5th Edition Tyranid Codex Review
This article is a brief review of the new Tyranid Codex. I'll be explaining the differences (there are some big changes) and what is good and what isn't so good. I won't be going into details about biomorphs or options except where they make a major change possible or where they really suck. As a quick note, most of these pictures aren't mine.

Headquarters
While this section of the army is the primary source of synapse, much as it has always been, it now lends more of a character to the army. Hive Tyrant powers such as Hive Commander or Ancient Enemy emphasize certain styles of army, while the Tervigon's power to spawn more Termagants gives rise to a different style, for example.

Hive Tyrant
More expensive than previous and with fewer options, but still a very solid choice. One interesting thing now is that it is possible to take two flying Tyrants (though it is very expensive.)

The Swarmlord
A very tough, strong Hive Tyrant with some good support abilities.

Tyrant Guard
These are still fantastic bodyguards for a walking monstrous creature, particularly Hive Tyrants and the Swarmlord.

Tervigon
These are interesting options. Weaker monstrous creatures that can spawn more Termagants and provide good support possibilities.

Tyranid Prime
I've wanted for quite some time to see a model somewhere between a Warrior and a Hive Tyrant, and the Prime does not disappoint.

The Parasite of Mortrex
The Parasite is a very interesting HQ option. Twice the base cost of the Tyranid Prime, and not as well-equipped for combat, but it's got wings and spawns Rippers when it kills enemy units. Just beware Powerfists and the like, 3 wounds at T4 don't go very far when they are around.

Elites
We no longer get the option to include Carnifi as Elites, but we get some interesting new choices and some old ones with slight twists as well. As a special note, almost all of our best shooting is now in the Elite section.

Hive Guard Brood
A walking Autocannon with better strength and BS4? Yes, please! This is the new black for Tyranid shooting. It is far and away the most efficient shooter we've got for taking out vehicles under AV13, and you can get them in broods of three. Especially given the preponderance of mechanized lists under 5th edition, most tyranid players will split their Elite choices between these and Zoanthropes, and they won't be far off.

Lictor Brood
No longer a 0-1 choice and 15pts cheaper than the last codex. With the option to have multiple broods, Lictors become an interesting choice. I expect most players won't look past the Zoanthropes and Hive Guard or the Venomthropes, but I think Lictors bring up some interesting opportunities for the right list and the right player. Just beware: they are as fragile as ever and no longer get to charge on the turn they show up.

DeathLeaper
A special character lictor with lots of interesting rules. Very characterful, but the jury is still out on whether it's worth the points (and the very, very precious Elite spot.) I think that it will ultimately depend on the rest of the army and the plans of the player. I doubt it will do well in a straightforward "smashmouth" sort of list, but I think that the same lists and players that could make good use of a brood (or more) of Lictors could do something pretty effective with this guy. And I think that Deathleaper combined with one or two broods of Lictors could make for some very interesting games!

Venomthrope Brood
A poison creature that brings it's own cover with it (and can provide it to others nearby) and exudes toxic spore clouds that slowly kill nearby enemies is really cool and characterful. Sadly, it competes with other really, really good choices. I think it's got potential for certain lists, but most will need the antivehicle shooting of Hive Guard and Zoanthropes. Providing mobile cover for monstrous creatures is certainly a useful trick, though.

Zoanthrope
No longer a 0-1 choice, which is very handy, as these are generally our best option for taking out Heavy Vehicles. Now that the sniperfex is no more, these are definitely the go-to choice for serious tank-hunting.

The Doom of Malan'tai
A special character Zoanthrope, and what a special character it is! For only 90pts, you get a lot of very interesting rules and a fun, characterful unit. This one has a lot of potential, but I think you'll have to give it some support or protection to get full value out of it.

Pyrovore
Umm, a flamer cousin to a Biovore? While I like the idea of templates, I really don't see this as particularly useful. Even if it was useful, it's competing with our best anti-vehicular shooting (which we really, really need) and with a lot of other very interesting options.

Ymgarl Genestealers
Yet another interesting option. These swiftly mutable (get to add 1 to strength, attacks or toughness each turn, having to change to a different one each time.) Interestingly, these things get to charge on the turn they appear, much like Lictors _used_ to do.

Troops
Although Warriors are a fancy new add-on here, as well as the possibility of a Monstrous Creature as a Troop unit, this section is much as it has always been. Infantry shredders, scoring units and tarpits.

