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Hey guys, I need help. I'm brand new to 40K, i've gone and bought a massive Tyranid army from a mate and now i'm going to fight him with it. However, with no experience, i don't know what would be best to include in such a small army. This is everything i have to select from:

Trygon Prime
Carnifex x 2
Gargoyle x 10
Zoanthrope x 2
Biovore
Warrior x 6
lictor
Ravenor x 3
Genestealers x 16
Hormogants x 23
Ripper Swarm x 5
Termagaunt x 30
Spore mines x 9 (Though i don't know if they count)

Now my mate is playing Space Marines and i know he'll be using a Dreadnaught which he plans on sitting at the back of the army and smashing me from a distance with lascannons and something else. He'll also be fielding a land raider, Librarian (his HQ unit), ummm... A devestator squad packing at least 4 missile launchers and i think there'll be a Sergeant with powerfist in there somewhere as well. Anyone care to give me some advice coz i'm clueless at the moment. What should i take? What upgrades should i use? Would it pay to field my Gargoyles to molest the devestators? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I don't play Tyranids, but I'd like to point out one very crucial thing.

You don't have a HQ unit unless you want to convert a warrior into a Tyranid Prime.

Haha, oh yeah, i was hoping someone could help me with that too. I think the Trygon can be used as a HQ unit, but at 240 points it'll make up 1/4 of my army. I probably will upgrade a warrior to a Prime. Seems like the best idea.

A Trygon upgraded to a Trygon Prime is still a Heavy Support choice, also the model for the Trygon is the same as the Mawloc only with a different head.

A Tyranid Warror Prime is the only HQ model you have in that list. However, Carnefexs make perfect proxies for Tervigons as, along with Tyranofexes, they are essentally the same chassis and there is currently not Tervigon model released.

Speaking of proxying with only one Lictor, there won't be any confusion running it as the Deathleaper, which with only one is the better choice. A Zoanthrope by itself also make for a fine Doom of Malan'tai.

You have poor ranged anti-AV in that list of models though, so you'll pretty much have to use the Zoanthropes and/or kit out the canefexes to be ranged anti-AV depending on the point level.

Ok, so you'd recommend Tervigons and tyranofexes over Carnifexes? In a 1000pt army, what would be best to take out a dreadnaught? I think that'll be the thing that hurts me the most.

Genestealers if your feeling lucky would rip a dread apart. Apart from that, the zoanthropes should destroy it easy enough

TyraNeil wrote:Ok, so you'd recommend Tervigons and tyranofexes over Carnifexes? In a 1000pt army, what would be best to take out a dreadnaught? I think that'll be the thing that hurts me the most.

I wouldn't go so far as to recommend that, more like I was just expanding your range of options based on models available. Given accomodating opponents I'd probably want to take the carnefexes models as tervigon troop choices (with catalyst), via 2 x (10 termagaunts with devourer). Then 2 x (1 zoanthrope) for anti-vehicle/infantry, and a Warrior Prime for HQ.

That seems like a good point at which to start considering the models you own, get a dozen or so games in against a variety of oppoents and you'll figure out how to improve it with additional purchases. Just be careful about those Zoanthropes in a list like this, they'll be very important turns 2-3, be a deadly blow if you allow them to get obliterated first turn.

Ok, so what i've got so far is:

Tyranid Prime w/ Twin Boneswords
Warrior x 5
Zoanthrope x 2
Gargoyle x 10 with AG and Toxin Sacs
Genestealers x 9 w/ Ag, TS + Broodlord w/ implant attack
10 x Hormies
20 x Termies

= 837 points so far.

Now, should i cut some of this back to make room for a carnifex or Tervigon? Or should I just upgrade the bejesus out of everything i already have?

My Noob plan at the moment is to tie him up in close combat with the Gargoyles against his heavy hitters so that i hae less casualties amongst my other guys whilst they charge. I'll also run my termies ahead of my Thropes as a barricade, then have them go to town on the dreadnought. Any helpful criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Definitely run both carnifexes as tervigons. One as HQ and one as troop, with 10 termagants on the table. Retain the rest for spawning.

Run stealers as one squad with toxin sacs - TS and AG together is too expensive.

Try this:

HQ tervigon, AG, TS, catalyst 195
TROOP tervigon AG, TS, catlayst 195
TROOP 10 termagants 50
TROOP 16 stealers TS 272
TROOP 17 hormogants 170
ELITE 2 zoanthropes + mycetic spore (proxy) 160
ELITE 2 hive guard 100
ELITE 2 hive guard 100
HS trygon prime AG 250

That's 1492 points. Use the warriors as hive guard and find something suitable for a mycetic spore for the zoanthropes. Run the trygon in with the tervigons so they can give it FNP. That'll be competitve enough for now while you get sorted.

