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Hey Dakka-mates,

My Daemons are finished (as in Ive build all I wish to build for them) so Im looking for a new project. The most satisfying aspect of the hobby is making huge monstrous creatures to terrify your opponent with. So the next army Im starting is Tyranids. Im looking for a low-modelcount list which is still as viable as possible. Therefor Ive placed emphasis on a targetsaturation/threatoverload strategy for the list...

Ive come up with the following:

215 Hive Tyrant, Hive Commander, Paroxysm, Leech Essence, LW/BS, Stranglethorn Cannon
65 Tyrant Guard, LW
95 Tyranid Prime, LW/BS

100 2 Hive Guard
160 2 Zoanthropes, Mycetic Spore
55 Venomthrope

130 3 Tyranid Warriors, Twin BS, Barbed strangler, Scytals
50 10 Termagants
175 Tervigon, Catalyst, Cluster Spines

190 Carnifex, 2 Twin Dev's
200 Trygon
265 Tyranofex, Rupture Cannon, Cluster Spines

1700

Im still playing with the Set-up for the Tyrant, the Prime and the Warriors... Any thoughts to improve upon this list while keeping the modelcount low as it is?

Cilithan

I know you want low model count, but 3 warriors is just not going to work. You need at least 4-5 to make it worthwhile. 3 warriors - 3 missile hits - dead unit.

Also, not sure how a tervigon fits a low model count army if you are going to spawm gants? Your 3 troop choices will not be enough (warriors and 10 gants will die early) and so you will have to spawn more.

Trygon better with AG.

Hive commander doesn't seem to fit here. What are you going to DS/outflank?

Thanks for your reply,

I know about the instagib-trouble the Warriors have. My thinking was that you'd want a smal unit because of that. To make sure it's hardly worth shooting at because of the other targets, but still an annoyance. But still, upgrading it to 4 Warriors is an idea.

Yeah the Tervigon is causing me problems. On one hand I really don't fancy building 40 additional Gants. On the other hand I have a hard time figuring out a list that is even half-decent without a Tervigon. The extra Synapse/SITW, Catalyst and 6 MC T6 wounds offer great synergy with the rest of the list... Still I'll give it a try without him.

Hive Commander was just so that I'd have the option to outflank and the +1 on reserves is very nice as well (reserved stuff tends to arrive turn 4+ in my games). What I'd outflank? The Warriors for a backfield annoyance or the Tervigon if deployment would allow it. It would be sittuational.

With your remarks, would the following be any good?

190 Hive Tyrant, Paroxysm, Leech Essence, LW/BS, Stranglethorn Cannon
65 Tyrant Guard, LW
105 Tyranid Prime, LW/BS, Regeneration

150 3 Hive Guard
160 2 Zoanthropes, Mycetic Spore
55 Venomthrope

170 4 Tyranid Warriors, Twin BS, Barbed strangler, Scytals
140 10 Genestealers

190 Carnifex, 2 Twin Dev's
210 Trygon, Adrenal Glands
265 Tyranofex, Rupture Cannon, Cluster Spines

1700

I know this is very light on troops, maybe too much so, but that might be a question of playing well, Id have to see in practice.
Would this list be viable at all? I have an itch that says the original list was a bit better...

Cilithan

Let's look at 1,750 as this is a more typical points level to play.

I think you will struggle with only 2 troop choices, but the stealers/warriors are the more elite ones to take for a low model count army. Stealers really need toxin sacs as well. Warriors are pretty slow and so it does pay to give them a shooting attack I think.

I'm not a great fan of the tyrannofex as with BS3 the weapon seems a bit hit or miss. General consensus seems to be to take trygons in pairs as they are so imposing.

An idea would be to double the troop choices and then go dual prime in this list, so you have one with each warrior brood. You need 2 venomthropes so that if one gets shot the other can still give cover. Only 2 hive guard needed in a brood as the 3rd is often overkill and HG generally more reliable in shooting than zoeys if they are the only DS unit. This is a real march right across the board list. For a real elite feel, you could just go 4 warrior broods - one of them could then be made CC.