Tyranid Warriors
Warriors as troops is something many of us have been waiting for for a long time. They can be fantastic killers in close combat, they have some good options for shooting, they are pretty tough (compared to our other troops choices) and they provide synapse. On the other talon, they are pretty expensive and can be an important target to enemy armies.

Genestealers
Much the same as last edition, slashy killers. A few less options, and the various Gaunts have gotten more efficient than previously, but Genestealers are still very effective.

Mycetic Spore
While spores are not, strictly speaking, a Troop choice, they are a dedicated transport option for us, the only one we have. They are mostly effective as transports and have a secondary function as terrain/cover. Although they count as Monstrous Creatures, they are really weak (T4) and only fools will actually get into CC with them.

Termagants
Still cheap and cheerful, now the Fleshborer is standard and the Spinefist (the staple of most 4th edition armies due to it's cheap cost) is more expensive. Overall, though, these guys are pretty much the same. One special note is that each unit of Termagants you take allows you to take a Tervigon as a Troops choice. Let me say that again. If you take a unit of Termagants, you get a 6W Monstrous Creature that now counts as a scoring unit!

Hormagaunts
I have to start with this: Hormagaunts no longer have a 12-inch charge range! Instead they are cheaper and can run a little bit faster than other units. (Averaging almost 5" per run, rather than the 3.5" that most units get.) This, to me, is the biggest disappointment of the codex. It's even more a disappointment if you compare them to Gargoyles.

Ripper Swarms
Ah, the poor Ripper. It really can't do much. It doesn't score and it's only advantage, cheap wounds, is very vulnerable to high strength weapons and blasts. (A lascannon is wasted against Termagants, but very worthwhile against Rippers.) Frankly, they are still nearly useless.

Fast Attack
While there aren't as many must-haves here as there are in the Elite section, this is mostly a pretty useful section for our army, rather than a filler section.

Tyranid Shrike Brood
The latest incarnation of Winged Warriors, they have good speed and are truly nasty in close combat, but retain their fragility. Overall, I think these are better than previous versions of winged warriors, primarily for their high effectiveness and point cost.

Ravener Brood
These are still fast and nasty, though they no longer have the option to be as directly nasty as Warriors. Still potentially useful for their pure speed, but I think they've taken a hit simply by Warriors (or Shrikes) getting better.

Sky-Slasher Brood
Flying Rippers. I don't really see the point of these, given how effective Gargoyles are, but I suppose it's nice that they are still around for those that loved them previously.

Gargoyle Brood
WoW! These things are what Hormagaunts _should_ be! Really fast, fairly cheap and full of hand to hand nastiness! I expect to see the new plastic kits flying off the shelves.

Harpy
A flying Monstrous Creature. Let me say that again: a flying Monstrous Creature! Sure, it's only S5 and T5, but we can now have 5 (!) flying Monstrous creatures in our armies! Nasty for chasing down vehicles, just avoid S10 enemies.

Spore Mine Cluster
They've set these up now as a preliminary bombardment. They start out deepstriking onto the board before either army actually deploys. It's definitely an interesting idea to attempt to interfere with your opponent's placement, though the spore mines aren't terribly powerful.

Heavy Support
This is no longer our primary shooting section, but it has a lot of powerful monstrous creatures, if that's what you are looking for. If you are not running a swarm or genestealer list, this is probably where you want to look.

Carnifex Brood
Yes, that's right, I said brood. You can get 1-3 of them as a single unit. Carnifexes are less specialized and more expensive in this codex. They are still rather good, but the Trygon is definitely better.

Old One Eye
A returning character, but he's so expensive that he's not even worth considering. A trygon prime would be much better and faster and more powerful in combat and is cheaper, too.

Biovore Brood
They've improved a bit in this codex, but they are really only good at killing light infantry, which is kind of what _everything in our list_ is already good at. Unless you find yourself constantly surrounded by IG and Orks, or you just really like the models, skip these guys.

Trygon
A massive monstrosity with Fleet and special tunneling rules and the option to upgrade to a fairly shooty Synapse creature. Expensive but definitely worth it.

Mawloc
Another powerful monstrous creature with fancy deployment and redeployment rules, but it's almost as expensive as a Trygon and the Trygon is much better in combat.

Tyrannofex
Hugely powerful, the biggest, longest ranged gun we've got and a massive price tag to match. Very powerful, but consider if the power is worth the expense.

The new codex offers some interesting changes and challenges. I think they did a much better job of giving us a lot of effective choices this time around. I think we'll see a lot more variety that is highly effective with this codex, even if a few of our previously powerful choices have lost a bit of effectiveness.

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