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[b]GAUNTS[/b]
My analysis
BIOMORPHS
Adrenal Glands (I) - NO - Unnecessary upgrade. Gaunts should be kept as cheap as possible to make them worth taking.
Adrenal Glands (W) - NO - same as above
Extended Carapace - NO - This is a 'decent' upgrade if you are going to fight an army with horrible AP guns. Will improve your gaunts survivable rate in both the field and CC. However it is VERY unlikely that you'll encounter this scenario.
Flesh Hooks - MAYBE - On the same boat as EC. This upgrade is useful in engaging units hiding in cover. However most of the time your guants will be a meat shield aimed at tangling enemy units, not necessarily aimed at trying to fight to win, rather fight to stall in which case the upgrade is not really necessary. However of all Gaunt upgrades flesh hooks is the most useful.
Scuttlers - MAYBE - One more on the maybe boat. Will help get your gaunts across to enemy lines faster but costs quite a bit. You are literally paying for every inch and the costs gets very high very fast for a very very vulnerable unit. Best used on smaller broods.
Toxin Sacs - NO - As great as having higher strength sounds, because of the ridiculous vulnerability of a 6+ save, this upgrade is quite possibly the worst you could give on almost every case. It has the added bonus of making your guns even more expensive as well to boot! Yay! Your cost effectiveness will take a very steep drop, and the 'benefits' are minimal in most situations.

WEAPON SYMBIOTES
Ranged
=========
Spinefist - YES - Best balance! Is the cheapest and most cost effective in keeping balance between shooting and CC ability.
Fleshborer - MAYBE - The best all around ranged weapon for gaunts. Useful against nearly any target lucky rolls can glance AV 10 vehicles. However your cost effectiveness takes a blow in CC as you are no better than spinegaunts and cost more.
Devourer - MAYBE - Powerful but the least cost effective of the 3. This weapon is what you'd get if you combined a spinefist and fleshborer having the abilities of both in 1. (the spinefist is TL but the devourer gets 2x shots so it's pretty much the same thing) the added range makes shooting more viable as an option for gaunts.

SPECIAL RULES
Without Number - MAYBE - This special rule is a bit pricey but can be ridiculously useful depending on how you use it. The most common tactic is to slap it on and rush ahead with your gaunts soaking enemy fire and letting the other units behind these gaunts move up, get cover saves and avoid being shot alltogether. Then when the fighting up ahead gets messy these guys will re-spawn and be able to take objectives or rush forward as reinforcements. A pretty fun trick is to keep your synapse up ahead, this will cause the gaunts to go into IB and the rules indicate that they will need to FALL BACK towards the nearest synapse creature thus they'll come running FORWARD to wherever your synapse is located, this is a double-edged sword tho so play with caution. Think of this upgrade the same as having extra units in RESERVES, except that you need them to die first before you can get the reserves on the table. Kamikaze is the way to go.


Recommended Configurations To Use
GENERAL RECOMMENDATION
First understand that prior to selecting a ranged weapon the minimum squad of 8 gaunts costs 32 points total. This means that without adding anything gaunts are just as good if not BETTER in combat than Hormagaunts. ANY ranged weapon you choose will make your brood less point cost effective in CC thus making spinefist the best balanced all-round in terms of cost and results.

24 Gaunt Brood @ 120 Pts
Spinefists

- The best choice all-round in cost effectiveness. Very cheap so you can toss them around without worrying about giving the opponents a lot of victory points. Works very well against IG, Tau and Orks. Will suffer against T4 enemies with a save better than 5+. Smaller broods are good in order to cover up more troop choices and reduce the damage of mass fire or blast weapons. However do not be shy about taking more numbers these guys are really cheap and work just as good in larger numbers even when getting pummeled by enemy fire. I recommend a squad of 8 - 24. 24 Spinegaunts can take out 2 MEQs per turn in shooting and 1.33 MEQs in CC, but their real usefulness comes from tying up enemy troops and CC which is what they end up doing most of the time. Rating 10/10

