New nids, what's your experience?

[boreas]

So, after getting thrashed with my Tau for the last 6 weeks, I decided to revert to my good ol' trusty Sisters. Nothing beats the Nids like Sisters, no? Flamers and St8 Ap1 missiles do the job, right?

 

Ouch...

 

It was a 1250pts of Sisters and 1250pts of Eldars VS 2500 pts of Nids.

 

My list was:

 

-Canoness: eviscerator, BoSL

-Celestian retinue (2 flamers, VSS+eviscerator)+Priest (Eviscerator)

 

-Elite =I=, 3 Heavy Bolter

-Callidus assassin

 

-15 sisters (flamer, Heavy Flamer, VSS w/BoSL and Eviscerator)

-15 sisters (flamer, Heavy Flamer, VSS w/BoSL and Eviscerator)

 

Exorcist

Exorcist

 

The Eldar List was (approx):

 

-Farseer (rune of Warding)

-10 Dire Avenger (in a falcon)

-10 Storm Guardians (in a falcon, with warlock?)

-10 Fire Dragons (in a falcon)

-6 Warp Spiders

-3 D-cannons

-2 (other artillery that does 5" pie-plates)

 

The game was Spearhead 4 objectives. I won't do a full battle report because it ended a 12h30 this morning. Suffice to say that we managed a draw due to the game finishing at turn 4 (I really had to leave!) and could possibly have won by 1 objectif. It was a hard game, all 3 players being veterans and rolls being "on the stat" the whole time (I like to calculate "the" statistical outcome before all rolls and can pretty much multiply fractions in my head in real time after 8+ years of Warhammer!).

 

"So, what's the problem? What was his list?" can I hear in the audience? The problem is that my nids-playing friend is NOT a powergamer. He actually skims rules because he likes to play a bit of everything and convert cool models. He'll try out anything if it seems cool. So, while he plays well, his lists are never optimal. Let's look at his:

 

Nids list (approx. He could build it as 2x1250pts, hence the extra Heavy Slot)

 

-Flying Hive Tyrant

-Parasite of Mortrex

 

-2 Zoanthropes (Mycetic Spore)

-2 Zoanthropes (Mycetic Spore)

-2 Venomthropes

 

-Tervigon

-19 Termigants (Mycetic spore w/ the Parasite)

-20 Termigants (outflank)

-20 Termigants

-20 Termigants

 

-Carnifex (mycetic Spore)

-3 Biovores

-Trygon Alpha

-Tyrannofex

 

Now, it not a bad list, but definitely sub-optimal. The Flying Hive Tyrant had to stick with his troops, so the wings where a waste. The Tyrannofex, biovores and Parasite were sub-optimal (if cool!) choices. The Carnifex in spore also was not optimal). He definitely could have changed the Carnifex the a second Trygon and the Tyrannofex to a second Tervigon.

 

So, our very good lists had trouble with his sub-par list! The main problem was his shooting... The Mycetic spores all had a 5" template, as did the Tyrannofex, the Hive Tyrant and (I think) the Carnifex. Add the zoathropes in the mix and it was very problematic. On my part, the exorcists perfomed ok (the mycetic spores were well-deployed in order to give cover the TMCs), the callidus took on a pair of Zoeys and the Canoness and friends killed a unit of 20 Termigants, a Tyrannofex and a Venomtrope in CC (Only the canoness was left, though). If that had been a KP game, we would have won all the way but with objectives, we got pushed back into our zone by the sheer number of units.

 

So, how are you faring?

 

Phil

[number6]

If you are a foot army -- and that's what your army in this battle was -- then the 'nids are going to eat you for lunch. It's just that simple. The 'nids are GW's kick in the collective 40K player base's butt to Get With The Program. The Program being, of course: buy vehicle kits!

 

They gave you a shiny new game system that makes vehicles awesome.

They are pumping out codexes that cut the points cost of vehicles by as much as 40% over their previous versions.

 

And now GW reindtroduces the most popular non-Imperial army, and that army's sole purpose is to slaughter infantry quickly, efficiently, and without mercy.

 

Mech up or continue to lose to the 'nids.

 

I haven't yet pulled my DH army out against 'nids, but my Tau have been able to compete effectively the few times I've so far managed games.

[Verythrax Draconis]

That very old trick of tank shock > flamers > charge doesn't work?

[boreas]

That was my first tought... My main problem with that is two-fold: Sororitas vehicles are still costly. At 35 pts the rhino (using the IA v. 2 which my gaming group allows), I would have sacrificed 7 sisters. Actually, I would have sacrificed 10 sisters and one celestian and embarked the 3 units. Right here, I'm lowering my model count by about 20%. That a lot of bolter missing! Second, I was counting on massed bolters to kill the small nids and big groups using Divine Guidance to help with the bigger ones.

 

Okay, I lied, it more that two-fold! It's four-fold, actually!!! The other two problem with putting the sisters in Rhinos are: Kill point. I'm adding 3 easy kill points to my list. Finally, it's the nids shooting. I've pretty much come to expect Hive Guard (although that was not the case Yesterday) and they just kill Rhinos so easily.

 

I'm going to try more vehicles next time, and see how it goes!

 

Phil

[Momento Mori]

I Played against them with my Sisters a couple of weeks ago. I honestly thought they'd hand me my rear end on a plate, but I made them work for it! They did win in the end, but only by a small margin. I found that my Exorcist, Immolator, Seraphim and FNOD were my best friends, as they tied up/blew up a lot of key bugs, thus letting my stormtroopers and mech sisters get entrenched and deal some serious firepower. My best decision for this battle, was an Inquisitor with a psychic hood, that little beauty earned its points for sure and denied my opponent some pretty decent powers - HA! in your face, bug thingies!