Unit of the Week: Termagants

[Xenith]

++Termagants++

 

 

We have a new unit of the week! This week it's the massed hordes of the Termagants, a classic Tyranid unit, and basis for hordes everywhere. What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use a unit of them?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)?
• What size unit? Will you be running multiple units?
• What Hive Fleet Traits, Adaptations and Stratagems do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
• Are you buffing this unit? If so, how?

Over to you.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Xenith

[Xenith]

It's the termagents this week! They were a bit out of fashion at the start of 9th, but with the devourer halving in price for them, they might just be usable as a firebase.

 

small units of 10 are ok for holding an objective, but are competing with ripper swarms which have similar wounds, are fewer points, and not susceptible to blasts. At the other end you have the lictor for less, but fewer wounds, maybe more offensive output.

 

This puts Termagants in a weird place, and they might be best as a screen, or blob midfield with 50% devourers to put out some decent firepower. 

 

In terms of hive fleet, Leviathan for the 6+++ would be attractive, or the trait to give them a 6+ invulnerable would be great if you're fielding loads of gant broods. 

[Evil Eye]

I really wish spinefists were a viable weapon for them, honestly. They're an interesting concept and they look cool- especially on Hormagaunts actually.

[XeonDragon]

I'm thinking of toying around with a couple of cheap 10 sized blobs for holding rear objectives, and a big blob with devourers as a screen for my zonethropes to push up the middle, keep charging marines away long enough to have their brains blown out by the zones. I like the idea of 90 shots (180 with a strat) to "help" encourage resistant biomass to give up and be nom-nomed. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by XeonDragon

[Xenith]

I really wish spinefists were a viable weapon for them, honestly. They're an interesting concept and they look cool- especially on Hormagaunts actually.

 

Yea, they're one of the big misses of the codex that should have been fixed with the changes to twin linked from 7th to 8th.  As I recall, paired weapons like double devourers on a carnifex only had the original number of shots of the Twin-linked version, so a pair od BL Devs in 8th ed had 6 shots in 8th compared to a twin assault cannon whch went from 4 shots rerolling misses to 12 shots. This happened with the other paired weapons also, so twin deathspitters had 3 shots, and spinefists, which are pbviously a pair of weapons, got 3 shots. The fix to spinefists is to obviously realise that they are a paired weapon so double the shots as with every other damn thing in the game. 2 S3 ap0 shots per gaunt and 6 per warrior is hardly gamebreaking, yet would mean they can remain in a protracted combat and keep shooting, filling a valuable niche that no other weapon in the nid list has. 

 

 

I'm thinking of toying around with a couple of cheap 10 sized blobs for holding rear objectives, and a big blob with devourers as a screen for my zonethropes to push up the middle, keep charging marines away long enough to have their brains blown out by the zones. I like the idea of 90 shots (180 with a strat) to "help" encourage resistant biomass to give up and be nom-nomed. 

 

Sounds good - I'd be careful with a full squad of devourers, they become a priority, high value easy kill target for your opponent - I'd say maybe 50/50 devourers to fleshborers? I'd only go with 100% devourers if theyre appearing from off board like via trygon or strategic reserve. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Xenith

[WarriorFish]

I take mine as a complement to the Hormagaunts in filling up the gribbly horde quota. You can't get lots of squads into combat or get all in shooting range easily so a split works around this as well as providing some flexibility.

 

It's not a great pitch for the unit I know, but you work with what you have especially working to the nid wave army style As usual I like to keep them cheap as they will die enough, giving them devourers is too much of a target for such a squishy platform I feel Being cheap with basic shooting does mean you can fling them into combat to tie things without losing out too much, so they can still perform the role of getting in your opponent's way.

[The Pounder]

I’ve got a box of 12 I’m going to arm with Devourers. I’ll probably bring them on with the Lictor stratagem (the name escapes me) or reserve them. Will have to try it out.

 

I usually use smaller units for my little critters.

I feel it means more of my opponent’s force has to deal with them, with larger units they can concentrate on them without too much overkill.

[Xenith]

Yea, strategic reserves adds a hell of a lot of value to devourer gaunts without the need to pay for a trygon. Dropping 30 into the opposing backfield in T2, then getting 90-180 shots is glorious. 

[XeonDragon]

Yea, strategic reserves adds a hell of a lot of value to devourer gaunts without the need to pay for a trygon. Dropping 30 into the opposing backfield in T2, then getting 90-180 shots is glorious. 

Yes, yes it is :)

[Xenith]

Jumping back to this, looking at Jormungandr for my Crusade campagign, the lurking maws power seems decent, you get to reroll all misses against a unit within range. My thought is to put a unit of 30 devourer gaunts into strategic reserve for 1 CP (9PL), then bring them on with an 18" threat range. with rerolls to hit, then single minded annihilation for 180 shots, rerolling to hit, for ~135 hits, which then reroll 1's to wound. 

[Evil Eye]

 

I really wish spinefists were a viable weapon for them, honestly. They're an interesting concept and they look cool- especially on Hormagaunts actually.

 

Yea, they're one of the big misses of the codex that should have been fixed with the changes to twin linked from 7th to 8th.  As I recall, paired weapons like double devourers on a carnifex only had the original number of shots of the Twin-linked version, so a pair od BL Devs in 8th ed had 6 shots in 8th compared to a twin assault cannon whch went from 4 shots rerolling misses to 12 shots. This happened with the other paired weapons also, so twin deathspitters had 3 shots, and spinefists, which are pbviously a pair of weapons, got 3 shots. The fix to spinefists is to obviously realise that they are a paired weapon so double the shots as with every other damn thing in the game. 2 S3 ap0 shots per gaunt and 6 per warrior is hardly gamebreaking, yet would mean they can remain in a protracted combat and keep shooting, filling a valuable niche that no other weapon in the nid list has.

Sorry to resurrect this, but I reread this and had another thought as to how to make Spinegaunts useful again (though I will say your idea is probably better). Simply put, don't change the profile of the weapon, but drop Spinegaunts down to 3 points a model, thus making them the hordiest of all horde units- a 30 strong unit costing 90 points is a steal, even with something as mediocre as Spinegaunts. Granted, maybe that's a bit too spammable, but given Tyranids are supposed to be the horde to end all hordes, it would certainly fit the fluff!

[XeonDragon]

That would be both fluffy and viable.... I like it :D

[Xenith]

 

Sorry to resurrect this

 

 

No problem - the thread is here to serve as a fixed discussion topic on the unit through 9th edition (though we'll try to keep to the topic of how best to use the existing unit rather than proposing changes).

 

It is a shame spinefists are poor and see zero use. I hope this will change with the next book which seems to be bringing unused options back to the fore. 

 

Using my unit of 10 devilgaunts in a game or two...they've done virtually nothing. I think you really need a larger unit of them to be effective.