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< Taken by the void dragon. >

- what Tyranid units have Leadership values?
If you have the hard cover rule book you can look this up in the reference sheets. Since Tyranids have no vehicles, this should be pretty easy to figure out.

- can a Tyranid unit be tank shocked if they are considered to be Fearless?
This is covered in the rulebook. They would have to move per the rules but would pass the morale test.

- can Monsterous Creatures (like Carnifex's) be tank shocked?
See above

- what units keep others in Synapse (and can knocking these units out break Synapse?)
Hive Tyrant, Broodlord, Tyranid Warriors, Zoanthorpes (that have taken synapse as one of their powers) provide synpase in a radius around them. So if they are gone, then there's no synapse.

- what units would be most dangerous to a Tau gunline?
Really depends on the units in the Tau army but scuttling genestealers should be pretty knarly for a traditional broadside/fire warrior gunline. However mech Tau is pretty rough for most tyranid armies.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Synapse makes them Fearless and prevents Instinctive Behaviour; all Nids have a leadership value, and use that when there is no Synapse (ie no longer Fearless).

I do not have my rule book handy to double-check, but a Monstrous Creature is not a vehicle, so I do not believe you can use the Ramming rules.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Unless they have clarified the wording some place (FAQ, etc.) the Tyranid codex description of Synapse never labels them as "fearless", though it does use the same wording that is in the new rulebook's description of "fearless".

While synapse and fearless have the same effect they are not the same thing following RAW right?

Again has this been addressed in a FAQ, etc.?

As a sometimes Tyranid player I wouldn't mind clarification on this as I have just broken them out again to start playing some 5th edition games with and the distinction is subtle but notable...

Don't worry about Tyranid invulnerable saves. The only possible invulnerable saves Tyranids can get is a 6+, and thats if they buy a 35 point psychic power, and even then only Hive Tyrants and Zoanthropes.

Monstrous creatures cannot ram, they aren't vehicles.

You test for instinctive behaviour at the beginning of your turn for each unit outside of synapse. If want to move, you have to pass a leadership test. If you fail, they units falls back. Or you can lurk, where the unit can't move but CAN fire it's weapons and gains +1 to whatever cover save it gets. Units that lurk can't hold table quarters or claim objectives.

Keep in mind that falling back Tyranids means falling back directly towards the nearest source of Synapse, not the table edge (unless there is no synapse on the table).

As for killing MC's, plasma and melta weapons easily wound them by ignoring their armor save and using rate of fire/high strength to ensure damage. As for Tau, you won't have the sheer number of nasty weapons like those to reliably tear down several Monstrous Tyranids. You may have to try and add wounds by weight of pulse rifle fire if worse comes to worse.


Edit: Yes, though they aren't fearless, they have been faq'd to be treated as such, so you still have to worry about fearless wounds and other such nonsense. If you charge a valuable close combat unit at something that is good at killing GEQ(read that as any of your killy units vs stuff like Orks, assault marines, etc.) you are actually better off letting them do it alone because if you charge gaunts in to help, your opponent will simply slaughter gaunts to win the combat and force fearless saves on all of your units involved in the combat. I personally hate this rule because it punishes you for playing Tyranids the way they are conceptually designed to work.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

It's a bit hard to reply since you don't have a rulebook or codex. At MINIMUM buy a codex. It's more important than the models. The rulebook you can do without for a while if you know people who play the game you can ask questions to. Since you're already posting here we do that Q&A thing a lot, especially that Gwar guy but that's beside the point. Before I answer any questions as soon as you can do the following in order.

1. Buy a codex, it's more important than having models, sorry but it's true. Make it your next purchase.
2. Once you've read the codex go and read Yakface's carnifex article. The carnifex is one of your most important bugs and understanding it is a must. http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/yakface%27s_Tactica_Carnifex
3. Check out Auxellion on YouTube and his Talking About Tyranids videos. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0B4FB52D835D18CF
4. If you haven't done so by now read the main rulebook. If you buy your models locally the store may have a copy you can read. Read the entire thing.

Bonus and mega-worthwhile steps.
5. Buy a rulebook.
6. Buy 6 battleforces in a row... ok maybe not six. Battleforce, then a tyrant, then a battle force, then some zoeys, then another battleforce, and another tyrant... The tyranid battleforce is a great deal and you will likely use everything in it. I bought my bugs alternating from battleforce to pewter purchase and back again until I had 6 battleforces.

