What about a special cannon that costs -2 when fitted to a syck? Or because the syck is a pirate ship, 3-4 alternate titles that do different things?

Honestly, not every ship has to be an advanced X1. I like the Syck.

So you end up just like you would start naked? Great idea!

Well basically yeah, a cannon that doesn't cost extra when fitted - but only for the syck, make it a cannon that does something different or quirky. Maybe stress while damaging at 6 points?

Oh I thought you meant something like the Chardaan Refit as cannon upgrade

Well basically yeah, a cannon that doesn't cost extra when fitted - but only for the syck, make it a cannon that does something different or quirky. Maybe stress while damaging at 6 points?

Well, they just shouldn't have messed the Flechette cannon in the first place.

Or FAQ some of the last lines.

Either LET IT DAMAGE

or

LET IT STRESS WITHOUT HITTING like a flechet torpedo

No no, it makes sense, like driving through loose grit turned to 11.

This just gives the syck a little oomph, but other ships have to pay more.

Another option is to give it a title that gives it boost, but maybe makes it treat it's slower maneuvers as red and reduces it's cost by a point.

Basically, titles.

Give it 2-3 extra title cards each making it do different things, what a way to make it look super customizable! (not that it originally was...)

A local player does pretty well with 5 A-Wings + Prockets.

He uses them in tournamants, casual and epic play.

And this list works partly because A-Wings are quite tanky with 2 hull 2 shields.

You could try to do this with Scyks ... but I fear this one shield more makes the difference. This and boost.

I think Autoblasters could be pretty good instead of Prockets ... but well ... thats 1 point too much per ship to have 5 of them.

Another option is to give it a title that gives it boost, but maybe makes it treat it's slower maneuvers as red and reduces it's cost by a point.

Basically, titles.

Give it 2-3 extra title cards each making it do different things, what a way to make it look super customizable! (not that it originally was...)

I think the Scyk might need a little something, but not that much. Seriously, I don't think it's a bad ship. There are a lot of people who talk bad of it as if it's the worst ship ever made in the game. I don't think that at all.

People have said it has a terrible dial. I don't think it does. How many ships can do a 1 hard turn AND a 1 bank? Not many. It can do all the moves a Tie Fighter can make, except the 3 hard turn and 5 straight, but it can do the 1 bank. I do think it should've had 5 straight and probably a few more green moves.

I don't think it has to have Boost to be effective.

If it's one shotted, then you have some bad luck with dice or didn't take a Focus or Evade. Play smart with it and don't just rush things and grab a TL.

I find it's a good ship if you have a lot of other dangerous ships in your list. A couple of naked Scyks can be good. They can block. They can be ignored and get in close for R1 shots with Focus and TL. Their dial combined with Barrel Roll is great for getting in close with someone.

HLC is too expensive to put on something that relies on green dice too much. Mangler is much better. I can see Ion being good.

I think the Scyk might need a little something, but not that much. Seriously, I don't think it's a bad ship. There are a lot of people who talk bad of it as if it's the worst ship ever made in the game. I don't think that at all.

People have said it has a terrible dial. I don't think it does. How many ships can do a 1 hard turn AND a 1 bank? Not many. It can do all the moves a Tie Fighter can make, except the 3 hard turn and 5 straight, but it can do the 1 bank. I do think it should've had 5 straight and probably a few more green moves.

I don't think it has to have Boost to be effective.

If it's one shotted, then you have some bad luck with dice or didn't take a Focus or Evade. Play smart with it and don't just rush things and grab a TL.

I find it's a good ship if you have a lot of other dangerous ships in your list. A couple of naked Scyks can be good. They can block. They can be ignored and get in close for R1 shots with Focus and TL. Their dial combined with Barrel Roll is great for getting in close with someone.

HLC is too expensive to put on something that relies on green dice too much. Mangler is much better. I can see Ion being good.

that's a Tie.

that's overcosted 2 points

has worse dial

and for 1 point more there's an A-wing with EPIC movement+boost and greens

and Tie\fo with greener dial, more maneuver types, senors WOOP WOOPs and extra hull.

You need to stop comparing scum to Rebels and Empire.

You get all kinds of goodies they don't get, so you get a subpar interceptor compared to the a-wing and tint. Big whoop.

Your "elite" ship is still better costed than our defender.

your brobots are amazing.

You have better Y's and HWKs than the Rebels.

Let's not forget that your x-wing out x-wings the x-wing.

