Never see the M3-A Scyk at your FLGS? Here's my review why that is the case:

http://midwestwargaming.com/m3-a-scyk-review/

IMHO, the M3 is not a bad ship. Agi 3, one shield, and the heavy option. There are two facts that kills the ship for tournament play...

- 2 pts title ( 9 pts HLC ???? )

- 5 PS pilot ( too expensive )

My game group fixed it ages ago, the luxury to play in a closed and friendly enviroment. Free title. And a new PS 4 pilot, one point cheaper.

Not a superb ship but a playable one. Our view of the ship is to compare it to a french mirage III a cheap and reliable craft with few chrome that can be.upgraded to more demanding jobs. Not a F4, a easy to operate craft

And the named pilots are not bad. Agi 3 means that you have a reasonable.chance to negate a hit. A T 70 pilot gives you a Evade if you loose a shield, at Agi 2. Agi 3, Evade.if atacker miss. Reasonable.

And the defensive named pilot is a good one, I like him.

The dial is mediocre but playable. In general terms a M3 should be a mediocre but reliable ship, ideal for low budget factions. A naked PS 2 Scyk is viable. A Veteran with a Ion canon and a one point EPT like crack shot is viable, if you pay 3 pts for the heavy weapon and not five.

This is my experience. I like Scum fielding low budget simple ships, like M3 or Z 95.

I think trying to put a heavy laser cannon on a ship that's a TIE fighter with delusions of grandeur is asking for trouble. However, as noted, it's a nice option to get some control on the board; Ion Cannons, Flechette Cannons and Tractor Beams are cheap and cheerful, and it's not like you're losing much in primary weapon firepower by using them.

Hell, just consider the flechette cannon an extra attack die. Yes, no +1 red at short range, but no +1 green at long range either, and whilst it only does 1 damage, it's not all that often 3 dice does multiple hits anyway. The stress effect is just gravy.

3 Points isn't too much to shell on Serissu - a tractor beam firing at PS8 has a good chance of clearing off a point of agility before the rest of the squad whales in with 'proper' guns. Hell, even if the extra red die makes the defender spend a focus or evade token it's probably done its job!

• Serissu - Heavy Scyk, Juke, Tractor Beam, Stealth Device
• Cartel Spacer - Heavy Scyk, Flechette Cannon
• Cartel Spacer - Heavy Scyk, Flechette Cannon
• Cartel Spacer - Heavy Scyk, Flechette Cannon
• Cartel Spacer - Heavy Scyk, Flechette Cannon

Flechette cannon would be good if the stress from it stacked. 1 stress isn't as good as 2+.

No it isn't. But as I say, it's not bad if you treat it as a 'free bonus'; for 4-5 points, the flechette/ion cannon is mostly buying you the extra attack die. Does it stress Poe or Soontir into action-denying oblivion? No. But if three or more flechette cannons fire on a target, you can be pretty **** confident it's going to have to deal with the stress somehow, which can be very useful; even if it's just that you can Koiogran turn and they can't.

I'm actually a fan of ion scyks,and really looking forward to tractor beam scyks as well. Probably save the flechette for a tactician Mando Merc to fly with them.

M3-A Interceptor: Cartel Spacer (14)

"Heavy Scyk" Interceptor (2)

"Mangler" Cannon (4)

M3-A Interceptor: Cartel Spacer (14)

"Heavy Scyk" Interceptor (2)

"Mangler" Cannon (4)

Firespray-31: · Kath Scarlet (38)

· Lone Wolf (2)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Outlaw Tech (2)

Glitterstim (2)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

-- TOTAL ------- 100/100p. --

I don't have much time to comment now, but I have had some good success with the Scyk. Also some failures. Here's a quick rundown of my experiences:

-cheap filler ship: at 14 pts, you might as well go with a feedback binayre pirate. Not worth it, despite having barrel roll and a better dial than the z-95 (don't think it has a better dial? You need to fly it some more then).