Your questions:
Every tyranid, just like every unit, has a leadership value.
Any unit in the game can be tank shocked.
Yes our big bugs can be tank shocked.
Warriors, Hive Tyrants, and the Broodlord are Synapse Creatures. You can buy an upgrade for Zoanthropes to give it synapse power also.

I play against tau all the time. A winged tyrant with 2 pairs of scything talons, toxin sacks, and warp field is great against tau tanks. Your infantry just need to advance and shoot their infantry. If you get the charge off against fire warriors you have good odds of winning. Crisis and broadside teams only come in small groups and don't have power weapons so assaulting them is a great idea too. Pretty much assaulting any tau unit kills it. Do be cautious of fire warriors with pulse carbines though. They are effective is they charge you. Their combined shooting and subsequent assault has a high chance of wiping a squad of gaunts.


Also what is it with all the Tau vs Nid stuff going on recently? It's wierd. This is I think he 4th seperate thread I've seen it in now.

Good luck, have fun, win games.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Oh i see now, in your post I misread the last line "so I can build as list" and assumed you needed to make a bug list.


Nid specific advice would be a squad or piranas with disruption pods and multi trackers. You can use them to get behind the nid front line and fire plasma or fusion weapons at the carnifexes to drop them quickly before they can deal significant damage to your army.

If you have a full squad of fire warriors with carbines you can surprise a nid player by shooting and assaulting a squad of gaunts. Denying him the charge gives you a good chance of winning in melee. As bugs we WILL assault you if we have the option. Crisis and Broadside teams are especially vulnerable due to their low model count and lack of power weapons.

Tyranids do best when they're together. Deploying your units at the left and right sides of the board makes you vulnerable to outflanking units, but will help you in splitting up the nid army since it now has to go two directions instead of one. Nids like to move as a cloud they get weaker once split apart.

Deploying in the center keeps you safe from outflanking units, but it means you're clustered and likely to incur the attack of the full nid force at once. If you go this route you want to scatter as soon as any outflanking units come in so that you can disrupt the tyranid movement.

And once more, getting a fast unit with AP weapons behind the nid line to zap carnifexes can quickly cripple a bug army.

Watch out for any deepstiking or otherwise winged tyrants. They will attempt to eat a tank so destroy them as soon as possible. It does take up nearly all of your shooting, but it's better than losing your tanks.

Here's tyranids vs. tau in a nutshell (with mass generalizations)

-Against gaunt horde: TEMPLATES. A smart player will protect synapse creatures like warriors with the gaunts, tyrants with warriors, etc. etc. so that EVERYONE but the 60 gaunts charging you gets a coversave, thus forcing you to whittle down the horde.

-Scuttling genestealers (which come in almost every list): SACRIFICE. Sacrificing a small unit to keep a unit of stealers or a broodlord w/retinue from moving closer will buy you enough time to bear some firepower down on them. Everyone will say keep 18" in from the table edge, but that doesn't always work. You can keep cheap units near the board edge to halt their advance.

-Lots of fexes/tyrants (Nidzilla list): MANEUVERABILITY. If you have chicken moves, use them. The best AP tyranids have is on the MC's, which will need to be in CC to use them. Otherwise you'll get your 3 or 2+. Use fast tanks/jump troops and hammerheads for support. You can gunline them, but it's far easier to outflank them. A tyranid MC list is very static and has very few targets. It's not hard to surround them.

-Elite list: GOOD DEPLOYMENT. Having raveners and lictors and stealers and other things that drop out of the sky or come in from the table edge is great. If you have your guys spaced apart and create & maintain safe zones in between squads you'll be able to isolate threats and prioritize them.

Overall thoughts:

-bonding knives are great. When a tyrant throws 12 S5 shots at you and is hitting & wounding on 3's and gets rerolls for everything you'll be surprised how good their firepower can be. A few sacrificial squads will save the bulk of your army from being overrun, but if you can save them from running off the table--even better!

-Templates of all sizes are good.

-Tau tanks die far too easily. Since we hit on rear armour, 2 units of stealers can easily wipe out every tank you have. Don't rely too heavily on them and keep them mobile--you never know when a squad of genestealers will come a' outflankin'.

-Carefully analyze what kind of style the opponent is playing. Are there lots of big guys? Lots of fast guys? Lots of little ones? Lots of things NOT on the table when you start?

