The Devourer 2.0

[commander alexander]

After playing a few games with tyranids and talking with a veteran tyranid player I have decided to update the guide.

 

HQ

 

Hive Tyrant

-Tyrants are the leaders of their swarms, and have some nice rules to boost the effectiveness of units close by and the army in general. They are beasts in cc, regardless of how they are kitted out they are nasty in cc. Short range but effective psychic powers. WS:8, BS:3 S:6 T:6 W:4 I:5 A:4 Ld:10 Synapse Creature, MC, 3+ SV (can be upgraded to 2+),

 

Swarmlord

-This guy is a beast. First of-all he has bone sabers, they inflict instant death regardless of toughness, and force you to re-roll any invul saves against them, he gets 4+ invul in cc. His tyrant powers are suped up, and he knows all the tyrant psychic powers and can use 2 a turn. Adds +1 to reserves, and may re-roll for any outflanking units.

WS:9 BS:3 S:6 T:6 W:5 I:6 A:4 Ld:10 Sv:3+ Synapse Ceature

 

Expect to see tyrant and swarmlord combo in lots of lists

 

Tyrant Guard

-May be joined by a tyrant or the swarmlord.(Note they are not IC) WS:5 T:6 W:2 Sv:3+. If for whatever reason you do manage to kill the tyrant they gain rage and furious charge. Should expect to see them with their tyrants (obviously)

 

Tervigon

-Okay its a 'fex offshoot that spawns termagaunts, everyone knows that, and that termagaunts within 6" use his Ld and toxin sacs and/or adrenal glands. Everyone knows that they have a psychic power that gives FNP to a friendly in 12", he has the possibility of extending his synapse range to 18" as well. But what you might not know is that for every unit of termagaunts you take (actually in your FOC) they may include a tervigon as a troops choice.

-Expect to see this bad boy sitting on objectives poopin out gaunts like hes had a few to many bananas.

WS:3 BS:3 S:5 T:6 W:6 I:1 A:3 Ld:10 Sv:3+ Synapse Creature

-You think that he will only give his FNP power to gaunts? Oh you are terribly mistaken, expect it to be given to more useful units, like genestealers.

 

Tyranid Prime

-Suped up warrior with more options. If he is with a unit of warriors they may use his BS and WS. He is an IC.

WS:6 BS:4 S:5 T:5 W:3 I:5 A:4 Ld:10 Sv:3+ Synapse creature

-Might be used in smaller games for points effectiveness.

 

The Parasite Of Mortex

-This is not only my opinion, but that of any other gamers I have talked to, they would only take it as a joke, quite literally "I mean, rippers dude? ^_^ " All it is, is a parasitic wasp-ish thing that tries to infect you with rippers by "probing' you with his tail. Honestly I have never seen rippers in a tyranid force. There are much better HQ choices.

 

Elites

 

 

Hive Guard

-Cool stuff. They can shoot through anything, no LOS required, you only get cover saves if your in cover or touching. Only has 24" range though, Assault 2 Str8 AP4.

-Will most likely be used against your lighter armor like rhino chassis, dreadnoughts and speeders.

WS:4 BS:4 S:5 T:6 W:2 I:2 A:2 Ld:7 Sv:4+

 

Lictors

-Good old lictors. They may not assault from arrival like they used to. If they are on the table in the previous table, add+1 to reserves and don't scatter if deep striking within 6"

WS:6 BS:3 S:6 T:4 W:3 I:6 A:6 A:3 Ld:10 Sv:5+

 

Death Leaper

-Unique lictor. Can choose one model to lose D3 Leadership at the beginning of the game. Enemy units trying to move through cover close to him roll one less die. If you try to shoot him, you use night fighting rules, the distance you see then being halved. He can be re-deployed and put back into reserve. His flesh hooks count as rending on 5's and 6's.

-Hell on your rune priests. Couple his leadership ability with any of the soooo many LD based tyranid abilities, and they are nigh guaranteed effectiveness.

