A common deckbuilding trap I'm often finding myself caught in is playing a pod more for the objective itself than the cards that come with it. Once I let go of the need for the objective's ability to be integral to my strategy, I found my decks got better because they proved more flexible with the higher variety of cards. I really delved into this approach when trying to get my favourite affiliation, Scum & Villainy, up to snuff and I think I have come up with a solid build. I think other players may be struggling with this affiliation too so I've shared my deck list and thoughts below.

Affiliation:

Scum & Villainy

Objectives (10):

Lucrative Contract x1
Feeding the Pit x1
Trandoshan Terror x1
Hive of Scum and Villainy x1
Jabba's Reach x2
Carbonite Transport x2
The Tatooine Crash x2

Units (28):

Jawa Scavenger x4
Corrupt Wing Guard x2
Gamorrean Guard x3
Greedo x1
Paid Informant x2
Corrupt Official x2
Trandoshan Hunter x2
Bib Fortuna x1
Sandcrawler x2
Jabba's Pleasure Barge x2
Bossk x1
Krayt Dragon x1
Outer Rim Space Pirates x1
Slave 1 x2
Jabba the Hutt x2

Enhancements (7):

The Almighty Sarlacc x1
Bounty x2
Prized Possession x4

Events (9):

Captured x1
Spice Visions x1
Explosive Charge x1
Utinni! x2
Tractor Beam x2
Reversal of Fate x2

Fate Cards (6):

Heat of Battle x1
Target of Opportunity x2
Twist of Fate x3

Aside from the various synergies between my objectives, there are a lot of neat interactions to exploit in the deck proper to keep your opponents on their toes. Capturing is fairly important here, but the variety of units and abilities should allow you to make a decent go of it even if you don't draw the cards to make that element work quickly. I've been on the fence about Trandoshan Terror as I think a second Hive of Scum and Villainy would provide most of the same with a much better objective and even more aggression, but I'm also looking at Jabba's Orders because the Weequay Elites and Jabba's Palace are so great. The Bespin Exchange and Hunt For Han Solo are both contenders as well. I plan to try them all and see what works best, but the nucleus of Carbonite Transport, The Tatooine Crash, and Jabba's Reach are the foundation of this deck and are unlikely to change.

Dumping out hordes of smaller units is generally the order of business to support the bigger plays of Jabba the Hutt and Slave 1. I have no problem focusing resource generators multiple times at once to get a speedy leg-up on my opponent. This deck is all about hitting hard and fast while stabilizing with card draw and disruption. Hitting Jabba as quickly as possible, for example, can completely warp the game in your favour. Careful timing of your captures and the shell game of Carbonite Transport should ease the risk of building up a large pile of card for your opponent to rescue back to their hand.

Here is my card-by-card analysis...

Lucrative Contract

I try to avoid anything with an ability that is contingent on you having the correct cards to use with it unless it is very reliable. This objective is narrowly useful, but it has two resources and if it happens to see play it can help several units in the deck deal with focus tokens. The pod itself is the real star here. The only objective I would choose it over at the start of the game is Trandoshan Terror.

Feeding the Pit

This objective is great, but its another ability that requires other cards to work. Jabba's Reach and The Tatooine Crash are the real priorities, so I would only ever want a single copy in play. Carbonite Transport is a great card to keep Feeding the Pit, and especially with Crash in play too. The pod has several great cards, but nothing I need multiples of.

Trandoshan Terror

This objective doesn't do anything for my plans so I never keep it from my opening four. It's not the worst thing to see, but every other objective is far more important. The pod itself is great, but I actually may end up swapping it out for another copy of...

Hive of Scum and Villainy

The ability of this objective is not to be taken lightly. It is an extremely unattractive target for opposing attacks, which makes it a great place to store captured cards. I'm rather fond of the cards within it too, but more on them later.

Jabba's Reach

This objective is great, but getting cards on it can be a lot easier said then done without something like the Carbonite Transport/Tatooine Crash combo. This card is an attack magnet, but what great objective isn't? The cards in the pod itself are incredibly important too.

