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Out of curiosity, what is the unit/list/weapons that a MC-heavy tyranids list aboslutely hate to face? What do they love to see?

Not looking to tailor a list, but I know positively jack-all about tyranids short of what I read on the boards, so hoping to get a little advice on what's coming my way.

I'm no hive mind but I know many plasma gun shots make them cringe. What army are you running?

Jaws of the World Wolf. Nuff' said.

Space Pups with the JOTWW and other anti-MC toys has to make the "hate to face" list.

They would probably love to see not-mech IG, but wouldn't we all. They're extinct you know.

We're looking at at a team Black Templar + CSM vs Orks + Nids game. The Orks I have an idea on how to play tactically. The Nids I've never seen in my life before, I just know to expect a couple of Carni's, a Terrorflex (Tyranoflex? Whatever it's called), Swarmlord, and Hive Tyrant.

Jaws of the World Wolf can be devastating, especially if the Tyranids list is running multipe Tervigons/Tyrannofexes.

They hate broadsides firing at the Doom.

In my own humble opinion, i think wraithguard can be quite scary, if they are given the chance. say a transport manages to drop them and they pass wraithsight or have a leader, they can shoot their wound on a 2+ ap 2 instant death on a 6 guns at your swarm lord or trigon or what have you. As a person with experience in anti-nid, they dont have very much good anti tank ranged apart from the trygon prime and the tervigon (or, if my memory fails, the big nid with the range 48 str 10 ap 2 assault 2 gun)

loosing a carnifex to instant death is like loosing a monolith to a lascannon. Doesnt happen very often but its totally shattering when it does

(off topic: I had a IG versus necon apocalypse, my baneblade main gun bounced right off the monolith, only for a sponson lascannon to penetrate and wreck it )

Hi there, I play tyranids, and the things that cause me comically large amounts of trouble are plasma guns (especially when rapid fired by a special squad that has 4), tau broadsides + pathfinders (negates cover, drops bug), and guard artillery (ignores cover with indirect fire). I don't worry much about lascannons because they generally aren't fielded in large enough quantities to be a tremendous threat. They're dangerous, but not likely to liquify a big bug from full wounds to dead in one round like the above arrangements can. They're also deathly allergic to force weapons and power fists. Those are bad news for bugs.

Gandair wrote:Hi there, I play tyranids, and the things that cause me comically large amounts of trouble are plasma guns (especially when rapid fired by a special squad that has 4), tau broadsides + pathfinders (negates cover, drops bug), and guard artillery (ignores cover with indirect fire). I don't worry much about lascannons because they generally aren't fielded in large enough quantities to be a tremendous threat. They're dangerous, but not likely to liquify a big bug from full wounds to dead in one round like the above arrangements can. They're also deathly allergic to force weapons and power fists. Those are bad news for bugs.

I think I can second thi, not from my own experience, but from an ongoing struggle a good friend of mine had playing against a Zerg-herder...eh Tyranid Player that went on over a year. He ALWAYS lost with his SM until he started dropping his points in Plasmaweapons and Force Weapons. Myself I'm glad that I always took care to have lots of Artillery Pieces for my Guardies in such cases :-D

Lol zerg-herder, I like that term. I think ill steal it.

A good counter to force weapons is running bugs that have Shadow in the Warp. Remember, they have to take a psychic test for the force weapon to work!

That said, MCs (especially CCfexes) also tend to struggle against opponents that can move faster than they can and outmaneuver them. There isn't a single tyranid that can move more than 12" in the movement phase, but there are many vehicles that can move 18" or 24".

Anything that can ID the monstrous creatures. Force Weapons (10 is still an average roll on 3d6 so SiTW isn't always good enough), Wraithcannons, JoTWW, Dire Sword, Skulltaker, etc.

Anything with good invulns in CC. TH/SS Termies, Ghazkull, etc.

Scary power weapons like Agonizers, Power claws.

Flamer type weapons against our infantry. See battlewagon full of burnas.

Plasma spam.

run a Command squad with 4 plasma guns in a Razorback with an assault cannon.


2 Landspeeder typhoons will drop 3-4 warriors a turn.


Force weapons: run a Grey Knight Grandmaster as an ally with a couple of terminators and go Fex hunting. a librarian works well too.


Lightining Claws rip big bugs up if you charge them and can do a number on Gribblies too. i had 5 LC terminators charge a Carnifex brood. they killed 2 and dropped 1 down to 1 wound. the carnifex killed 2 Terminators back and died to a Fearless wound.