- control cannon: spacer with either flechette or ion is a good buy for 18/19 points. You don't want more than one though because its still not super awesome. Cheapest way to get control into a list though, so that's something.

- glass cannon: 'mangler' or HLC? Go big or go home. Seriously, the mangler is not worth it. Anything it can do, the HLC does better. If you think its a bad idea, give it a try, but don't just take one. You need at least two or three. Glass cannons need to be spammed to some extent in order to be effective because you will lose one early. The purpose of redundancy though is to deal enough damage that your opponent reaches a point where they no longer have enough firepower to kill you as fast as you can kill them.

-named pilots: Laetin & serissu can go well together, but you need to make Laetin MORE dangerous. HLC on him and either run Serissu naked or with Juke (quite good on her). Tractor beam will also be quite good on Serissu. Palob is also good alongside Serissu since his ability helps protect the team (tokens he steals cannot be used to modify opponent's attack dice against you).

- ultimate glass cannon: Tansarri point Vet. By far my favourite Scyk. HLC + Predator + Hull. 32 points of destruction. Everytime I win with these guys my opponents always blame the dice thinking I got lucky and they got screwed. Truth is, you aren't getting lucky when you are throwing 4 fully modified red dice every time you shoot. And nothing stands up to 4 damage per turn for very long. They die fast though. Palob and/or Serissu work well with them too, because together they really up their defensive staying power...

Flechette cannon would be good if the stress from it stacked. 1 stress isn't as good as 2+.

It pairs well with ions. and it's a cheap way to get some more damage out of the Scyks at long range.

I'm thinking Serissu will be a lot of fun in a Xizor Swarm. Something like this:

StarViper: · Prince Xizor (31)

Predator (3)

Autothrusters (2)

· Virago (1)

Advanced Sensors (3)

M3-A Interceptor: · Serissu (20)

Veteran Instincts (1)

"Heavy Scyk" Interceptor (2)

Tractor Beam (1)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

My experiences:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/187538-won-a-store-tournament-with-a-hutt-cartel-on-sunday/

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/193871-fun-and-games-with-the-cartel-pilots/

They can put out fearsome amounts of damage with the HLC or Mangler. Personally, I find the Manglers invaluable - the other ships in your list strip shields, then the Manglers lay on the critical hits.

Currently running 2 Kihraxz / 1 Scyk alongside a 40 point YV-666 or Firespray, with the Scyk being a good finisher.

I can't imagine me ever taking the Heavy Scyk title to run missiles or torpedoes, though.

I think the problem is that people are trying to run the M3-A in large numbers like TIE Fighters when they're not quite as efficient enough for that role. The place they seem to work best is a support role among other ships with the various control cannons (Tractor, Flechette or Ion). A HLC M3-A is getting on the expensive side and gets focused down early and I would rather take a Kihraxz over a Mangler M3-A.

If they were to bring out a Scum Aces, it wouldn't be hard to imagine FFG adding an M3-A only mod (so it doesn't compete with the title) that would bring them back into favor somehow.

They can put out fearsome amounts of damage with the HLC or Mangler. Personally, I find the Manglers invaluable - the other ships in your list strip shields, then the Manglers lay on the critical hits.

When running with Khiraxz or a YV, I think the 'mangler' on the Scyk is a good idea. 3 Khiraxz + 2 mangler spacers I think is a good set up.

Here's some other potentially good lists using the Scyk:

Dace and the Freeze:

Dace Bonearm w/ ion turret, crack shot & K4 droid = 32

2 thugs w/ ion turret, BTL-A4 title & R4 agromechs = 25 x 2

1 spacer w/ 'heavy' & flechette cannon = 18

100

Should be pretty straightforward: joust with the thugs in front, using Dace's ability to enhance your damage output and the spacer adds a stress to anything already ionized.