Carbonite Transport

I vastly underestimated the utility of this objective's ability. Aside from the obvious interactions it has with The Tatooine Crash and Jabba's Reach, the ability to mislead your opponent as to which cards are held where is incredibly potent. The cards within the pod are all key, so it is a two of. I avoid keeping more then one in play, but it really isn't the worst thing in the world.

The Tatooine Crash

This objective is amazing. It enables so many combos and tricks and the whole time it only serves to disrupt your opponent's strategy. This is perhaps one of the most important cards in the deck, but that doesn't necessarily mean you want multiples in play. The optimal objective draw is Crash, Carbonite Transport, and Jabba's Reach or Feeding the Pit, but Crash, Crash, and Carbonite can be extremely frustrating for an opponent too.

Jawa Scavenger

This is one of my favourite cards in the game now. You really want to be extremely careful when playing multiples as they can and will clog your hand, but Jabba's Reach can easily make that drawback pale in significance. Any card that you can always play no matter what is great in a game like this where you cycle through so many cards. Tactics icons win games, and the jawas' limited time on table make them excellent units to help take the Balance of the Force.

Corrupt Wing Guard

This guy is really good. This deck excels at making the most of few resources and this guy becomes as good as as a two drop very easily. If you can't make use of his ability, he is a decent Force weenie first turn or if your opponent isn't being careful.

Gamorrean Guard

As much as I wish this guy had an ability of some kind, I can't argue with the efficiency. I find this deck tends to exert its resources quickly to get a fast advantage in the early game, so low cost characters are important for those turns where you only have four or less resources due to a big last turn.

Greedo

People seem to be really down on Greedo, but I think they're mistaken. Not only is he a solid card to commit to the Force, in a pinch he can be a great solo attacker. With a lot of Fate manipulation in the deck, his drawbacks aren't nearly so bad if you want him on defense too.

Paid Informant

This guy is a standard aggro unit, but the Bounty Hunter trait makes him a lot more relevant if you have Lucrative Contract in play.

Corrupt Official

This card is amazing, but I've come to feel four copies are more trouble than they're worth. This guy can be used to stall your opponent as you build your forces, but stalling your opponent isn't helping you win the game any faster. I don't think he's pretty much ever worth putting into play, which makes him one more card in the deck you have to hold on to until the right moment. Use him sooner rather than later to dig through your deck more quickly and he's the tops.

Trandoshan Hunter

Wookiees are likely going to be a relevant strategy for a long time, so don't underestimate the potential of his ability. His icons make him a great defender. I've been pleased with him thus far.

Bib Fortuna

Bib can be a wonderful resource accelerator, but he really stinks to draw in multiples so I'm happy with only one in the deck. I generally find unique cards that aren't important to your strategy with less than 3 Force Icons aren't worth playing in multiples and this guy is a shining example of this principle.

Sandcrawler

This card has been somewhat controversial since it was spoiled, but I fall firmly in the "It's good." camp. The cost is unwieldy, but the shielding, good defensive icons, and decent Force skill make it a solid and versatile unit. If you are scared of its Forced Reaction, hold the crawler back until you can take advantage of its ability yourself.

Jabba's Pleasure Barge

Great card. It is almost like a Rogue 3 for Scum. It may not be as brutal, but it's a lot trickier which makes it easy for an unwary opponent to underestimate. The jawas and Jabba can clear the path for the Barge to deal the full three damage it is capable of alone with ease.

Bossk

Force Lightning is one of the best cards in the game. This is effectively that added to a rather savage offensive unit. The limitation to only capture characters isn't so bad when you think of how many definitive Light Side units there are with that trait. People dislike how slow he is to recover from his effect, but there are a few ways to mitigate that in the deck, like Lucrative Contract, so I think the criticisms are overblown. Even if he needs a turn or two to come back online, he is generally worth the wait.

Krayt Dragon

This is a great unit, but the high cost in a deck with several other more important cards in its price range make it much less valuable. It is a very blunt instrument, and Scum is all about finesse. Spice Visions makes this thing absolutely evil, though.