WS:9 BS:3 S:6 T:4 W:3 I:7 A:4 LD:10 SV:5+

 

Venomthrope

-Armed with poisoned lash whips (wounds 2+!), he can kill models in cc, but with WS3 and 2 attacks base he is not too scary. He gives friendlies in 6" 5+ cover save. May betaken in broods up to3

WS:3 BS:4 S:4 T:4 W:2 I:3 A:2 Ld:6 SV:5+

 

Zoanthropes

-Warp Lance and Warp Blast, two very effective psychic powers, but with a relatively short range 18" and 24". 3+ invul saves, counter with amassed shots or no AP weapons. May be taken into broods up to 3.

WS:3 BS:3 S:4 T:4 W:2 I:3 A:1 Ld:10 Sv:5+ Synapse

 

Doom of Malan'Tai

- One scary zoanthrope. Every non-vehicle enemy unit in 6" takes a LD test on 3D6. for each point you fail by he gains a wound. He gains +1 wound automatically for every wound he inflicts, he can have a total of 10. His strength is a direct reflection of his # of wounds, which he uses as the Str rating for his 24" AP1 Large blast psychic shooting attack. But he suffers D3 before he gains any from wounding, so in truth he probably wont lose any.

-Jump on him ASAP! this guy is truly a threat at AP1 and a large blast.

WS:4 BS:4 S:x T:4 W:4 I:4 A:3 Ld:10 SV:3+ Ha also has the 3+ invul. is not synapse

 

Pyrovores

-These will only fit into lists of a very stylized player, as they are only any good in cc or flamer range. He is armed with a heavy flamer and power weapon, he also explodes 6" upon death on a 4+, Str3 AP-. May be taken as broods up to 3

WS:3 BS:3 S:4 T:4 W:2 I:1 A:1 Ld:6 SV:4+

 

Ymarl Genestealers

-Come in from cover like lictors. May chose +1 Str, +1 A, or +1 T each turn, but may not select the same two turns in a row. only available in broods of 10, have no options not even a broodlord.

-Suprisingly (to me at least), people have said they would like to try them.

WS:6 BS:0 S:4 T:4 W:1 I:6 A:2 Ld:10 Sv:4+

[Marshal Wilhelm]

Hormagaunts are very good bang for buck. With 'special-fleet' they'll still be assaulting from 16+" away. Their high initiative will reduce the damage you can do to them. They will out perform GH from a toe-to-toe fight. You need to thin them down with shooting. Pay attention to them.

 

Termagants are less killy but I think they will be getting buffed by the Venomthrope's spore cloud & a Tervigon's catalyst power.

[the jeske]

They will out perform GH from a toe-to-toe fight

only like everything nid they dont have frags and with cover more or less everwhere[specialy on objectives] whole broods may die before even getting to swing. to survive they need 2-3 unit combos [like FnP +PE from a tervi and tyrant] .

[commander alexander]

-With many of their special rules actually being psychic powers (tervigon's FNP for example) can be shut down by rune priests.

 

I also expanded on the venomthropes.

[commander alexander]

They will out perform GH from a toe-to-toe fight

only like everything nid they dont have frags and with cover more or less everwhere[specialy on objectives] whole broods may die before even getting to swing. to survive they need 2-3 unit combos [like FnP +PE from a tervi and tyrant] .

 

Incorrect, Carnifex's have frag spines, and they most definitely can still hold their own.

[the jeske]

Incorrect, Carnifex's have frag spines, and they most definitely can still hold their own.

yes taking an overcosted carnifex over a trygon or even a tervigon , totally makes sense. they are not synapas arent more resilient , are totally overcosted for what they do now . shoting is done better by guard and anti tank done better by zoanthrops . the mystic spores screamer killer set up aint better then a deep striking trygon , but the trygon can shot , is a synaps and blocks more LoS. fexs dont exists as a unit choice in the new dex. just like lictors or pyrovores .

