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Thus, always Tyranids
The coming of the new codex has changed some
things for the Tyranids. There are some who say the codex has gutted
the Tyranids and it is no longer possible to make a competive army with
them. There are other voices, just as loud, saying that the Tyranids
are now so overpowered that they are unbeatable. Obviously, they can't
both be right, but how can people come to either assumption, and more
importantly, what does it all really mean for our precious Tyranids?
Well, I'll try to break the positions down a bit, then explain what the
codex ACTUALLY does.
The Damage
Some things have changed
significantly for the Tyranids with the coming of the new codex. For
starters, Mutations are no longer possible. That means there are no
more Rending Claw mutants among Gaunts or Rippers. It also means that
Hive Nodes, long a staple of Gaunt players everywhere, are also no
more. Those that invested heavily in such armies see a huge decline in
their options. The damage that Rending Rippers could do was awesome,
and it is no more. Without Hive Nodes, Gaunts must be kept closer under
the Synapse umbrella or they will be uncontrollable. Even those armies
that didn't make extensive use of Mutants often still used a few. While
I rarely used Rending mutants, I did use a Hive Node in each of my
Gaunt squads when I used Gaunts. Giving them Leadership 10 was pretty
much a no-brainer and it meant I didn't have to worry as much about
Synapse coverage. No more. In addition, there have been some other
adjustments. Our Tyranid Monstrous Creatures are now just Monstrous
Creatures. That means they can no longer join squads, which isn't huge,
but it also means they can no longer pick out individuals in close
combat. That is a really big deal, as hidden powerfists are big trouble
for our big bugs. Although our Monstrous Creatures can fire two
weapons, like all other MCs in 4th edition, they count two of the same
weapon as a single, twin-linked weapon, rather than two, separate
weapons. That means that those Double VC Carnifexes (like mine) aren't
nearly as effective as they used to be, but they cost the same amount,
or a little bit more. While some of the Tyranid guns got better, most
of them got Strength caps, meaning that they are much less effective in
the claws of a Carnifex. The Devourer, for example, used to let you get
4 S9 shots at 12" range, which was absolutely punishing to vehicles.
Now it maxes out at S6. Instinctive Behavior has changed. While most of
that change is better, it now effects Lictors and Carnifexes, which is
pretty strange. Wouldn't want to have those stealthy scouts or
towering, Fearless living tanks get outside of your Synapse range, now
would you?
Hmm, what else has changed? Let's take a look at
individual creatures and Broods. Winged Tyrants are limited to 0-1, so
I guess I'll have to pull the
wings off of one of mine. They also can no longer take Extended
Carapace for an inexpensive 2+ save. Sure, they can get Warp Field, but
that's a lot more expensive and now Tyrants can take only one Psychic
Power, so that means no Warp Blast. The powerful version of Warp Blast
also cannot be used with Enhanced Senses, meaning Tyrants can't be as
effective with it as they were before. Tyrant Guard no longer come with
Spinefists, but we still pay the same amount of points for them. They
can also no longer guard Winged Tyrants or Carnifexes, which changes a
lot of tactics with them. Well, Warriors can no
longer be fielded with more than one "Heavy" weapon per squad, so all
those Antitank squads of Venom Cannon-armed Warriors have to be split
up. Lictors lost a wound and vastly changed their
deployment, which makes them almost useless for the role in which I
have been playing them. (They used to be a good way to soak up enemy
fire by popping up inside cover on Turn 1 to distract the enemy. Now
they have fewer wounds for soaking up fire, and they deploy by
deepstrike, meaning they can't be on the board in turn 1...) How
about our Troops? Cheap Gaunts can no longer get
Scything Talons now, which were very
effective for only 6pts each. Leaping Gaunts now start out as
Hormogaunts, which means they must automatically pay for WS4. For
those, like me, that didn't pay for it previously, that means each one
just got a point more expensive for the same effect. (They still hit
Space Marines on a 4+.) Rippers, without the option for mutants, really
aren't terribly effective, but they haven't changed much aside from
that.Gargoyles are just as effective as they were previously, but now
they cost 20% more for that same effectiveness. Biovores now operate as
a Brood, meaning they
can no longer split their fire or deploy in separate areas. In
addition, they now use small blast templates instead of the large ones.
With the new rules about placing templates centered on a model, that
greatly limits the number of targets under the template, making them
much less effective. Oh, and they also have Leadership 5, so if they
ever get in any trouble, they will quickly run away.
The Power
Okay, so with all that going
on, how can the codex possibly be considered to be overpowered? Synapse
now provides protection from instakill to multiwound things except for
Rippers. That means that Missile Launchers no longer automatically
strike down Warriors in a single shot, and Lascannons don't
automatically take out Zoanthropes. This power also helps out Raveners
tremendously. Raveners can also Deepstrike when the mission allows it.
Lictors not only Deepstrike ALWAYS, they can assault that same turn!