Try

HQ Tyranid Prime, LW,BS, regen * 2 210

Elite 2 * 2 hive guard 200
Elite 2 * venomthrope 110

Troop 4 Warriors wih devourers and S/T * 280
Troop 8/9 stealers with toxin * 2 289

HS Carnifex twin dev 190
HS trygon prime AG 250
HS trygon AG 210

That's 1,739.

Personally I feel if you're going low model count you're better off going for an ll Deepstriking monster mash or a mass of Carnifexes walking across the board (and praying your opponent doesn't have JotWW if you pick the later).

So a winged Tyrant with Hive Comander (or 2). Zoanthropes in Spods, 2-3 Trygons with adrenl and some genestealers and/or Devilgaunts in spods.

Or the other option is a Tyranid Prime. Some warriors, some Hiveguard, a venomthrope and 6-9 Carnifexes in 3 broods.

FlingitNow wrote:Or the other option is a Tyranid Prime. Some warriors, some Hiveguard, a venomthrope and 6-9 Carnifexes in 3 broods.

This is more or less what Im looking for. Thing is I really don't like cut-and-paste-lists. I really like have options and having 'one of everything'... Makes for more tactical flexibilty and games that are more fun. That is why instead of the 6-9 Carnifexen I'm going with a Tyrant, Tyrant Guard, Tyranofex, Trygon and Carnifex... The difference is not that big at all; 6 Carnies are 24 T6 wounds, my combination has 22 T6 wounds and more varied options...

More finetuning has brought me to the following list.

185 Hive Tyrant, Paroxysm, Leech Essence, LW/BS, Twin Dev's
60 Tyrant Guard
110 Tyranid Prime, LW/BS, Regeneration, Deathspitter (with Carnifex mostly)

100 2 Hive Guard
120 2 Zoanthropes
55 Venomthrope

130 3 Tyranid Warriors, Twin BS, Barbed strangler, Dev's
130 3 Tyranid Warriors, Twin BS, Barbed strangler, Dev's
140 10 Genestealers

190 Carnifex, 2 Twin Dev's, Frag Spines
210 Trygon, Adrenal Glands
265 Tyranofex, Rupture Cannon, Cluster Spines

1700

I think it's going to be a tricky army to learn to play, but it has tricks, shooting, melee, resillience and multiple small threats. It might just work (in so far having a 27 model list in 1700p could ever work...)

Cilithan

Guard should have a lash whip to make sure the Tyrant strikes first

The units of 3 Warriors just aren't going to last I'm afriad.

Trygons should come in pairs also for saturation as they're a fast moving assault monster.

I don't think you have enough anti armour ranged ( 2 x Hive Guard & Tyrannofex) I don't think you have enough numbers which I know you're going for but Tyranids are a numbers army. And I don't think you can deal with assault much as Genestealers won't last many rounds of assault, Tyrant will go down against the wrong units sam as the single Carnifex leaving just the Trygon who will be picked on and the min Warrior squads.

if you want something elite have you considered a Warrior list?

Tyranid Prime - lash whip, bone sword, death spitter, adrenal glands

Tyranid Prime - lash whip, bone sword, death spitter, adrenal glands

2 x Hive Guard

2 x Hive Guard

2 x Hive Guard

5 x Warriors - scything talons, deathspitters & barbed strangler

5 x Warriors - scything talons, deathspitters & barbed strangler

5 x Warriors - scything talons, deathspitters & barbed strangler

5 x Warriors - scything talons, deathspitters & barbed strangler

5 x Warriors - scything talons, deathspitters & barbed strangler

5 x Warriors - scything talons, deathspitters & barbed strangler

20 x Gargoyles

5 x Tyranid Shrikes - lash whip & bone sword

5 x Tyranid Shrikes - lash whip & bone sword

Check points on that as it's just a guess though I think those Warrior units are about 195 each which is 1170 if I am right. Any points left double Trygons with adrenal glands.