Tyranids?

[Florida Gator]

Now correct me if i'm wrong, but to me it seems gw tried to make the damn bugs invincible! i was looking at the nids codex, and saw all the modifiers and great characteristics for very small amount of points. JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS TREACHERY: tyranid warriors are the same amount of points as a single space marine, thats right an hq choice with multiple attacks and a multitude of other things for only 16 points?!?! What is that? anyway.... calming down... ^_^ how can i defeat these creatures? i play blood ravens but have a small amount of ba and sw so that all three can align if i want. any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)

[Grey Mage]

You forget- they go to hell if you take out those HQs and a Tyranid warrior is NOT the same price as a marine- you have to add on some weapons to make them legal, and then they cost more than a Grey Hunter with Grenades *on their cheapest options*.

 

Best way to take them down? Bolters, more bolters, some heavy bolters, and a squad full of Lascannons to throw down at monstrous creatures. They WILL come to you, so maximize your firepower and use your true grit for all its worth brother.

[Florida Gator]

Thanks man. I knew i had to be missing something. But that doesnt mean i dont hate them still... ;) but who doesnt? anyway, if anybody had more ideas or battle reports against the nids... greatly appreciated. Cheers brothers

[Sternguard sergeant McColl]

Played against nids in a tourny today, almost tabled them. Basically, Kill the HQ's, kill the fast things. Avoid table edges. pack flame and plasma (melta) or vehicles with many shots. FEAR the stealers, they can basically eat up anything marines can throw at them, avoid the table edges. No matter how safe you feel bring a hard counter assault unit, you will get assaulted, embvrace it. Nids can get decent armor, so don't rely on high strength alone. Units good against nids:

 

 

Troops:

Rhino mounted tacticals: If you can get the jump on them a solid tactical squad in rhino can take out any nid troop equal in points relatively easy.

 

CCW/BP or shotgun scouts. Possibly snipers against Nidzilla. Gaunts only get one attack when charged I believe and if in synapse have to take fearless wounds for losing. Without number is common, so don't sit around in nid deployment zones.

 

And bike mounted tacticals (if captain on bike) Stay out of assault range until they are small enough to assault, little bugs will need sixes, keep them away from gene stealers.

 

HQ:

 

Librarians: Effective against just about anything actually, Force weapon on a Fex out of synapse is fun. Powers i find useful are the Avenger and Might of ancients. I'm specifically mentioning this because you play Blood Ravens. A terminator/SS eposilatory should be face off with with a few big bugs with any luck. Make sure he doesn't get tarpitted.

 

 

Elites: Any really, Sternguard with flame/plas combi's/guns, Dreadnaughts are great, good shooters and assaulters for big and little bugs, try to keep them away from stealers though. Terminator are perfect here, tactical terminators with a cyclone can absolutely lay waste to Nids. Shoot the little bugs, assault the big ones.

 

Fast attack: Speeders, any speeders really, cyclones are great for both big and little hunting, assault cannon, dual HB, HF/MM.....All great options. Attack bikes in the same way except with less options. Vanguard without Power weapons, good for putting down many wounds, LSS with scouts, feasible, the LSS itself can have a HF, but it really depends on how comfortable you are with having only five scouts to work with and less FA options.

 

heavy support: can't go wrong here, TFC's would do great if you can keep them away from the scary high strength shooting almost every competent Nid player fields. The advantage is the huge range, subterranean rounds would be great, make those bugs crawl to you guns. Predators, for cheap high S fire, vindicators are great also, same with whirlies. Any heavy support kitted correctly will kill many a bug.

 

 

The main thing I have to say is; Do not b afraid! Though the may look extremely scary they can be beaten by a cool head, the main problem with nids is losing your calm, then you make stupid mistakes.

[Tanthius]

What really works:

 

1) Command Squad with 4 plasmaguns in a Razorback. Get into rapid fire range and put 3 to 4 wounds to a MC per turn.

 

2) Assault terminators with hammers and shields in a land raider (w/ extra armor). Drive right into the middle of the bugs and assault half of the army. Having an IC with high initiative power weapon in the squad makes them really shine. Being fearless is lethal for the big bugs when you win the combat by 9 because they had gaunts dying there.

 

3) Don't fear the small bugs (gaunts). Boosted hormagaunts are the only ones that can cause trouble to marines, but they still have problems getting past your 3+ save. Genestealers are a whole different story. Just don't let them get into assault. Shoot them down with bolters.