EDIT: just lrealised you wanted 1,000 points. Drop the trygon and hormogaunts and trim steales down to 12.

^^Hey thanks man, that sounds tough! Would you recommend running Gargoyles at all?

ruminator wrote:
Try this:

HQ tervigon, AG, TS, catalyst 195
TROOP tervigon AG, TS, catlayst 195
TROOP 10 termagants 50
TROOP 16 stealers TS 272
TROOP 17 hormogants 170
ELITE 2 zoanthropes + mycetic spore (proxy) 160
ELITE 2 hive guard 100
ELITE 2 hive guard 100
HS trygon prime AG 250

That's 1492 points. Use the warriors as hive guard and find something suitable for a mycetic spore for the zoanthropes. Run the trygon in with the tervigons so they can give it FNP. That'll be competitve enough for now while you get sorted.

EDIT: just lrealised you wanted 1,000 points. Drop the trygon and hormogaunts and trim steales down to 12.

Good advice from ruminator, but you do not have the hive guard right now, so I would look to run this instead:

HQ tervigon, AG, TS, catalyst 195
TROOP tervigon TS (or AG), catlayst 185
TROOP 10 termagants 50
TROOP 12 stealers TS 204
ELITE 2 zoanthropes + mycetic spore (proxy) 160
HS trygon 200
Total: 994

Though I would look to buy those hive guard first.

I would run run maybe a basket of puppies or if the mood takes you a bag of kittens? whatever suits you best? it won't really matter as i hear the guy you're playing against is pretty crap (namely...me) you've come to the right place for info though, these guys have helped me out immensly over the years with lists and questions so when you and I play it will be fun! if I work out my list i'll post it up in here for you to see and the guys can then help you out with what to take! remember we're both learning the rules so it doesn't matter if we know exactly what we're both feilding for the match as long as we have a good time and I win! :-)

Nerdfest09

Alrighty then, I wrote up what I intend to play against Tyraneal next week, this list is not optimal as i've still got units to finish painting and assembling, so I am only using what i've actually got ready to game with:

HQ: Librarian, Epistolary,Plasma pistol, smite, GoI- 165

Troops: 10 man Tac squad,Multi melta, Power fist- 200
Troops: 10 man Tac squad, Heavy bolter,flamer,power fist- 195

Elite: 5 man assault Terminator squad, 2 thunder hammers, 3 lightning claws- 200
Elite: Venerable Dreadnought, Flamer, assault cannon- 175

Transport: Rhino, bolter- 45
Transport: Rhino, bolter- 45

Total: 1,025 points

Any advice for either of us to have an enjoyable and cinematic game would be appreciated, if it was only a week or so later I would have a much more competitive list but due to time restraints i believe I'll be unable to finish the units i'll need to actually defeat him!
Never mind it'll be fun anyway, a learning experience for both of us! and it'll be nice for Tyraneal to utterly destroy me on his first outing!

Nerdfest09

You spelt my name wrong...

Yep, sorry bro...... you do realise what time of the day I probably posted this right?...... sorry, what time of night/early morning :-)

I shall make it up to you with this....Demian.....there i spelt mine wrong too! lol :-) even?


see you wed morning!


Nerdfest09

Right, thanks everyone for your help. I took a lot of ideas on bored, i'll have to work on getting some hive guards (and a Swarmlord with Tyrant guards would be awesome!). But this is what i decided to go with for my battle tomorrow:

HQ Tervigon, AG, TS and Scything Talons - 200
Troop 8 x Stealers, TS, AG - 160
Troop 7 x Stealers TS, AG - 160, Broodlord Scything Talons, AB, IA, AG, TS - 78
Elite 2 x Zoanthropes + Mycetic Spore - 160
HS Trygon Prime, AG, TS - 250

Total: 1018 points.

What does everyone think? By the time i get round to checking this site again, i will have already tested it out. though any tips on improvement would be appreciated fr future reference.

I don't have much of a plan, i think i'm just going to unleash on Nerdfests army and try and over run him. Hopefully my Tervigon won't dry up his supply of Termies so i can just spam him with them. Wish me luck

18 points over is a big no-no. Unsure what to lose though.

18 points over is a big no-no. Unsure what to lose though.

The other guy is over with 25 points so it should be fine, besides it's just a friendly

Swordwind wrote:18 points over is a big no-no. Unsure what to lose though.

Yeah tis all good, we've discussed it and given each other a 50ish point leeway.