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Here's my list.  I'm not a noob so I'll take all advice with a grain of salt.  Most everything on this list has been a proven winner for me.  But I would like to see what y'all have to say.  Hopefully I can inspire, as well.

HQ
Hive Tyrant: TS, ES, T-L Deathspitter, VC
   (2) Tyrant Guard
Hive Tyrant: TS, ES, T-L Deathspitter, VC
   (2) Tyrant Guard
ELITE
(6) Warriors: RC, ST, TS, Ext Carapace, AG (WS, I)
TROOPS
(10)Spinegaunts
(10)Spinegaunts
(10)Spinegaunts
FAST ATTACK
(4)Ripper Swarms: Winged(yes I'm serious)
(4)Ripper Swarms: Winged(and yes they work)
(4)Raveners:ST, RC
HEAVY SUPPORT
Carnifex: AG (WS, I), Bonded Exo, Reinforced Chitin, Tusked, ST(x2)
(3)Biovores: Bio Acid


I have some wiggle room if I need it in a few places for tweaking, but all-in-all this list is effective.  I roll horribly.  So I have to find ways to take that into consideration.  This list ensures that even if I don't roll well, I still have a solid chance at victory.  This may not be the list for you but it is very forgiving in the rolling department.  The main thing is that your tactics are solid and you know how to use the units to their potential.  The list was not made to take on a specific foe.  It may not beat EVERYTHING but it's pretty close.
Edit: total 1495 not sure what to spend the 5 on yet.

Well, what can I say about this list? A former version of it kicked my butt, so I can only imagine what this final incarnation will do. In the hands of the right person, I would say it is nigh unstoppable and unfortunately, it is very much so in the right hands. This list will always be in HTH by turn 2 and with its speed is very good at cornering and trapping opponents. The DakkaTyrants are very efficient tank killers and with their Guard are incredilby hard to take out. The Carnifex is a BEAST plain and simple. It takes a lot of consentrated lascannon fire to take him out and even then its no simple task. The biovores are the icing on the cake. A very versatile unit, that with the right kind of spore mines, can take out infantry and tanks. A lot of people knock Warriors. I don't really know what I think about these guys, but what I do know is if you get in HTH with them you better kill them in one round or you wont live to regret it. I don't see any glaring problems with this list, but then again what do I know, I've only played against the Tyranids 5 times and won once. I'm curious as to what the "Experts" have to say.

Legion, what kind of list are you running? The list isn't that fast. There are a ton of points in units that move 6-6, and are only hth.

One Plascannon can take out an entire ripper brood, and a couple of tornados have a decent chance of taking out the other one.

The big weakness is the vanguard element is kinda fragile. Spend the first turn taking out the rippers and raveners. That will buy you a bunch of time to take out the slower moving pieces. His biggest advantage is points denial, the HT and fex will be hard to take out. But you should just stay out of their way, and take out everything else.

First hit the rippers with S6 weapons, and S6 blast weapons are best
Then the raveners, anything with AP5 is fine
The spinegaunts, just spray them
Warriors, be a bit careful. AP4 will ignore armor, but hit them with a couple of units and that should do it. Be careful, they will be pretty deadly in HtH.
If you can take out 1 biovore, the unit will break, and you don't have to worry about it for a couple of turns.

Then concentrate on the TMC's that are left

There is little to hit AV12+ vehicles. Each HT may get 1 glance each turn, the biovores are a bit more worrisome, but they have to hit, then roll 9+ on 2d6. But they get a bunch of tries.

Core, on paper you are correct. Bugs are fragile for the most part. I do have to say though that I have learned to use them quite well. The HT's are not just there for point denial. I have had real success with them. Assault 3 36 inches and 24 inch twin linked blast is usually good for most things. The biggest problem is that I can never roll on the damage chart for vehicles, DOH! I have been known to get three penetrating hits on a vehicle and not get anything but crew shaken/stunned. The problem with just taking out the rippers and the raveners is that my gaunts also have the ability for a round 2 assault.

Agreed. This list is much faster on the table than it looks on paper. Sure, The big stuff can only move 6 - charge 6, but thats all it needs when everything else can fleet, then assault turn 2, and tie everything up long enough for the big stuff to get there. That is the whole strategy and the way this list is made, there is no way you can kill all the gaunts, rippers, warriors, and raveners in turn 1. It's just impossible and that is the geniousness of it. It's a combination of two Tyranid tactics: Swarm and NidZilla. I call it the SwarmZilla. On paper you can say "this can kill that" all you want, but on the table, it's a whole other ball game, trust me.

