Tyranid Army Choices

What's all this then? The Tyranids are getting a new codex in a few months, but I feel the current army list deserves another look, even if it just helps understand what the changes will do. I'll be taking a look at the various options open to the Tyranids, and how best to utilize them under the 4th edition rules.

Tyrant
The Hive Tyrant is typically the leader of the Tyranid army and has possibly the widest variety of viable options available. A Tyrant is a powerful force on the battlefield and can play one or more decisive roles, depending on your choice of options. First I'll discuss some of the options available, then I'll go over the best ways to use them.

Biomorphs and Options
There are quite a few options the Tyrant has available. Leaving aside the primary weapons and Biomorph statistic enhancements (such as Toxin Sacs to increase strength) we still have several great options. Warp Blast, a direct damage Psychic Power, is a very effective one for the Tyrant. It gives you a S10 ranged attack that can take down vehicles easily, but does not take a weapon slot, leaving your other options open. Some time back I worked out that even if I only killed a 100pt vehicle or character with it once in every three games, I'd still be getting my points' worth out of it. Sounds like a bargain to me. Catalyst, another Psychic Power, can also be highly effective, though in a less direct way. Since Catalyst allows creatures to strike back even after dying, it lets large broods of Gaunts or even Carnifexes get their attacks in even against the fastest opponents, thus circumventing the worth of the enemy's Initiative. Although I have not used it myself, several top-tier tournament players I know swear by it. Psychic Scream, another Psychic Power, is the most intriguing, however. It reduces the Leadership of enemies, which leaves them more likely to fall back, which leaves them open to being chased down and killed without having to even fight. Properly utilized, this has the possibilty of being a massive Force-Multiplier, allowing a small force to quickly wipe out a lot of enemy, due to the adjustments of 4th edition rules. I haven't worked out the optimum way to use it yet, but I think it's major. Of the options that are not Psychic Powers, Implant Attack is probably the most important. Every enemy character thinks they are the Emperor's gift to close combat and wants to mount a Tyrant trophy on their wall. Being able to do two Wounds with a single stroke is vital for preventing that, since they often have invulnerable saves that can block our attacks. If that one does get through, it will spell the end for most characters immediately, and even the staunchest enemies will be in serious trouble. Finally, a word about Flesh Hooks. They are inexpensive, they can be very effective. At The Millenium Gate, they refer to a certain set of equipment as a G-kit. It's Smoke, Extra Armor and a Searchlight for a vehicle. The idea is that each of those things are potentially very useful and are quite inexpensive that it would almost be foolish not to take them. I think the same goes for Flesh Hooks, unless you've got a Winged Tyrant, which cannot go into Difficult Terrain intentionally and can usually fly over vertically impassable surfaces.

Shooty
If you want to build a Hive Tyrant that focuses on shooting, you've got some good options to consider. If you are using the Mutable Genus options in the back, you'll really need added Ballistic Skill, Strength and Save. Ballistic skill should be obvious, Strength is vital because Tyranid Weapons are based on the creature's stats, and Save is to keep from getting killed right off. Although some use the Winged option to give their Shooty Tyrants better lines of sight, I feel that it's too many points for this to be really useful in this regard. A Walking Tyrant costs less points and allows Tyrant Guard Broods to keep up, prolonging it's life. Since Monstrous Creatures can now fire 2 weapons in a turn, it's a good idea to use both of them. Personally, the best weapon for the Tyrant, by far, is the Venom Cannon. 3 S8 shots per turn at long range is nothing to sneeze at. Equipped with 2 Venom Cannons, those 6 S8 shots become almost obscene. That's a lot of vehicle-cracking power there, which is what you want your Tyrant to have. Other weapons are available, but none of them comes close to the Venom Cannon, even if it does only glance vehicles.

Mixed
For a Tyrant that is intended to shoot AND assault, there are some important choices to be made. The first is how much do you want to spend? Since you are planning on both shooting and assaulting, you have a reason to take pretty much all the options, so cost can quickly get out of hand. On the other hand, every point less you spend is a bit less capability on the field. While I generally feel that using more options for the Tyrant is worthwhile, I've seen Tyrants topping 240pts, which seems like an awful lot to me. The second is Winged or Walking? Spending the points on Wings may be more worthwhile here than in the full Shooty Tyrant. The wings can give you a better line of sight to shoot and also let you get into combat more quickly, both of which are useful. The main weapon again is the Venom Cannon, but I'd back it up with Warp Blast. Warp Blast gives you a second weapon that does not take up a weapon slot, giving you the opportunity to take Scything Talons, for that vital extra close combat attack. 3 S8 shots, 1 S10 shot and 5 S6 attacks on the charge are nothing to sneeze at and this monster can tear stuff up pretty easily. Here you'll probably want most of the statistic related biomorphs, including Enhanced Senses. ES doesn't cost much, and if it allows you to hit even one time extra in the game, it should get all it's points back with ease.

