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Hi guys,

Someone told me once before, one of the best ways to learn the game for a noob is to copy a pro's list and start playing with it; so I did.

I used Yermom's list.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/274452.page

Instead of 2 trygons, I used 1 trygon and 1 mawloc.

Here goes the cheese, and it'll happen maybe when the Moon, the Sun, the Mars and the Earth all line up perfectly. Everything came on the table at turn 2. A land raider with 5 termies parked side way at front of another tank, so I surrounded it with the pods, zoanthropes and trygon. Like you guessed it, the mawloc came up from under and auto kill that land raider + termies. That guy packed up and left.

Those planets need to line up more often.

Thanks for reading.

LOL thats great! I never really considered that tactic, but I suppose if you really wanted you could get crazy with all spore pod infantry and 3 mawlocs. With 2 tyrants for +2 to reserves, you can most likely surround and kill 2 units with mawlocs and around 10 spods that way.

I had the identical luck. I used pods and Hive Commnder and Mawloc starting on the board. I was fortunate that he also blocked his own LR in a bit with two Razors making iot much easier to block him off. LRs take up a lot of space. Even average scatters will still work at times.

New Player wrote: That guy packed up and left.

Congrats. You have gained a rank in doling out lawful dickings.

Love it. For the purpose of Terror from the Deep, do friendly vehicles/units count as impassable terrain, so you can't move them nor move through them?

If so, makes it so much easier to auto destroy things.

PROMOTION!

N.I.B. wrote:Love it. For the purpose of Terror from the Deep, do friendly vehicles/units count as impassable terrain, so you can't move them nor move through them?

If so, makes it so much easier to auto destroy things.

Friendly vehicles and units are always impassible terrain.

Honestly maybe the guy shouldn't be building a list where all his power is concentrated into one place on the table anyways.

It warms my little bug heart to see someone use my list and have success with it

So, will people continue to whine that the Tyranids have no way of clearing a parking lot?

Egregious leap to conclusions FTW. This isn't a viable tactic for clearing a parking lot. The OP admits to as much.

Funny gimmick scenario that gibbed a point-sink unit.

Bear in mind the probabilities of this happening are not as remote as the OP is implying. If it happened to me as well do the mathhammer. I estimated that almost 50% of the time it will work on mech spam that cluster tanks in diagonal deployment. Tank spam in a corner is also a prime target. If you use pods ( I tried to use average scatter of pods and Mawloc, along with a cluster formation) I estimated a 50% probability. You see big tanks have big footprints so you need space to get them y=to the side and you are more likely to get a hit even with some scatter.

Also consider that where your opponent sees spore pods he does not want that Carnifex to have room between tanks to deploy, if you back with trygons the same applies.

I did not build a list around Mawloc abuse in mind, have it in mind but f I get to chose side for deployement I will leave a good obvious spot for tanks and other units to deploy for my opponent to choose if I can.

I've been tabled by those sort of tactics before, (Two units of bladestorming Dire Avengers and a unit of Fire Dragons, all in twin bright lance Wave Serpents) and have learned to keep as much stuff in reserve as possible and spread out the rest. That is why I've made my Ork army entirely mounted in trukks/Battlewagons, so they can get in amongst the enemy as quick as possible. This tactic would be nasty against massed footslogging Guard or Orks. You might get away with having a deathstar unit in WFB, but in 40K, it's just asking to be outmaneuvered.

felixcat wrote:
If it happened to me as well do the mathhammer. I estimated that almost 50% of the time it will work on mech spam that cluster tanks in diagonal deployment. Tank spam in a corner is also a prime target. If you use pods ( I tried to use average scatter of pods and Mawloc, along with a cluster formation) I estimated a 50% probability.

And now we've got made up math! Even MOAR FTW!

First an utterly butchered sentence (looks like it is written by a 5 yo) containing "mathhammer".

Then followed by a sentence containing; "I estimate that almost 50%...".

Tell you what. I estimate that those two sentences makes 0.001 % sense while containing 100% fail. Just do the math..hehe.

On a more positive and constructive note I would really like to know how the "almost 50% chance to work on mech spam that cluster tanks in diagonal deployment" was calculated. I really would.

It's no different than a nasty Deamon list where everything comes on the table at the start of turn 2. The list seems nasty and unstoppable when it's lucky, but how will it do if it gets unlucky against an IG list with an astropath. How will the list do if only 1 unit comes in on turn 2, and only 1/3 of the remaining reserve units make it on by turn 3. That's 3 turns of IG gunline firepower that half of a tyrnaid army will have to deal with. You'll end up fighting an IG gun line with half an army making piecemail assault after piecemail assault, and the nids will get gunned down.