 

4) Mech up. Tyranids have serious trouble getting tanks reliably down. Moving with cruising speed makes it hard for even a flyrant with 6 attacks on assault to get a single hit through. Add a librarian with psychic hood and the zoanthropes will have fun time first rolling for psychic test, then against the hood, then to hit (4+), then for armor penetration, and then to get something decent from the table. And that S10 attack isn't even AP1 to get +1 on the table.

 

Generally, use low AP weaponry against the big bugs, bolters against the smaller ones. Have transports for your infantry. Bring the assault to them with terminators and use their fearlessness against them.

 

At least, that's what I've found to work well.

 

What haven't worked is:

 

1) Dreadnoughts. Even though getting vehicles down is hard for the bugs, these always seem to get stunned, lose their weapons, getting tied up with gaunts...

 

2) I used to make the mistake thinking tyranids don't have that much long range weapons. Well, you won't see much 48" shooting but with 6" movement (assault weapons whole lot of them) and 36" range, you won't be safe for long with those lascannons and missile launchers of yours.

 

3) Don't leave a unit with your captain to kill a lonely spinegaunt only to get assaulted by a bunch of hormagaunts afterwards.

[Hackbar]

Based on my limited experience, it's lascannon, plasma, or meltas for tyrants and carnifexes, and a good old bolter firing line with heavy bolter or frag missiles for almost everything else. As mentioned, you want to keep your distance from table edges and murder those genestealers at range before they make a mess of your terminators/HQ/etc. Yes, you do need to plan for an eventual melee, but with hidden powerfists and their strong basic stats your marines should be able to handle most anything that makes it past their fire. Flamers and bolt pistols before the charge help. (don't forget the heavy weapons/plasma gun guys have pistols too)

I'll echo that dreads are not optimal. Their best targets (carnifex, for example) stand a good chance of killing them rather than the other way around, and sending them against anything else (gaunts, genestealers) will end up being a waste of time and points.

 

I've had great luck with a captain with Relic Blade. He tends to be short-lived, but some people don't expect a lone space marine to cut down a carnifex and come out in any kind of shape to keep on slugging through a warrior squad before the gaunts finally hop on him in numbers. It's the kind of mistake a person doesn't make twice, though. Also, the hellifre heavy bolter that scouts can get is a very nice toy. Sure, it's AP-, but most of what you're shooting at will be lucky to have a 4+ save, if he upgrades it. Even with half the wounds saved, a blast that wounds on a 2+ stands a good chance of causing some carnage among the tightly-packed hordes. Also, more bodies with bolters at a lower cost than marines isn't necessarily bad. Can't comment on snipers as mine are still in the box.

 

Lastly, remember that even that beastly carnifex or tyrant is only T6! This means that there is literally nothing in his army that cannot be brought down by a lucky bolter or bolt pistol shot. For that matter, basic Space Marine melee can work as well. Rolling for sixes isn't exactly the most reliable tactic, but I've seen a sergeant with just a bolt pistol and chainsword wound a carnifex and kill off a whole squad of warriors solo. If there's no better option, massed S4 attacks can actually give your opponent a nasty surprise. Other consequences of T6 are that assault cannons and relic blades wound even the nastiest 'nid heavy hitters on a 4+, plasma on a 3+, krak missiles on a 2+, and unless they upgrade (though many do) those krak missiles even ignore the armor save on anything but a zoanthrope. What other race's biggest, baddest unit does the lowly krak missile get to hurt on a 2+?

[Giga]

Flamers do a really good job of taking them out.

 

Usual anti-tank weaponry easily kills the monstrous creatures. Sternguard rapid firing does a great job, too.

[Florida Gator]

Thanks guys. I'll probably play against him soon, so i might tell you guys how it goes

[Koremu]

It's not safe to rely exclusively on Sternguard for MC killing duties; A Carnifex with a 2+ save is not reliably killable with Hellfire rounds. I recomend the use of Plasma, especially the Commad Squad idea.

 

Thunderfire Cannon, Whirlwind and Vindicator are all effective against the little critters.

 

Remember that Fearless is a double-edged sword to large broods of critters, as the No Retreat! wounds stack up and their poor save hurts them badly. Because there is no "Hidden Power Fist" worries (unlike Orks), you ca carve down some huge broods.

 

Another problem with the large gaunt spam armies is that the sheer size of the gaunt broods can hinder the 'nid player from manoevering his more powerful troops. If you can engage a gaunt brood and become completely surrounded, it can prevent the 'nids from getting their 'stealers and warriors into base to base contact - and he can't voluntarily disengage the Gaunts.