16 Gaunt Brood @ 96 Pts
Fleshborer

- The best all-round shooting choice. Will be able to damage the widest range of enemies with the most effectiveness. It is the absolute best gun for gaunts to use against IG, Orks and MEQs. Given that MEQs are the most common type in the 40k Universe this means that Fleshborers will always give you a fighting chance against most opponents. However the downside is that you are no more effective than a spinegaunt in combat and cost more and the sad truth is that as good as your shooting is you only have 12" range at which you are more likely to engage in combat. So that most of the time you end up throwing those extra points away for a better gun that you might never even use. Take in small to midsized broods 8 to - 16 models, this will be more point effective as taking larger numbers means half your guys wont even be in range to shoot their guns which is another big waste of points. A brood of 16 fleshborers will kill 2 MEQs per turn in shooting, the same as a large brood of 24 spinegaunts and for 24 points less! However be warned that once you enter CC your well spent points go to waste in terms of cost effectiveness. Rating 8/10

14 Gaunt Brood @ 98 Pts
Devourer

- Powerful! Strongest of the 3 ranged weapons for gaunts. Weapon of choice against TauEQ and models with T5 or T6, against other models it keeps a steady 2nd place being either as good as the spinefist or better. What you lose in strength of the gun you more than make up for with the re-rolls so do not be discouraged, plus the 18" range means that this is hands down THE gun to use if you actually want to SHOOT with your gaunts and avoid CC. In CC this is the least cost effective being just as good as a spinefist gaunt, also this does not just apply to CC this set up as a whole has a major cost efficiency flaw because the gaunts are so vulnerable to anything. But you CAN make up for it by slapping them in cover, avoiding CC and shooting anything in range. Remember these guys are NOT for CC they should be used strictly for shooting otherwise you are wasting a ridiculous amount of points. Take in small broods of 8 - 14 to make sure that the opponent doesnt put too much focus on shooting them and that they can get enough shots to damage whatever they shoot. A 14 strong brood will kill 2 MEQs per turn in shooting and costs about the same as the 16 strong group of termagaunts, thanks to the extra 6" range however these guys are more capable of making their shooting count the way it should. Rating 6/10



[b]HORMAGAUNTS[/b]
My analysis
BIOMORPHS
Adrenal Glands (I) - MAYBE - This is a useful upgrade defensively as are most of the Hormagaunt's upgrades. Use it as a means of punishing your opponent before allowing him to attack you at full force. Just remember this upgrade is loses value against enemy units with initiative 3 as you already go first.
Adrenal Glands (W) - MAYBE - The truth is that a hormagaunt with this upgrade is in fact WORST overall than a Hormagaunt with NO upgrades. There is no reason to take this upgrade UNLESS you pair it with Toxin Sacs which makes for the deadliest combination against most enemy units. However is it worth the points? Probably not.
Extended Carapace - MAYBE - Same as with Gaunts. This is only good if you are being shot at by weak AP guns. However it's a bit better for Hormagaunts since they MUST be in combat to actually do anything worth while so you get more mileage with EC from Hormagaunts than normal Gaunts.
Flesh Hooks - YES - Useful and cheap. Take it whenever possible, Hormagaunts are not like Gaunts that you can simply throw in there and not worry
Toxin Sacs - YES - Toxin sacs make your Hormagaunts more cost effective! Yes they become more expensive per model but they will receive and incredible boost to productivity in CC compared to the cost of adding toxin sacs. Hormagaunts are usually very capable of reaching combat early so if you want meat shields use spinegaunts thats what they are for. Hormagaunst are meant to actually fight so always take this biomorph with them.


