# 6 Simple Steps to a better Tyranids/How DrummerHolt1234 builds lists!



## drummerholt1234 (May 27, 2009)

These are just a few general rules I follow when writing my Tyranids list. They are what I take before adding all the other nice toys in the Codex. They fit my playing style and may be able to help you make a better list!

1. Protect your Hive Tyrants with Tyrant Guards like a squirrel protects his nuts. They are the ball of the army but don't be afraid to whip it out if ya have too .
2. Outflanking and Counter-charging Genestealers are the first step to raping a gunline or any army for that matter.
3. Monstrous Creatures win fights...but WoN gaunts win missions. Both used together win WARS (aka Games).
4. Never pay more that 6pts for a gaunt without WoN and 9pts for a gaunt with WoN.
5. Boomfexes and Walking Dakkarants=WIN!!!
6. Get one zoanthope with only synapse and keep it in the nest out of LOS (deployment zone) for WoN gaunts.


Also if you have a question you can post it here. 

Hope it helps!

Disclaimer: Not the only way to building a list but one of the most competitive ways IMO!

Other Resources:
Common Tyranid Units
Hive Tyrant Tactics​


----------



## Lopspoon (Jun 23, 2009)

Nicely done,very clear, but could you explain some, for example why only 6 points on a gaunt?


----------



## drummerholt1234 (May 27, 2009)

Lopspoon said:


> Nicely done,very clear, but could you explain some, for example why only 6 points on a gaunt?


Well IMO the tyranids has two types of gaunts that can do something and still get their points back. Those are humble spinegaunt and the termagaunt (all other including hormagaunts and gargoyles are overpriced for what they do). The spinegaunt is a good cheep objective holder and dish out minimal damage from shooting (you take him if you have to shave points or are just looking for a unit that can screen, die, come back and capture an objective=WoN) and the termagaunt does the same thing but is a little more deadly in shooting.

My army usually never contains more than 16 or 24 gaunts (groups of 8). They always just have spinefist and without numbers. Thats just my personal preference.


----------



## Lopspoon (Jun 23, 2009)

Cool thanks for the help, +rep


----------



## drummerholt1234 (May 27, 2009)

Bump because I feel like it :wink:

Also check my blog... good tacticas to come!!!


----------



## Crimzzen (Jul 9, 2008)

I need to disagree with your WoN. As far as I've read on a number of forums across the interweb, it's a poor decision.

There seem to be two common ways in using WoN -

1) 8 Gaunts and WoN

2) 20+ Gaunts and WoN.

In choice 1, 8 Gaunts is nothing to wipe out. A squad of anything with ranged weaponry or CC squads in your deployment will destroy this unit in a single turn. Yes, the unit comes back, every turn but in annhilation games, its a simple way to gain an additional 1-2 KP's. Additionally, you need to invest in a zoanthrope to make the gaunts able to score. The cheapest zoan you can take is 40 points which makes it next to useless. For warp blast, you're looking at significantly more points. Too me, it seems too much of a point sink to give up so many KP's. And lets be honest, if your opponent doesn't want 8 gaunts to score at the end of the game, its not going to take much to nuke them on turn 6.

For choice 2, now we are talking about a very significant point increase, coupled with the extra cost of the zoan. Most savvy players will simply wittle down the unit to 3-4 models, wait until turn 5-6, and wipe the unit out. 

In both cases, it costs very little resources to wipe a unit of gaunts off of an objective on the last turn, thus leaving them unable to capture anything or just giving up waaay too many KP's. 

To me, save the points you spend on WoN and just buy more squads of gaunts. If you want them to score, keep a couple in reserve and just fly back a hive tyrant. Personally, this is the current weakness of Tyranids. They really don't have a troops unit that hold objectives well. Genestealers to me, seem like the best, but they are expensive and also easily killed.


Just my 2 cents though


----------



## PonchoLibre (Aug 27, 2009)

I tend to run broods of about 15 Gaunts and no WON. They are big enough that they can take some bolter fire and keep going, and they can actually lay down some decent fire power. I've killed termies, necron wraiths, comabat squads in one round of shooting. You have to remember that if you only spend 6 pts per gaunt, its not a waste when they die(and they will). In terms of objective games, in 5th ed. it only matters who controls the objective at the end of the game. Drummerholt1234 is right about the Boomfex. In objective games it is your best unit. STR 8 pie plate that pins= awesome. Couple it with psychic scream and your enemy's troops are pinned or dead. When I play objective games, I just kill as many enemy troops as possible and outflank with stealers, to take objectives. If there is a scoring unit out there that can withstand a genestealer assault, I haven't met it yet.


