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Since I was out for a while and missed the whole shield of baal campaign, did it do anything for nids? Last I remember, the new codex was garbage and did nothing but nerf the stuff that was good in the 5th edition codex. I know it's playable for fun, but is it more than a fun army? Thanks

Since the codex some of the model releases (like the weird spore drop pod things) have gone some way to making them reasonably competitive I believe.

 l0k1 wrote:
Since I was out for a while and missed the whole shield of baal campaign, did it do anything for nids? Last I remember, the new codex was garbage and did nothing but nerf the stuff that was good in the 5th edition codex. I know it's playable for fun, but can is it more than a fun army? Thanks

Currently Nids are solidly mid tier, and possible fully cheese worthy (see Jy2's Pentyrants ) Currently I can honestly describe Nids as "good"

Annoyingly, I'd sold my nids dex mere weeks before the good stuff came out for them, half tempted to rebuy it now

Never sell your army unless you're dedicated about quiting the hobby. You never know what's coming.

I didn't sell my army, I hadn't really started the army. I still have the models (the Swarm box and some warriors), but I had so many books I wasn't using so I sold it, and now I wish I hadn't.

I actually just picked up a bunch off craigslist. Mostly gaunts and genestealers, I'm somewhat lacking in MCs atm.

Interesting. Nids, we're one of my first loves in 40k but sold them all. I told myself that I would get back into them if their new codex was good, but it wasn't. Then I heard about all of the formations and stuff they got outside of their codex. I have a bunch of guard stuff left over from an army consolidation(didn't like the guard that much), and was thinking about selling/trading the guard stuff for more CSM or get back into nids.

Nids have some builds that are at the very top of competitive at the moment, even above some of the list Eldar can pump out. They are very strong.

Pentyrant - 5 Flyrants in 2 Detatchments
Trirant + Skyblight or Skytyrant
Trirant + Barbed Hierodule

Those 3-4 list are brutal.

The Godly:
Flyrants x2 Devs/E-Grubs
Malanthropes
Barbed Hierodule
Harridan

The Good:
Tyrannocyte (The new pod)
Carnifex x2 Devs (In a Pod preferably)
Dimachaeron (In a Pod preferably)
Gargoyles
Exocrines (Even better in the Living Artillery Node)
Biovores (Even better in the Living Artillery Node)
Double Template Tyrannofex (In a Pod preferably)
Hormagaunts (Maelstrom Kings)
DS Rippers (Cheap objective grabbers)
Mawlocs
Mucolids (15 point troop!)
Crone
Lictors
Deathleaper

The Ok:
Tervigon
Toxicrene
Venomthrope/Zoanthrope (Only here because they are superseded by the Malanthrope)
Swarmlord (Can be used a bodyguard for the Barbed Hierodule)
Spore Mines (Can be useful in the Sporefield Dataslate)
Warriors (Only here because they're needed for several formations)
Pyrovores (Must be taken in pods)
Harpy
Stonecrusher Carnifex
Scythed Hierodule

The Bad:
Raveners
Shrikes
Trygons (The mighty have fallen)
Trygon Primes
Tyrant Guard
Hive Guard
Termagants (Only to unlock Tervigons as troops really..)
Sporocyst
Mieotic Spores
Genestealers / Broodlords

The Ugly:
Haruspex
Malceptor
Tyranid Prime
Old One Eye
Children of Cryptus
Phodian Hive Warriors
Beast of Phodia
Sky-Slashas

Hierophant is too expensive to rate.

Good Formations:
Living Artillery Node
Deathleaper's Assassins Brood
Skyblight
Skytyrant
Sporefield
Manufactorum Genestealers (Not super competitive but depending on the type of board you play on these can be brutal)

I've seen dual Heirophants used in Apoc, in that format they're excellent, heirodules, not so much because of their price vs a wraithknight who has pretty much the same statline.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Harridans scare me half to death, even with my Tau who have skyfire out the butt

NauticalKendall wrote:
I've seen dual Heirophants used in Apoc, in that format they're excellent, heirodules, not so much because of their price vs a wraithknight who has pretty much the same statline.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Harridans scare me half to death, even with my Tau who have skyfire out the butt

Harridans are so good in Apoc, they are immune to 99% of the D because they're all blast and template weapons.

Thanks! I'll have to look up these formations.

It's interesting that you put termagaunts as bad, and hormagaunts as good. I might have skimmed over it, but is that because of one of the aforementioned formations?

 l0k1 wrote:
It's interesting that you put termagaunts as bad, and hormagaunts as good. I might have skimmed over it, but is that because of one of the aforementioned formations?

Hormagaunts can run up to 9 inches, re-rolling if necessary. With OS, it makes them very good in Maelstrom.

Also Harridans are not immune to 99% of D weapons in Apoc, it's just they can't be targeted by them (unless they Skyfire )

What synapse creature do you use to keep up with the hormagaunts, keeping them under control?

Maybe I'm just stuck thinking with the 5th edition dex where running tons of termagaunts for tons of shooting was the way to go lol.

