# Musts For Tyranid Armies...your Say



## heretical by nature (Sep 22, 2009)

so basically im new to nids and am struggling to get my head around constructing a sound army with both anti tank, infantry, and synapse in consideration.
so basicly i made this thread just to see what you, the experienced nid players swear by whenever you go to battle, what works and what doesnt.
dont get me wrong im not asking any of you to write me an army list im merely interesting in seeing what works for you
cheers
heretical


----------



## BananaKing (Jan 21, 2009)

Well I'll go through each Force Organization Choice 1-by-1:

*HQ:* I'd recommend Hive Tyrant. I usually use Hive Tyrant or Swarmlord. If you want to use the tyrant or swarmlord, you have to be very careful especially with the swarmlord. Tyrants have no inv save anymore so low ap weapons are to be avoided at all costs. Tyrant can help but since they're expensive taking three isn't as cheap as it used to be.
*ELITES:* I take a unit of Hive guard and drop podding zoanthrope squad. Hive guard can deal with the majority of tanks and zoanthropes can deal with strong tanks. I also happen to favor the Doom in a spore. I drop the doom by a couple of infantry squads and absorb some free wounds.
*TROOPS:* I always take two units of termaguants for objective reasons. Lately I also take a warrior squad to hold my home objective. People will favor a tervigon over my choice, but I prefer 18 wounds over 6. (I take 6 warriors) I'd also recommend some genestealer sqauds. I use one with a broodlord and assault an elite choice with them. I cast HG of despair and unless sicarius is on the board, I usually win the "battle of wits" that is Hypnotic Gaze and my opponent cannot fight back. So that unit of assault marines that could tear through my guants, just became useless.
*FAST ATTACK:* I don't really use anything here. My HS costs me too much. I'd recommend using harpies. I kind of will never understand the appeal of gargoyles. Arm a Harpy with a HVC and you have another tank hunter that can fly around.
*HEAVY SUPPORT:* TRYGONS!!! I have fallen in love with trygons and recommend them with every fiber of my being. Trygons are everything carnifex's *should* be and more. Although I wouldn't recommend either, I do love Old One Eye and a Tyrannofex with Rupture Cannon. Some people will tell you that biovores aren't bad, but I don't see much appeal. A lot of people play marines and other meq armies so the whole "Castalin Missile" style weapons that the biovores have aren't going to do much good. Against orks, tau, and guard; then yes biovores will see some action.

So that's pretty much it. Hope this helps you dude. I have a bit of the same problem as you, however I like my own strategies over what some of the strategies I've read here. More often than not I have a higher success rating with my own strategy than over a standardized nids list. Basically find your own style. Me? My style is a cc that main threat value comes from 4 units: (1)My swarmlord & retinue going after your character and/or HQ squad. (2&3)My 2 trygon primes going after your exposed troops after I destroyed their weak transports. (4) A squad of outflanking genestealers that assaults your artilery and goes after your top assault unit and HG's them and then tears them to shreads.


----------



## heretical by nature (Sep 22, 2009)

thanks heaps for the help it definately helps clear things up when you hear about oterh players experiences and reccommendations


----------



## Yousei (Nov 4, 2009)

Follow Banana's example - 

HQ - Parasite. flying, cheap, dangerous, IC. great fun, and can really mix it up. Primes are handy. Tyrant gets thrown in occasionally if i can be bothered
Elites - Hive guard are very, very good. zoe's are also a nescessity if you're expecting armour.
Troops - Hormagaunts. i've been running expensive ones at TS+AG recently - a brood of 15 boosted by catalyst is awesomely effective. Speaking of catalyst, tervigons are amazing support units... even ignoring the spawning, i'd still take a pair. (pair is kinda needed, otherwise it tends to die rather fast. 2, theres target paralysis )
Fast attack - gargoyles are nice if you have them as ablative wounds for the parasite, but not that essential.
Heavy - Biovores!. yea, these little guys are great - both fun, and fairly effective, especially with the point cost for them. trygons are great. the rest of the choices in here are a little less shiny imo.


----------



## OddJob (Nov 1, 2007)

I'm becomming more and more aware tha there seem to be lot's of different ways of performing the required tasks in the Tyranid codex. That said, my elites choices havn't changed since the first list I conceived:

3 Hive guard
3 Hive guard
3 Zoanthropes

Havn't let me down yet.


----------



## maomolin (May 4, 2008)

HQ - Necessary Synaptic evil. 1750+ tyrants and swarmlord are fine, under that I cannot merit its points. All choices are wonderful, provided they are contributing to the army as a whole.

Elite - Zoans, Brood guard, Doom of Malan'Tai, Deathleaper are each worthy.

Troops - This is where 90% of all of the armies are different and where 80% of all advice revolves around in one manner or another.