That means the medium ones got much more effective. The small ones got
Without Number, which allows them to recycle from your board edge when
they are killed off, plus they got more effective shooting. The Leapers
now get a base WS4 and can get WS5 for only one point, meaning they can
hit Space Marines on threes! The big ones pretty much only get the
Carnifex, but it has a lot of neat options, including the possibility
of a T7 W5 Sv2+ monster that can regenerate and potentially get 12
attacks on the charge! Or can be fielded cheaply as Elites, meaning you
could have up to 6 Carnifexes in your army. Then we come to the
Genestealers. For no point increase, they now have a 5+ Save and Fleet.
Fleet is huge, it makes them as fast as regular gaunts, which means
they can almost guarantee a charge on turn 3, a lot faster than they
used to be. The 5+ Save doesn't seem like much until you realize you
can improve it to 4+ for only a few points. You can also give them
Scuttlers, which gives them the Scout special rule, meaning they always
deploy on the board and get a 6" move before the game starts. That
makes them as fast as Hormogaunts! Turn 2 charge. With Genestealers.
Eek. I know several people that have played games recently that ended
on turn three with the opponent conceding or being totally annihilated.
What it really means
Frankly, some stuff
has been lost and a lot of the really super stuff is gone. On the other
hand, I think that once people start getting used to the new Tyranid
options, there won't be such lopsided victories. It's just a case of
people not understanding what is going on, so they play using their
usual tactics. A good analogy might be World War I. Technology had
vastly changed the firepower and effectiveness of militaries, but they
hadn't really experienced the difference, so they used the same old
tactics. Huge charges and fixed bayonets were very effective against
muzzle-loaders and inaccurate firearms. They were guaranteed death
against Machineguns and barbed wire. As an example, I'm a Tyranid
player and I'M having trouble thinking in terms of Genestealers being
able to Fleet! That totally changes target priority for the enemy. I'm
also noticing that I don't consider some of the new abilities
available, such as the Lictor being able to assault on the turn it
Deepstrikes in. As an example, let's say that you are playing a pickup
game in your local store. Some guy comes up with a funny-looking army
that you've never heard of, but he's got a codex and explains all his
special rules to you. Then you sit down and play the game. If you've
never heard of the army before, even with him telling you everything,
how do you remember which ones are the guys that can fly really fast
and deal close combat death and which ones are the guys that sit back
and shoot you with big guns? These are really big deals right now, but
in another couple of months, we'll all be used to the idea, and our
basic concepts will have changed. So, while I hardly think the codex is
overpowered, I do think that there are some specific things that are
worth noting, because they have the possibility to be very powerful and
they certainly change things.
Things to Watch
Living Ammunition
Combined with the longer range of the Devourer, this is what gives
Tyranids a shooting phase in the new codex. An 18" range means that we
don't have to stand in Rapid-Fire range to get our shots off, and that
we get more than 1 turn to shoot before having to dash into combat.
Living Ammunition means we get to reroll failed Wounds with some of our
shooting, which makes those guns significantly more effective. It used
to take 12 Termagants to shoot down a Space Marine, now it takes only
8! This is one of those changes that won't be readily apparent, but
will take people by surprise, I think.
Psychic Scream
Although this power is the same as it was previously, it is much
better. Longer range means that it will be more effective and easier to
make cumulative. In addition, since Zoanthropes can have multiple
powers now, it is more easily taken than before, when it would have
taken the place of Warp Blast or Synapse. Since it is cumulative, it
can be made extremely powerful, and it effects Leadership, which has
been made more important in 4th edition. "Want to shoot at the
Genestealers instead of the Gaunts? Okay, make a Target Priority test.
Oh wait, you're within range of two of my Zoanthropes and a Hive
Tyrant, all with Psychic Scream. Okay, make your test at -3." "Okay, I
won the combat and I outnumber you 2-1 and you are below 50%. You are
also within Psychic Scream range of 3 Zoanthropes. Let's see, Mr.
Marine, that makes your Leadership a whopping 3. Go ahead and roll."
Most powers make their unit more effective. This is something that
makes the whole army more effective.
One GT player I know online says that Psychic Scream will be the
Assault Cannon-equivalent for the Tyranids.
Shadows in the Warp
This is a new one, and it is defensive. With no range, it makes all the
psychic powers of the enemy a little less effective. That may not seem
like a lot, but consider a Librarian trying to activate a Force Weapon
to kill a Hive Tyrant. What about an Eldar Farseer trying to use Mind
War? These are big things that we have previously had no defense
against. In addition, with no range limitation, you don't have to spend
a lot of points or models on it, you can just give it to one
Zoanthrope, in addition to it's other powers, and you'll be good to go.
Synapse Protection
This is another defensive one that will be a little difficult for
enemies to get used to. They are used to being able to shoot Missiles
at our Warriors to kill them instantly, but this will no longer be the
case. Now Warrior and Ravener Broods will last longer, being able to
shrug off damage they could not have before. More survivable Warriors
means more stable Synapse. More survivable Raveners means better
assault support.