Outer Rim Space Pirates

This card isn't nearly as good as it may seem. A five cost resource accelerator feels like its missing the point. It is great in an Edge battle and okay for trying to keep control of the Force, but I would prefer to draw any other card than this in most circumstances. People balk at paying full price for Weequay Elite, and this card isn't much better for one more resource. This and Explosive Charge are all that is keeping Lucrative Contract from being a mandatory two-of for Scum in my opinion.

Slave 1

I keep hearing negative opinions of this card and I think they are all crazy. It is a very fragile unit in many ways, but I'd rather have a glass cannon in my deck than none at all. With the amount of Tactics icons in the deck to help clear a path, Slave 1 will likely destroy at least one objective when it sees play. It isn't hard for this deck to get it fully armed, so it quickly becomes a must-defend for your opponent.

Jabba the Hutt

One of the most important cards in the deck. Jabba's job generally is to sit back and ruin your opponent's attacks. If the Edge battle goes unfavourably and Jabba is unlikely to have an impact, trigger his ability to get a free Bounty or the like. Definitely a favourite.

The Almighty Sarlacc

This card is good, but not great. Aside from the obvious ability to undo a double focus on an objective, you can use the Sarlacc to help surprise your opponent with an event when they least expect it. If you plan to use it to play Reversal of Fate, be sure to trigger the ability just before the Edge battle starts for maximum effect. You can easily bluff an opponent with his by making them expect an event when you use this on their turn.

Bounty

This is an awesome card, but against certain decks it can easily fall of its target. I think two copies is plenty as the time-delay capture makes it a less urgent play than most other cards. This card is excellent in tandem with a lot of Tactics icons, which this deck has in spades.

Prized Possession

I think expanding your resource base is one of the most integral elements of the game, so I usually try to play as many of these one drop Limited enhancements as possible. The fact that they come in two of the most important pods to the deck is no coincidence, either.

Captured

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Much like Bossk and Force Lightning, this card can completely turn a game around, but its limitation makes it less versatile than the latter. One copy is fine for now.

Spice Visions

An amazing card, but the surrounding pod is filled with stuff I usually only want to see once a game, so I just have the one going for me. Jabba, Bib and Krayt Dragon are my favourite spice fiends for sure.

Explosive Charge

This card can be great but it is utterly useless until both you and your opponent have enhancements in play. Having it in hand first turn especially sucks. Discard quickly if you can't use it immediately.

Utinni!

This is a great card to get Jabba's Reach and similar effects online quickly. Clever timing of this event can totally ruin your opponent's day by screwing up everything from their resource base to their deck's overall strategy. Enhancements will only become more prevalent in this game as we get more to choose from, so the ability to disrupt them easily is very important.

Tractor Beam

A lot of effects in this deck only target characters so having a way to help deal with vehicle-based strategies gives the deck even more flexibility. Slave 1, Jabba's Pleasure Barge, Sandcrawler, and Outer Rim Space Pirates all contribute to making this a solid card against most Rebel decks and anything based around Preparation For Battle, which is an incredibly popular objective set. This card has three Force icons otherwise, so I'm not unhappy to draw one in most cases.

Reversal of Fate

This card is a lot harder to use well than it looks, but the impact it can have on the board is undeniable. Turning the tables in the right Edge battle can completely change the momentum of the entire game in your favour. Great card.

Heat of Battle

Not much to say about this one. You all know what it does.

Target of Opportunity

This deck is rather aggressive, so every little bit of damage helps.

Twist of Fate

Easily one of the top five cards in the game. I find playing four is a bit of overkill, so I haven't made it a priority in choosing pods. Three is proving more than enough, especially with Reversal of Fate also in the mix.

I think you are losing a lot of deck consistency with so many single copies of objectives

Trandoshan Terror produces 2 resources, I don't understand why you would never keep it. Turn 1, it's a lot better than a jabba's reach or hive of scum and villainy.

My solo scum deck runs 2x jabba, 2x boskk, 2 x greedo, 2x feeding the pitt, and 2x lucrative contract. I agree with most of your individual assessments of cards, but I like my decks run more consistently.