Recommended Configurations To Use
GENERAL RECOMMENDATION
Think of it this way, Hormagaunts are what you'd get if you paid 5 points for a combination of the Leaping biomorph + 1 Scything Talon, on your base Gaunt. So first and foremost ask yourself, are these 2 upgrades worth 5 points? If the answer is YES then you are in business, if NO then look elsewhere. NOTE: There's 1 missing point, which I already totaled in due to the Hormagaunt profile already having WS 4 meaning it already used up the Adrenal Glands (WS) from a basic gaunt's biomorph options. Hormagaunts NEED to be kept safe no matter how 'cheap' or 'expensive' they get you need to do your best to protect them until they reach combat. In most cases they can hit combat on the 1st turn with a roll of 6 on RUN, otherwise expect them to hit combat by turn 2.

12 Hormagaunts @ 144 Pts
Toxin Sacs +1 St

- The 2nd most cost effective set up for Hormagaunts. The strength bonus really comes in handy. Takes 12 of these guys to equal the CC power of the previous set-up. Statistically kills 2 MEQs. The pro to this set up is less points per individual model thus every individual wound in the squad will hurt the effectiveness less. But being a larger brood means easier for enemies to target you or drop a template on you. Also one of the best things bout this particular set up is that it gains an enormous bonus from Feeder Tendril benefits! The benefit puts it ahead of the previous mention in CC power by far, so if you are taking this make sure to keep another unit with feeder tendrils near it and you will chew through many enemies. Flesh Hooks again should be a must have for the most part, you know the drill, add at your discretion. Rating 10/10

9 Hormagaunts @ 117 Pts
Adrenal Glands +1 WS; Toxin Sacs +1 St

- Has the same CC power of 18 un-upgraded Hormagaunts against the majority of enemy units you'll face and more CC power than any brood of 32 Gaunts!! This is the strongest set up able to take on damn near anything the enemy throws at you. The unit should start at 9 Hormagaunts to really be effective in CC they statistically kill 2 MEQs per turn without counting the charging +1 attack of the 1st turn. This is THE MOST cost effective squad of hormagaunts in CC with high cost but big rewards. Be warned they are still VERY VULNERABLE like a normal gaunt so if you are gonna use this set-up give them cover until you can get them into combat and let them work their magic. Flesh Hooks should always be a must for Hormagaunts but you could always not take it if you want to save points. Rating 9/10

18 Hormagaunts @ 180 Pts

- This is standard. 18 is the magic number to be able to kill 2 MEQs per turn like all the other set ups. Obviously this set up is really weak per model but as a group they do good, the draw back is that it costs the most at a total of 180 points for the same killing ability you get from the 117 point and 144 point squads. Large Blasts hurt this one the most because of their heavy reliance on numbers to do damage. It still performs just as good if it manages to make it into combat intact and you'll get all your attacks in due to the 3" CC zone of Leaping. Note that this unit can become ridiculously powerful within the range of Feeder Tendrils so it is highly worth taking if you are packing Feeder Tendrils in your army list. Flesh hooks is all the same story. Rating 6/10

14 Hormagaunts @ 154 Pts
Adrenal Glands +1 WS

- This set up is NOT cost effective. It's not very useful at all and 14 of these guys will total up to the same CC power of the 3 previous mentions, killing 2 MEQs a turn. On the plus side there's a lot of wounds to go around so losing some to shoots won't hurt you as much, but if that is what you are looking for you are better off dropping Adrenal Glands and adding on 4 more Hormagaunts for 36 more points. Rating 5/10