Serissu's Heavies:

Serissu w/ Juke = 22

3 spacers w/ 'heavy', HLC & hull upgrade = 26 x 3

100

Again pretty simple: try to engineer that sweet R3 initial engagement. Your opponent really wants to kill the spacers, but kinda has to go for Serissu first. After the first round of shooting, don't be afraid to use one of the spacers as a blocker to help finish off anything not destroyed in the alpha strike.

Predatory Scykos:

Palob w/ predator, twin laser turret, moldy crow & engine = 36

2 Tansarri Point Vets w/ predator, 'heavy', HLC & hull upgrades = 32 x 2

100

This is my favourite Scyk list and the one I've had the most success with. With PS5, you shoot before all other generics and you hit like a ton of bricks. Small-based ships are unlikely to survive (even Soontir) if in firing range of all 3 ships in the same turn (unless dice really go south), especially with Palob there to steal a token. It is a very difficult list to fly though, requiring quite a bit of practice, but its rewarding because I think it helps you understand some of the unique moves you need to do to make the most out of the Scyk's dial...

Serissu ZZZ:

Serissu w/ juke, 'heavy', tractor beam & shield upgrade = 29

Laetin w/ 'heavy', HLC & stealth device = 30

Kaa'to w/ bodyguard = 17

2 binayre pirates = 12 x 2

100

A bit of an eclectic list, but juke + tractor beam should be really good on Serissu. And whether it hits or not (because of Juke), Serissu's shot will help make your other ships hit harder if they can focus fire. Bodyguard is only there to protect Serissu, and Kaa'to can take someone else's focus (handy if you are using a binayre pirate as a blocker who can't shoot anyway).

So yeah, anyone struggling with the Scyk should give some of these lists a try!

FYI, had a quick game this afternoon. Trandoshan Slaver with Bossk and Gunner, 2 Cartel Marauders and a HLC Cartel Spacer. The Spacer finished off Vessery and Omega Leader, and was probably the man of the match.

I think the problem is that people are trying to run the M3-A in large numbers like TIE Fighters when they're not quite as efficient enough for that role. The place they seem to work best is a support role among other ships...

This. I wouldn't build a list solely around Scyks at the moment, but one or two as part of a 4-5 ship list can be invaluable. I disagree about the cannons, though. 23 points for a 4 attack dice ship that ignores range three defence bonuses, or 20 points for a 3 attack dice ship that can reliably lay in crits? That can work really well.

They can put out fearsome amounts of damage with the HLC or Mangler. Personally, I find the Manglers invaluable - the other ships in your list strip shields, then the Manglers lay on the critical hits.

When running with Khiraxz or a YV, I think the 'mangler' on the Scyk is a good idea. 3 Khiraxz + 2 mangler spacers I think is a good set up.

Here's some other potentially good lists using the Scyk:

Dace and the Freeze:

Dace Bonearm w/ ion turret, crack shot & K4 droid = 32

2 thugs w/ ion turret, BTL-A4 title & R4 agromechs = 25 x 2

1 spacer w/ 'heavy' & flechette cannon = 18

100

Should be pretty straightforward: joust with the thugs in front, using Dace's ability to enhance your damage output and the spacer adds a stress to anything already ionized.

Serissu's Heavies:

Serissu w/ Juke = 22

3 spacers w/ 'heavy', HLC & hull upgrade = 26 x 3

100

Again pretty simple: try to engineer that sweet R3 initial engagement. Your opponent really wants to kill the spacers, but kinda has to go for Serissu first. After the first round of shooting, don't be afraid to use one of the spacers as a blocker to help finish off anything not destroyed in the alpha strike.

Predatory Scykos:

Palob w/ predator, twin laser turret, moldy crow & engine = 36

2 Tansarri Point Vets w/ predator, 'heavy', HLC & hull upgrades = 32 x 2

100

This is my favourite Scyk list and the one I've had the most success with. With PS5, you shoot before all other generics and you hit like a ton of bricks. Small-based ships are unlikely to survive (even Soontir) if in firing range of all 3 ships in the same turn (unless dice really go south), especially with Palob there to steal a token. It is a very difficult list to fly though, requiring quite a bit of practice, but its rewarding because I think it helps you understand some of the unique moves you need to do to make the most out of the Scyk's dial...

