OK, my quick take on these.
The Shadow Guard. VERY COOL. It's kind of like a re-done version of the old Dark Side Marauder from Universe. The Shadow Guard gets 1 more Defense, but 2 less to attack than the DSM. However, the addition of Cunning more than makes up for that. Adding in Deadly Attack and Stealth for only 1 more build point? Not bad. What just popped into my head right now was that he's the same cost as Bacara. Granted, he doesn't have the sweet CE like Bacara, but in a one-on-one fight, I think it's quite obvious who would win. I'm giving this one a 4 out 5 right out of the gate, with the potential to go higher still depending on the rest of this set. Plus, the sculpt is just too cool. These guys look awesome.
Vader's Apprentice, Unleashed. Wow...Not sure I know what to say right now besides wow. Am I seeing an all new version of Shock Therapy at 100 points? This guy is a beast. No single piece (barring Disintegration or Criticals) can kill him in 1 turn (max is 120 from something like Lord Vader or Mara Jade, Jedi), so you're likely to get off 2 Force attacks once you get in close, provided you've had enough time to build up some force points, or you have a battery. With the added ability to activate any character presently in the game (except for the AT-AT) that is definitely some 'Unleashed' Force abilities. Granted, the cost of those Force Points is somewhat prohibitive to his usefulness, and it costs him in other areas, such as the fact that he only has Double Attack. But again, to compare him to an older piece in the same faction, Anakin Sith Apprentice, I think Vader's Apprentice could waste Anakin in a heart beat. It takes Anakin SA 5 attacks, WITH Sith Rage, and 7 attacks without it to kill the Apprentice. The Apprentice only needs 3 attacks, and one Force Lightning 4 to finish off Ani. Pretty impressive. Most impressive, I would even say.
Again comparing the Apprentice to Anakin SA, you see that the Apprentice has 1 higher defense, 10 more HP, but the same Attack and Damage. Both have Double Attack. Granted, Anakin's Loner and Sith Rage make him a nasty up-close-and-personal fighter, but the Apprentice is one I would fear much worse. Activation, save of 16, is definitely something to be feared. Tell me, how many times, since this time last year have you honestly rolled above a 16 while using Leia Hoth Commander? It's hard to roll those saves.
So, overall, both are really impressive to me. Vader's Apprentice is going to be so much fun to play, and if he is any indication of what the rest of this set will look like, or what the future of Force users in the game might look like, I am seriously excited. Things have become a bit boring IMO, with the reigns of Boba, Lord Vader, and the JWM. Pieces like Vader's Apprentice are just what we need to shake things up.