Alex,
You probably have it all sorted out by now, but The Lost Company bike shop guys do some nice video blog type stuff. They just did a couple run throughs on Maxxis compounds and sidewalls.
For me, I don’t go through a lot of tires each season. So each purchase time, have to go back and review the acronym alphabet soup to ensure I get the ones I want.
It’s the first couple in the list. Will be obvious.