# Tyranid's Tactics



## Jack Johnson (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi, I am wondering how I should use my Tyranid army. I am just going to use the swarm tactics, but I just don't know which types to get before I eat up my savings


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Im loving stealers and hormogaunts currently. Termagants are ok still but I would normally spawn them from tervigons, so unless you are planning on converting some I wouldnt bother with teh gaunts at all.
Other things you cant go wrong with are hive guard and zoanthropes, 3 of each is a nice basis for any nid army (though exact numbers and how you use them will have to be based on how you play and what you have trouble with: broad comments wil never tailor to one person's mode of play).

Things like raveners, warriors and gargoyles are really cool but you should probably play test a bit to get the feel of them before you shell out and buy huge numbers of them (although the goyles are certainly far more affordable then they were).


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## Drizzt_13 (May 22, 2009)

Tervigons and raveners are all very good units. I think hive guard are also quite powerful and the doom of malantai is amazing.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Yeah, though I'm one of those rare people that wont use the Doom on moral grounds... mainly I want to be able to look at myself in the mirrror afterwards without seeing horns 

Doom is pure win, especially if placed in a pod (if its not in a pod your doing it wrong) but it is just a little OTT for most friendly games. Its very hard to instant kill and if you manage to take it out with normal attacks then you are doing very very well (and have had some serious luck). Hopefully the nid FAQ will come out soon and end the debate on affecting people in vehicles so that there can be some defence against it.

As far as the other characters go- the swarmlord is cool (but Ive stopped using mine through it being too nasty), deathleaper is great and the others arent all that good (parasite is a bit random and lacks punch for its cost, while old one eye is a fex, and no fex is worth taking anymore).


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## Drizzt_13 (May 22, 2009)

actually I don't think doom is that crazy. HE lands in kills 2-3 guys from the surrounding squads hits someone with a small blast and then gets hit with meltaguns or missile launchers and then dies. at least thats what I have seen happen with him. He dosen't auto win but he draws a lot of fire away form your other units for that turn and he's cheap which is why he's so good. I don't think he's an auto win just highly efficient.


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## bakoren (Nov 16, 2009)

Tim/Steve said:


> Yeah, though I'm one of those rare people that wont use the Doom on moral grounds... mainly I want to be able to look at myself in the mirrror afterwards without seeing horns
> 
> Doom is pure win, especially if placed in a pod (if its not in a pod your doing it wrong) but it is just a little OTT for most friendly games. Its very hard to instant kill and if you manage to take it out with normal attacks then you are doing very very well (and have had some serious luck). Hopefully the nid FAQ will come out soon and end the debate on affecting people in vehicles so that there can be some defence against it.
> 
> As far as the other characters go- the swarmlord is cool (but Ive stopped using mine through it being too nasty), deathleaper is great and the others arent all that good (parasite is a bit random and lacks punch for its cost, while old one eye is a fex, and no fex is worth taking anymore).


I don't run the doom for the same Reason!


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## Loli (Mar 26, 2009)

Simply put it comes down to what you want. The thing i like about the 'Nid dex is that there are various list styles you can run and feel happy and enjoy yourself.

I have 2 lists, my Nid Zilla (which i run as my main army now), while my 2nd list is a fast Shrike list. Yet some of the other lists you can use are Warrior/Prime/Shrikes, Swarms, Termiegaunt Spam, Raveners...........

Then we have various piece which wrong in most lists: Death Leaper, Doom, Swarmlord (i dont run him anymore for the simple fact he still has to footslog regardless.

Hopefuly you can find some models you enjoy and work a list around them.

But regarding Doom though, its awesome, but if your new i wouldnt run him until we get the FAQ for 'Nids so we really need clarification on him. 

But if you have any questions just ask since most 'Nid players and none 'Nids will try and help you.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Drizzt_13 said:


> actually I don't think doom is that crazy. HE lands in kills 2-3 guys from the surrounding squads hits someone with a small blast and then gets hit with meltaguns or missile launchers and then dies. at least thats what I have seen happen with him. He dosen't auto win but he draws a lot of fire away form your other units for that turn and he's cheap which is why he's so good. I don't think he's an auto win just highly efficient.


Lets have another look at that: Doom drops in (in safety in a pod) within range of 2 enemy units on average (since you cant mishap you just aim for the little spot in the centre of lots of enemy units). Average roll on 3D6 on both units would give you 4 wounds if the targets were Ld9. So then you are firing a S8 _large blast_ at AP2... takes about 2 wounds off you but should give back 4-5 so you really should be up to 10W in 1 turn.

