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today i had my first game using my tyranids, but being my first time, it didnt go very well i have 2 questions that occurred to me whilst playing...

1) how can increase the survivability of my gaunts? are cover saves important when it comes to this?

2) is it a good idea to keep my 2 zoanthropes in a Mycetic spore? (synapse range problems)

thanks

This is the rules forum, so this is probably better off in the Tactics section.

Cover is important, but usually the Gaunts are the onws giving cover. Still, you should try to get 50% into terrain if you can.

I thought Zoa's were synapse creatures? Do you mean the rest of the army is having Synapse problems? I would generally drop them in a pod myself, but a lot of that is preference, playstyle and the rest of your army.

Definetly try to keep the gaunts in cover. Especially if you are using them to secure an objective.

Zoanthropes in a spore pod is emerging as the best way to use them. It gets them were they're needed as fast and (relatively) as safe as possible.

StasisNid95 wrote:today i had my first game using my tyranids, but being my first time, it didnt go very well i have 2 questions that occurred to me whilst playing...

1) how can increase the survivability of my gaunts? are cover saves important when it comes to this?

2) is it a good idea to keep my 2 zoanthropes in a Mycetic spore? (synapse range problems)

thanks

1) Take more of them. Gaunts are made for taking lots of fire. If they manage to kill something, thats ok but mostly they're there for cover your advance.

2) i wouldn't. Zoanthropes are usually right behind the gaunts in my army. Blasting away with their warp powers.

Oh and if you REALLY want those gaunts to survive, tervigon can help with that. Or make them lurk in cover, maybe holding an objective too.

Everything in your amy should have cover!

The best way to do this is interlacing groups of guants to give each other cover.



As for zoans I wouldn't run them without a pod. Since they instantly die to all to common str 8 weapons in a pod you get them were you want and guarantee that you get one good round of shooting off.


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IF you are having trouble keeping gaunts in synapse just get a unit of 3 warriors with deathspitters. They are a cheap unit with good fire power, and great survivability.

A tervigon works well to provide protection to gaunts using the caralyst psychic power, however it can also be a liability sometimes. For me it's done more good than harm.

Clthomps wrote:Everything in your amy should have cover!

The best way to do this is interlacing groups of guants to give each other cover.

or a venomthrope or 2

I always find killing the shooters to be effective.

Crazy_Carnifex wrote:I always find killing the shooters to be effective.

+1

Venomthropes and other gaunts are the best way to give them cover. Flood the table with them.

Clthomps wrote:
The best way to do this is interlacing groups of guants to give each other cover.

It says right in the rulebook two units can't give eachother cover. It's one or the other.

Vanguard27 wrote:

Clthomps wrote:Everything in your amy should have cover!

The best way to do this is interlacing groups of guants to give each other cover.

or a venomthrope or 2

Why on earth would you waste points amd elite choice trying to give your guants an inferior cover save?

Gaunts are screens. There is not much point wasting an elite slot trying to keep them alive. Use them in large numbers to bog down opponents and to give your other more important stuff cover saves.

Zoanthropes in spods are the only way to go as far as I'm concerned.

Venomthropes are super fun. Used a pair of them in the tournament and they served my very well.

The only reason I would ever take venomthropes is to give cover saves for my MC's (trygons especially the turn after they DS. For gaunts they can stick to area terrain and give cover to more important bugs.

I like the idea of 20 dev-gaunts in a spod. When they land they will be able to unleash a lot of hurt. You don't have to worry about screening them as they march upfield either as they simply deploy where needed and then dakka dakka their intended target. They can seriously cripple a full squad of MEQs or big ork mobs and wipe GEQ squads out.

When used in concert with spodded zoenthropes you can have the zoens pop armor and then the devgaunts mow down the contents.

Lukus83 wrote:The only reason I would ever take venomthropes is to give cover saves for my MC's (trygons especially the turn after they DS. For gaunts they can stick to area terrain and give cover to more important bugs.

You do know they can give saves to both at the same time, right? Plus as the Gaunts tend to be in front, the additional benefits of Dangerous Terrain and Defensive Grenades are exceptionally helpful on them. Ironically, Venomthropes are Super Effective against other `Nid armies for those two benefits.

Yes but my point is that gaunts benefit more easily from area terrain. MC's can't claim that advantage in most cases.

I can see the benefits of dangerous terrain and defensive grenades but it doesn't fit with my style of play.

I also like dev gaunts coming out of a spore pod. But one of my opponents plays pure mechanized guard with chinera spam, and since I like to make allcomers, I have problems finding a use for them against him. He's very good at stopping side armour shots. Against any other opponent though they are pure gold.

Clthomps wrote:
Why on earth would you waste points amd elite choice trying to give your guants an inferior cover save?

you dont specifically for the gaunts, but they do help greatly in a FNP phalanx.

a venomthrope is absolutely brutal against cc hordes as well.

Extinction Angel wrote:Zoanthropes in a spore pod is emerging as the best way to use them. It gets them were they're needed as fast and (relatively) as safe as possible.

The catch, of course, is that spored Zoeys stand an excellent chance of not showing up until turn 3. And often it's those first couple of turns when you need the antitank most (see IG, leafblower). Spores are a good option to have, but you won't want to drop the Zoeys in them in every case. Personally I'd take the spore but make sure to have Onslaught on my Tervigon(s) for when I want them on the ground.

Venomthropes are underrated. Nothing they do blows me away (they aren't that kind of unit), but postgame I'm often glad I had them.

Clthomps wrote:Everything in your amy should have cover!

The best way to do this is interlacing groups of guants to give each other cover.

Really? People still try to pull this one after all this time?

As for the OP, try to keep 50% of your fron't unit in cover to give them a cover save, other than that, almost everyone here already said it, gaunts are supposed to give cover to other units so that they can reach the enemy and do their job, they are mostly a screening unit.