How viable is a tyranid swarm build?

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**Mechanized Space Corps**

As the title says, how well or otherwise would it work? Its how I envision a tyranid list so I think it would have fluff value too!

By a swarm build I mean something roughly like

Hq
Tervigon

Tervigon

Troops

Termagants

Tervigon

Hormagaunts

Etc etc.

Anti armour could come in the form of a pair of carnifex/trygon/mawloc, keeping the points low enough that hordes of little buggers can still be fielded. If the little ones start taking casualties big momma can poop out more to reinforce them, and the way I see it currently is that if you can swarm them with more infantry than they can handle you can hold their squads down in close combat wherever you happen to come across them. In an objective game you have a total advantage as you can swarm the field with enough troops to grab everything or at the least contest your opponents objective(s).

However in an annihilation game you are disadvantaged as you are almost guaranteed to have more killpoints to lose. Plus large templates will ruin your day, unless you have a venomthrope or two into the mix.

So, thoughts?

**doubled**

For anti-armour I would say grab a few Hive Guard over MC's. As for the tervigons, I would definatly look at a few Venomthropes as 1/3 of the heavy weapons fire the tevigons will take should be negated.

**Just Dave**

The problem Tervigons would face here is that they'd suffer the brunt of the enemy fire, therefore being quickly neutered. If you used Primes, they could help protect your Hive Guard, whilst the rest of your swarm operates.

Raveners are a good choice for swarm lists, as are Genestealers and Gargoyles as they can all hit hard, fast and even against enemy armour.

A top tournament player, Hulksmash, has used a Nid swarm list before, so his ideas could be worth a look:
http://hulksmash-homeplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Tyranids

**Drix**

Yes, swarms can work. It depends against the meta. Some lists will simply pack too much flamer and blast templates for you to handle. However, some lists will desperately try to shoot down your Tervigons with their half a dozen las cannons, fail, and succumb to your assault. It all depends.

Problem is, you need answers in your army for other things. The trick to using Tyranids is: send your expendible guys after their expensive guys and your expensive guys after their expendible guys. Things like Trygons and genestealers will carve through the back-field armor and heavy weapons teams while their TH/SS termies knock out a few termagants every turn.

After you are done dealing enough death to priority targets with your hammer units, re-focus on trying to multi-assault and destroy their expensive guys.

Venomthropes are great, but they take up a valuable elites spot. You should really reserve those spots for things like Hive Guard and Zoanthropes before venomthropes.

Don't use Mawlocs. Use Trygons. I've actually found that fielding a Trygon (supported by catalyst) will almost gaurentee that my horde of hormigants and termagants marches forward.

**schadenfreude**

Gargoyles are cheap and effective.

Hive guard can advance with the swarm and have plenty of bodies in front of them to give cover.

**Tethlis the Slayer**

A 'nid swarm army looks great, fits the fluff and can be very annoying to face.

**scuddman**

I tried it..you'll struggle against some builds.
The bugs lack grenades, and some shooty mech armies can cause them fits.

Other than that though, they're a good solid army.

I feel the army does better if you take a large variety of stuff, though. Tyranid basic infantry only do one thing.

**schadenfreude**

5th edition nid swarm list=5th edition nidzilla list.

5 Tervigons 5 MC with 6 wounds each adding up to 30 wounds of TMC and 5 catalysts to cast. That's a lot of TMC wounds when added on top of other TMC such as trygons.

**Config2**

Ya but it depends on the game size: in 1k you can swamp the field, but dont take any troop tervigons.
In 2k you have to take lots of Tervigons and a Hive tyrant. My advice, outflank a tervigon or a huge Hormi squad
In 2.5k you do the same, but you can sacrifice an elite choice for a venomthrope brood

**rigeld2**

I kinda like this...

For fun only, really, but could be awesome.

Spoiler:

Or drop a Hive Guard for a Venomthrope. He's got plenty of bodies to hide behind - probably won't be able to see him with 4 Tervi's hanging around.

**Commissar Molotov**

You can't run pure swarm against mech - you gotta be able to crack boxes, and the swarm just can't knock 'em out. You gotta blow all you elites on nutcrackers and give your heavies some ranged attacks just to have a chance.

**ruminator**

Tervigon spam only really works with max hive guard marching in front, taking out plenty of mech. With toughness 6 they can soak up a lot of damage.

You can also run trygons behind the tervigons and give them a cover save. Key is who to give the FNP roll to ...