Now- return fire time. Marines firing melta/krak missiles at the Doom should average 5.4 shots to get an ID wound past his invul save. So unless you are lucky that will be at least 2-3 squads worth of firing even if you have maxed out on melta or have devy squads full of S8+ weapons... 
So if you are perfectly suited to taking out the Doom it should absorb a large amount of the firepower your army can put out for a turn, its successfully just acted as a bullet magnet saving any MCs from taking fire. Alternatively the enemy doesnt have much in the way of S8+ and you are from that point almost unkillable since you will be getting wounds back at an astonishing rate (even a unit at Ld10 takes wounds 50% of the time).
- any army without devy squad type support units or seriously decked out anti-tank melta units is going to be wasting a lot of time, effort and small arms fire just for the slim chance of killing you.


But then thats also talking about the average case... we've probably all seen the Doom drop in, do nothing and then get ID'd in 1 turn (bit annoying but not game winning), but then have you also seen the Doom drop in, kill whole units and then pass endless 3++s.
Best I've seen it do was to drop in, take out 6/8 wolf guard terminators and a unit of grey hunters (in 1 turn) and then survive against the surviving cyclone and powerfists for long enough to kill the entire unit of wolf guard before moving onto the rest of the army (only a vindi could then ID it)... the guy using doom even took pity and gave the enemy his termies back only for them to almost all die trying to take the doom out (the doom had killed about 1600pts in a 1500pt game by the time it died- yes the wolf guard were a very expensive unit).


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## Herald of Huanchi (Feb 1, 2009)

Has anyone else noticed the doom of M isn't synaptic and actually has instinctive behaviour? 

Just throwing it out there cos I only just noticed.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Herald of Huanchi said:


> Has anyone else noticed the doom of M isn't synaptic and actually has instinctive behaviour?
> 
> Just throwing it out there cos I only just noticed.


1 in 12 chance of being forced to go closer to the enemy.. oh noes


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

EEEEEK! You mean I might have to close with the enemy I'm sucking dry? Oh noes!

Honestly, by the time Doom appears, usually my shrikes have landed close enough by that it's moot. But yes, it's not synapse. Several of my opponents have jawdropped when I informed them of that. I believe FAQ might fix that.


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## Jack Johnson (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm also wondering, have the Gargoyles come out in boxes. I might be that i'm in Canada but they only come in blister packs. Also, the last time I went to a Gamesworkshop store was around Christmas.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

I personally don`t think the swarm works (or maybe my usual players just know how to counter it now. I may be playing too often) but if you want to then I advise against genestealers. For those points, you could have twice as many furious charging hormagaunts, or three times as many firepacking termagants. Don`t be quick to overlook them, as they more often than not are the kill unit in my army after the bedraggled defenders are worn out from killing trygons and zoanthropes. Suckersss.


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## bakoren (Nov 16, 2009)

Jack Johnson said:


> I'm also wondering, have the Gargoyles come out in boxes. I might be that i'm in Canada but they only come in blister packs. Also, the last time I went to a Gamesworkshop store was around Christmas.


They have down here in Oklahoma.

The new 5th edition makes any nid list possible. I run shooty tyranids and I usually win, unless my buddy gets lucky with his DP and Warptime.

Swarm lists are brutal now.
Shock Troop are rending apart the enemy.
nidzilla can still bring the pain.

Really the universal Nid rules are learn to use Synapse, Learn to pod Zoans.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Jack Johnson said:


> I'm also wondering, have the Gargoyles come out in boxes. I might be that i'm in Canada but they only come in blister packs. Also, the last time I went to a Gamesworkshop store was around Christmas.


Yup, boxes of 10 now (in plastic) rather then metal blisters of 2... much more affordable.


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## Durzod (Nov 24, 2009)

Before I weigh in in the Doom controversy can I suggest Venomthropes? Not only do they give your monstrous critters a 5+ invul, but I've noticed that the dangerous terrain test to assault nearby units seems to be very intimidating. Throw in defensive grenades and a 2+ poison and what's not to like?
Now on to the Doom. I agree he has far too much potential for his points. But you have to get him there. And against certain armies (daemons or necrons come to mind)
he's pretty much useless. It all depends on how he's fielded, and what else is in the army.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

Doom useless against Necrons? How do you figure that? Daemons, sure, cause of the demonic incursion rule, Doom is less useful. Doom in a Can (tm) is almost always guaranteed to get there properly. I've used him in four games, 2 supereffective games, 1 game where he landed and proptly died, and one game where he got back his points. Not a bad record so far. I would be more afraid of Demon Hunters than either of those armies. One decent round of Psycannons, and *pop!* With mystics, that might be before he arrives.


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