OK, so I'm a huge fan of the wave 7 Kihraxz Fighter (I can't think of another fighter which came with such an awesome array of upgrade cards right out of the box), and enjoy pairing it with it's natural partner-in-crime, the humble M3-A "Scyk" Interceptor.
They make such a good combination - the ships have similar (and awesome) dials, similar pilot skill values and the tier 2 generics boast both the generic-busting PS5 and an Elite Talent slot, allowing you to make the most of it.
Their points values also fit nicely together around the 20-25 point mark, allowing you to run 5-ship lists with the basic generic fighters or 4 with the elite generics and pack them with some tasty upgrades.
THE BASICS:
Let's look at the 5 ship lists first, and what you can do with them. 20 points is the magic number here:
Cartel Marauder - 20 points
Cartel Spacer - Heavy Scyk, Mangler Cannon - 20 points
Run them in whatever combination you want. 5 of the same type, 4-1, 3-2. You've got 5 three dice attacks there, plus no obvious target priority for your opponent and the ability to use any of your ships as blockers if need be. As they're all the same pilot skill you can also pick and choose your activation and firing order to best suit your needs at the time.
I personally like using 3 Marauders and 2 Spacers, with the Marauders flying in formation as a big, tempting target and the Scyks slow rolling after them at an angle from the flanks, staying at range three as much as possible where they're most effective.
15-20 red dice per turn (with critical hits from the Manglers) is literally no joke. I'm talking from experience here. 2-3 ship lists do not enjoy facing these guys.
Want to mix it up a little? Go go three Marauders, two Spacers, drop the titles and the Mangler cannons and you have 12 points left over for upgrades. Replacing one of the Kihraxz and adding those points gives you 32 points to pimp out a Scum Ace of your choosing. Or you could add an an extra body with a Binayre Pilot for a 6 ship list.
THE ELITES:
Tansarri Point Veterans and Black Sun Aces. The better than average for generics PS 5, the Elite Talent slot and the Illicit slot on the Kihraxz. If you're confident in your use of these ships then you can field a four ship list with some tasty upgrades. One less body, one less attack for the PS advantage over most other generic ships and and the ability to take a couple of dirty tricks. Here you want to be aiming for the magical 25 point spot:
Black Sun Ace - Glitterstim - 25 points
Tansarri Point Veteran - Heavy Scyk, Mangler Cannon, Crackshot - 24 points
4 x Black Sun Aces with Glitterstim is a remarkably solid list on it's own. Target Lock, stim up, make stuff go boom. 2 and 2 Kihraxz/Scyks allows you to put the utterly amazing Crackshot on all four ships. You don't need much more than that, to be honest. But, with those upgrade slots available... you also have scope to think outside the box:
Black Sun Ace - Expert Handling - 25 points
Tansarri Point Veteran - Heavy Scyk, Mangler Cannon, Wingman - 25 points
Tansarri Point Veteran - Heavy Scyk, Ion Cannon, Stealth Device - 25 points
PS5 and Expert Handling gives the Kihraxz something it sorely lacks - a degree of post-movement manueverability. You're not going to use it every turn, but it makes them more than just straight-up jousters - if it allows you to skip out of arc or into a range one donut hole just once it will have paid for itself. Wingman allows the nimble Scyks to better exploit that ridonkulous 5 k-turn on their dial and stay at range, and a single ion Cannon Scyk can add a nice element of control the list. Pick on a stressed target, ruin it's day.
More to follow.
Edited by FTS Gecko