-NO bug is invaluable. They all die relatively easily due to lack of saves and there's always another one to take the place of the one who was just killed (if you're playing a smart general).
If you can answer that question you'll know exactly how to win if you deploy correctly and prioritize the biggest threats and know when to let a unit die to save the rest ("For the greater good we will hurl ourselves at that massive carnifex so it won't kill the hammerhead!").

I hope this helps--and listen to what everyone else has said, especially gandair. He's on point with bug deployment and railguns.

Some additional tips for Tau vs. Tyranids, although it is heresy as I am a Tyranid player...

Synapse Denial
- If the 'Nids have a lot of gaunts & few synapse creatures (4 small broods or individuals or less), killing synapse ruins their day.
- If the 'Nids have primarily TMCs & Genestealers, don't bother trying to deny synapse. The 'Stealers have brood telepathy & TMCs high LD.

Armor vs. 'Nids
- Big guns with high S & range will generally only glance vehicles.
- Genestealers can get your vehicles but skimmers are difficult to assault in CC and surprise attacks would come from the sides, keep moving tanks.
- Even the TMCs have normal saves vs. weaponry, usually 3+, sometimes 2+. Volume of fire & long range, high S shots ruin their day.
- Focus your shooting on one TMC at a time, they do not get weaker as they take wounds. Finish one off then move to the next.

Nid's & CC
- Even with fleet of claw, most 'Nid units have to cross cover or move in waves to make it to CC. Use templates to ruin Genestealer units.
- Scuttiling Genestealers come in from the sides, keep your valuable units (suits, stealth & vehicles) flanked by Kroot or Fire Warriors. If the main 'Nid CC units get to these blocking units, once combat is over the 'Nid unit is usually hanging in the open to be shot up. Let them win combat on the 'Nid turn if possible.
- Gaunts under synapse die horribly to both shooting & CC because they cannot run away to get out of range & they take tons of wounds for staying in CC when they lose the fight. If it looks like they are going to saturate your gunline, move away and shoot them until they are outnumbered then charge them.

Key Broods that will ruin YOUR day
- Winged Hive Tyrants (either shooty or CC built)
- Advancing Carnifex with Devourers
- Tyranid Warriors with Deathspitters or CC build. Especially if there are 4 or more in a brood. They die easilly to shooting & are expensive, target them!
- Genestealers, do NOT let them get close enough to charge you. Run & gun, protect your 'suits with disposable kroot or Warriors.
- Zoanthropes with Psychic Scream. They will reduce your leadership & make you run off the board from other 'Nid shooting.

Ok so I revealed some major secrets here (unless you have been playing against 'Nids enough to have figured them out)... I hope you enjoy your game!
- and one last thing...

Go BUGS!

Well, you seem to enjoy hammerheads, so its easy, run 2 railheads with disruption pods, fletchet dischargers and multi trackers. With this just keep them at your board edges for the outflankers as if you are always moving 12" and firing, genestealers coming from off the board require 6s to hit and get blasted by fletchets before they can even strike. It works wonders, believe me, I have done it and have had it done to me, it gets quite anoying and there is no reason to sack a vital troop squad since the majority of missions have objectives...

Che-Vito wrote:
That is reassuring actually, clearly the Tyranid player I played against a couple of weeks ago made a terrible error. He had a Zoanthrope that he claimed had a 2+ Invulnerable save...(I couldn't believe it, but for the speed of game, I just kept going). The concept of him having several models on the board, with several wounds, a powerful psychic blast, and a 2+ Invulnerable save was more than a bit intimidating.

The previous Tyranid codex version of Warp Field conferred a 2+ Invulnerable save. The latest is not so awesome.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Che-Vito wrote:

gameandwatch wrote:Well, you seem to enjoy hammerheads, so its easy, run 2 railheads with disruption pods, fletchet dischargers and multi trackers. With this just keep them at your board edges for the outflankers as if you are always moving 12" and firing, genestealers coming from off the board require 6s to hit and get blasted by fletchets before they can even strike. It works wonders, believe me, I have done it and have had it done to me, it gets quite anoying and there is no reason to sack a vital troop squad since the majority of missions have objectives...

This strategy doesn't ultimately seem so bad...I might end up using this.