The only consistency I worry about is with the overall strategy of the deck. I aim to interfere with my opponent's plans using capture effects then use those captured cards to fuel my own plans and this deck has been doing that quite well. The single pods feature multiple copies of key cards or feature cards I don't want to draw in multiples. Jabba's Reach is one of the engines of the deck, so skipping it on turn one doesn't make sense for me. I've warmed to having the extra resource more, so I may pick Trandoshan Terror over Hive of Scum and Villainy first turn, but the ability on Hive is really brutal so I think it may depend on the match-up. Terror also can't hold The Almighty Sarlacc so it's less useful still.

I've been doing a lot of playtesting and I've found I haven't been capturing as quickly as I'd like to enable Feeding the Pit or Jabba's Reach so I've actually ditched the copy of Lucrative Contract for another copy of Hive of Scum and Villainy. Explosive Charge and Outer Rim Space Pirates are kind of redundant with more reliable cards like Utinni! and Bib Fortuna so they are not missed at all. Losing a copy of Twist is fine as I have two left and both copies of Reversal of Fate to screw with edge battles. Corrupt Official is a great card, but it's something I draw and then have to hold to play when in a lot of cases I'd prefer to simply draw more units and defend against attacks that way. Units I actually put into play to soak damage are capable of doing a lot more than just preventing damage to my objectives, and I've not missed the Official once since I took the pod out.

Feeding the Pit may actually be the best objective in the deck, but the pod itself is full of cards I only care to ever draw one of, if that. Krayt Dragon rules, but I can win reliably without ever drawing it. Its lack of Force Icons and other abilities make it less appealing to have multiples of than Slave 1, which I have found to be performing very well in taking out an objective or two.

The entire jawa pod is soooooo good. The Tatooine Crash is a supremely annoying card and will easily draw fire from some of your other objectives while making them click more quickly if you have Carbonite Transport. In practice, Sandcrawler is a defensive beast and I haven't really been punished too badly by its Forced Reaction yet. Utinni! is great for slowing down your opponent's resources and other tricks, and the fact that you can play it before your opponent can use the Enhancement makes it even better. The jawas are really tricky to use, but they are perfect for stealing the Force, making feints on your opponent's objectives, or tying down their units. They aren't so great defensively, but worst case scenario they end up as Edge fodder. I usually try to keep one or two around, cycling from my hand to play and back. Any more and I tend to dig through my deck too slowly. This deck is all about the hard and fast use of resources, so having free characters is always great when you are waiting for double-focus objectives or Bib to refresh.

Corrupt Officials actually is a pretty good unit, especially as a defender. Holding them to soak damage isn't always the best play.

I agree that Tatooine crash is good, and it is redundant with Lucrative Contract. I originally ran both, but eventually cut the jawas. I might try swapping them for lucrative contract, because I agree with you about their pod pretty much exactly.

I think getting cards on Feeding the Pit or Jabba's Reach as soon as possible is integral, so Utinni! and Crash itself when combined with Carbonite Transport can make that happen within a turn or two. If your opponent doesn't play an Enhancement for Utinni!, they're likely going to be behind you in terms of resources anyway, so it isn't the end of the world.

Carbonite Transport is a trap in competitive play. Don't use it.

Carbonite Transport is a trap in competitive play. Don't use it.

Its interesting you would say that given that the general consensus is that S&V are almost unplayable competitively without getting Tatooine Crash and Carbonite Transport turn 1, which I agree with in general.

Carbonite Transport gets you around a couple of the biggest issues with capture in that its hard to place the captured cards on the objectives you want them on and keeping those captured cards from going back to your opponent's hand. The set also has a nice fatty, a decent cheap guy, a resource (which you need badly), and some really great edge cards.

The S&V deck I've had the most success with thus far.is:

2xJabba's Reach

2xCarbonite Transport

2xTatooine Crash

2xTrandoshan Terror

2xHunt for Han Solo

This has a good mix of capture effects that happen innately in the Crash and Z-95's, a good amount of resources and cheap guys, I went Hunt so that in the event that you dont see a Tatooine Crash/Carbonite combo you still have an innate way of capturing stuff where you want it in the Headhunters. It also has a nice Vehicle sub-theme to it, making the Ugnaughts even better. Its mostly a denial deck where you are stealing stuff from their deck, hand, and in play with equal regularity without giving up on the resources you need.