And... let's compare your firesprays to the imperial counterparts.

Actually don't, as an imperial that makes me embarrassed.

You need to stop comparing scum to Rebels and Empire.

You get all kinds of goodies they don't get, so you get a subpar interceptor compared to the a-wing and tint. Big whoop.

Your "elite" ship is still better costed than our defender.

your brobots are amazing.

You have better Y's and HWKs than the Rebels.

Let's not forget that your x-wing out x-wings the x-wing.

And... let's compare your firesprays to the imperial counterparts.

Actually don't, as an imperial that makes me embarrassed.

You always compare ships and configurations to the closest equivalent, with or outside the faction.

Defender is another failure of balancing.

We don't get a stress-Y and that's what it takes to not be the food of the arcdodge meta.

Kihraxz is a bit more maneuverable, but then SUDDENLY T-70 WITH A BOOST. BAM!

Your Cobra buys an EU? T-70 gets that base. And greater survivability. And greater customise, and even regen capability, and re-position pre-move even.

And you know what? AUTOTHRUSTERS.

It was better than T-65, at par with T-65 with Astromech hostage (integrated)

And worse than T-70

Scyk is in the price range of Tie-ln Tie-fo A-wing and Z-95.

Somewhere in-between. Too clumsy for formation flight, too expensive for swarming, boostless and slow for a blocker, and dumb outmatched by Tie-fo.

It never saw much use and will not see it unless there's some fix.

"Heavy" scyk is a joke. a BAD joke. You pay extra for the sole chance to get a cannon. While you're survivability is at par with "expendable as hell" TIEs.

But SUDDENLY your expendable ship costs like an X-wing.

The 2 points for the title basically is the tax for an attack 2 ship to carry a HLC.

But it did not pay off.

Unless you are a skilled dice roller.

Syck is a good flanker though - just don't build your list around it. Alternatively you can combo up sycks.

Listen, once I had a 2 on 2 imp vs scum fight, A guri bodyguard, laetin and serrissu combo was VERY difficult to actually kill. Palob was there too, as well as a huge group of zs with hotshots.

What I had was Vader in his normal outfitting, vessery with a mango and an Advanced with AC.

My wingman had Soontir Turr Carnor I think.

Palob had to go first. So after taking out a few of the Z's he went straight out, in the battle turr, carnor and vessery all died, but so did all the Zs and guri. guri had to die first.

Leatin could not be killed while serrissu was there. Vader got serrissu then finally Leatin.

Those Sycks can get tanky fast, is what i am saying.

If you have someone like palob on the field with a TLT, and have a syck with HLC somewhere else, they'll probably pick palob. That cheap sniper can bring pain.

As for Stresshogs.

I don't use them. Just use TLT turretters mixed with B-wings.

Those scyks die horrible horrible death. because green dice have less probability than red dice.

And red ones tend to have re-rolls and_focus.

Scyks get expensive fast. They don't get equally survivable, maneuverableor anything at same rate.

Carnor+Fel just MURDER the list you have mentioned. You just boost Carnor into the tight formation and then all of the sudden you die.

"cheap sniper" is supposed to be cheap and a sniper.

Scyks can't go 1 forward to be slow sniper,

Neither are they cheap. 14+2+7=23 points.

Stress-Y lets you murder boost-freaks and that's something Merc faction didn't get. Control.

You need to stop comparing scum to Rebels and Empire.

If you want faction balance, ships do need to be comparably point costed and not point costed simply within faction. Otherwise, it leads to what you're seeing with scum, which is that very few of their ships are played competitively at all and the only unique and competitive ship they have is the IG-88. People simply decide to play another faction since there are ships that do what they want better. If the Scyk was more closely priced to the TIE, which I think it should be, you'd have swarm players making more interesting choices like choosing between a Howl or Serrisu swarm or maybe they like the dial of the Scyk better for their playstyle, etc....however, when you start to need to fly a ship significantly better than your opponent to make up for the fact that it is overcosted, it's much easier to simply play the ship(s) that are like it but more effectively costed.

But you don't, you just need to fly the ship in a way that you are not flying it like a swarm ship.

I'd argue that if the syck is indeed overcosted, then it's overcosted by a single point - no more.

Like the X-wing, that just took a really minor fix to make good. (and it was always good in epic). So it is with the Syck.

I'd worry more about balancing the tooth, the firespray, and the defender, and e-wing generics.

