Unit of the Week: Tyrannocyte

[Xenith]

++Tyrannocyte++

 

 

We have a new unit of the week! This week it's the Tyrannocyte, the Tyranids Drop Pod equivalent, but with plenty of guns. What are you thoughts, and how best would you use these?

• 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, Adaptative Physiologies and Stratagems do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
• Are you buffing this unit? If so, how?
• Uses in Matched, Narrative and Open Play

Over to you.

[Xenith]

I think the standard best uses for these are 20/whatever Devourer gaunts to drop down, otherwise an Acid-Spray Tyrannofex for funsies.

 

Deathspitters are a cheap way of getting 15 shots, while stranglers have potential against larger units with blast - 16 shots on average against units of 6-10, but 30 shots against units of 11+, and also getting the bonus to hit. This might be the best option, though 5 venom cannons are not too shabby now they have blast. 

[WarriorFish]

It might be a result of my old school nid background but Tyrannocytes are a strange unknown to me and feel very alien (thanks, I'm here all week). Maybe this would feel less so if I had seen or heard people using them but it seems they're a bit like chicken's teeth in this regard? I don't think nids are so slow that they need something like a drop pod for some basic critters to leap out? Perhaps more of an area claim approach is their thing, with some weapons to cover and some gaunts to help put pressure on?

[Reigart]

I like the points brought above.  I've been thinking about these for a while. Through the lens of hive fleets, I came up with some different ways:

 

• Jormungandr: I think this is an opportunity to take advantage of the specific psychic power - Lurking Maws.  The tyrannocite could be outfitted with different loadouts and the then the target (Venom cannons for tanks/monsters/heavy infantry) can potentially generate a bunch of shots, and have full re-rolls.  Against an army like orks, stranglers could be devastating.  The tyrannocites don't necessary need anything in them.  But they could (devil gaunts as you mentioned).  Another idea could be to put an exocrine in there and spend on a CP on it to count as stationary.  Both the exocrine and the venom cannons could target something big, like a knight. 
• Kraken / Behemoth: What about using this like a traditional transport.  Deploy it on the map with something like genestealers in it.  If it gets destroyed or not, the genestealers get an extra 3'' when they disembark.  I saw this at a local tournament and the ork opponent promptly named them "doom balloons"... it has stuck with me since then.
• Kronos:  This could be used as a gun platform.  As mentioned, the re-rolls of the trait are interesting.  The Kronos specific power could be used on it, especially with barbed stranglers as an anti-horde mechanic - getting extra hits on a 5+.  It is a monster so it can shoot in combat...the amount that will hit will be a different story
• Custom traits:
  • -1 to hit flying combat: more if you spam them and use flyrants.  This could be an annoying thing, but nothing to specifically build around probably.
  • Monster +1 Wound per turn: This would be another thing that you could add into a nidzilla list.

Thoughts?  Jormungandr has always intrigued me, but Kraken and Kronos always seem to win out.

[Xenith]

^^ Super interesting ideas, thanks! I think Jormungandr is the winner there - unfortunately the Kraken strategy is illegal, as you can only put models into the T-Cyte if it's starting in the Hive Ship - if you start it on the board you cannot put models in it. 

 

Stranglers + Lurking maws seems to be a winner there, or even venom cannons as they desperately need the rerolls. Interestingly you could put a tyrant in it, have both land in T2, then cast lurking maws and both get rerolls vs the target unit. 

 

Shooting in combat is the other issue, as both stranglers and venoms are blast, so you can only shoot with the Deathspitters - possibly a reason to leave those on?

 

Behemoth might be good to use it as a overwatch screen when it lands - land, drop summat off, then charge it into the opponents shooty units. 

 

I can also see this possibly as a (an expensive) way to protect an Exocrine, or get it into a good position, drop in, then pop off the Exo strat to get +1's to hit etc. 

 

It's unfortunate that universal access to strategic reserves has weakened this unit somewhat, I'd expect a large price reduction in the codex, or some melee ability. 

[Reigart]

^^ Super interesting ideas, thanks! I think Jormungandr is the winner there - unfortunately the Kraken strategy is illegal, as you can only put models into the T-Cyte if it's starting in the Hive Ship - if you start it on the board you cannot put models in it. 

 

Stranglers + Lurking maws seems to be a winner there, or even venom cannons as they desperately need the rerolls. Interestingly you could put a tyrant in it, have both land in T2, then cast lurking maws and both get rerolls vs the target unit. 

 

Shooting in combat is the other issue, as both stranglers and venoms are blast, so you can only shoot with the Deathspitters - possibly a reason to leave those on?

 

Behemoth might be good to use it as a overwatch screen when it lands - land, drop summat off, then charge it into the opponents shooty units. 

 

I can also see this possibly as a (an expensive) way to protect an Exocrine, or get it into a good position, drop in, then pop off the Exo strat to get +1's to hit etc. 

 

It's unfortunate that universal access to strategic reserves has weakened this unit somewhat, I'd expect a large price reduction in the codex, or some melee ability. 

Thanks for the rules clarification!  

 

The exocrine option is expensive.  I think it’s best used as a counter drop.

I think the tyrannocyte’s potential fire power has always tempted me, but it’s abysmal BS has always made it seem impractical.

[Evil Eye]

I genuinely wish the Tyrannocyte had been a literal renaming of the old Mycetic Spore, for one simple reason- I do not like how the model looks at all. The idea of a mobile drop pod is interesting (the Dreadclaw certainly works!) but I find the weird floating sac look of the 'cyte doesn't do it for me.

 

As far as making the Tyrannocyte work (for my tastes at least) I'd do one of the following:

 

1: Make it work like its 5E counterpart, just have it be a static drop pod that can defend itself and potentially get in the way of objectives or whatever. Perhaps give it upgrades like a toxic miasma or something similar to make it extra-annoying to the foe.

 

2: Rather than a weird floaty sac of flesh, have the Tyrannocyte actually be a proper Tyranid monster in its own right, either terrestrial or airborne. So when it thuds to the ground, it disgorges its passengers and then you have another scary critter stomping about. For airborne it could be ruleswise identical, just a bit more identifiable as an actual Tyranid (so effectively a living gunship). If it were to be ground based, it could be a slow but extremely tough and scary up close monster, like a very specialized Carnifex.