 

and if you want to walk a screamer in to hth , then it doesnt work just like it didnt with the old dex [only then the fexs were cheaper and more resilient].

[Roland Durendal]

-Tervigons; :devil: Not that great actually, they are relatively weak, and only poop out a few guants at a time. Synapse creature

=Honestly a few grey hunters could kill it in a single round of combat. JOTWW and M. Launcher LF's are a popular choice against any MC. (3+Sv)

 

You forget that they can make those Terms nasty with FNP and FC. Oh and they also can confer that FNP on nearby units. So...while statswise not that strong, their ability to help those around them makes them a threat.

 

-Hive Guard; Meh, they can shoot through anything which is cool, but are pretty much AP4 not melta multimeltas.

=(4+Sv)

 

You forget that there are no cover saves allowed from this weapon unless the are physically touching or inside the cover.

 

-Lictors; not so scary since they cant attack on arrival. add 1 to reserve rolls if on the table the previous turn.

=(5+Sv) can easily be killed with bolters.

If you think these guys aren't scary, you're in for a rude awakening. They WILL be placed in cover which means they'll usually have a nice 4+ save from your shooting. If this is the case, the only thing that'll really hurt them are flamers. And let's not forget their S6 Assault 2 Rending weapon either.

 

 

-Deathleaper; a lictor with come not so useful rules.= again can kill with bolters.

 

This must be one of the most underrated unit comments you make. He'll be placed in cover with stealth means a minimum of a 3+ cover save. He too ahs the S6 shooting attack. He rends in CC on a 5+, oh and good luck shooting him when they have to use Night fight rules to do so. But the most important "not so useful rule" is that he can make one of your character -d3 in LD the whole game (or until he dies). And guess what he's going to doing that to? One of your rune priests. So good luck trying to get powers off at a potential LD7.

 

-Ymarl Genestealers; expensive small stealer unit. all it can do is change each turn to +1T or something, cant even take a broodlord. Synapse free

=Not top priority(4+Sv)

 

+1T, +1A, or +1S actually. Only one of those every turn.

 

-Gargoyles; still jest terms with wings

 

 

Terms with wings that will eat you in CC. Auto wound on a to hit roll of 6? Yes please.

 

-Trygons; kinda nasty, and will most likely go after any tanks you are trying to hide after shooting nearby infantry with pretty nasty lightning.(prime is Synapse Creature)

=AP3 or better (has 6 wounds)

 

Remember that the hole they dig can be used by other creatures arriving from reserves too. So yeah kill the trygon and watch as the Nid player laughs as swarms of other gribblies come out of the hole to take his place. 2 of these guys with a Mawloc will ruin anyone's day and deployment. Coupled with some podding nastyness and you've got an army that excels at assault in your face within 2-3 turns.

 

General Recommendations;

-Lone Wolves are gold with Glorious Death and Beastslayer rules. Tie up those units with bone swords.

 

Agree completely. Termy armor, TH/SS, and a Fen wolf or 2 for extra wounds and send these dudes after big nasty things.

 

 

Overall decent review, missed some key points here and there, but nothing too major. Recommendations good for the most part too.

[commander alexander]

You do realize that I didnt include absolutely everything like what the Ymarl Genestealers do because of fear of doing so that the topic might be melta'd? Also you seem to have just ignored certain parts.

Yes I know that trygons have subterranean assault, I was under the impression with sooo many other articles including the one GW has on this unit, that everyone here knew that.. And if your read anything you would have noticed I said the FNP tervigon power was a psychic power that could be shut down by a rune priest? I said Hive guard can shoot through anything, as in barrage, where you don't get cover unless your in it.

 

Most importantly these are all my own observations and opinions. For example, Lictors and the deathleaper, I have never seen a table with enough terrain to make either of them useful. That is an observation, from my experiences.

 

While I do think some of your comments where constructive, others were not. Perhaps not all my points were clear enough.

