Personally I like using the thumbnail part more, once ranges are defined.
You just copy and drag those parts in order.
No reason to navigate through the timeline at all and take things to/from scratchpad. I find Cubase implementation better and more flexible, also generating projects as such from stored presets of different arrangements.
S1 scratchpad is obsolete, as I see it. You just drag a thumbnail and place it last until you know what you want with it, and playback looping set before that. Not needed, really.
What I did not see from S1 launch broadcast was how they treat splitting of clips(or events in S1). Everything looked cool as presented, but there were only strict sections with nothing that complicates things.
I have songs where drums have a few hits intro on toms before that bar where kick and there rest comes in. This means time ranges cannot cut strictly on a spot, but have rules how clips are handled on either side - to split, keep from left, keep from right - and such rules.
And for Cubase, it's enough running Elements to get arranger tracks.
In S1 you need Pro version - and they ditched Producer and I would have to pay twice what I payed for Producer just to get upgrade to Pro. And Presonus have two levels of entry versions that don't even have VST support as standard - only Pro version does - what is that about?
I ditched S1 long ago anyway for how they treat midi for external instruments - just kept as reference for support with Waves.
Would be very exited if Cakewalk suddenly had Arranger on "next" list...