Strategy vs Cygnar advice

Well I guess I should add that I have narrowed it down to Vlad 1 or Sorscha 1 because I am interested in both of them but have only played a single game with Vlad 1. I've only won a single game against Cygnar this edition and that was with Butcher 3 vs. Haley 2. I have been playing Butcher 1 since the new edition and wanted to change casters and try some new things. I've settled on playing Strakhov 1 in Jaws as my other list but don't fancy it into this particular set of casters I think. Hence, why I am looking for advice because Cygnar is a puzzle I've never been able to solve.

We know a bit about the Haley1 list, any info on the Haley2 one? She can be built in lots of different ways.

If I were to choose between Vlad1 and Sorscha1 against Haleys1 and 2, I think I would choose Vlad1.

My experience is that Sorscha1's feat tends to be reactive to Haley2's as Haley2 has the larger control area. Haley2 feats, Sorscha then feats to try and stop Cygnar capitalising on the lost turn.

By contrast, Vlad1 feat can keep Haley2 more on her back foot. There are two possibilities. The first is that Vlad1 keeps jacks back out of her control area (and so her feat) to missile forwards on feat turn - unlikely to be an assassination vector, but it keeps you with some game on her feat turn. The Haley2 player can address that by Haley2 coming further forward, but then she risks ranged attacks from other models who sacrifice movement. The second is using his feat to get jacks into melee range of Cygnar models before Haley2 feats. Her feat might slow them down/reduce damage, but you've got a more favourable board state. How to use Vlad's feat probably depends on the opposing list composition and board state (better players, please tell me there's a great golden rule here!) - against a jack heavy list the alpha is probably a good idea, but maybe less so if her list is more infantry based. But at least you have some options. 

Against Haley1, Vlad's feat also lets jacks threaten charges from outside the Temporal Barrier bubble.

The difficulty for the ranged component is that Cygnar excel at cutting through lightly armored infantry like WGRC or snipers and can reach out and touch them quite effectively. Sorcha1 gives a bit of protection by upping DEF via concealment. Vlad1's Windwall doesn't help against Sons of the Tempest, but can assist against the eletro-leaping shots. No protection against Chain Lightning though.

Ah Swans. What fun.......

First - it is my experience that, ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL, player skill matters more in the Cygnar vs. Khador match ups than in many of the other dyads. I have come to view Gonzo as very wise in point out that I don't really struggle with Cygnar - I struggle with 2 very good Cygnar players (both did very well in KC Masters for benchmarking). Indeed, lost the other day a new and exciting way to a TK Haley 2 assissination on Hark. But I digress.....

Second - as above the model that GENERALLY gives Cyngar the greatest challenge and forces the most counter play are the Man of War Shocktroopers. Now not a hard counter. They can build armor cracking fine (see Strker 3) but it GENERALLY forces Swans to expand outside of the Haleys. The biggest reason is that a major force multiplier - electroleaps - just isn't that relevant when there are shocks on the table.

Third - a model that swans almost universally hate seeing is Orin Midwinter. I haven't been playing my Butcher 3 Voltron list for a few months but that remains a very viable option.

Fourth - if Gun Mages moving your stuff is creating problems than you can consider Clams. Slams still matter but those ATGMs can't push you around anymore. Ditto for different reasons Conquest

Fifth - to Borderprinces point - you want to look hard at the Cygnar armor cracking answers with Haley2 and really consider with Vlad1 simply RUNNING jacks a full 16 inches to engage. Now you have to worry about TK'ing so look for additional ways to buff your defense above and beyond engaging. So engage while on a hill....or over a wall...or in a forest. Forcing her to use the Squire reroll or boost can help here.

Sixth - even with CRA'ing ATGM you should be OK. Temp Barrier sucks. Just keep plodding forward. Best is if you can shoot (destroyers/behemoth/Conquest) at Haley. TB costs 4 points so it can be a trap if used too frequently.

Absolutely.  You just need to have a strategy for getting them all the way up the board - potentially under Temporal Barrier (or Time Bomb or Haley2 Time Walk).  _IF_ you can do that without losing on scenario (and it isn't THAT hard but just something you need to know about/have a plan) than Shocks can work great.  Options include Vlad 3 (Dash), Kozlov (Tac Surprmacy), Irusk 1 (tac Suprmacy on a stick) and Strakov2 (Quicken).  I am NOT sure whether Vlad1 or Sorscha1 can get them up the field fast enough.   Maybe.  Would need to know what else is in the lists and whether ARM 17/8 wounds is or is not at risk to the shooting.

I was thinking Kozlov or Butcher 1, actually. Both up the armour to make it absurd, Kozlov ups the speed. And while B1 doesn't up the speed, he certainly makes them hurt when they get there.

I think both Vlad and Sorscha could be good with them, though. Vlad makes them super accurate and can send jacks up to contest, and Sorscha can get them an extra turn by freezing everything.

I really enjoy vlad 2 into cygnar as he is a very tool box caster able to cover many areas and has a good way of delivering man of wars, and has a good range presence as well.