[Hear da Lamentation]

Well thanks for the advice Commander - and taking the time out to write it all up. No doubt we will all have things we agree and disagree with - and a lot of that will come from personal experience trying to squish those damn bugs. Still, I will be re-reading that in detail before I next fight them.

 

Thanks again,

 

H.D.L.

[commander alexander]

Okay I have learned, played, and discussed some more stuff with a Tyranid veteran, so here is the beginning of an updated guide. I will finish it over the next few days.

[Kenmichi]

You do realize that I didnt include absolutely everything like what the Ymarl Genestealers do because of fear of doing so that the topic might be melta'd? Also you seem to have just ignored certain parts.

Yes I know that trygons have subterranean assault, I was under the impression with sooo many other articles including the one GW has on this unit, that everyone here knew that.. And if your read anything you would have noticed I said the FNP tervigon power was a psychic power that could be shut down by a rune priest? I said Hive guard can shoot through anything, as in barrage, where you don't get cover unless your in it.

 

Most importantly these are all my own observations and opinions. For example, Lictors and the deathleaper, I have never seen a table with enough terrain to make either of them useful. That is an observation, from my experiences.

 

While I do think some of your comments where constructive, others were not. Perhaps not all my points were clear enough.

 

So if this is a review requiring the readers to already have an in-depth understanding of Tyranid tactics and how to fight them, then what's the point of this thread? I was under the understanding that this was supposed to be an in-depth analysis of Tyranid tactics making Roland's additional comments absolutely necessary to add to the thread. They are points that tell me as a non-Tyranid player, "Hey Trygons are even scarier than I originally thought!"

 

I'd also like to make a point on Tervigons, I believe that most players will use the Tervigon as a psuedo-Whirlwind by keeping him out of LOS so he can safely horde up without being threatened.

[antique_nova]

Which is what i exactly do with a tervigon, sometimes i do outflank it however to support genestealers that have outflanked as well. But yea, Kenmichi does have a very good point. Also, i don't think your allowed to post stats, because i did that in a bat rep and the mods removed the stats from my bat rep.

thanks

antique_nova

[HERO]

I don't see the Hive Tyrant and Swarmlord in every list.. in fact, I don't think anyone likes that combo. It's extremely expensive..

[antique_nova]

damn right it is and jotww makes it look like grots.

[saphius]

damn right it is and jotww makes it look like grots.

 

You do realize that if he takes a Deathleaper you're at most LD9, down to even LD7...

 

You do also realize that since he is synapse you only have a 12 inch margin of error or you'll be taking that LD test on 3D6 - assuming there is no other synapse around then you most assuredly will...

 

You do also realize that he needs a 6 to fail against JoTWW...

 

So, your right... Given 6 full turns of casting psychic powers, getting them all off, and hitting the hive tyrant every time odds are - he'll die.

 

All things considered JoTWW is probably the worst thing in the SW codex you could use to kill a hive tyrant.

[Commissar Volker]

JOTWW is basically useless against 'Nid armies as their I is so high.

[Archnomad]

Woah! No! Bad!

 

JotWW is essential against nids these days, at least near where I play. Why? Tervigons. I've been playing a load of 1000 point games lately (big 1k point tourney coming up in Scotland) and I've frequently had fun with a list packing 2 Tervigons and 2 Trygons (considering the FoC restrictions of the tourney we're going to, that's a lot, and harsh), and frankly, JotWW kicks ass against these guys. I'm currently playing a list with 5 missile launchers, 4 lascannons, 4 twin linked plasma guns and 2 multi meltas. A Trygon tends to drop on turn one, and I wound another. But Jaws tends to drop Tervigons like they're not even there. They die on a 3+. That's 6 Toughness 6 wounds with a high save and FnP gone. On a 3+!! Sure, they have Deathleaper, then take another Rune Priest. They're cheap as chips for what you get. And you can easily outrange Shadows.

 

JotWW is also imba against Carnifices (uncommon), but more importantly, the Tyrannofex. Again, 3+, you die.