@ Steelmage99
I did not realize that you were so well educated. I guess since English is NOT my mother tongue ( French Canadian with a university degree) you feel obliged to call me a five year old - I'm assuming that is what your internet speak means. I bow to your superior intelligence.

@ sourclams
There are a lot of variables to figure out. Note I said I was using reserve bonuses, I was averaging scatter ( 2" - 3" ), I was talking about a pretty common tactic of using your multiple tanks to provide cover, and I was looking at the dimensions of an LR. No it is NOT made up. And your reply was as rude as Steelmage99's reply. Please be both literate, polite and analytical in your responses to my comments. It isn't asking a lot.

Anyone else can feel free to jump all over me. I don't really mind. I have words in french for all of you but I'll stick to English, lol.

So some math - not an exact science - never thought it was but an indication of probabilities.

Tyrant's Hive Commander and Lictor - 50% chance of arriving turn two with Lictor.

I estimated a Landraider to be 6" by 4". So a 2"-3" scatter works and of course with a Lictor , well. That is a 47% chance of hitting the raider without the Lictor.

Now I never said you must arrive turn two and do this. If you get two pods ( out of the four I use) which is a high probabi8lity you can usually block two sides ( again with just average scatter).

I did say I assumed a clusterf##k formation ( which in my game was the case as it often is with mech SM lists). They will block a side and back of the LR - note too that often a board edge on a flank will do the same but we will assume the opponent is not that stupid.

So I can hear your retorts already. The Lictor needs to be on the table. Yes that is true but my Mawloc can choose when to re burrow and arrive as well ( he starts on the table). I might indeed not get enough pods to land and I might lose one to Mawloc scatter. So be it.

I'm after a deathstar squad. You definitely run the very real risk of killing your own models with this tactic. I never meant to imply that could not happen.

However the implication both of the above posters are making that I've never used this tactic and succeeded is pure bile on their part. I assure I have. I'm not expecting it to work every game but it has a reasonable chance to succeed within given parameters. I'm not tailoring a list to accommodate it either. I like the Mawloc regardless as it has its uses.

There is a tendency to rely on what others say and not test out for yourselves. Too much 'bul' is sprouted on the internet. I know that. So it becomes easy to dismiss anything I write and make fun of it. I like Carnifexes over Trygons and Mawlocs over Trygons. I'm well aware of all the incoherent babble on the net trying to prove that Carnis are a bad buy now. Fact of the matter is I like my Carnifexes to survive a few turns and they do. When I tested Trygons they did not. I also use Crushing Claws on my Tervs. They have worked for me. I take Onslaught more often then Catalyst.

I'm not a noob at 40k. I don't make assumptions - I test a lot of lists and play a lot of games ( four or five a month ) for quite a long period of time. Use what you like and what works for you but please don't look to discredit just to prove how smart you are.

Hate those guys. I've met them yesterday. He got the first round and burried Mawlocs. In my turn i had nothing to shoot at, and at the start of his next move, both bugs came out automaticly taking out basilisk and almost manticore before the damn round begun. Ech, hate those guys

Hey Yermom, I forgot to thank you for the list. I love it.

After reading felixcat's, I got an inspiration. Maybe we can all help, and craft this idea into a much more viable tactic.

Assuming everything came on turn 2 with 2 hive commanders. Lictors (deathleaper) don't scatter, what if you put a lictor about 7 or 8 inches away from a land raider, and have your pod drop about between them (kind of hard to explain without visual image)? You most likely get where your pod will land.

Or maybe just use lictors to trap things. Let your pods deep strike first, and place your lictors at the final open spot.

Units with pods don't have to show up with pod, so you can get a lot of empty pods to trap things.

Like warpcrafter said, what if your opponent reserves everything, someone come up with plan 2? haha



I played a game against an IG player today. Kill point & Spearhead deployment, and just like Nurglitch's description of a parking lot. I lol-ed (best description ever). Mawlocs were the major winners of the day. At the end, I lost the game cause pro > noob. :( haha

The tactic really only works for deathstar units. Anything else and you are just asking to be templated and large blasted to death.

Although this is kind of a gimmick move, I can see how lictors suddenly become viable when trying to use it...they don't scatter.

Not saying that I would ever do it (I like my list way too much), but it's something to think about if all your opponent ever runs is a landraider and with assault terminators inside.

@Felixcat.

Thank you for taking the time to explain how you calculated your chance.

@Steelmage99

De rien, mon plaisir. You are welcome and your comment is appreciated.

@Lukas83

You are correct. It is very risky. Generrally this tactic is something to keep up your sleeve and pull out only when the situation is such that your chances are at least 50/50 to succeed. Not all forces can blast/template you with impunity either. Whatever drops in support of the Mawloc is there to also take put pesky units. But it is indeed a risk. I guess after playing Orks for many years i like to take a few chances, lol.

