M3-A Interceptor Review

This is part one of a series where I'm going to break down all the available options for Scum and give my thoughts on them. I'm going to begin with the M3-A "Scyk" Interceptor.

M3-A Interceptor Pilots

Cartel Spacer [14]
Tansarii Point Veteran [17]
Laetin A'shera [18]
Serissu [20]



As you can see that despite sharing a name and an action bar with other interceptors it does not get the same dial. It is missing the 3-turns, the distinctive 5 straight and has half the green as compared to the other interceptor dials. It does get 1 banks but that is no trade for the manuevers it loses. I think that its safe to say that it may not be ideal in this role.

But I tend to think of it as more of a psuedo TIE fighter myself and when you compare the dials you can start to see what I mean.



While still missing the 3 turns and the straight 5 its core is nearly identical even maintaining the same green maneuvers. Also I feel that the 5 K-turn is very welcome on a jouster including this one so I see that as a plus over the TIE dial. The TIE/Scyk comparison is where the points start to make sense. If you take a basic Academy TIE and compare it to the Cartel Spacer its cost matches up. If you call the dial a wash the Cartel Spacer gets: +1 Pilot Skill, Target Lock, and exchanges a Hull for a Shield. To me that is worth the 2 points. Its not the height of efficiency that an Academy TIE is but its not over costed in my opinion.

I don't feel the same way about the Tansarii Point Veteran as I do about the Cartel Spacer. 3 points buys you +3 Pilot Skill and an Elite Pilot Talent. To me that isn't great value especially if you consider that a Black Squadron Pilot gets +2 Pilot Skill and an Elite Pilot Talent for 14 points and I would much rather have that then be forced to pay a 1 point premium for extra pilot skill I don't really need or want. I consider this ship to be 1 point over costed.

Laetin A'shera is interesting. Pilot skill 6 is a weird place for any pilot to be. Lofty above the rabble (but 5 would be as well) but below most of the aces which start to come around at Pilot Skill 7. But for only 1 point over the Tansarii Point Veteran combined with her pilot ability I consider it fair. Her pilot ability is just okay because it really requires investing in a Stealth Device which makes her 21 points which is just too much for a defensive 2 attack die ship. Also she lacks an Elite Pilot Talent which is just too much to overcome. She desperately wants Lone Wolf or Juke and she can never have it. Without more survivability she should never be taken.

Serissu is Pilot Skill 8 and has one of the few squad buffs available for Scum. I have heard him called the anti-Howlrunner and it sort of rings true. Especially consider that both are unaffected by their own pilot abilities. Except defense dice are less powerful than attack dice. So he is a downgrade especially if you consider that Howlrunner comes in at 18 pts. He costs 2 more and has nothing to show for it except Target Lock. So as far as I'm concerned he is over costed by 2 pts. That doesn't make him a non-starter but considering that he operating outside the usual style of Scum I have yet to find a way to make him fit.

So we have one potentially viable option; the Cartel Spacer. Theoretically it could be used as a low cost heavy weapon (Heavy "Scyk" Title + Flechette Cannon) which would bring its points cost to 17. Seems high to me for a control oriented psuedo TIE fighter that then can't really be used as a blocker. For 14 pts you can get the base model and try to use it as a blocker. However it is actually hurt by its Pilot Skill of 2 in that case and compared to the bargain which is the Z-95 it doesn't seem to have role there either. Which leaves the M3-A without a home in most lists.

Lastly the Title card and lack of an illicit slot is a source of much contention. While theoretically good as it adds a choice of missile, torpedo, or cannon the only real option in the current meta is the cannon. As the Title is +2 points and the cheapest cannon is +2 points it simply costs too much to be effective in its role. In the future with the release of the Tractor Beam or Guidance Chips this could change. I haven't figured out why it didn't come with an illicit slot as it would make sense both thematically and in the game itself.

The breakdown is; the M3-A dial prevents it from competing against other interceptors because of its dial. It may be a cost effective swarm option though the Z-95 also being available makes it a much less viable choice. It is hurt by its title which costs points and its lack of an illicit slot. I've seen fixes proposed online and my favorite one's involve either a new title or a modification which opens up new slots. I hope that they release some new content for this ship in the future as I look forward to having it as an option in my lists.

Future Speak: I am adding this section because the Tractor Beam was recently spoiled and I've seen some discussion about using the M3-A as a low cost control piece. I don't believe that the new Tractor Beam makes any of the M3-A pilots viable but there might be something there and I'm reluctant to entirely dismiss it outright. I feel that there needs to be a lot of play testing and experimentation on all fronts and I feel safe saying that the Tractor Beam will change X-Wing forever. Moving on...

Help Me Obi-Wan!

I've been asked by a commenter here at Rolling Blanks to provide some assistance with Kath. As they didn't specify the Imperial or Scum versions I will do both:

Imperial Kath

Kath with Calculation, Mangler Cannon, Tactician and Engine Upgrade (48)

This build insure's that she is doing what she does best which is hand out stress as much as possible. Calculation opens the possibility of adding more stress from the rear arc and I feel that as long as you can stay in Range 2 you should be reliably passing two stress per attack to your targets. Fun! Note that this build leaves you enough points for a mini swarm to accompany her.

Scum Kath

Kath with Daredevil, Gunner and Engine Upgrade (50)

This build is all about mobility. You want as many opportunities to keep that rear arc on your enemies and Boost or having the opportunity to do a 1 turn as an action does just that. Gunner helps insure that all those dice do something. You could also add Glitterstim or Hot Shot Blaster you had the points and were so inclined.

That's all for now. See us next time as we pick apart the Kihraxz Fighter!