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.

Hey all, looking at building a Nid list at 1500 already have some models but not there yet. My area players really like the instant death weapons (force etc) so trying to avoid MC since i think they will go down to those quickly. The swarm appeals to me (inspired by starship troopers!) so i like a higher model count but still with some punch. I can't avoid the GK armies which will have purifyers but with a Nid army there just no way to avoid getting massively hit by them somehow (force kills MC and purifyers kill swarm). As with any Nid army fighting multiple armored armies will also be tough, not sure what i can do about that without sacrificing the swarm aspect.

prime deathspitter
prime deathspitter

Hive Guard x3
Hive Guard x3
Zoanthrope x2

Genestealer x 10 w/ Broodlord
Genestealer x 9
Genestealer x 9
Hormaguant x30 Toxin Sac
Hormaguant x29 Toxin Sac

Decided to put TS on the hormies as i think my opponents will be more worried about the stealers and focus on them first. Hopefully the HG and Zoans can pop transports and tanks to some extent. went with 2 primes so one can go with each hormagaunt unit for synapse in case i need to split direction.

thoughts?

Even though your logic when it comes to the MC's and ID is reasonable, I'd still say that for a horde army, the Tervigon is too good to ignore.

I'd replace the hormagaunts with termagants and then put a Tervigon in your troops choice to spawn more termies. Hormagaunts are, in my opinion, far too expensive for what you get. In order to really be effective against something like MEQ, they need both Toxin Sacs and Adrenal Glands, but at 2 points per model, per upgrade this makes them a points sink, as they'll still die to any amount of firepower at all.
Termagants are cheaper, and when they inevitably die, the Tervigon can replenish your lost numbers for free, and if you spawn enough of them, you can bog down your enemies force weapons with smaller beasts before they reach your MC's.

I'd maybe have 2 squads of Genestealers (With Toxin Sacs), 2 Small Squads of Termagants, and 2 Tervigons in your troop slots. This will be much more swarmy, and should cover all bases.

Apart from that, I like it alot. Hive Guard and Zoans are the only way to really deal with those armored armies you were talking about, and you've stocked up nicely on those.

I wouldn't take two Warrior Primes. The point in the Prime is that it's a very cheap HQ, allowing you to put your points into your actual army. They're too slow to keep up with Hormagaunts, anyway.

Take off the Toxin Sacs. Yes, they're effective, but Hormagaunts exist to be shot, not to kill. If they make it into combat and do damage, then good. Reduce your amount of them, too; you don't need that big a meatshield.

Add a Tervigon, and a Trygon Prime if you can afford it. Remember that a Tervigon can still be your HQ if you want; you aren't restricted to doing the Termagaunt brood > Troop Tervigon thing. Hang back the Tervigon and shoot Feel No Pain into your Genestealers. Meanwhile, if your Stealers are being a viable target (as in, are out in the open) for too long, you're using them wrong. Swarm the line with your 'gaunts and then sneak in your Stealers. One tactic I have seen used - although it didn't work for me, because the dice gods hated me that day - is to have a shield of Hormagaunts running with your Genestealers behind them, getting a cover save as they charge directly into your enemy's face. Still, outflanking or infiltrating at least one of your groups (I'd say the big one, with the Lord) is the way to go.

In response to Hoernakex; I think two Tervigons is a bit much for 1500pts. Really, if I had to have another MC, it'd be a Tyrannofex or a Trygon/Prime.

As for GK; flamers are nasty, but they're not the be-all-end-all of horde-killing. Get your gaunts in there; that's what they're for. While the Purifiers are tied up in close combat - which they will be - sneak in your Stealers and rip apart other things. Meanwhile, if you want, shoot Feel No Pain into your Genestealers. It will make them unbelievably survivable. Just be careful with your Tervigon; it'll be a target for sure. Keep nasty things in your enemy's face and s/he won't have time to think about the Tervigon.

Also remember; Tervigons might be Monstrous Creatures, but this doesn't mean they should be doing any fighting. EVER. Unless they've exhausted their 'gaunt supply and you feel like suicidally charging the thing into something to see if you can get a few kills, but for the loss of Catalyst, it really isn't worth it. Also remember that the Tervigon can cast Catalyst on itself. And Trygons. On a Trygon, Feel No Pain can help them survive heavier weapons (like heavy psybolters), so if your Trygon is about to get shot by these, shoot him up with Feel No Pain and have him charge in on the next turn and teach those boys a lesson!

Grey Knights. Not Boyz.

EDIT: Be prepared for your Prime to die. One Deathspitter isn't going to do much, so you should either focus him on close combat or leave him at home, in my opinion. I take a Prime with a bunch of Warriors, all with Boneswords; they suck and 60% of the time die before they do anything, but if they get into close combat, they eat things like Chuck Norris. With swords.

EDIT2: Grey Knights. Capitalise on your one advantage over them; numbers. Gaunts might be easy prey for a Paladin, but remember; these units are powerful, but they have few attacks. Getting an average of 5-ish kills a turn is all well and good against stronger enemies, but against Gaunts, that's tying up that unit for the rest of the game.

great points you make -

i watched a local game today and the Nid player used 2 terivigons in a 1k game (used 1 and HQ and the second as troops). Had some great rolls and no doubles before turn 3 he spawned 50+ gaunts between the 2 of them. What surprised me was he kept moving them forward towards the objective and his chaos opponent did the same with a dreadnaught and the tervigon charged the dreadnaught and killed it with ease. I just never saw these things as CC effective before i guess. It made me rethink how valuable they are so i will look at reworking my army to include one, maybe 2 and get rid of the primes. My only concern is the amount of extra (and easy) kill points these things will generate in a kill point game.

He also used the Doom and i was impressed how much damage those things can do with that 6 inch attack with no armor saves. I always shrugged it off before due to the T4 i assume it would be an easy 1 shot target but the 3+ invulnerable makes it worth taking i think. also worried since the range is so small it could be locked into close combat making that ability useless or only getting 1 shot off.

both options (terivgon and doom) seem like high risk high reward units to build an army around as they involve good dice rolls to pay for themselves.

If i drop the primes i do run into synapse issue potentially??

While tervigons arent ment for combat, they can hit back when needed.
Also helps it was against something with an AV since its 2D6 for being a MC.

If you want horde, i really would go with 2 tervigons at the least.
Your elite choices are sound and should stay as they are.

The main issues is the horms.
They dont do anything anymore, they really are just dead weight and need swapping for something useful.

Also, the tervigons can act 2 fold.
1: Provide synapse to your termigants.
2: Can act as a HQ so you can drop the 2 primes.

This pretty much creates the points gap for the tervigons.

Tervigons are decent in CC - the 6+2d6 armour penetration makes them decent vs vehicles and against troops T6 makes them hard to wound. You don't want to run into force weapons though! I take scything talons on mine as for 5 pts the ability to reroll any 1s is a bargain.

Pairs is also far far better than one. so if you go tervigons you really need to build the list around them as you're investing 400 pts in 2 models.

hormogaunts are so bad. you seem to like them though. they are a bit too many points for what they are. termigaunts w/no upgrades will do the same jod. imagine this. they have dreadnaughts and get into combat with thoughs 30 man 240 point squads. now imagine this. they get into combat with a trygon prime for the same points cost.
i know its sac relig and i love him. broodlord just strait up isn't worth the points. it is sooo close to being worth it. but no cigar. drop him. your elites are look superb. trygons eat bullets like Jim Carry.