Thursday 11 March 2010

Rethinking my Tyranid list

Without resorting to 'hiveguard' yet ... yet ... yet. How do I make my nids more than just a smear on the Imperial tanks treads (as in my last 13-2 devastating defeat)
  • HQ: Parasite of Mortrex ... I still want to run with this guy. He's effectively a lictor (S6 with reroll of 1's and rending) with the ability to seed another army of rippers ... and I like that a lot. His antimech skills are good, but he definitely boost the Gargoyles.
  • HQ: Prime with BoneSword/Lash Whip and Devourer, Regen and Tox. Just great, although adrenal glands wouldn't go amiss in upping his anti-mech punch.
  • Elite: Doom of Malantai. Great against combo armies, pretty useless against mech armies actually. Maybe I should have opted for a couple of Zoanthropes instead as their Lance weaponry would have rocked.
  • Troops: 10 Termagaunts
  • Troops: Tervigon with Regen, tox, Catalyst and Cluster Spines - this is the core, although I'll never run her alone again.
  • Troops: 5 Genestealers - good idea, but a Broodlord would have weathered the flamers better ... perhaps opt for a single smaller, but upgraded squad with adrenal glands.
  • Troops: 5 Genestealers
  • Troops: 24 Hormagaunts - I'm loath to upgrade these guys with adrenal glands. Although the number of attacks they pummel will eventually result in some explodes. I'd prefer to run them as a huge bullet screen and the adrenal glands would make them hot!
  • Troops: 4 Warriors with Rending Claws, Tox and Deathspitters - Just great, I'll probably add a venom cannon variant on the end of this squad.
  • Fast Attack: 3 Spore Mines - got run over by a leman russ - 30 points wasted... I'm thinking these guys are a joke. In dawn of war they are useful to control territory, but in pitched battle and spearhead they are pretty irrelevant as there are no rules about not deploying within 18".
  • Fast Attack: 21 Gargoyles with Tox, I like the build ... I would consider giving them adrenal glands... but deep striking in too slow, too vulnerable and too tactically fixed. I'll run them behind the hormagaunts for a 4+ saving throw.
  • Heavy Support: Trygon Prime, Regenerate - Downgrade to a normal Trygon with regen.
  • Heavy Support: Mawloc, Regenerate - upgrade to a normal Trygon with regen.
New list ideas: Anti Mech Variant
  • HQ: Parasite of Mortrex (160)
  • HQ: Prime with BoneSword/Lash Whip, Adrenal Glands, Deathspitter (110)
  • Elite: 2 Zoanthropes (120)
  • Troops: 10 Termagaunts (50)
  • Troops: Tervigon with Regen, tox, Catalyst and Cluster Spines (215)
  • Troops: 5 Genestealers (70)
  • Troops: 5 Genestealers (70)
  • Troops: 24 Hormagaunts (144)
  • Troops: 4 Warriors with Rending Claws, adrenal glands and deathspitters (180)
  • Fast Attack: 20 Gargoyles with tox and adrenal glands (160)
  • Heavy Support: Trygon, Regenerate (225)
  • Heavy Support: Trygon, Regenerate (225)
Tactics: NO DEEPSTRIKING! Ok so maybe with the Trygons, but the genestealers will infiltrate and the hormagaunts, termagaunts form a screen for the Gargoyles. The Zoanthropes aim to tunnel behind the Trygons and shoot up the mech. (18" range ain't no use for the first two turns anyhow on pitched battle), with the other two options, I get everything as close as possible and pour onto them like a big steaming, rending pile of nastiness.

With the Zoanthropes offering real anti-mech and two Trygons popping up, it will be harder to focus fire and something will get through. The zoan's, warriors, parasite and trygons are all prepped for anti mech - with the gargoyles as a cheap ace in the hole. The genestealers WILL die, but should be able to get the drop on one or more key vehicles...

So what do you think ... would I be better off with a lictor of something likewise, or should I simply slump for the hiveguard and have done?

I look forward to your replies.