I also had another thought for large units, like Gaunts:
-Fire a Railgun submunition shot into the horde
-Take a single Piranha, outfitted with a burst cannon, flechette launcher, disruption pods
- move said Piranha 18" into the swarm of Gaunts

during the Tyranids turn:
-they'll probably will shoot at my Piranha...because of it's proximity to friendly units they'll probably avoid templates
-due to disruption pods (and if I move full 18"), I will get cover saves from those shots, hopefully survive...worst case is to wreck...best case is that it blows up and does damage to the Gaunts...
-assault phase, the Gaunts assault, get hit by flechette, and I get 4+ cover save if I moved 18"

Total cost: 50-60 points
I think it is a fair risk, to take down a soon-to-be assaulting unit.

Really Che, Gaunts are not your problem in 'Nid lists. Other than their status as scoring units you have ways to deal with them in the Tau army list without devoting an actual build slot just for doing that. Your standard Firewarriors can mow them down easilly, Kroots can shoot them up and then assault them to oblivion, any multi-shot weapon or template weapon without a better target can easilly dispatch Gaunts not in cover.

As I mentioned above, take a look at the main threats the 'Nids have against your most effective units and focus on neutralizing those threats because they will be coming for you, that's what 'Nids do. Gauunts don't generally have a major impact unless you ALLOW them to by focussing on them instead of more important threats or by biting on their ability to threaten and bait you away from your planned strategy for the mission.

Neutralize the big-bugs and then cleanup the Gaunts to prevent them scoring when you have the advantage.

Just my 2 cents (again) as a bug player.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

KaloranSLC wrote:

Che-Vito wrote:
That is reassuring actually, clearly the Tyranid player I played against a couple of weeks ago made a terrible error. He had a Zoanthrope that he claimed had a 2+ Invulnerable save...(I couldn't believe it, but for the speed of game, I just kept going). The concept of him having several models on the board, with several wounds, a powerful psychic blast, and a 2+ Invulnerable save was more than a bit intimidating.

The previous Tyranid codex version of Warp Field conferred a 2+ Invulnerable save. The latest is not so awesome.

Incorrect. It was 2+ armor save, and there were a total of 0 invulnerable saves in the codex.


Here's a bit of a lowdown:
Synapse isn't necessarily Fearless. Fearless units automatically pass all Morale checks (including those which are supposed to automatically fail). Units in Synapse automatically pass all Leadership tests (including those which are supposed to automatically fail) with the exception of Psychic tests.

Tyranids are all or nothing. If a nid unit has a gun, it's probably crap in close combat. If it has talons, it's probably pretty good in assault but can't shoot. If it has both, then your opponent isn't very good and the unit will do a half-ass job in both roles.

Tyranids are not very mobile. Don't let the 12" charge ranges and occasional fleet rolls fool you. Tyranids have no vehicles and a very rare number of jump infantry units, meaning even your lowly fire warriors in a devilfish will be driving in circles around them.

If your opponent does not have genestealers, kill the synapse creatures and control an objective. Tyranids have to take IB checks if they're not in synapse or fall back (or forward, depending on if there's a synapse creature up the board). They can forgo this check by "lurking" but if they do that the lurking units aren't scoring. In other words, without synapse the Nid player's troops are nigh-worthless short of passing a Ld 5 check. This will make or break the entire game when your opponent can't score.

If your opponent DOES have genestealers, stay in cover. Genestealers have a really good upgrade which gives them preferred enemy for a really good price. However, this upgrade comes with the horrible, HORRIBLE downside of disallowing the genestealers in question from taking grenades. In other words, if you force the opponent to take a difficult terrain test for their assault move, they lose one of the 2 primary things good about genestealers (I6). The other is WS6 which will make the fight a bit of a pain for you. Don't even worry about rending, it might as well not exist in the current edition.

Shoot them. We (Nid players) have to pay extra for a 5+ save in a lot of cases. Our armor is crap. There ARE units that go as low as 2+ armor, but they are few and far between. Missile pods and railgun subminitions should wipe squads of warriors off the table without a save. Ion cannons will chip away carnifices that didn't pay the extra 25 points for 2+ armor, which is a guarantee on any fex taken as an Elites choice.

If you're in a vehicle, they're helpless. Tyranids have 2 "reliable" ways of taking out vehicles. One is a S10 AP2 shot from a BS3 model (if you take the BS4 upgrade you're not allowed to use this weapon, which is possibly one of the most slowed rules imaginable) that requires a psychic test. The other is in close combat, which won't matter if your vehicles moved 7+ inches in the previous phase (unless they have bio-plasma, which doesn't get MC benefits). DO NOT FACE YOUR REAR ARMOR TOWARDS ANYTHING WITH A GUN THAT IS NOT A GAUNT.