Solid choices thus far: Genesteelers (minimal 7) Termaguants (20) devilguant (devourers) (16+), Warriors (several good options here) (4+), Tervigons

Fast - Harpies (w/TL-Venom Cannon, Cluster Spines), Gargoyles (15+), and less-so on top performers: Raveners (rending/scything) and Shrikes. This section is probably the weakest FoC slot still. The choices are fine, but there is so many other possibilities that this feels a little lacking. 

Heavy - Trygon / Trygon Prime, T-fexes are either really good or really bad, depending on who you ask, as is the mawloc. Biovores are solid.


----------



## Wolf_Lord_Skoll (Jun 9, 2008)

The only thing you missed in that in some lists, Venomthropes are really nice.

Must haves? Synapse Creatures, Numbers, Anti-Tank and at least one really killy MCs. Other things help out, but those things are the musts.


----------



## TBCX6628 (Apr 29, 2008)

Im inclined to agree Venomthropes are amazing. 

Also i have a love of raveners with rending claws 19-24 inch charge range, 5 rending swings each on the charge, 3 wounds each, reroll 1s =yum.


----------



## bakoren (Nov 16, 2009)

TBCX6628 said:


> Im inclined to agree Venomthropes are amazing.
> 
> Also i have a love of raveners with rending claws 19-24 inch charge range, 5 rending swings each on the charge, 3 wounds each, reroll 1s =yum.


Bye-bye Oblits! These are great for hunting down MC snipers.


----------



## Aramoro (Oct 7, 2009)

I would say Toxicgaunts are a easy unit to throw into a nid army, especially outflanking them with Hive Commander. They can pretty much kill any other Monstrous Creature in the game under weight of numbers. 

Aramoro


----------



## Sororitas (Feb 16, 2010)

I'm not a nid player, but Old One Eye ripped apart half my IG army on his own, namely:

1 Veteran Squad
1 Command squad (with straken)
1 Excecutioner


----------



## elkhantar (Nov 14, 2008)

I find a trygon prime is quite more effective than old OOE (points-wise).

For me the "must have" of this codex is a healthy dose of anti-tank: zoanthropes in pods or hive guard units, as much as your points allow:
Two units of two-three guard and three zoans in a pod or two units of two-three zoans in a pod with a unit of three guards hiding out of LOS.

Other than that, the rest of our codex is pretty good at dealing with infantry, so once you've got tanks covered, you're good to go. Trygons (prime if you have the points to spare) are also beastly, and probably our best Heavy support.

Biovores aren't half bad in the current codex (I'm talking about their points/effectiveness ratio) but only vs infantry. The change in their blast size makes them really worth it compared to 4e. Again, you can hide them out of LOS and blast away, although the anti-vehicle must be handled by our elites, and if you have enough trygon models, it's tough to justify the use of a HS slot for something else unless you're short on points 

Anyway, except the aforementioned elites, that perform a role (reliable long distance anti-tank) that can't be done by anything else (except the tyrannofexes, but those cost waay too many points for my games ), the whole codex has quite a lot of synergy, so simply choose a selection of units that mesh well together and go well with your style.


----------



## Sororitas (Feb 16, 2010)

true I guess


----------



## elkhantar (Nov 14, 2008)

Well, I didn't want to discredit the OOE, Sororitas  but it's more expensive than a trygon prime, lacks the shooting and it's slower both in movement and Initiative. That said, it's tough to kill with its regen, and may end up with more attacks than the trygon at S10.

It's actually decent if it assaults a vehicle and to rip apart shooty dreadnoughts, and can give a guard player headaches if it hits its lines; but it's low I is kinda bad vs CC specialists. Aaaand since it can't deepstrike nor outflank (I think it can't take a spore, can it?) it's somewhat worse than the trygon.


----------



## gannam (May 2, 2009)

Death leaper is the unit of choice this time around. since 2/3rds of all games are objective based, his ability to contest an objective in turn 5 with your opponent being able to do nothing about it makes him the best unit in the codex hands down.


----------



## Wolf_Lord_Skoll (Jun 9, 2008)

gannam said:


> Death leaper is the unit of choice this time around. since 2/3rds of all games are objective based, his ability to contest an objective in turn 5 with your opponent being able to do nothing about it makes him the best unit in the codex hands down.


Theres always random game length, which doesn't make him the best hands down, but he's still a very good choice


----------



## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

gannam said:


> Death leaper is the unit of choice this time around. since 2/3rds of all games are objective based, his ability to contest an objective in turn 5 with your opponent being able to do nothing about it makes him the best unit in the codex hands down.


Add the fact that it ruins a psyker too for as long as it lives and he sure climbs up to a hot contender at least


----------



## SHarrington (Jan 7, 2010)

If I could take a 4th elite slot, I guarantee it would be death leaper. Sigh. 

Stupid need for anti mech.


----------



## Sororitas (Feb 16, 2010)

lol,

well it did hit my IG lines, and that lost me the game

Well if you don't count the trygon which deep struck onto my objective and killed everybody who was holding it.

*sigh*


----------