It'd be amazing, but due to the price tag I'm not even going to look at FW titans/superheavies

What makes Barbed Hierodules so good?

They have the statline of a Wraithknight for over double the cost. Sure, it has nice guns, but still.

 Ashiraya wrote:
What makes Barbed Hierodules so good?

They have the statline of a Wraithknight for over double the cost. Sure, it has nice guns, but still.

Plentiful ranged Strength 10 in an army completely lacking it and Stomps.

They're also Gargantuan Creatures, which is a really big deal. Stuff like Str D melee attacks, Stomps, poison just bounces off of them, etc.

So what all does a pentyrant list use other than 5 flyrants?

 l0k1 wrote:
So what all does a pentyrant list use other than 5 flyrants?

it doesn't matter.

 l0k1 wrote:
It's interesting that you put termagaunts as bad, and hormagaunts as good. I might have skimmed over it, but is that because of one of the aforementioned formations?

 Frozocrone wrote:

 l0k1 wrote:
It's interesting that you put termagaunts as bad, and hormagaunts as good. I might have skimmed over it, but is that because of one of the aforementioned formations?

Hormagaunts can run up to 9 inches, re-rolling if necessary. With OS, it makes them very good in Maelstrom.

Also Harridans are not immune to 99% of D weapons in Apoc, it's just they can't be targeted by them (unless they Skyfire )

Yeah Hormagaunts speed and OS makes them very nice in Maelstrom.

 TheSilo wrote:
What synapse creature do you use to keep up with the hormagaunts, keeping them under control?

Flyrants at the front, Malanthrope at the back.

 Ashiraya wrote:
What makes Barbed Hierodules so good?

They have the statline of a Wraithknight for over double the cost. Sure, it has nice guns, but still.

"Nice guns" is a bit of an understatement. Add on the FNP, Stomp, Easy 2+ cover with a Malanthrope and Ruins and they're much better than a Wraithknight. You will usually need to run a Dimachaeron or The Swarmlord with them to stop melee beat-sticks assassinating them though.

 l0k1 wrote:
So what all does a pentyrant list use other than 5 flyrants?

Combined Arms Tyranids:

Flyrant - x2 Devs, E-Grubs, Fighter Ace, Warlord
Flyrant - x2 Devs, E-Grubs

Malanthrope

Rippers w/ DS
Rippers w/ DS

Hive Fleet Leviathan:

Flyrant - x2 Devs, E-Grubs
Flyrant - x2 Devs, E-Grubs
Flyrant - x2 Devs, E-Grubs

Lictor
Lictor

Mucolid
Mucolid
Mucolid
Mucolid

Mawloc
Mawloc

This is a pretty basic one, you could mix and match the Mawloc/Lictor combo to some Dakkafexes in pods if you take the Fighter ace upgrade off the Warlord, remove a Mucolid and drop 2 E-grubs.

Keep your Lictors and Mawlocs in the Leviathan detachment so they can re-roll IB test and keep your DS Rippers in your Combined Arms detachment so they have Obsec.

This thread has loads of info on Tyranids.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/572843.page

Thanks for the link to that thread Zande4.

Thanks for the insight. I may have to look more into nids. With all the big stuff in that sample list it seems like it wouldn't be terribly expensive to build, well compared to swarm lists lol.

 Zande4 wrote:




The Bad:
Raveners
Shrikes
Trygons (The mighty have fallen)
Trygon Primes
Tyrant Guard
Hive Guard
Termagants (Only to unlock Tervigons as troops really..)
Sporocyst
Mieotic Spores
Genestealers / Broodlords

Hive Guard a bad unit? You have to be kiding man, no ofense. I know they're BS3 but they're a nice light vehicle hunters, ignoring cover and not needing LoS. Also Str 8 shoots... come on!

Norka wrote:

 Zande4 wrote:




The Bad:
Raveners
Shrikes
Trygons (The mighty have fallen)
Trygon Primes
Tyrant Guard
Hive Guard
Termagants (Only to unlock Tervigons as troops really..)
Sporocyst
Mieotic Spores
Genestealers / Broodlords

Hive Guard a bad unit? You have to be kiding man, no ofense. I know they're BS3 but they're a nice light vehicle hunters, ignoring cover and not needing LoS. Also Str 8 shoots... come on!

They cost too much, and they take a slot better used on Venothropes and Zoeys.

What supplements/campaign books/dataslates can I find these formations in?

Campaign Supplements: Shield of Baal: Leviathan, Shield of Baal: Deathstorm.

Dataslates: Rising Leviathan I (Tyranid Vanguard), Rising Leviathan II (Tyranid Invasion), Rising Leviathan III (Tyranid Onslaught).

White Dwarf Issues 40-42.

Thanks! Appreciate the help!

Also, rules for the newest Tyranid models (Maleceptor, Mucolid, Sporocyst, Toxicrene, Tyrranocyte, and Zoanthrope w/ Neurothropse rules) are available for free download from Black Library, so you don' need to hunt down the White Dwarfs containing these rules:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Home/free-to-download.html