Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I keep looking through old posts and there doesnt seem to be much about Tyranids in the current codex...or...at least there is too much crap to sort through about the old codex.

So I am looking for all the hints and tips about how to play around with Carnifexes...they seem to be a forgotten treasure (yes...they are now overpriced...and they did need a price jump but now its ridiculous)...but the now they seem to synergize with the rest of the army a lot better than they used to.

I have more than a dozen carnifexes and while some are slowly being converted to Tervigons and a Tyrrano or two...I still think Fexes have their place...I am bored with Hive Guard and Zoanthropes seem to be a one trick wonder...Trygons...(I might like playing them outside of deepstrike)...I haven't seen them ever do much when they have to sit there for a turn...but then again I play GKs and they eat MCs...

So what good tactics are there for MCs? What units do they pair well with? (Venomthropes are money I already know)

Any and all positive input you have is appreciated...

A couple of interesting things to remember are that Heavy Venom Cannons don't get the -1 penalty against Open-topped vehicles. With the penalty, you're most likely to Shake a vehicle, preventing both it and its passengers from shooting, other-wise immobilizing or stunning it. Plus they're Blast weapos so they have dual utility against vehicles and infantry.

Similarly Strangelthorn Cannons are pinning weapons, which is useful since units that have Gone to Ground don't require a unit that is assaulting them to have Assault Grenades to avoid the Initiative penalty from difficult terrain. Plus they give the Carnifex immediate threat value against infantry and light vehicles.

Speaking of Assault Grenades, they have Frag Spines, which are Assault Grenades. These are handy, as you can throw a Carnifex with an Adrenal Gland into combat and have I4. Use them to lock a unit down so attackers don't need Assault Grenades to avoid the Initiative penalty, and throw in a ton of smaller and less explosively spined creatures.

As a brood you can give them all cover benefits from Venomthropes, and Catalyst/Onslaught from a nearby Tervigon. Plus there's the Defensive Grenades from the Venomthrope.

Use a brood of smaller bugasaurs to block assaults, and to follow the Carnifexen in their own assault.

I like using a pair of fexes kitted out like the one on the cover of the codex. (crushing claws + talons ). I use them as shock units up one flank of the table. Most of the players I play against remember what carnifexes used to be able to do and still tend to direct firepower to removing them early from a game. Which leaves the tyrant + warriors and gaunts to get more intact to close combat. As said the venomthrope is great for helping all units survive more against ranged.

Are the crushing claw worth it over dual scytal?

I like them with big blasts. Kinda weird that nidz have a ton of anti swarm weapons

I think so too...and I actual hate using big blasts with most nids out of the fear of killing my own gants and gaunts.

Nids are just anit infantry in general...

From what I've gone up against, it's always better to have more than one.

Just one is pretty easily beaten in CC, especially against assault units (Assault Terminators, or even something like Bloodclaws being led by a Wolf Priest - mine have torn apart several lone Fex's so far).
Adrenal Glands also let you strike at the same time as most MEQ's, which could thin out their numbers a little.

I like the AG point...can't believe I really haven't looked at something so obvious actually...I am thinking of taking some walking fexes and seeing how 2 spoded fexes fare upon entry...what i like about a fex dropping down is it needs to be killed immediately...you can't let S9 rampage your army.

Crushing Claws aren't much of an improvement over dual Scything Talons, but they do give you equivalent reliability with greater potential while freeing up another set of arms for a shooting weapon. If you're going to put them in a vulvapod, then they should have something to shoot with when they land, and Bio Plasma with dual sets of Scything Talons has something classic to it.

Oh Bioplasma...a free weapon without the need for using up arms...

ductvader wrote:Oh Bioplasma...a free weapon without the need for using up arms...

I ran 3 of these in a 2500 game last week with Venomthropes supporting, they ate what ever they hit, entire squad of nob bikers except the warboss on the charge, very effective not sure I would run them too often, as ole Skulltaker could come and take all 3 out before they had a chance to hit him.

Acardia wrote:not sure I would run them too often, as ole Skulltaker could come and take all 3 out before they had a chance to hit him.

That's why you throw a lash whip prime in there with them...(^_^)

Ah, fexes. I used to like them a lot. Now they're kind of eh.

I like them with an HVC and ScyTals.

At this point, I just use trygons. There's really no reason not to spend 60 more points to get a synapse, 6 wound, deep striking creature

Trygon primes are my favorite MC in the entire game, which is why I use three in my army

Samus_aran115 wrote:
Trygon primes are my favorite MC in the entire game, which is why I use three in my army

I have seen them fail too many times just sitting there and being shot to death...this does sound intriguing but I want to experiment with keeping them on the board and not deepstriking...or must they deepstrike?

But this is besides the point...

Yeah, that's not rare. But they have that okay shooting attack..Assault 12 STR 5 or something.

Also, 6 wounds goes a long way when you've got 6 Toughness too.

Fleet goes a long way as well...

I don't DS my Trygons when take them I run them up with gaunts or gargoyles. That I find make an effective 1-2 punch.