Tyranid Unit of the Week 10th Ed Hive Tyrant/Swarmlord/Flyrant

[Brother Nathan]

++Hive Tyrant/Swarmlord/Flyrant++

 

 

Another Monster this week. our boss. the humble tyrant. how are you finding it this editions. has it been nerfed too much. can it bring the pain? 

 

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

Edited October 9, 2023 by Brother nathan

[Brother Nathan]

possibly my greatest dissapointment this edition... points up  options are blah and its guns are just not cutting it. sure its tough but i was so used to my shardgullet reliably oing so much damage that not it being primarilly support just feels... limp... the barbed strangler just bounces off everything despite the higher shot count so ill swing it back to cannon likely but with the nerfs to its strat use im finding it harder to justify. what i have used well once and could build around better is giving assault to units around it... so gaunts with devourers, zoanthropes... hiveguard?  any other thoughts ideas and is it doing it well for anyone?

[Blade of Sigismund]

I'm liking the winged variant in vanguard. Deep strike, and strat tricks are good at getting it on to the board and keeping it alive.

 

The weapon choices keep it in 'bully' territory, so I think kitting it out with all claws to target infantry makes sense. Sword and whip for the dmg3 and twin-linked is good against terminators, but you give up 4 attacks for the privilege. 

 

In invasion feet, you can also drop in to a line of gaunts, and pop the criticals on 5+ for free. Combing this with his synapse range for endless multitudes is also solid for plussing up a hormagaunt charge.

[Xenith]

Not great. He was maaaybe ok before the point hike, but now he's borderline - is one tyrant really as good as 2 haruspexes? The free strat per turn is great, but I dont think it's worth the cost.

 

Shooting is ineffectual and with blast, cannot fire in combat. Melee is ok, so I've been running with LW+BS. Can't use tank shock. Vulnerable on his own. Slowed down by 25% if with Hive Guard. His best use is the free strat per turn, however swarmlord effectively gives that also. 

In the invasion swarm, he's a key target for the FNP relic, meaning he gets no bonus from Hive Guard, however the 4++  adds a great level of durability, however it pumps him up to ~260pts. 

[WAdams2152]

Interesting topic. I’ve just been given a new box of the hive tyrant to build and not sure (as a new player) which way to go…

 

Winged Hive Tyrant: doesn’t this just get shot to pieces?

 

Which do people prefer out of Swarmlord or straight Hive Tyrant?

[Brother Nathan]

Iv tried both... swarmlord just dosent do enough for his points. He gives cp and makes a strat cost more... after that just is a meh flamer and okish cc model. Is slowed too much by his guard and cant take enhancements....

 

I probably should put all 3 as this topic as they do share certain similaratys

 

For what to build... i cant reccommend magnetising enough. Or buying an extra torso to make 2 tyrants out of the one kit... 

[Blade of Sigismund]

6 hours ago, WAdams2152 said:

Interesting topic. I’ve just been given a new box of the hive tyrant to build and not sure (as a new player) which way to go…

 

Winged Hive Tyrant: doesn’t this just get shot to pieces?

 

Which do people prefer out of Swarmlord or straight Hive Tyrant?

 

The best idea is to build your favorite and pick up a second torso to build a second variant. I did that to build the winged tyrant and swarmlord from one kit.

 

As far as what's best, it comes down to what you intend to use him for. If you're running builds that are CP hungry and not reliant on his CC, swarmlord is good. My example for this would be 'endless swarms' where the signature strat is 2cp. If you're running vanguard, the winged variant gets a lot of bonuses and can be made non-targetable outside of 12".

[WAdams2152]

Are okay good to know. Where did you manage to pick up second torso?

[Uprising]

2 hours ago, WAdams2152 said:

Are okay good to know. Where did you manage to pick up second torso?

Look up Tyranid hive tyrant torso on esty or eBay.  Thier also a lot of stl prints on the internet if you have a 3d printer.  Cost you around $10. 

[Brother Nathan]

ive got them around £10... then again ive sold most of an old metal tyrant for that so still worth keeping an eye out. 

 

been going over my list since my last game. swarmlord is out. tyrant currently in to help zoans by giving them assault so they can run and gun. probably with venomcannon to help target the same units. but im also tempted by a flyrant for speed and cc. is its stats enough though. even with adaptive biology is it tough enough? 

[WAdams2152]

On 10/10/2023 at 8:18 AM, Uprising said:

Look up Tyranid hive tyrant torso on esty or eBay.  Thier also a lot of stl prints on the internet if you have a 3d printer.  Cost you around $10. 

Got one for £10 Inc delivery! Thanks!

[Sky Potato]

If I were to be building both a tyrant and a flyrant from the one kit, what loadouts should I be looking at for both variants?

 

I’m currently leaning towards the Bonesword and Lashwhip, plus probably the Heavy Venom cannon on the tyrant, and the scything talons for the Flyrant.
 

Should I be considering a different load for both?

[Brother Nathan]

id guess for the one kit thats probably the optimal load out. gets you the extra attacks on the flyrant where you wan tit hitting cc fast and the walkrant needs to be generalist to earn its points(ok it likely wont) by being able to do damage all game. i found that whilst the other gun should be better due to shot count the extra ap on the venom combines with the extra shots for blast more efficiently to do a bit more reliable damage. walkrant also only really suits the bonesword and lash whip.  fyrant can do either  for its cc. 

course magnets are perfect for this kit especially if you do want the option of the swarmlord...