Serissu ZZZ:

Serissu w/ juke, 'heavy', tractor beam & shield upgrade = 29

Laetin w/ 'heavy', HLC & stealth device = 30

Kaa'to w/ bodyguard = 17

2 binayre pirates = 12 x 2

100

A bit of an eclectic list, but juke + tractor beam should be really good on Serissu. And whether it hits or not (because of Juke), Serissu's shot will help make your other ships hit harder if they can focus fire. Bodyguard is only there to protect Serissu, and Kaa'to can take someone else's focus (handy if you are using a binayre pirate as a blocker who can't shoot anyway).

So yeah, anyone struggling with the Scyk should give some of these lists a try!

Predatory Scykos:

Palob w/ predator, twin laser turret, moldy crow & engine = 36

2 Tansarri Point Vets w/ predator, 'heavy', HLC & hull upgrades = 32 x 2

100

I handily beat three defenders with the new Tie/D title a few days ago with the above list. It is as you said: It fires first and hits like a ton of bricks. I almost downed a defender on the first engagement, and by the end of the second pass one of the defenders was on hull, limping, and the last one had also lost some shields.

If you plan the first engagement well, getting to Range 3 with both Scyks and Palob a bit closer, I think that you will likely beat almost all current meta lists. I wonder how it does against swarms, though.

Predatory Scykos:

Palob w/ predator, twin laser turret, moldy crow & engine = 36

2 Tansarri Point Vets w/ predator, 'heavy', HLC & hull upgrades = 32 x 2

100

I handily beat three defenders with the new Tie/D title a few days ago with the above list. It is as you said: It fires first and hits like a ton of bricks. I almost downed a defender on the first engagement, and by the end of the second pass one of the defenders was on hull, limping, and the last one had also lost some shields.

If you plan the first engagement well, getting to Range 3 with both Scyks and Palob a bit closer, I think that you will likely beat almost all current meta lists. I wonder how it does against swarms, though.

Nice! I also just beat a triple defender list with TIE/D a few days ago using this list....are you my evil twin?

The toughest matchup I have had yet with this list is Soontir + Chiraneau. Its definitely not without its weaknesses, but I think it at least has a fighting chance against anything. Palob w/ engine makes a big difference imho (just too bad that Chiraneau don't give a ****).

Cheap hp squads surely make a difference. I played a BBBBZ against this, and there are just too many shields and hull to munch through. Certainly nice in the current meta, though - abd really fun to fly.

I've had some luck with a scyk with mangler cannon supporting latts razzi, used as a flanker or bait, it seems to do more that it's points in most games, though some people have started to make it their target priority so I needed to move away from it for a while

I like the idea of using Serious as a high PS tractor beam carrier. I was thinking something like this:

Oh wow! I wish I found this thread earlier. I played on a tournament on saturday with this list

2x cartel marauder

3x cartel spacer + hvy scyk+ (2x mangler and 1x ion cannon)

i finished 3rd, my experience is that you should fly these ships as a swarm, try to alpha strike as much as you can from as far away as you can.

I played against corran+dash which obliterated me, t-65/t-70 list with poe/ello/biggs (IIRC) which beat me because bad dice , bobba/interceptor/darth list which I managed to beat with just one loss and the last guy dropped out of tournament so I got max points from him which was very meh.

It's incredible how much damage you put out when dice roll nicely. In 1st and 2nd rounds i rolled mostly blanks on reds and greens and my luck reversed in the 3rd round.

All in all I'm happy with these ships, scyks are like paper and die like flies, kihraxz are tougher but still need some elite pilots to really shine. And the dice really don't love me which is a shame, i did some really cool maneuvers, too bad the dice didn't follow

This Scyk is doing very well in our current meta:

Laetin A'Shera (18)

Title (2)

Mangler Cannon (4)

Stealth Device (3)

---------------------

Total: 27