----------



## OddJob (Nov 1, 2007)

@Crimzzen- you couldn't be more wrong about WoN gaunts. They are by far the best objective holders in the game due to being unkillable. I generally run with two squads of 14 WoN spine gaunts to act as assault screens and cover saves for the big bugs. When they get killed they charge back on from my board edge to secure rear objectives. I used to use one unit of 14-15 and two smaller units but wanted some points to upgrade the big boys.

If running an 8 bod WoN unit in annihilation they:

a) Go into reserves
b) Eventually come on miles from the action (like the opposite corner of the board- they don't need synapse if you never intend to move them again)
b) Hide in/behind cover
d) If killed, I choose not to bring them back. Thats right- WoN is may, not must.

A lurking gone to ground gaunt gets a 2+ cover save, and they get to choose where to come onto the board. They are far from an easy killpoint.


----------



## Wolf_Lord_Skoll (Jun 9, 2008)

WoN isn't worth it on broods over 8 IMO. The bigger the brood, the less likely it is to get killed and hence the more points you are wasting. 

8 gaunts with WoN costs the same as 12/23 without.
12 Gaunts with WoN costs the same as 18/19 without.

In the first case I'd rather the respawn, as 4 bodies isnt worth the 8 that will come back. The second, 12 is alot harder to kill, so less likely to come back and the extra bodies you get just makes the unit more durable and harderr hitting.


----------



## OddJob (Nov 1, 2007)

I have found 12-14 gaunts to be the ideal in a number of circumstances:

1. For providing a cover save to the tyrants and guards (and thus to other MCs behind them). 14 lasts through significant enemy firapowa. 
2. When circling MC's to prevent them being lashed 14 allows me to get the tyrant and some buddies in the 'hole'.
3. When acting as an assault screen against Nob bikers or the like it takes tons of shooting to clear the gaunts out of the way. Uber units will have no problem in killing 14 gaunts in one round of combat thus leaving them out in the open.
4. When assaulting a full orc boy unit to tie them up for a turn 14 are likely to survive for more than one combat round.
5. In kp missions I can still use them for these functions without them being an easy kp.
6. More gaunts = a much easier time when stringing them between multiple objectives.

8 WoN gaunts are only good for sitting on a rear objective.
14 WoN gaunts can contribute, get themselves killed, then sit on the rear objectives.

--edit--
If an opponent never shoots at the gaunts because he knows that they will just come right back to you think WoN represents wasted points? I certainly don't. Just because your squad doesn't die doesn't mean that WoN was a waste.



Wolf_Lord_Skoll said:


> 8 gaunts with WoN costs the same as 12/23 without.
> 12 Gaunts with WoN costs the same as 18/19 without.
> 
> In the first case I'd rather the respawn, as 4 bodies isnt worth the 8 that will come back. The second, 12 is alot harder to kill, so less likely to come back and the extra bodies you get just makes the unit more durable and harderr hitting.


In the 5th ed world of masses anti infantry fire, flamers and no retreat saves 20 gaunts can be easy enough to kill if your opponent really wants to. 14 gaunts WoN can make it a much less attractive proposition as it will generally be wasted effort.


----------



## PonchoLibre (Aug 27, 2009)

OddJob said:


> A lurking gone to ground gaunt gets a 2+ cover save, and they get to choose where to come onto the board.


Not bad, but they can't hold objectives like that. And any opponent who knows what they are doing will leave one or two models alive, wait for turn 5, then just charge them or tank shock them off the objective. Plus WON gaunts have to have some synapse to baby sit them or they can't hold objectives.


----------



## OddJob (Nov 1, 2007)

Not strictly true- they don't need synapse on the turn they come back from reserve. If you go second you will always be able to at least contest your home objective (or likely to contest any objective 12" from your board edge). You only have to pass a Ld test to move, not to just sit still and score. Any army that can decide when to charge/kill the squad has probably already dealt with the rest of your army. WoN can't win the game for you, it'll just help. A lot.

Note that the above 2+ save comment was in reference to keeping a small squad of gaunts alive in a KP mission. A 3+ coversave will have to do on the final turn of an objective game.

I forgot another cool benefit of WoN. In a table quarters mission they can come back on anywhere on your long board edge. I've caught a few decent players out with that.


----------



## Wolf_Lord_Skoll (Jun 9, 2008)

OddJob said:


> I forgot another cool benefit of WoN. In a table quarters mission they can come back on anywhere on your long board edge. I've caught a few decent players out with that.


Good times :grin:


----------