[b]GENESTEALER[/b]
My analysis
BIOMORPHS
Acid Maw - MAYBE - Taking this means you can't take feeder tendrils or flesh hooks. So why take it? This biomorph becomes deadly when you have a support unit with feeder tendrils nearby. It allows your stealers to re-roll everything during the first round of combat. On the smallest brood of 6 this will boost your average 2 rends on the charge, to 3 or 4 rends. Very useful against terminators and the like. However the upgrade costs as much as EC making it VERY pricey. Only take this if you plan on using other units with Feeder Tendrils. EDIT: Acid Maw also becomes much more effective vs. high toughness models
Extended Carapace - MAYBE - This is arguably one the best upgrade for genestealers, helps a lot in CC and can help them survive small weapons fire. However it is high on the price tag per model it could be argued that it's best to take 1 or 2 more stealers than to give a brood this upgrade.
Feeder Tendrils - YES - Potentially the best ugprade to give your genestealers. A must-have except for when you already have a bunch of units with this skill in which case you can go with something else as you get to spread this ability around across your army even with just one brood. The ability to re-roll your missed attacks makes up greatly for the change to the rending rules. The more hits you get the more chances to rend you'll have.
Flesh Hooks - YES - This upgrade is ever so useful and dirt cheap however it prevents you from taking acid maw and/or feeder tendrils. This is a mandatory upgrade that you just NEED to have if you arent taking tendrils. Genestealers going at I1 is horrible if you plan on assaulting through difficult terrain, and with the abundance of cover and terrain this is definetly a must have.
Implant Attack - NO - While it's a powerful upgrade this is really only useful against specific targets and let's face it the high point cost per model makes this very inneffective. You'd be better off aiming a Tyrant or Carnifex at those targets.
Scuttlers - MAYBE - I personally LOVE this biomorph. It gives you the chance to assault in the 1st turn (only if your opponent deploys at the line and you happen to roll a 6 on RUN). This will also allow you to come in from the flanks which can be a very good strategy against any opponent. The upgrade is a bit expensive however so should be used with moderation and only on really cost effective units to make it worth the points.
Toxin Sacs - Maybe - Genestealers are there to try and rend things. This upgrade is now more useful due to the loss of effectiveness in rending, however it costs quite a bit and talons are better at making their points back. Taking this along with tendrils makes a pretty good unit capable of making their points back fast but there are better options and this doesnt help much for rending purposes which is it's biggest drawback.

WEAPON SYMBIOTES
Close Combat
=========
Scything Talons - YES - This upgrade will give you +1 attacks which is really really good with the nerf on rending. However it costs as much as adding EC it's a very expensive upgrade per model to add on. However of all offensive upgrades this is the best one next to feeder tendrils, and will allow you to make your points back quickly.

Recommended Configurations To Use
GENERAL RECOMMENDATION
I personally do NOT like taking large broods, i rather take 2 broods of 6 than 1 brood of 12. I find them just as effective. I also do NOT like taking EC, I rather hide them behind other units, as I see it genestealers are our army's pride and joy even other armies are forced to speak highly of them so we usually take great care in protecting them from enemy fire, so the real bonus of EC is for survivability IN combat. But the point cost just turns me off as I rather take extra stealers or use all those points somewhere else in my force. EC is still a good upgrade tho make no mistake but i leave that up to your own discreation. Same with ST it's very pricey same as EC so i tend to lean towards saving the points and just getting an extra stealer if i want more attacks, plus i get the bonus of having an extra wound in the unit.

8 Genestealers @ 168 Pts
Feeder Tendrils; Rending Claws; Scything Talons

- Extra attacks and re-rolling missed hits. This is the most cost effective set up for genestealers, able to make their points back the fastest. However they are also the most expensive set up so beware of the high cost as long as you can make it into combat they'll perform greatly. Rating 10/10

8 Genestealers @ 160 Pts
Feeder Tendrils; Toxin Sacs +1 St; Rending Claws

- Nearly as good as taking talons but not quite. This is the 2nd most cost effective takes only slightly longer than the talons+tendrils variation at making their points back and is a bit cheaper to field. A great option very highly recommended Rating 9/10


6 Genestealers @ 102 Pts
Feeder Tendrils;

- My new personal favorite due to the ridiculously cheap cost of adding tendrils and it's many usefulness. All the same benefits of having small easy to hide units and low point cost. Plus i only need to have 1 or 2 of these units to provide enough support for everyone in the army if played correctly. Rating 8/10

