So yeah, I really like the look of Pulsed Ray Shields and the new unique Scyk pilots, especially Inaldra and Genesis Red.

So I've been fiddling around a lot with them. I ran 2 TPVs with Ions and 2 PS5 Fangs Mindlinked for a long while, so I've got a good handle on how they run - but fitting PRS into that on both Scyks isn't possible without dropping to all but one of them being PS3 which I think is a little too low and sacrifices the ability to move them all in whatever order is most convenient.

So I'm looking at other lists.

I started with this:

Nerf Herders

Inaldra, 2xTPV and Gen Red all with Mindlink, Ion, Heavy, PRS.

Initially the name was just a SW joke, but I quickly came to realise that it was more than that - they're good at herding things but they hit like fricking nerf bats. I faced a number of iffy non-meta matchups, and one or two very meta matchups, and didn't win any of them, though one of them dragged out long enough that I probably would have won on time.

THis taught me that four ion Scyks just isn't good enough, but also that they are INSANELY survivable with Mindlink and PRS. Way, way more than their weight class would indicate. Also that Genesis' ability is actually really quite hard to get off effectively, because his PS is just low enough that he can't catch it unless he is able to give away init against many meta lists - which he often isn't - and as a result I've rarely used it, and when I have, often used it to TL someone I don't care about because... well, why not. It does mean that as long as he's unlikely to bump, you can take evades or TLs with the lower skill pilots and still get double mods on him sometimes though, which is nice.

I then moved on to this:

Inaldra and Genesis with HLC, Mindlink, PRS, title, and Assaj with Latts, Mindlink, Gyros. All three ships are a lot more survivable than their stat bars indicate, and Inaldra and Genesis both hit like trucks as long as they can do their tricks. Red dice were soft as heck for the match I tried this in and I still carried it comfortably.

I'm also looking forward to trying this:

Inaldra, Genesis, and 2xTPV with Mangler, Title, PRS. Ina gets A Score to Settle, Genesis gets adaptability, and the TPVs get either Adaptability (meaning they can go up to 6 and genesis can come down to join them if he's out PSed) or Trick Shot.

4 Mangler Cannons a round is nice, but lacking the mods from Mindlink will hurt a LOT.

There's definitely something to Scyks with PRS though. The regen and the 1 straight make a HUGE difference to their effectiveness. Especially the HLC variety I think. But I do suspect they're just out-efficiencied by Jumps, Lancers, and Fangs with Mindlink. What have others' experiences with them been like?