23 points is less than 25% of your list, about right for a flanker.

Put it with palob and a TLT Y or two, have the first group fly in formation, and the syck fly behind/across. It'll do good things.

==================
[unnamed Squadron]
==================

Click to change squadron details

97 points

Pilots
------

Cartel Spacer (23)
M3-A “Scyk” Interceptor (14), “Heavy Scyk” Interceptor (2), Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

Palob Godalhi (26)
HWK-290 (20), Twin Laser Turret (6)

Syndicate Thug (24) x 2
Y-Wing (18), Twin Laser Turret (6)

Unnamed squadron here as a quick example, with 3 points to spend on astromechs, crew or an EPT.

You can drop the HLC for a mangler to do crits after the TLTs have drained some shields, maybe adding greedo if you want to gamble.

MINOR fix?

so, an extra shield mod costs 4 points.

and how much should a shield that appears ALL OF THE SUDDEN, and saves exactly the card needed?

5? 6?
yeah, minor fix.

Or maybe you meant the T-70!

With boost (4 pts) extra shield (4 pts) extra greens and claw maneuvers (1 pts?)

It's definitely worth 24 points. 3 points for a boost, shield and goodies. yeah, big deal! [/sarcasm]

Tooth is 100% balanced, if you don't consider the FAQ on Daredevil. and it's suddenly a heavy hitter with nasty maneuvers.

And poor overlooked Outlaw Tech gets a new life meaning.

Without that, it's just a fat Lambda. Still nice.

Yeah. X-wing got a really minor fix. It can lose it's astromech instead of a hitpoint. That's a minor **** fix.

The ability to do so also takes it's mod slot.

But you don't, you just need to fly the ship in a way that you are not flying it like a swarm ship.

I'd argue that if the syck is indeed overcosted, then it's overcosted by a single point - no more.

Like the X-wing, that just took a really minor fix to make good. (and it was always good in epic). So it is with the Syck.

I'd worry more about balancing the tooth, the firespray, and the defender, and e-wing generics.

23 points is less than 25% of your list, about right for a flanker.

Put it with palob and a TLT Y or two, have the first group fly in formation, and the syck fly behind/across. It'll do good things.

The game isn't designed around epic as a primary consideration, and while I'd argue that it actually isn't a good ship in epic either, I don't think that's the topic or worth the time. It's is true that e more points you add the more the inefficiency becomes less significant.

I don't disagree with the point cost being off by maybe a point, but that's been more than enough to keep it off the table competitively for almost a year now, especially since the Z is much more cost efficient. I also think the title to is too high and it is especially the case with the introduction of TLT being a significantly better option, which on the other side of things, the Scyk, especially with the title is very vulnerable to.

A single Scyk in a list could work, of course.

Better keep him as cheap as possible - so a Flechette Cannon or an Ion.

Laetin Ashera should do well against TLTs

FFG's whole lore for the Scyk is it being crazy customisable. And I trust FFG to know FFG's approach to a ship over Wookiee.

MINOR fix?

so, an extra shield mod costs 4 points.

That means the Shield modification costs four points. That doesn't mean shields are worth 4 points. Unless you mean to suggest that a deshielded B-wing is worth two points.

Yeah. X-wing got a really minor fix. It can lose it's astromech instead of a hitpoint. That's a minor **** fix.

The ability to do so also takes it's mod slot.

generics don't care for mods.

T-65 EU-aces didn't see much use before, won't see much use now.

And for 1 (ONE) point you not just get a hull, not just a shield, but a shield that's appearing out of nowhere and eats preicely the crit you don't want.

You know, Merc Y-wings got a salvaged astromech, but it works only on Ship header cards. and does take up a slot better used somehow.

So nope, it's a major fix for generics.

Also, FWIW, I've flown the Scyk a good amount, especially as the flanker you describe, but against decent players and lists, it's a point sink.

Yeah. X-wing got a really minor fix. It can lose it's astromech instead of a hitpoint. That's a minor **** fix.

The ability to do so also takes it's mod slot.

generics don't care for mods.

T-65 EU-aces didn't see much use before, won't see much use now.

And for 1 (ONE) point you not just get a hull, not just a shield, but a shield that's appearing out of nowhere and eats preicely the crit you don't want.

You know, Merc Y-wings got a salvaged astromech, but it works only on Ship header cards. and does take up a slot better used somehow.

So nope, it's a major fix for generics.

We'll see won't we, don't know what targetting astro does yet.