I admit, I like the VC/Death combo. I think it is the best for a walkrant.

But with a little defensive play, the gaunts won't hit CC until turn 3, and the warriors not until Turn 4.

You don't have to kill all those units in turn one, you have time. So yeah, you need to kill the rippers in turn one. But if they are the main threat, they die pretty easy. Kill the Raveners in turn 1 or 2. Sure the VC will be doing some damage, but not much compared to losing broods. (Of course, using cover will help the Nids.
30 Spineguants are fun, but just are not all that much of a threat, and if they fleet assault too fast, they are out of synapse range.
Now Legion, if you are moving forward and trying to win in the middle of the board... yeah, you are in trouble.

What type of list are you running Legion? Do you have any assault cannons? Or blast templates? heavy bolters?

I support winged rippers, up to a point. But support Raveners and Winged warriors more.

Leaping rippers are where its at. You get the nuisance factor of rippers without the pricetag, more to the point they remain troops.

One Plasma cannon cannot not take out a whole brood, unless you take just three bases and deliberately huddle them up for the kill.

I might consider taking leaping on the rippers, but it does limit the speed a small bit. Depending on the mission it may be six of one half a dozen of the other. Other missions may make a severe difference. I may see how it works in a game soon... good thought though.

They can easily take out his brood of 4. Just needs to wound two of them, vulnerable to templates, insta-death. Poof....

Here is whats good in your list:
(10)Spinegaunts
(10)Spinegaunts
(10)Spinegaunts
(4)Raveners:ST, RC

Here is whats not:
Everything else.

This list needs a serious makeover.

Flying rippers, close combat carnifex, biovores, overly-expensive warriors, no flyrant, deathspiiters on the tyrants (you should take advantage of the tyrants high number of attack and go with devourers instead of the deathspitter). You have way too few models for tyranids, and your monstrous creatures are too slow to make any sort of difference, especially with a CC carni.

Go with leaping rippers instead, if you absolutely must have rippers. Split the raveners into multiple squads to increase their flexibility. Re-work the carnifex entirely, into a shooty carnifex with VC/BS and +1 Wound. A dakkafex could also work nicely, to help thin out infantry alittle bit. Drop the biovores, buy more gaunts.

Coredump: "They can easily take out his brood of 4. Just needs to wound two of them, vulnerable to templates, insta-death. Poof...."

Please explain how that kills a unit of four bases of Rippers in one shot? The extra damage is taken on the sdame bases of rippers, not two extra bases of rippers. This assumes you wound two bases to begin with, it will be easy with swarm bases to restrict you to one and an iffy partial, then the rippers get bonus to cover saves.

Posted By Orlanth on 05/18/2007 4:24 AM
Coredump: "They can easily take out his brood of 4. Just needs to wound two of them, vulnerable to templates, insta-death. Poof...."

Please explain how that kills a unit of four bases of Rippers in one shot? The extra damage is taken on the sdame bases of rippers, not two extra bases of rippers. This assumes you wound two bases to begin with, it will be easy with swarm bases to restrict you to one and an iffy partial, then the rippers get bonus to cover saves.

Nope, you check for instant death when you allocate a wound to a model. So everytime you allocate a S6 (or higher) wound to a Ripper Base, the whole thing dies, you don't allocate all the wounds first.

So the formula goes:

1) Place the blast marker to see how many models in the unit are hit (including rolling for partials).
2) Double the number of hits that affects the unit due to the Vulnerable to Blasts rule.
3) Roll to wound and since the Rippers can't save, move directly onto allocating the wounding hits onto the models.
4) For each wound caused, an entire base is removed (since each wound causes instant death).


And FYI, the GW rulebook FAQ says this is indeed the correct way to play.

This is just stupid, you are killing more models than can fit under the template.

Posted By Orlanth on 05/18/2007 8:47 AM
This is just stupid, you are killing more models than can fit under the template.

and. . .?

That's exactly the point of the 'vulnerable to blasts' special rule.

Thanks Yak.

Yeah, it works that way against scarabs too.