Fighty
This Tyrant is all about getting into combat and slapping people around. Tyrants do this very well. Once again, however, you have the option of going cheap or expensive. I've heard some people talk about a cheap Tyrant that uses Rending Claws instead of Scything Talons and a Strength upgrade. The difference in results is fairly small. (2.5 Dead Marines on the charge vs. 3.33, but what do you call 0.83 Dead Space Marines? A good start!) The difference in price, however, can be huge. With WS5 S5, Scything Talons and Rending Claws, plus Wings, you've got a fast nasty that runs about 130pts, compared to the monster I field at 197pts. That extra 67 points could buy you some extra Genestealers or Gaunts or whatever. On the other hand, it also buys me some additional effectiveness. Not only do I get an extra attack, which is a bit better than Rending Claws for 5 attacks, I also get Implant Attack (see above) and a 2+ Save and Warp Blast with Enhanced Senses. (even though this Tyrant is all about the close combat, it's worthwhile to throw in something that doesn't cost me an attack but gives me a good option against enemy skimmers that I'd otherwise need a 6 to hit.) WS6 and 2+ Save also help me survive longer, so I feel the points are well spent, but your mileage, of course, may vary.

Tyrant Guard Brood
Although these constructs don't really have much in the way of options, they can be very effective. Not only can they extend the lifespan of one of your TMCs, they can actually do it for ALL of them. Advance your monstrous creatures in a line and move the Tyrant Guard Brood between them, switching from one to the next as it is wounded. The idea is to prevent the enemy from concentrating on a single creature and thus bringing it down, so that it takes an extra couple of turns to finally take down one of them, all the while they are presumably damaging the enemy. As a note, they can currently be used with Winged Tyrants, with the Tyrant walking with them until within 18" of the enemy, then flying forward into the assault and leaving the Guard Brood to guard a different TMC. It is rumored that Flying Hive Tyrants will no longer have this option in the new codex, however, so don't get too attached to it.

Lictor
The Lictor is very expensive, but seems very cool. Most players, however, have a hard time using the Lictor and subsequently think that it's a poor unit. In terms of being able to damage the basic enemy troopers, it _is_ lousy. However, against Light Vehicles or Characters, it becomes much more effective, giving the opportunity to take down targets that are several times it's value. As a psychological tool, it is the MOST effective, however. This success is harder to quantify, because it doesn't directly result in Victory Points. If, by deploying Lictors, you can keep the enemy from deploying or moving into certain areas, you've gotten something from them, it's just hard to say what that point value is. If you pop your Lictor up in cover and it weathers the shooting of half of the enemy army, shooting that might otherwise have decimated your army, that's also worth quite a bit. This is, in fact, how I use mine. At the first opportunity, I pop them up in the cover they hid in. If the enemy doesn't shoot them, they'll have a pretty good chance at setting up a nasty charge against a light vehicle or a character on the next turn. If the enemy does shoot them, their bonus cover save spares them a lot of firepower that could otherwise severely diminish my army.

Warriors
Warriors are the next most versatile element in the Tyranid army, and they are expected to be MUCH better in the coming codex. Currently they are very fragile for their point value, which leads a lot of players to either under-utilize them, or simply leave them out entirely. Properly used, however, they can be extremely effective, and their effective seems to rise very quickly the more you use.

Shooty
For a purely shooty Warrior, I would skip the movement biomorphs and save points for more Warriors. If you are equipping your Warriors for shooting, the primary weapon will almost certainly be the Venom Cannon. This is the best of the Tyranid guns, particularly at taking down vehicles, which is something the army typically lacks except in hand to hand combat. A good weapon for other members of the Brood is the Deathspitter, with it's combination of blast template (more damage to squads and extra glances on open topped vehicles) and added Strength, it gives you a bit more firepower at range, and an assault weapon with a range of 18" isn't too bad, really. The added Strength is really the key, however, since you'll presumably mostly be firing at Vehicles with your Venom Cannon, so it's useful for the rest of the squad to be able to hurt the same target. One final note here, upgrading the save to a 4+ is a wonderful thing. Do it.