Vindicators: Str10 with no armour saves for any bug.

Tyranid armies (like pretty much every army) need a proper balance between shooting and CC to work. "All-CC" armies don't work except against novices. Even if the AT is fo shake/stunlocking...

Seriously peoples.

Force weapons are hilarious against bugs. My absolute favorite though is Tank shocking them as it is great when they fail to penetrate doesnt happen to often against MC bugs but still fun nonetheless.

I'm not a tyranid player, but I play against them and personally I find that massed krak missiles are consistently my most effective weapon.

Plasma is expensive and short range. If you're shooting plasma, that probably means that you're within 12" charge range next turn. Also the days of nids with 2+ saves are gone. Only tyrannofexes get that now.

Krak missiles wound all the T6 bugs on a 2+, and if they're not in cover they take that wound regardless. Also you can lay down 2 or 3 krak missiles at 48" range before they get to you. Typhoons, long fangs, even HK missiles do the job just fine.

As odd as it sounds i hate to see a ton of marine scouts, though they all have sniper rifles these days and its a pain to loose one big bug a turn to focus fire from the scouts. Also almost any list with Lysander as its frontman...

Anything AP2 or AP3 will make quick work of TMCs.

Lots of cheap squads will cause havoc on any assaulty army. If I felt like being a tool and knew I'm playing an assaulty army, I'd consider to take a bunch of unupgraded infantry squads from platoons. 250 points for 5 10-man squads that will stand in formation in front of Leman Russes and absorb the charge. Chances are they'll break instantly, especially allocating at least one of the wounds to the Sergeant. Blast them some more with the plasma after that.

Same as every other army: We hate Battle Cannons.

Instant Death our 3 Wound Warriors, overcome almost all of our armor saves, and easily wound even out big stuff.

Obviously, the sludgy goo piles it leaves of our gaunts is just accepted, since EVERYTHING leaves gaunts in a state of splattered.

with a MC heavy list, watch out for wraithguard. 2+ to wound at ap 2 instant death sounds like an easy way to get rid of most of your 6 wound toughness 6 MCs.

Any way you cut it, your going to have a tough fight on your hands!

Yeah, Wraithguard are killer MC hunters.

I have to say that Eldar Pathfinders are pretty good at it too, as are Seer councils with witchblades.

We hate plasma guns and lascannons.

Worst nightmare for nids would be 4 rune priests with joww, and 3 packs of long fangs.

For chaos lash princes still rule. With a 12" move they can avoid sotw.

The op said chaos and space puppies were going to team up on nids. 4 rune priest plus 2 lash prince is the worst case scenario for nids. The lash princes can lash sotw nids away from rune priests who could then murder tmc with 4 jotww per turn.

Flavius Infernus wrote:I'm not a tyranid player, but I play against them and personally I find that massed krak missiles are consistently my most effective weapon.

Plasma is expensive and short range. If you're shooting plasma, that probably means that you're within 12" charge range next turn. Also the days of nids with 2+ saves are gone. Only tyrannofexes get that now.

Krak missiles wound all the T6 bugs on a 2+, and if they're not in cover they take that wound regardless. Also you can lay down 2 or 3 krak missiles at 48" range before they get to you. Typhoons, long fangs, even HK missiles do the job just fine.

I agree. Ive been using rokkit buggies against my wifes tyrant (and now her new carnifexes will meet them as well) and I have to say those are GREAT MC hunters

As a long time bug player I hate being tank shocked, especially with deff rollas. Also, making sure YOU get the charge is vitally important. Think of a carnifex... On the charge they're I3. When they're being charged they're I1. Also, anything that moves fast is very bad because we don't have anything to shoot with effectively (save for hive guard).

Grunt_For_Christ wrote:As a long time bug player I hate being tank shocked, especially with deff rollas. Also, making sure YOU get the charge is vitally important. Think of a carnifex... On the charge they're I3. When they're being charged they're I1. Also, anything that moves fast is very bad because we don't have anything to shoot with effectively (save for hive guard).

Since your army is fearless almost all of the time, why not just get out of the way when tank shocked?

Because the Deff rolla inflicts D6 S10 hits, which wound everything on 2's regardless of whether or not I get out of the way. This is why I specifically mentioned them.

I'd say hellhound. Pretty much anything with big templates or poison attacks.