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Here is my attempt at making the most competitive Warrior Spam army possible:

HQ
7x Warriors - Toxin Sacs, TL'd Deathspitters

7x Warriors - Toxin Sacs, TL'd Deathspitters

Troops
12x Spinegaunts

12x Spinegaunts

Elites
7x Warriors - Toxin Sacs, TL'd Deathspitters

7x Warriors - Toxin Sacs, TL'd Deathspitters

Carnifex - 2x Scything Talons, Toxic Miasma, Adrenal Gland (WS)

Fast Attack
2x Raveners - Scything Talons, Rending Claws

Heavy Support
Carnifex - 2x Scything Talons, Toxic Miasma, Adrenal Gland (WS)

Carnifex - Venom Cannon, Scything Talons, Enhanced Senses

Carnifex - Venom Cannon, Scything Talons, Enhanced Senses

Total: 1734

28 TL'd Str6 blasts
2 Venom Cannons


The warriors are the backbone of this army and they pretty much get into cover and shoot at they enemy at 24". The VC carnifexes try to shake or stun vehicles until the CC ones can get to them for the kill. The Raveners harass small squads and contest objectives. The Spinegaunts are there to go to ground on my home objective(s).

I'm calling on the great list makers of Dakka to critique this list. What would you change? Is it competitive?

Just one thing... Have you tried laying all those blast templates from the deathspitters? I ran a squad of 9 deathspitter warriors recently, and only one. It took WAY too long to calculate the hits and the pain on my opponents face was just too much.

You could put 72 of them in an army and if you got first turn, the game would not make it to bottome of one.

Oh... deathspitters are REALLY effective.

Would give the fexes w/ Barbstrangler/Venomcannons... if you are gonna shoot the venom, might as well shoot the barb. Plus more template love right?

Run the fexes directly at vehicles... bomb everything else withtemplates. Rinse, repeat.

Spine guants Without Number ? If so... Perfect! I think I would remove the CC Fex and add in Genestealers w/scuttle to keep your opponent in the middle of the board.

theblklotus wrote:Just one thing... Have you tried laying all those blast templates from the deathspitters? I ran a squad of 9 deathspitter warriors recently, and only one. It took WAY too long to calculate the hits and the pain on my opponents face was just too much. .

This is probably something you can get better at with practice. If its still too much of an issue you might even consider just rolling the dice and letting your opponent move the template and count hits, you might lose some borderline hits that way, but it would probably speed things up quite a bit. Also, it seems like it might be worth avoiding twin-linked for the time issue alone. Reducing the number of die rolls by 40% is probably a good thing.

I'm very tempted to start a Deathspitter spam army but I think I'd go with Deathspitter, Talons, and Toxin Sacs. Also 24 spinegaunts just doesn't seem like enough troops for 5th to me.

I am very much convinced that the Venom Cannon is one of the worst Tyranid weapons in 5E now. Decent strength and range but the AP is lacking, it simply can't be relied on to kill vehicles and it costs to much for that.

The Deathspitter spam may lose you opponents unless you learn to play it quickly.

I know it's tempting to minimize the troops but really, once an opponent gets clued in they are going to die extremely quickly. I'd run either a few more squads or go with something like genesteelers. I know, you have synapse everywhere, but honestly I think in the long run you are going to regret only having two cheap broods for troops.

A Tyranid army that relies on a good portion of it sitting and shooting is like a TAU army that relies on its assault troops.

As long as the units have without number... they will always be around.

You also have an extra spot for some zoes with scream.

You're going to get 28 Warriors into cover (and keep them in formations that keep blasts from hitting 4 at a time)...how? Does not translate to the table. Without carapace, warriors are shredded by bolter fire. Also, your Ravener squad is too small to justify its use. The army as it stands is too fragile.

Rolling TL-Dspitters quickly is possible...but not for this many. I play with a squad of 9 and their shooting usually requires at least 3 minutes.

doak22 wrote:You're going to get 28 Warriors into cover (and keep them in formations that keep blasts from hitting 4 at a time)...how? Does not translate to the table. Without carapace, warriors are shredded by bolter fire. Also, your Ravener squad is too small to justify its use. The army as it stands is too fragile.

Rolling TL-Dspitters quickly is possible...but not for this many. I play with a squad of 9 and their shooting usually requires at least 3 minutes.

Warriors aren't MCs, they can be screened by gaunts.

Hmmm posted something like this a while ago.

This version isn't competitive.

Thanks for all of the responses. The more I think about this build, the more I think that it isn't going to work.

Oh well, back to the drawing board...

What about getting some Zoeys in there for some S10 shots that can do more than glance, and alternating weapons within the Warrior units to abuse the mixed weapons rules with respect to taking saves in a unit with mixed weapons? Also, with the new rules for template placement, that Barbed Strangler is just plain old cool on the Carnifex...to keep with the template spam theme, maybe also a Deathspitter. The Raveners can probably go IMHO. Not a mean enough effect for a world with Kill Points. The Zoeys at least give you something you can't get elsewhere. (though playtesting may easily reveal their inclusion as folly)

Oh well, back to the drawing board...

Well it's not a bad idea, as I loved running warriors but... You really need to be careful in how you make them, because warriors can get very expensive very quickly and not really be any more effective for the points you are dumping into them. That's really true of every biomorphable 'nid unit. When I look at E-bay and see people selling off their 'nid armies you always see the same thing, 'nids piled high with every available biomorph you can give them. That's why these armies fail so badly.

If you're not using Without Number on your 'gaunts, take lots of them. If you are using Without Number, then take more but smaller squads. If you want that squad to refresh you need it to be able to be killed. Two squads, even Without Number, don't have what it takes.