Feeder Tendrils
This is another one that makes other broods more effective. The broods
that can take it are generally WS6, so them hitting things on threes
isn't a big deal. However, having nearby gaunts or WS3 Carnifexes or
even lowly Rippers hitting things on threes does make a big difference.
Careful placement of these units can make your whole army be hitting
2/3 of the time, even against Space Marines. (They're gonna hate this,
I assure you!)
Toxic MiasmaThis is an interesting one. By
lowering enemy weapon skill, it makes our broods harder to be hit and,
combined with WS upgrades, makes it easier for them to hit back. The
Miasma MAY (the wording is arguably vague) have an effect that carries
over to another brood if it is attacking the same target that the Toxic
Miasma brood is attacking. If it does, that could be huge for combined
damage, somewhat like Feeder Tendrils. It can also be effective at
reducing lesser creatures' weapon skills so that they have to hit on
5's. This will only effect WS3 enemies, which might not seem like much,
but that does cover Blood Claws and their powerfists, just as an
example.
Elite Carnifexes
While this does offer us the option of the "Godzilla Army" consisting
of up to 8 Monstrous Creatures, it gives us flexibility in fielding our
juggernauts of doom. While it may not seem like much, being able to
plunk a couple of Carnifexes down and still have slots open for
Zoanthropes and maybe Biovores gives us a bit more variety in what we
can field and how we can do it. Again, more choices means there can be
a greater variety of effective Tyranid lists.
Faster, better protected Genestealers
While I covered this in the power section, it is one of the more
powerful things in the new codex. Genestealers with Fleet and 4+ Saves
and Scuttlers are now as fast as Hormogaunts and more than twice as
resistant to damage. This is pretty much the premier hand to hand unit
in the game, and it can be as fast as one of the fastest units in the
game. On the other hand, it will also be one of the most expensive
units in the game at 23pts a pop for a single Wound model. Some will
take just Scuttlers and rely on speed for protection. Others will just
take Extended Carapace and rely on their armor to keep them safe until
they can get into combat. I'm currently undecided. I will definitely
use Extended Carapace, but I may or may not use Scuttlers. In any case,
however, with that speed and protection, Gaunts are certainly not the
necessity they used to be.
Faster, better Raveners
This is already covered a bit in the Synapse Protection part, but it's
the combination that makes it better. Not only do our Raveners (in
Synapse range) no longer automatically die to S8 shots, they get the
Fleet special ability, making them the speed equals of Hormogaunts. Now
there is a reason to take them instead of Reaping (Rending/Leaping)
Warriors, since they are faster. That speed, coupled with the
protection from instakill means more will survive to make it into
assault, which means they will cause more damage.
Pheromone Trail
This is another ability that doesn't seem like that big a deal.
Rerolling a single Reserve roll per turn per Lictor doesn't sound like
much at first. On the other talon, when you consider how much most
Tyranid lists are hurt by Escalation missions ("What do you mean that I
can't deploy my Hormogaunts or my Leaping Warriors or my Raveners or my
Monstrous Creatures? That leaves my Gaunts without Synapse and only a
Leadership of 5!") you start to appreciate it more. If you want to make
sure that Hive Tyrant comes in on the second turn, you've got a pretty
good shot now. For that matter, if you aren't ready for your Raveners
to come in yet and want to wait a turn until either more broods will be
coming in or you've got your lead elements in combat, you can reroll
your successes too! It basically gives you more control over something
that is random and can really hurt your game.
More viable options
I think that one of the biggest strengths of the new codex is that
there is less difference between the good units and the bad units now.
In the old codex, with a few exceptions, there were some broods or
models that were pretty much automatic choices. Since the other options
weren't anywhere near as good, people almost always used them. Some of
these were more obvious than others, but they did make Tyranid armies
tend to be somewhat predictable. Now we can do armies almost entirely
consisting of little ones, and they can be effective. The same goes for
medium ones and even the big ones. We can build fast lists of turn 2
assaulty doom, or we can build slower, more ponderous lists that
inexorably grind down the enemy. We can actually have an effective
shooting phase, or we can totally ignore it in favor of close combat.
Even better, we can mix all of these combinations in any way we want
and still be effective! More choices equals more variety, which equals
more fun and can equal more effectiveness as we play what we want to
play in the style that we want to play it.
Combinations
Ultimately, I believe that this codex isn't as directly powerful as the
3rd edition codex was with it's Rending Mutants. On the other talon, it
has more viable options and better opportunities for Synergy, combining
two or more broods so that together they are more effective than each
would be on it's own. (Yes, 2+2 CAN equal 5, in certain situations!)
Over the next few articles, I plan to discuss many of these options in
terms of armies, ranging from the totally conventional to the totally
outrageous, but all being effective in their own way. As I add these
articles, you may find them at New Tyranid Army
Lists. Now, get your imagination working and tell the Norn Queens
to start the spawning!
If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know
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