6 Genestealers @ 120 Pts
Rending Claws; Scything Talons

- Lots of attacks and but somewhat expensive. This works REALLY well if you have a brood with feeder tendrils in the vicinity so take this only if you have something else that's going to be close offering preferred enemy benefits. Rating 6/10

6 Genestealers @ 114 Pts
Toxin Sacs +1 St; Rending Claws

- Decent set up but again take it only when you have other units giving preferred enemy benefits within range to make the most out of this. Rating 6/10

6 Genestealers @ 126 Pts
Extended Carapace +1 Save; Feeder Tendrils; Rending Claws


- This is more effective than taking basic stealers, all though more expensive you can make your points back easier than taking them plain and your stealers will last longer due to the EC. This is a very good way of supporting the rest of the army or having one of these units to offer preferred enemy to other genestealer squads. Rating 6/10

6 Genestealers @ 96 Pts

- My old personal favorite, the standard genestealers, in the smallest possible brood. Low point cost, easy to hide and deadly in combat. The benefit of taking small groups is that you can field more of everything else including other small un-upgraded groups to present a bigger threat to the enemy. However as mentioned earlier taking upgrades makes genestealers more cost effective. Rating 5/10

RIPPER SWARM
My analysis
BIOMORPHS
Adrenal Glands (I) - NO - There's no reason to take this for Rippers since you don't get a big improvement to what you already have.
Adrenal Glands (W) - NO - Same as above. Doesn't help you much, can be somewhat nice defensively but by all means it's not worth the points.
Enhanced Senses - YES - You NEED these if you want to take spinefists! Otherwise your shooting will suffer tremendously.
Extended Carapace - MAYBE - somewhat useful, you can increase durability in CC but overall not really worth it, however it's optional if you have points to spare.
Flesh Hooks - NO - Big No No. You aren't going to hit many enemies first in the first place so why bother with these?
Leaping - MAYBE - Very useful since many opponents don't expect this biomorph of ripper swarms and may get too close. and Overall it's useful in getting rippers into combat. However it's not really mandatory.
Toxin Sacs - YES - Yes! Take this if you are taking rippers, it will boost your effectiveness greatly and you'll make back the points quickly. This is also necessary if you take spinefists, the overall cost is ridiculously low and gives a large increase in killing power. You'll make back the points through shooting and CC quickly.
Winged - MAYBE - If you want to get into combat faster and don't want to take leaping then this is your best choice. it's a bit expensive but not a bad choice for rippers. Beware however that taking this makes rippers fast attack choices. Wings combo very well with the shooty set up of ripper swarms.

BIO-WEAPONS
Spinefists - YES - This weapon is great for Ripper Swarms when paired with toxin sacs and enhanced senses. Much more bang for the buck than when used by gaunts. I strongly recommend.


Recommended Configurations To Use
GENERAL RECOMMENDATION
Rippers are VULNERABLE TO BLASTS so keep that in mind at all times when using them. You don't want them getting wiped off the board too easily. Try to keep them in smaller broods of 4 - 6 to avoid making them a large bullseye target.

4 Ripper Swarm @ 64 Pts
Enhanced Senses +1 BS; Toxin Sacs +1 St; Spinefists

- The most effective set up all-round. May seem expensive at first but it's not costing any more than a Genestealer per Ripper base. However for the same price these suckers are MUCH more effective. A group of 4 shoots pretty good, causing 1.5 MEQ deaths with shoots and 1 MEQ killed per turn in CC. Rating 10/10

4 Ripper Swarm @ 52 Pts
Toxin Sacs +1 St

- If you want to just focus on CC them slap toxin sacs on them and cut them loose. They can still kill 1 MEQ per turn and cost 13 points per base. It's a good CC unit and more cost effective than taking base rippers. Rating 9/10

6 Ripper Swarm @ 60 Pts

- If you really dont want to spend any points you can take them base. But to get the same damage output you'll have to add on more rippers. Not a bad deal considering you get 3 wounds per base. This unit works good at tying up enemies. Rating 8/10