I'm debating between the following two scum lists for an upcoming store tournament. Which do you like better?

Squad #1: Cartel Maurader x3; Cartel Spacer w/ Heavy Scyk & Mangler x2

Squad #2: Talonbane Cobra, Black Sun Ace x2, Black Sun Soldier x2

I like the big alpha strike potential with Squad 1 and using Marauders to strip shields and the Scyk's w/ manglers to have a better chance of delivering criticals. Plus the Kihraxz and M3A have very synergistic maneuver dials.

Squad 2 sacrifices some red dice and the improved critical potential for 2 extra shields and overall improved pilot skill. I thought this might come in handy vs. swarms, TLT Y-wings, AC/DC, etc.

I've been meaning to try out the list up top! I think it has even better potential than 5x Marauders (which is already pretty solid). I feel the two Scyks on the flanks can better harry targets at long range, and like you said the crits are a nice bonus, never mind being able to Barrel Roll a little as needed. Your main concern is all five ships at PS2 and whether or not your opponent can concentrate fire to take out a ship before it gets to fire.

I think part of the advantage of jumping up to Talonbane and the two Black Sun Aces is lost by not using Talent upgrades though. Even just Crack Shot on the BSAs would make it easier to justify the extra points per-ship, and Talonbane can get away with just Crack Shot or Lightning Reflexes and Glitterstim or something. The Soldier Zs are a good choice against swarms and TLTs like you mentioned, and two points to do it isn't breaking the bank.

I think there is a happy medium in between that might serve you best, such as three Black Sun Aces with upgrades and two Black Sun Soldiers. Naked they're 95 so Crack Shot on each Ace with Glitterstim on one (or Inertial Dampeners on two) might do the trick; otherwise you might see an advantage to taking a 2-point initiative bid to make absolutely sure you move first at PS3 and 5.

Some of the more mobile Aces might give you trouble (Poe and Fel in particular) but blocking and overlapping your arcs will serve you well enough I think.

I'm debating between the following two scum lists for an upcoming store tournament. Which do you like better?

Squad #1: Cartel Maurader x3; Cartel Spacer w/ Heavy Scyk & Mangler x2

Squad #2: Talonbane Cobra, Black Sun Ace x2, Black Sun Soldier x2

I like the big alpha strike potential with Squad 1 and using Marauders to strip shields and the Scyk's w/ manglers to have a better chance of delivering criticals. Plus the Kihraxz and M3A have very synergistic maneuver dials.

Squad 2 sacrifices some red dice and the improved critical potential for 2 extra shields and overall improved pilot skill. I thought this might come in handy vs. swarms, TLT Y-wings, AC/DC, etc.

I remember playing against Squad #1 on Vassal recently - was that you?

Squad #1 is more balanced in my opinion. I find it's hard to get full mileage out of Talonbane without any upgrades. You might have some trouble with elite arc-dodgers, but 5 ships might be just enough to force some blocks early.

It might be worth investing in some Feedback Arrays in a similar list like this:

Black Sun Ace x 2

Predator

Cartel Space

Title

Mangler

Binayre Pirate x 2

Feedback Array

Just be careful if you're planning to fly your Z-95s and Kihraxz fighters in formation. At first glance they have similar dials, but lack of overlap on 1-straights and 3-turns can be restricting since those will be some of your more frequent maneuvers.

Thank you both for the feedback! I like the idea of replacing Talonbane with another Black Sun Ace. Adding Calculation x3 and Glitterstim x1 upgrades will help make up for giving up the Mangler Cannons from list #1.

Zerotc - that wasn't me on vassal, but I've seen a few other people mention list #1. How did it go playing against that list?

I flew Scum Boba & 4 Z95s against him and was able to alpha down the M3As quickly for a victory.

The post-game advice I gave my opponent was to not fly the M3As in formation as head-on jousters. They only have the durability of a TIE yet cost 20 pts a pop. They benefit greatly from R3 engagements where the Mangler and bonus defense dice maximize their efficiency. Furthermore, the later a game goes, the better those Manglers become as shields go down.

So try to force engagements with your Kihraxz core and flank (ideally from both sides) with your M3As and you'll be in a good position.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Also, did you mean Crack Shot instead of Calculation? Calculation usually isn't worth it unless you have RecSpec or some other source of dual focus.

I flew Scum Boba & 4 Z95s against him and was able to alpha down the M3As quickly for a victory.

The post-game advice I gave my opponent was to not fly the M3As in formation as head-on jousters. They only have the durability of a TIE yet cost 20 pts a pop. They benefit greatly from R3 engagements where the Mangler and bonus defense dice maximize their efficiency. Furthermore, the later a game goes, the better those Manglers become as shields go down.

So try to force engagements with your Kihraxz core and flank (ideally from both sides) with your M3As and you'll be in a good position.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Also, did you mean Crack Shot instead of Calculation? Calculation usually isn't worth it unless you have RecSpec or some other source of dual focus.

Yes, I meant Crack Shot, not calculation. Thanks again for the feedback!