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Well it is funny, because i rarely use primes because I usually use my hive tyrant as my HQ piece. are you allowed 1 or 2 hQs (shame on me for not knowing)

Tyranid warriors are great!.....at being converted into useful things, like primes, hive guard, tyrant guard and any other medium sized tyranid unit.

But as warriors, they are an expensive unit that will get the stuffing knocked out of them. They can theoretically have fire focused on them to divert from monstrous creatures, but it really doesn't take that much fire power to knock out warriors.

Primes are good, although primarily as a regenerating meat shield and combat as a bonus.

Zyllos wrote:Well, I am starting in an Esclation League that starts at 500pts and goes up to 2000pts. The rules on the smaller point values are:

No special characters.
No models with 4 or more wounds.
No vehicles with a total AV of 44. (this includes Necrons AV13 field things)

I believe there are few other stipulations but I can not remember. Now here is my first list built for it:

Prime + Deathspitter

Zoanthropes x2

Warrior + Deathspitter x3
Hormagaunt x10
Hormagaunt x10

Gargoyle + Toxin Sacs x10

Now the reason why I am liking warriors at this point level is the amount of S8 weaponery will be at a minimum. Also, the Prime will soak up any S8 shots headed at the Warriors (the Prime is going to be attached there). Now I am not sure if Hive Guard instead of Zoanthropes is a better move because while Zoanthropes give extra synapse, the highest armor I expect to see is AV 12 an any given side. But that is a discussion for another thread.

Man, escalation and 40 min style games must really suck for Nids. They pin you down to 2 HQ choices, one a special character, and the other has it's points tied up boosting a troop choice that most folks consider gimpy.

I really enjoy the synapse, that's sort of the reason to field them for me and the synergy with the prime is really cool. I like playing low point levels too, but warriors just seem like they don't really have a home or a niche besides getting shot instead of something more important or wandering behind something as cheap synapse. I guess they are a good camper.

Imperial Renegade wrote:I dont know about the rest of you nid players, but it seems to me that all of my warriors are a waste of points. They are always destroyed first before anything else, and I cant help but spend my points elswere. Do you think I should use them? Or curb them?

Yah, I think warriors are a waste of points too, they get 1 shotted by str 8 and there are better stuff in the dex to spend your points on.

Yes I agree their are many things that the points could be spent elswere in the codex. Like gensterlers!!!!!! They wil rule the earth!!!!!!

DarkHound wrote:Another thing to note: if you skip the little bugs and play exclusively with the big bugs, your opponent runs out of S8 shots pretty fast. Dealing with 15 Warriors and 8 MCs at 1500 really sucks.

It depends on the army. If the army is loaded with high str weapons like ig the big bugs are in trouble. If the army is another assault army or light on s8+ weapons like orks, ba, or crons the big bugs are a sreal problem.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And on the topic of spores a rhino has about a 50/50 of squishing a spore with a tank shock.

schadenfreude wrote:

DarkHound wrote:Another thing to note: if you skip the little bugs and play exclusively with the big bugs, your opponent runs out of S8 shots pretty fast. Dealing with 15 Warriors and 8 MCs at 1500 really sucks.

It depends on the army. If the army is loaded with high str weapons like ig the big bugs are in trouble. If the army is another assault army or light on s8+ weapons like orks, ba, or crons the big bugs are a sreal problem.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And on the topic of spores a rhino has about a 50/50 of squishing a spore with a tank shock.

True, but if you have deep strike pieces it can be a great help. The MC I always field (only because that is what I have) are 2 trygon primes, and a mawloc. Great help when it comes to tanks.

Just thought I might bring this back...

Warriors in a pod do sound nice. A couple of thoughts.

Pods can easily get warriors into the middle of the other side's deployment zone without the warriors getting shot up. Aim for difficult terrain so half the squad can be deployed in cover. Dangerous terrain tests for deep striking into area terrain doesn't mean much to 3 wound models.

Warrior stomping units like dreadnaughts or TH/SS termies are also hard to deal with .

Attempting to dakka a spore off an objective will pull a lot of dakka off other high priority targets. Mid to late game it's well worth it to risk 35 point rhinos to tank shock the spore. It can't move out of the way, so it gets a free S6 MC hit on the rhino, and if it doesn't immobilize or destroy the rhino the spore is squashed.

I like a fairly small brood with bone swords, lash whips and toxin sacs. I run a Tyrant with HC so I can outflank mine if I want.