It is often easy to forget to be polite when we're on the Internet.

I suppose it is also easy to forget the rules of Dakka Dakka.

Please do not forget these things anymore in this thread.

I don't know, this 'tactic' seems to be an exploit of movement rules. I'd find it far more likely that 'developing' this 'tactic' would earn you the TFG label than the accolades of your peers...

edit: specifically I'm referring to surrounding a target with spore pods specifically, not when an opponent castles themselves into the situation

If spore pods become too popular the end result will just be a lot of Marine and IG lists running with an inquisitor HQ and Elite. 2 psychic hoods and 2 groups of mystics will really hurt a tyranid drop pod list.

Kroot Loops wrote:I don't know, this 'tactic' seems to be an exploit of movement rules. I'd find it far more likely that 'developing' this 'tactic' would earn you the TFG label than the accolades of your peers...

edit: specifically I'm referring to surrounding a target with spore pods specifically, not when an opponent castles themselves into the situation

How does it exploit it? All you'r doing is positioning yourself for greater effect on an attack. If you were to call that an exploit, then most if not all Competitive armies have some sort exploit going.

It sounds like a damned good idea to me, and very Tyranid; lay down some anti-tank mines so your opponent can't simply drive-off when your bugs close for the kill.

Soladrin wrote:

Kroot Loops wrote:I don't know, this 'tactic' seems to be an exploit of movement rules. I'd find it far more likely that 'developing' this 'tactic' would earn you the TFG label than the accolades of your peers...

edit: specifically I'm referring to surrounding a target with spore pods specifically, not when an opponent castles themselves into the situation

How does it exploit it? All you'r doing is positioning yourself for greater effect on an attack. If you were to call that an exploit, then most if not all Competitive armies have some sort exploit going.

the idea that you can lose a transport and all embarked models simply because you had four pods dropped around it and a mawloc come up, engineering a situation where 'models that can not be moved without coming within 1" of a unit or impassable terrain' are destroyed, instead of dealing with the actual characteristics of the model, seems like an exploit, I mean it doesn't even matter if the Mawloc's attack harms the vehicle, it's automatically moved. It's not against the rules certainly, but will rarely garner you respect.

Dual Lash, Nob Bikers, TH/SS in a LR are a pain, but they work within the frame of rules they were designed too. The comparison would be if you could use Lash to sweep units off the table, or into impassible terrain and automatically destroy them.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Nurglitch wrote:It sounds like a damned good idea to me, and very Tyranid; lay down some anti-tank mines so your opponent can't simply drive-off when your bugs close for the kill.

Really? They're anti-tank mines? What strength do they hit at? against what facing of AV? So then the vehicle explodes and the occupants take STR 4 hits..

what? Nothing like that? The vehicle and all occupants are simply destroyed because they would be within 1"? That doesn't sound like anything related to an anti-tank mines, it sounds like a funky rules thing :p

Kroot Loops:

I believe they're S6 Monstrous Creatures, though I don't have my Codex with me at the moment. Considering the only way of crossing them would be Tank Shock then the facing would be the Front armour.

So the player would have the option of not moving their vehicles at cruising speed, and getting hit on the Rear armour as such like Genestealers and whatever closes, or Tank Shocking through the Mycetic Spore and volunteering for some nasty damage. Or simply blocking off movement when a Mawloc erupts from underneath the vehicle.

So yes, they are indeed like anti-tank mines.

If you place the Mycetic Spores close enough you could actively shoot AV12- enemy vehicles with the Mycetic Spores' shooting attacks.

You can call this an "exploit" or you can call it a "Tactic".

the chance of pulling this off is so slim that it cant be called an exploit.

Firstly the nid player needs to have everything come in on one turn

Second, the spore pods cant scatter in the "wrong" direction, please note that too close is just as bad because if the mawloc touches a friendly model then you have to move the friendly model as well to get the tank out of the template.

Third, the mawloc has to hit, or not scatter in such a way as to leave an opening for the tank, or touch a spore pod.

any way to reduce these chances? not realisticly, Lictors/dealthleaper have "locator beacons" but they have to be on the table at the start of the turn, and if you opponent sees you have a mawloc + a few spods in reserve, along with a lictor next to his expensive tank, and he DOESNT kill the lictor.... well then he is just an idiot.

Following the rules is never an "exploit."

Secondly, the rules for what happens to the unit that can't move out of the way are written into the Mawloc's rules. It's pretty clear that if you can arrange for the other unit not to be able to move out of the way, you can destroy it.

IMO just another reason not to use "all your eggs in a basket" units.