Mixed
Strangely, I think that Mixed Warriors are actually the best candidates for Wings. The Wings let you reposition quickly for a good shot, plus let you pick your assaults more easily. Again, your primary weapon will probably be a Venom Cannon. Other squad weapons are a bit more open, however, as it can be useful to have the added shots of, say, a Devourer to help thin the enemy before an assault. The close combat weapon should definitely be Rending Claws, however. The possibility of Wounding any model in any army or taking down the toughest tank is worth quite a lot, and it really increases your odds against powered armor.

Fighty
The best Warrior Species for close combat have to be Reaping Warriors. (Rending/Leaping) Rending Claws and Scything Talons give you lots of attacks that have the open-ended ability to take out anything in the game. Leaping Legs not only gives you a 12" assault move, but it lets more of your Warriors get into the fight. Those same Leaping Legs also give you Fleet now, meaning you can keep up with the fastest Gaunts. All for less than the points of wings.

Genestealers
If these aren't the premier close combat troops of the game, I don't know what are. With the ability to hurt anything in the game and an Initiative higher than almost anything else, they can be a blender for the enemy. At the same time, if they are unsupported or allowed to walk in front of the enemy guns, you are just throwing points away, since they are very expensive and very fragile. Fielding these in numbers makes them Much more effective. As far as options go, the best equipment for a Genestealer is another Genestealer running next to it. Don't spend points on Implant Attacks or Scything Talons. They all just meant that you'll having fewer Genestealers on the ground. Scything Talons can be very effective, don't get me wrong. Being able to do that much damage to the enemy, all at Initiative 6 is an amazing thing, and means there will be MUCH less chance for the enemy to strike back, so you'll have more Genestealers later. I still prefer standard Genestealers, however, since having more of them means that I can afford a few casualties and still have an effective unit.

Gaunts
Someone once calculated that there are 216 possible differt kinds of Gaunt, based on all the various Biomorphs and options they have. That may be true, but that doesn't mean they are all useful Gaunts. For example, extra Ballistic Skill is wasted on a Gaunt with Scything Talons and Bioplasma. When all is said and done, there are really only a few viable options for Gaunts. The first decision is whether you want leaping Gaunts or walking ones. With Fleet and the larger setup distances in 4th edition, walking gaunts get to the enemy almost as fast as leapers. In turn, they cost less, meaning you can have more of them, which is now more important, since most of the brood will now get their full attacks. In addition, you must decide on Quantity or Quality. If you want lots of Gaunts, you can't give them all the options, you have to economize. The two best gaunts for economy are Spinegaunts and Scythegaunts (Spinefists or Scything Talons, nothing else.) These are very inexpensive and can be quite effective. In the mid to high range, Deathgaunts have proven their effectiveness again and again. (Leaping, S4, Scything Talons, usually I5) They have the strength and attacks to do some damage, but aren't so expensive that you cry when you lose them. On the far end of the spectrum are the ubergaunts. I've taken Deathgaunts and upgraded them with Bioplasma, giving them an extra S5 attack each turn of close combat. These do an amazing amount of damage, but they are as expensive as Genestealers, so I haven't used them frequently. You'll notice that only one of my recommendations uses ranged weapons, and that one is due to low cost. Currently, Gaunt shooting is laughably ineffective, though the new codex may bring it new life.

Rippers
Rippers don't look like much, but in some circumstances they can be very effective. If you are trying to hold up an enemy that has less than S6, 3 Wounds for 10pts is an amazing bargain. If the enemy exceeds S5, however, you will lose a whole base at a time to instakills, so cheap gaunts would be much more effective. The fact that they cannot hold objectives or table quarters doesn't help their case. There is one way to currently make use of rippers, however. Mutations.

Mutants
Ripper Mutants, Weapons Beasts, in particular, are astoundingly effective. Not only does each have 3 Wounds, which makes them easier to Mutate, but they also have 3 attacks, which makes them much more effective if those attacks are at all effective. Although Rending Rippers are primarily known as killers. (Each being more effective than a Genestealer, it's hard not to see why) Venom Cannons, particularly coupled with a Strength upgrade, are also highly effective. 3 S6 shots per turn from each base can be highly effective, both against regular troops and against light vehicles. In the coming codex, however, the Mutation rules are going away, primarily because of how abusive Mutant Rippers are. If they don't give them something in return, however, I expect Rippers will vanish back into their obsurity and no one will use them.

Raveners
Raveners are fast and deadly, but are at least as fragile and expensive as Warriors. With a 9" move and assault, you can catch opponents off guard with them. You can also sneak off to capture objectives or hold table quarters with that movement, which may be your better bet. As a note, they can be very effective as an Army of One. That doesn't mean that you send them in without support, it means that you can make use of the minimum Brood size of 1 so that an opponent will waste shots if a whole squad fires at it and it means that you can more easily make use of cover with that single, fragile model.