Zyllos wrote:Well, I am starting in an Esclation League that starts at 500pts and goes up to 2000pts. The rules on the smaller point values are:

No special characters.
No models with 4 or more wounds.
No vehicles with a total AV of 44. (this includes Necrons AV13 field things)

I believe there are few other stipulations but I can not remember. Now here is my first list built for it:

Prime + Deathspitter

Zoanthropes x2

Warrior + Deathspitter x3
Hormagaunt x10
Hormagaunt x10

Gargoyle + Toxin Sacs x10

Now the reason why I am liking warriors at this point level is the amount of S8 weaponery will be at a minimum. Also, the Prime will soak up any S8 shots headed at the Warriors (the Prime is going to be attached there). Now I am not sure if Hive Guard instead of Zoanthropes is a better move because while Zoanthropes give extra synapse, the highest armor I expect to see is AV 12 an any given side. But that is a discussion for another thread.

What is this league supposed to be promoting? getting rid of everything but infantry and cheap, light transports? Sounds like this will screw over nids, necrons, daemons, tau, CSM... basically everything but imperium, DE and orks.

They work great as anti-dedicated CC. 3-4 with a Prime (who can start with thropes or other high priority targets) is very solid and quite cheap considering how much they can kill in return. Do shove toxin sacs on them though.

Of course you need proper target saturation to protect them from any S8+ that your opponent has, so other multiwound and or durable units to soak up the shooting ie. Tervigons, HG etc. Go to ground if any S8 gets thrown at them until any CC units close. Join the prime to the unit if your opponents persistent about wiping em,

When combat rolls around (especially vs things like TH/SS and Pallies) make to assault the unit your hitting with a gant squad ensuring that all of the enemy models are in b2b. Position the Warriors appropriately during movement so that you end up in CC with only 1 enemy model and as a result he's the only one that can target them. Then got to town . Hell even against Paladins as long as you manage your assault moves carefully you can cause massive damage (26 attacks, hitting on 3's, wounding on 4's with rerolls and LD on 3d6 or death, your looking at 14.5 wounds).

But again (to stress the point) you need lots of target saturation or they'll get demolished by every S8 gun your opponent has.

I'm lucky in that my friends don't run S8 ordnance - one plays Eldar (sans Fire Prisms) and Vanilla Marines, one plays DoA Blood Angels, and the other plays Dark Eldar, Eldar (sans Fire Prisms) and Black Templars.

I've actually used Warriors against Dark Eldar, Eldar and Blood Angels, and so far have only lost the squad once. That said, they've never actually accomplished anything.

I run them with Deathspitters, Scything Talons and a Venom Cannon. The Venom Cannon actually makes the squad semi-useful against Dark Eldar - I can use it to get some early casualties on my friends Hellions. Their Deathspitters and assault capabilities are still in question for me.

I've fired 5 Deathspitters at a unit of Eldar jetbikes and killed none, followed up by an assault that resulted in a Warrior dying and no Eldar dying. They put out bucketloads of attacks at decent strength, but my friend rolls saves like a champion. Against his Hellions, at least it knocks one or two out of the sky each turn before they arrive.

Still, it's one of those iconic Tyranid units that I love to use because the models are fantastic. So I'll keep using them. Though I'm planning a couple of Primes with LW/BS which should help by catching the odd shot thrown at the squad that would paste a normal Warrior in one hit and making them a touch more accurate.

Warrior Prime
Twin Boneswords, Scything Talons, and Adrenal Glands

5 Warriors
Twin Boneswords, Scything Talons, and Adrenal Glands

Add some heavy weapons to add more wound pools. The only thing that can stop this assault squad is missile launchers.

I prefer bone swords and lash whips as the lash whip is a good defense versus armies such Grey Knights (Sanctuary). I think toxin sacs are the better choice for Warriors since they reroll wounds versus T4 (MEQ) and below plus wound monstrous creatures on a 4+. I like adrenal glands for the Prime as he hits harder and doesn't suffer instant death versus most power fists and thunderhammers.

DarkHound wrote:

Carnage43 wrote:Find me a MC worth less then 160 and I'll be surprised.

Spore Pods. You can take them with almost anything, but deploy them separately.

Unfortunately, you're not allowed to deploy spore pods without their attached units. :/

I really like the fluff behind them, it seems like you just need to be really careful as far as how you deploy them, and what you are fighting.
Granted, a good point has been raised that you can use them as a fire magnet and hide them in good cover, but if that is the case, I wouldn't spend too many points upgrading them.
Shrikes however...ohhh man...good stuff

@^^^ I am in agreement here. They are just one of those units that either will do wonders or just die right of. As for the spore pods, I never thought of that...they would be good for synaps though if you brought in a bunch of gaunts. I have several times now played against IG and they are always targeted by his bassalisk. It takes arounf 2/3 turns to kill them all, but saves a majority of my other units from.......THE PIE PLATE!