Unit of the week: Broodlord

[Spacecow]

Inspired by Jud Cotrells’ broodlord, time for another



It’s somewhat of an auto include if you are running genestealers.

What hive fleet do you prefer? Or do you make your own?

Are there different ways you guys use this HQ unit?

How many do you guys like to run?

Edited April 12, 2021 by Xenith

[Lemondish]

Totally new to the buffet, but this guy seems to be an auto-include in almost every competitive minded lists I've seen. I'm not exactly a super competitive player (I'm starting a 'nids force after all), but competitive lists tend to tease out and highlight synergies pretty well. 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Lemondish

[IronDreddKnight]

Theyre damage output is fantastic but theyre a glass cannon. Speed is theyre best defence, which makes kraken the better hive fleet for them. Also why they partner so well with swarm lord so well with hive commander.

 

Of course they're buff aura is great, but this isnt the only role they can serve. They make great counter charge units for your gun line bugs.

 

One of our cheaper HQ choices helps fill out detachments for more CP.

[jbaeza94]

BL is an auto include for me. I send him up with my 2 gs squads, and that buff turns every infantry unit to shreds. Custodes, marines, neocons, you name it. Add catalyst on one of your stealer squads and you're good to go.

 

He is also scary in my opponent's mind. The bl itself never really does anything spectacular, but my opponents try to focus him down with sniper fire deepstrike. This is good as it opens up other opportunities for me

[The Pounder]

He looks pretty damned good on paper (I’m still a way off playing games)

 

I’m planning on running him in my dual battalion list as a second Hq along side a Flyrant.

 

Which Hive Fleet would compliment his abilities best? (I’ll also be fielding 2 squads of Genestealers)

[Lemondish]

He looks pretty damned good on paper (I’m still a way off playing games)

 

I’m planning on running him in my dual battalion list as a second Hq along side a Flyrant.

 

Which Hive Fleet would compliment his abilities best? (I’ll also be fielding 2 squads of Genestealers)

I also haven't played a match with as Tyranids yet, but I would say Kraken seems best, especially with those Genestealers.

[IronDreddKnight]

He looks pretty damned good on paper (I’m still a way off playing games)

 

I’m planning on running him in my dual battalion list as a second Hq along side a Flyrant.

 

Which Hive Fleet would compliment his abilities best? (I’ll also be fielding 2 squads of Genestealers)

100% kraken broodlord and genestealers are always best in a kraken detachment.

[The Pounder]

Thanks lads!

My Codex should arrive tomorrow!

Then I can start scheming properly.

[Xenith]

Time to get back to the Broodlord! 

 

With the new Synaptic ability 'Mastery of the Shadows', a broodlord can give any unit in link range the benefit of light and heavy cover, and a non-MONSTER >12" from the enemy the benefit of dense cover - So what we're looking at here is a 15pt upgrade o give a unit +1Sv and -1 to hit, which is pretty damn good! 

 

I think this is in the auto-take category, just about any unit can benefit from it, but the question is what units benefit the most?

[Arson Fire]

It's not a bad synaptic link. I think tyranid warriors get the most out of it. They benefit a lot from defensive buffs like this.

While monsters don't get to benefit from the dense cover bonus granted by this synaptic link, it's still good to improve their saves. Sticking it on a Harridan or Hierophant sounds fun. Even a Hierodule or Dima should be decent. To get the most out of it you do want to put it on one of these bigger monsters of course.

 

My one minor complaint is that it's a defensive buff which is declared in your command phase, meaning it won't protect from a turn 1 alpha strike if you're playing second.

[Lautrec the Embraced]

For someone who usually plays against the Tyranids it looks rather powerful. It costs close to nothing and is rather flexible to use as even monsters can get some benefits which I was surprised to see (epsecially when the description says: "Broodlord [...] can imbue this knowledge into Genestealers around them"...). But I guess it’s the famous Nid adaptability for you.

 

I say you’d be hard pressed to pick a bad target for it, as all frontline infantry would appreciate it greatly and even just +1 sv for monsters is a good deal - if it stops one melta or lass shot you already earned your points back. It’s not that useful if your monster already has an invul like smth with Dermic Symbiosis. I think it’s more problematic to use when the broodlord reaches the enemy line as it would become harder to find an infantry viable for the full buff. Maybe warriors or devilgaunts with careful positioning as they can operate >12” and they’d appreciate the increase in survivability a lot.

 

Shouldn’t it be slightly more expensive in your opinion? I don’t believe Tyranids are necessary in a great place currently and it’s good to see some fun new mechanics but at least in my group broodlord was already an auto include solely thanks to its combat prowess and now it got a tasty buff on top of it. 

[Brother Nathan]

auto include. as mentioned that you can only activeate it in command phase is its greatest weakness. it would likely be better on a tyrant or such but it does well for adding some better use to a broodlord in supporting a unit to move forward. specially whatever unit is protecting the broodlord from being shot down. when you hit combat its of limited use and other powers are likely of more use especially with the per turn limit. unless you know you will finish a cc in your turn and be in the open in your opponents turn. 

as for cost... hard to say. i get tht its cheap compared to some armys things but these dont stack and you are limited in how many you can use where as most of my opponents can stack several overlapping buffs at once. nids do lack survivability so its nearly needed... 

[Brother Nathan]

anyone used one yet this edition? im tempted to as it still seems good but i know for me other things ut it a bit in the shadows. i don't like the second tyrant lists so think one could do wel or a forward support(thats not likely to get nerfed) can fight well. set up in a forward position. can essentially give rending light to a unit in cc(hormagaunts with this anyone?) has only 1 cast per phase but considering positioning this could be good for phsy objectives(be it close to enemy characters or central objective...) and its imperative gives light cover or dense if in cover (so if anyone loves lictors get an army of them in a way) its not great at anything but as a forward support point/ distraction. could play well with a lictor/death leaper (not convinced on geansteaalers yet... think meta change to marines with chaos coming may bump up stealers uses.

 

though im finding it a hard call to make as a warrior prime does actually add a fair bi right now, tyrants are un paralleled and neuros are excellent so will a broodlord really help much in play compared? thoughts and experiences?

[Zoatibix]

His buff to AP with Vicious Insight is fantastic, it almost goes without saying. We then get a nice defensive Synaptic Imperative.

 

As an individual he is a good fighter, the Kraken Relic to make him harder to hit is *hilarious* as he becomes the Xenos equivalent of Neo at that point.

 

With the ability to forward deploy we don’t have to worry as much about him and his stealers trying to March up the board but opponents will try to fry those guys if they can.

 

I think he’s a fantastic choice.

[Brother Nathan]

mine got an outing yesterday and managed to wreck house a bit. was taken to complete physic ritual but i messed up and lifted he wrong card(doh) took a charge from some pretty big robots and managed to win somehow then firing out powers confusing my opponent, being able to prevent overwatch with the right one is class. also ripped apart some admech ihq whilst on 1 wound. very very surprised. his stealers dd not fair so well