I have run from your list the toro, ardent, ignitor and ikon.
First any tire can be run with tubes if you like, but I think it pretty much like running skis with out a good tune.
Hutchison Toro 2.15 - slowest rolling tire out of the 4 mentioned. decent mud shedding, great climbing grip, good corning grip. Best grip on wet rocks/roots of the 4 and the heads and bounds the least prone to flats. If you like to lean the bike over at all its a very poor front tire.
Maxxis Ardent 2.25 - second slowest roller out of the 4 mentions. Best cornering grip out of the 4. Horrible grip on mud, but does clear mud fine. Worst grip on wet roots of the bunch as the open intermediate section of the tire just lets go. Its the one of the best dry/loose on dry tires out there for the front for aggresive riders who corner with alot of angle corners but sucks in wet conditons. 2nd most durable tire mentioned here.
Maxxis Ignitor 2.1 - second faster roller out of the tire mentioned. decent grip all around, but not enough grip for the front end of my bike. Clear mud well and is the best tire for mud, and second for wet rocks/roots. I have had extreme durabilty issues riding rocks with these and have never had a tire make it though a rocky race. I know longer run them for this reason alone. The fastest tire in the world doesnt matter if you can not finish. i never had a problem on non rocky trails with them.
Maxxis Ikon 2.2 - faster roller of the bunch. packs with mud easily, does better on wet roots/rocks than the ardent. cornering is the worst of the group though and I could only ever see it as a rear tire. Again I have had durabilty issues with these things on rocks so I no longer run them. I have also found better fast rolling tires.
beginning of sept I order some Geax and have been thoroughly impressed with then. I think the saguro could be your tire.
Geax Gato 2.3 - rolls about as fast as ardent. Absolutely the best mud clearing out of any of the tires mentioned and by far the best grip on mud/wet rocks/roots/logs. Cornering grip on anything that is slightly soft is pretty freaking amazing. durability has been zero flats while on my bikes. Currently running front and rear on my Single Speed as that the bike that comes out to play in foul weather. its the best foul weather tire I have found so far and its not shabby everywhere else.
Geax saguro 2.2/2.0 - rolls about as fast as the Ikon. Slightly better cornering grip in dry than that tire, and alot better in the wet. Does better than all but the Gato on wet rocks/roots. mud doesnt pack to much Durability has again been great. I wish it was slightly better lateral grip in the front.
Geax aka 2.2/2.0 - rolls faster than anything mentioned here. second best dry cornering grip of everything mentioned only after the ardent. Does well on wet roots and rocks, but does easily pack with mud. been amazing durable for a 600 gram race tire. My go to race tire front and rear next year whens its dry or at least when its not going to get mud.
currently i am running Gatos front and rear on my single speed, and gato front with saguro rear on my Anthem X. For fall time weather the Gato front/saguro rear is a really good race set up.
some thoughts on the other tires
Kendas - although I have never have used anything you mention, the sidewalls are very flimsy, which means no tubeless and lots of pinch flats with tubes.
Maxxis - I am convinced their rubber compound is the worst compound for wet rocks/roots. Even the 3c tread still seems to suck
Specialized - some of the best tires on the market, but also the most expensive. The captain works better on the rear with like a eskar/purgatory front.
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