Take as many vehicles as you can, run away, and shoot the synapse creatures unless he's got genestealers, in which case you should shoot the genestealers. If he has hive tyrants, DON'T LET A NON-VEHICLE MODEL GET WITHIN SHOOTING RANGE OF THEM unless you like having your crisis suits take 10-12 armor saves at once. Devourers eat through terminator armor, they're that good. Once the synapse creatures are gone, tank shock the troops during the movement phase and shoot 25% of their models during the shooting phase so everybody falls back. If he's running nidzilla, keep your cars away from the MCs and shoot them. Your guns are good enough. They'll do the trick. Nidzilla only shines at hurting things close by, and it fails miserably at hurting things moving/far away or scoring, both of which are necessary in the current version of the game.

Why must you remind me of all the things that have destroyed tyranids in 5th? There's so many things and when I see them all in a post like this my heart hurts.

Well you could give Genestealers flesh hooks and then get Feeder Tendrils from a nearby Lictor.......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Railguns wrote:Well you could give Genestealers flesh hooks and then get Feeder Tendrils from a nearby Lictor.......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

If the Tyranid player takes a Lictor then Che-Vito has already won. He could pay 80 points for a model that HAS to take a dangerous terrain test when it deploys, has a high chance of disappearing in the warp because it tried to jump out from behind a tree, and dies to a flamer.

Or he could, you know, NOT.

Che-Vito wrote:So, to recap:

-keep units mobile...a Mech Tau list is in order
-Hammerheads deployed to table edges
-split up to either side of the board to split up Tyranid forces
-take down on Monsterous Creature at a time
-flechette launcher is a much for all vehicles

I'd recommend against staying near the edges, genestealers love to outflank.

The only real "take out" TMCs are tyrants. Fexes CAN be dangerous, but you have to find out HOW dangerous, first. If it's a CC fex, then you can avoid it until you're ready to deal with it. If it's a gunfex, stay in your vehicles and he's helpless. Warriors and zoanthropes aren't MCs but provide synapse, and they shouldn't be too hard to kill with a few markerlit pulse rifles.

All my advice applies only if the opponent is GOOD, mind you. If you show up to the game to see a broodlord, 3 lictors, 60 toxic devilgaunts, and a brood of biovores, then my words are almost a moot point (but at least you'll have an easy fight). It's VERY easy to suck with tyranids because they really only have 1 tournament build (and 70 other bad ones).

Thats what the HAHAHA meant, I guess I didn't articulate the joke correctly. I love the idea of Lictors, but they are just stupidly terrible these days.

EDIT: This is one of the reasons that Broodlords lacking fleet is just absurd.

That leaves us with the twin-linked Devourer and the twin-linked Deathspitter as our choice of ranged weapons. The Deathspitter sucks for many reasons. It costs 5 more points than the Devourer, is an all or nothing proposition (single shot) and suffers from the terrible new blast rules (you must place the center hole over an enemy model). That leaves us with a clear winner: All Elite Carnifexes we want to shoot will be equipped with a twin-linked Devourer.

I seethe article was written for 4th in mind. WIth the new blast rules, would one now revise the opinion that they might be worth taking now on an elite dakkafex?

@Broken loose

A lot of what you said is spot on though there are a couple of inaccuracies

1. Lictors do not disappear into the warp after failing a difficult terrain test, they lose a wound. Also against tau they are actually not that bad. Getting them into close combat early is always good and chances are the lictor won't get beaten down by them immediately.

2. Some models such as warriors thrive on having 1 gun + talons. One of their most successful and widely used setups is a deathspitter + talons.

3. Gunfexes with venomcannons taken in high numbers (3) can hurt tau vehicles. With their lower front armour value of 13 its actually not too hard to put on the stunned results (even with a disruption pod). And stopping 1 or 2 railguns a turn from firing is pretty awesome. Gets them ready for a charge from the rest of your army.

But I have to say that against a tau army it pretty much comes down to who is the better general. Focus on the synapse and whittle down the troops. Even now fexes can run they are still slow and have a hard time getting to contest objectives if you deploy them right.

Let me re-iterate for you though Che... as it seems to be popular opinon to 'whittle down the synapse creatures & deal with 'fexes later because they are slow' as a key to victory vs. bugs...