 

In 1500 point games I'm running into 3 tervigons and a tyrannofex (as well as 2 trygons), so I strongly disagree with "JotWW is basically useless against nids".

 

Not having a go at you personally mate, but it's (imo) an essential power versus nids. My good ol' Thunderclap/Jotww priest in a razor has yet to let me down.

[Kenmichi]

So what do you do if your Tyranid opponent fields a Deathleaper? You field two Rune Priests, assuming the Rune Priest is pivotal to your strategy. If a Rune Priest isn't pivotal you should field one anyway to force your opponent to use the ability on him so your other HQs aren't affected.

[Archnomad]

Who actually fields deathleaper? It's a bucketload of points, for -D3 leadership, and minus dice on my DT rolling (useless, I'm mech), Night Fighting (oh noes, we're space wolves), and 2 T4 wounds. Sorry if it doesn't instil fear in me. And chances are that at LD8 you'll still past most of the time, for the one turn it should take you to down Death Leaper after he appears. Personally I plan on just charging him with 5 GHs w/Flamer. Chances are that will kill him. If he doesn't take a wound in the shooting phase though I'll add a little extra fire support. Surely we (as marines) know that a 3+ save only gets you so far.

 

He looked like he was going to be autoinclude, until people saw his price tag, and realised you could get a whole brood of nids, or most of a MC for his points cost.

 

Also, feel free to fire Krak Missiles at him. I might actually just take him out with my typhoons. S8 instant kills him. So he's takin 3+s, and one fail and pop. With 3 typhoons, that shouldn't be hard.

 

 

 

Yeah, I was looking forward to Deathleaper for my nids (nids were my 1st 40k army), then they made him suck -.-

 

 

Archy

[Kenmichi]

Who actually fields deathleaper? It's a bucketload of points, for -D3 leadership, and minus dice on my DT rolling (useless, I'm mech), Night Fighting (oh noes, we're space wolves), and 2 T4 wounds. Sorry if it doesn't instil fear in me. And chances are that at LD8 you'll still past most of the time, for the one turn it should take you to down Death Leaper after he appears. Personally I plan on just charging him with 5 GHs w/Flamer. Chances are that will kill him. If he doesn't take a wound in the shooting phase though I'll add a little extra fire support. Surely we (as marines) know that a 3+ save only gets you so far.

 

He looked like he was going to be autoinclude, until people saw his price tag, and realised you could get a whole brood of nids, or most of a MC for his points cost.

 

Also, feel free to fire Krak Missiles at him. I might actually just take him out with my typhoons. S8 instant kills him. So he's takin 3+s, and one fail and pop. With 3 typhoons, that shouldn't be hard.

 

 

 

Yeah, I was looking forward to Deathleaper for my nids (nids were my 1st 40k army), then they made him suck -.-

 

 

Archy

 

You bring up another point I forgot to mention that's pivotal to any Tyranid analysis thread: point cost. Tyranids are very interesting now because they combine some of the cheapest horde units in the game with a BUCKET LOAD of 150+ point unique models. In order to field a lot of the really scary models you sacrifice a lot of points and FO slots so you have to pick 1 or 2 unique models at most and build a list around them, which means losing those models would really hurt your opponent. With Wolves' access to T5+ hunting, EW, and Wolf Claws we make the ideal armies to take on these expensive creatures, and counter-attack really puts a damper on gaunt charges, though at all costs we should try to stay out of CC with stealers until we dwindle their numbers down to a more manageable size.

[commander alexander]

Please remember this is still WIP at the moment, I still have allot of units to put in and other comments or tid-bits of information.

 

BE PATIENT! And please refrain from adding 10 COMMENTS BEFORE I EVEN GET HALF-WAY DONE. I would really not like this to turn into a debate or prolonged discussion. If, when I'm finished, I have not included something you think is important, please PM me and I will be sure to add it if I agree*, so for now, please wait.