, with a ridic dial for a jouster. It's just good filler.

cobra, imo, is a lost cause. He's fine, until you compare him to the likes of soontir/vader, who are

a.) more durable

b.) more action efficient

c.) more maneuverable

d.) not free points for stupid PWTs

Well, the X-Wing is overpriced only by 1-2 points. With the Kihraxz, we essentially have a properly costed X-Wing. What we are looking is, I believe, the cheapest way to get 3 attack dice, and the only way to fit 5 ships with 3 attack die in a list.

All that and white 1 turns. I will gladly swap a shield for a hull for that price.

I also think three Kihraxz and Guri may be an interesting list. Maybe not super competitive, but fun.

the rookie is overpriced

the marauder is a whole point less, with a ridic dial for a jouster. It's just good filler.

cobra, imo, is a lost cause. He's fine, until you compare him to the likes of soontir/vader, who are

a.) more durable

b.) more action efficient

c.) more maneuverable

d.) not free points for stupid PWTs

I think that's a fair assessment.

Well, the X-Wing is overpriced only by 1-2 points. With the Kihraxz, we essentially have a properly costed X-Wing. What we are looking is, I believe, the cheapest way to get 3 attack dice, and the only way to fit 5 ships with 3 attack die in a list.

All that and white 1 turns. I will gladly swap a shield for a hull for that price.

The cheapest way to get 3 Attack is the 18-point Alpha Squadron Pilot. The Kihraxz is a close second, and offers better durability in exchange for a weaker action bar.

Scum has focused on swarms because at the moment most of what they have favors a swarm build- Scyks are laughably inefficient, and Generic Starvipers play like expensive Tie fighters that can't joust (And the Virago title is unique, so you can't use two Vipers in a scum Aces build). Efficiently costed midrange fighters like the G1-A could potentially be and the Kihraxz probably use will enable more scum builds.

Xizor also enables swarms by giving them the privilege of taking a bullet for him

in fact, the Special-K fits in pretty well

Xizor (VI, Virago, FCS, thrusters) [37]

Marauder [20]

3 bugzapper Zs [42]

(99)

I think the Khiraxz is going to be great to fly. I'm thinking of KKYY builds atm. The Illicit/EPT combo on these should make up for the lack of movement actions.

Besides, I have five of these babies on pre-order, so they better be worth it! XD

No idea on the Mist Hunter, though I'm not too keen on the aesthetics.

Wait am I reading this right? The mist hunter has 1 agility and an evade?

PTL tank coming up.

The Z-95's only fill certain niche areas of the game. A mini-swarm can be a very solid compliment to ceratin ships but just one or two of them don't pack the punch to fill out other lists well enough due to their 2 attack.

The Kihraxz fills a desperately needed void in the Scum faction of a 3 attack ship that can be run in pairs to adequatley balance out a list featuring a strong large base ship such as Boba or a single IG. I've used a pair of Black Sun Enforcer Star Vipers to a degree of success but once you add in the autothrusters for a pair you are already at 54 points.

Guri is a great pilot but she just begs to be upgraded and doesn't come all that cheap. The Kihraxz is going to add a mountian of flexibility and deversity to the Scum lists of the future. This will not be a case of 5 X Kihraxz swarm or nothing, individuals and pairs will absolutely get their run to great effect.

Scum ships like guri that have access to the jammer tend to be great friends of palob.