Mixed
With their lower Strength compared to Warriors, Raveners aren't nearly as effective in shooting as the Warriors are, but adding a weapon to help reduce the enemy before you hit is not a bad idea. Most of the weapons can be effective, but the Devourer really shines here since it makes the most of the Ravener's Attack Characteristic. Remember, however, your Raveners are very fragile and should follow up that shooting by assaulting something so they'll be out of immediate danger from being shot.

Fighty
There's only one real option here and that's Rending Claws and Scything Talons. An additional pair of Scything Talons would be nice for an extra attack, but it isn't nearly as effective as putting on Rending Claws, unless you are going up against lots of low Toughness, bad armor save types.

Gargoyles
Gargoyles are an astounding deal. You get to fly forward 12" each turn and if you don't shoot you get to fleet. If you do shoot, you get a S4 shot that hits half the time from most of the Brood. Then you can assault, adding an additional S4 shot from bioplasma and then a pair of S3 attacks from charging in. That's a lot for a model that costs the same as a Hormigaunt. The primary drawback of Gargoyles is that they are only available in metal models. This means that they are expensive to buy, which makes using them more difficult.

Conversions
A number of modelers have gotten around this, however, by converting plastic Gaunts into Gargoyles. The standard method is to take a Termagant body and add wings to it. You can mail-order wings or pick up some you see in a toy store, or even make your own. It is fairly easy to cut out a pair of insect-style wings from plastic or transparency paper and glue it to the back of the Termagant, and this is how a number of other have gotten their Gargoyles. One bright soul also came up with the idea of a bio-jetpack, giving them a rocket engine instead of wings. His version used some spinefists and other easy-to-find bitz to make a little rocket pack for each Gaunt. Again, a much better way than simply buying the metal models or not playing them at all.

Carnifex
The Tyranid answer to the tank is a wonderful beast. It is huge and incredibly strong and can scythe through pretty much anything it wants.

Shooty
A Carnifex designed around shooting can be a very impressive beast. Given that Monstrous Creatures can now fire two weapons, it makes good sense to give it two of the same kind of weapon, so it never wastes a shot. What to arm it with, however? I have seen some swear by the Barbed Strangler, since it gives you a S8 weapon with a 5" template, which can hurt a lot of enemies. On the other hand, two of them only gives you two shots and, while it is good at killing troops, that's usually not a big deal for Tyranids. One of our big weaknesses is vehicles, and for vehicles, there is only one solution: The Venom Cannon! Two VCs give you 4 S10 shots each turn. Even with BS3 that's still 2 hits on average. Nothing can take that kind of punishment for long.

Mixed
A mixed Carnifex uses shooting as something to do while it moves up to get into hand to claw combat. Again, I'd go with a Venom Cannon for the ranged weapon and a set of Scything Talons for the extra attack in HTH. Although not as effective as the more specialized Carnifexes, mixed ones get by because they can effect the enemy throughout the game, instead of having to wait several turns to get into close combat or having most of your line of sight blocked at later stages by your own close combats.

Fighty
Right now the main reason to have a Fighty Carnifex is to get an inexpensive TMC. They can be somewhat effective, but aren't as impressive as they seem. Remember, they top out at 5 attacks on the charge and have both lousy Initiative and poor weapon skill. In the new codex there are said to be many close combat options for the Carnifex. They are also said to be allowed as Elites if they are under a certain point limit, which could theoretically mean you could field 8 TMCs in a single list. (2 Tyrants, 3 Elite Carnifexes, 3 Heavy Carnifexes.) For a Fighty Carnifex, you pretty much have to take 2 sets of Scything Talons. Although Rending Claws have a good effect, the Carnifex really doesn't need it, but it does need the extra attacks!

Zoanthropes
While Zoanthropes have a number of powers to choose from, the main ones are Psychic Scream and Warp Blast. (See Tyrant discussion for why) Of the other options, Catalyst and Synapse aren't bad ideas, but they aren't great, either.

Biovores
Many of you know that I do not like Biovores. They are cool, but seem too random for me. Other Tyranid players swear by them, however, so it may just be my personal experience that sways my opinion. The Bio-Acid mine seems like a great idea. A flamer template that ignores Powered Armor saves! That's awesome. Oh wait, it shoots in a random direction and only kills 1/3 of the models under it. Hmm, not quite so good now. On the other hand, the Poison mine seems quite worthwhile. Not only does it wound anything on a 4+, but it also causes automatic glancing hits on Open-Topped vehicles, which is something that Tyranids sometimes have a hard time with.

If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know

Return to Warpstorm!