I have to disagree with the sentiment that carbonite transport is a trap. I like the set and the slave 1 is a wrecking ball even when you only have 1 or 2 captives. a unit doing 4+ damage is pretty insane. Scum can win edge battles relatively easy with all the twists and RoF and with a fair amount of cheap tactics units in the jawas, scum aren't hard pressed to lockdown things for the slave 1 to go in.

the set as a whole is nice because it has alot of force icons for edge battles (9 in 5 cards), it has a resource enhancement, which i prefer to unit resources, it has a ToO and a pretty good chud to boot. the only card i don't use alot of is the tractor beam, as its somewhat situational, HOWEVER, it has 3 force icons so it is the perfect card for edge battles when there is no other vehicles out.

i have run many different scum decks with and without carbonite transport, and i feel like the ones with it are a bit better. scum really isn't great at destroying objectives, so to me it essentially is like the devestator in a sith deck. it gives you that mid to late game push to get an objective or 2 out of the way and win the game. also, even though i don't rely on getting certain objectives, when you do get carbonite transport and a tatooine crash out, all kinds of good happens.

Carbonite Transport is a trap in competitive play. Don't use it.

Its interesting you would say that given that the general consensus is that S&V are almost unplayable competitively without getting Tatooine Crash and Carbonite Transport turn 1, which I agree with in general.

And that's the problem: a deck that has to draw a specific objective to work, let alone a specific combination of objectives, is not a viable deck.

Carbonite Transport is a trap in competitive play. Don't use it.

Its interesting you would say that given that the general consensus is that S&V are almost unplayable competitively without getting Tatooine Crash and Carbonite Transport turn 1, which I agree with in general.

And that's the problem: a deck that has to draw a specific objective to work, let alone a specific combination of objectives, is not a viable deck.

Alright, if you want to take the debate in a completely different direction, then yes I agree. I think S&V by itself is not competitive yet, for all the reasons people have listed on various outlets before. They are still a good splash for Navy/Sith though, which keeps their pods relevant.

If you read my whole post, I noted that my current build for straight Scum is trying to overcome that drawback by playing the only other card that gets you a consistent capture effect (Z-95s) that can fuel the other passives. That being said, I would not realistically take this deck to any serious tournament.

I've been doing a ton of testing with s&v, it's not unplayable, you just have to think of it like you think of sith. Only put cards in for their face value towards controlling and defending. To this end, I've found the following deck to be the only build that seems to work, after much testing:

Hive of scum and villainy x2 (captured, plus several 2 cost units. Greedo isn't bad for holding the balance.)

Jabba's reach x2 (resources, cheap defenders, and jabba, who is amazing by himself)

Tatooine crash x2 (everything about this pod is awesome. Make sure you don't use the objective text more than once unless you have the carbonite console down.)

Jabba's orders x2 (everything about this set is fantastic, very high utility)

Lucrative contracts x1 (corrupt officials win games by themselves practically)

The hunt for han solo x1 (I love the headhunters, they force your opponent to edge their units or lose them, plus they have a ton of health. The focus card is great and I've seen carbonite console used to great effect if dropped early on, but it's still a decent edge card.)

I've considered going with a second lucrative contracts instead of hunt for Han solo, but you would be surprised how much utility I've gotten out of that set. I've tested it against just about every major LS build I have seen, it really does perform well.

One of my friends plays a capture deck, featuring "The Tatooine Crash" and I have absolutely no idea how to counter it. He steals my Hans, Chewbaccas and even my Aquaris Freeholders. I'm pretty much powerless when he gets his capture 1 card/turn objective out (often in his starting objective draw). Anyone know of a way to get through a capture deck?

Eventually his luck will run out if you target that objective you'll be able to get all those cards back in your hand and that can be a big bonus.

Blow up the objective. Using Tattooine Crash every turn is not a good play.

Eventually his luck will run out if you target that objective you'll be able to get all those cards back in your hand and that can be a big bonus.

And that's when you need Interrogation or Get Me Solo!