~ If the Tyranid list has an equal number (or greater) of Genestealer broods to Gaunts, don't bother with killing the synapse as your primary strategy
~ If you ignore the 'slow' Carnifex models for later, they will run (CC) and shoot (sniper/Dakka) you into terrible positions because of high T & W
~ Deploying near the edges with ANYTHING is just giving a 'Nid player with scuttlers (scouts) opportunity to use a high number of rending attacks on rear armor
~ Tau vs. 'Nids is either a battle of lists OR generals, if you under-estimate the capabilities of either, you have made a huge mistake already
~ Have fun & learn from your & your opponent's mistakes... you'll fight bugs again so don't think you have to get it all together in one go

and finally... Go BUGS!

A lot of posters are makeing 'Nids sound a whole lot worse than they really are. (Incidentally, Broken Loose, there are about 4 Types of "Good" list that can be taken)

Lukus83 wrote:@Broken loose

A lot of what you said is spot on though there are a couple of inaccuracies

1. Lictors do not disappear into the warp after failing a difficult terrain test, they lose a wound. Also against tau they are actually not that bad. Getting them into close combat early is always good and chances are the lictor won't get beaten down by them immediately.

2. Some models such as warriors thrive on having 1 gun + talons. One of their most successful and widely used setups is a deathspitter + talons.

3. Gunfexes with venomcannons taken in high numbers (3) can hurt tau vehicles. With their lower front armour value of 13 its actually not too hard to put on the stunned results (even with a disruption pod). And stopping 1 or 2 railguns a turn from firing is pretty awesome. Gets them ready for a charge from the rest of your army.

But I have to say that against a tau army it pretty much comes down to who is the better general. Focus on the synapse and whittle down the troops. Even now fexes can run they are still slow and have a hard time getting to contest objectives if you deploy them right.

The disappearing in the warp comes from scattering into enemy units in terrain (or a building, or somesuch). The lictor's "place normally in impassable" does nothing to prevent an opponent from driving a rhino into cover and unloading a squad of plague marines so you can't actually deploy without being within an inch of an enemy. It's very possible and probable since lictors don't benefit from pheromone trail to come in early, and units in cover mean iniative 1 genestealers (so it's a multi-tier defense). That way, your opponent has more reasons to do it than just the "500 kroot versus a daemon player" instant win button.

Warriors with twin-linked guns are VASTLY more effective than their mixed counterparts. In fact, a warrior with a twin-linked devourer (and the 2 appropriate upgrades) is the most cost-effective shooting unit in the entire army short of a hive tyrant with the same loadout. Just because a build is popular does not mean it is the best one.

Finally, on gunfexes: venom cannons are a joke. They're very easy to miss, the glances aren't guaranteed, and glances themselves don't mean anything in the current version of the game. Roll a 6? Hope you weren't targetting an exorcist because you may as well have not hit them. Roll a 5? You get to choose between too many good guns or a handful of mediocre guns to destroy more often than not. Any other result? Possession, squads, riggers, and the angry machine spirit tend to ignore them. I understand the point you're making that massed venom cannon fire could accomplish something after 5-7 turns, but the same could be said of anything. Enough 5 year olds could physically destroy the white house if you give them enough time. In the meantime, you have cars, guns, and armor saves to stop that sort of thing from finishing its 10-year process.


But, yeah, the books are (theoretically) close enough in age that it comes down to generals a lot of the time. In fact, the nid codex outdates the Ta'u one, so no bitching is allowed on that front.

Just remember that only dumb players put a lictor that close to an enemy squad in cover. They're still a waste in the current form, but I've managed to never lose one when deploying. And remember that lictors do benefit from pheromone trail if there are more than one of them.

I wholeheartedly agree with the twin-linked devourer warrior. I have 4 converted ones and they're always good to me. 4 S4 shots with rerolls are wonderful against anything and everything--especially anything with a 4 or better save that won't benefit from a coversave.

I also agree with the venom cannons... Being a -2 modifier on the combined table has completely nerfed the VC. I've had a lot of success with twin linked ones but having 80 points for something that only has a 50% of hitting in the first place just isn't worth the points. Believe it or not my biovores have wrecked at least one AV13 vehicle every single game for the past 12 months of gaming. They're wonderful and some of the best AT around for me at least. A 48" range and 3 chances to score a 4 & 5 on two dice isn't that bad considering our other options. Zoans are great if you're able to wait for 3 turns to use the warp blast that only has a 50% chance of hitting, only has 1 shot, and can kill the guy using it.
Overall the venom cannons en masse are a HUGE points sink...