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Hello. I'll dive right into it. I want to start a Tyranid army. And I'm new to warhammer 40k. I don't want to buy a pack of models and then not use them all, not this early in the game. And I want to play a fast assualt like army.

This is the list I have thought of so far: I realize it's low on models but I don't see that as a problem. The meta I'm playing is 500pts and it's probably suprisingly vehicle heavy.

1 Tervigon 195pts
-Adrenal Glands
-Toxin Sacs
-Catalyst
8 Genestealers 160pts
-Adrenal Glands
-Toxin Sacs
10 Termagant 50pts
-1 Devourer
3 Ravener 90pts

I have put together this list using 5th ed codex. Any changes I should know?
I also wonder if there is a good guide to dipping, seems like a quick efficient way to paint or is it bad way to start for a newbie?

So what are youre opinions?

I found the tervigon is a waste of points. I ran mine with sything talons and it came to 165 pt. First turn spawned 7 termigaunts and pulged. I would drop your and take a prime with deathspitter for only 85 pt. then you can take more troops. Just my 2 cents

Thanks! So should i skip toxic sacs and adrenal glands on termagants then? And maybe ditch the ravener for more genestealers?

like this?
1 Tyranid Prime
-Death spitter
16 Genestealers
-Adrenal Glands
-Toxin Sacs
19 Termagant

i would keep toxin sacs on termigaunts, they really help, trust me

So,

1 prime
- 5pts upgrade
-deathspitter
16 stealer
-gland
-sacs
15 terma
-sacs

Sry for the short answer, using my tab. Thanks for all the help!

750 Point Tyranid List of Doom!!!!

HQ

Tyranid Prime = 120pts
Pair of Boneswords 10
Scything Talons
Toxin Sacs 10
Regeneration 10
Adrenal Glands

TROOPS

20 Termagants = 100pts
Fleshborer

20 Termagants = 100pts
Fleshborer

ELITE

Doom of Malan'Tai = 150pts
Mycetic Spore 40
Venom Cannon 20
HEAVY SUPPORT

Trygon Prime = 275pts
Adrenal Glands 10
Regenertion 25

yea, im not 100% sure about the genestealers. I find in low point games 1000 pt or less they arn't the best option, hormagaunts with toxin sacs i find to work just as well or better some times.

750 Point Tyranid List of Doom!!!!

HQ

Tyranid Prime = 120pts
Pair of Boneswords 10
Scything Talons
Toxin Sacs 10
Regeneration 10
Adrenal Glands

TROOPS

20 Termagants = 100pts
Fleshborer

20 Termagants = 100pts
Fleshborer

ELITE

Doom of Malan'Tai = 150pts
Mycetic Spore 40
Venom Cannon 20
HEAVY SUPPORT

Trygon Prime = 275pts
Adrenal Glands 10
Regenertion 25

But if I put in gaunts instead will the synapse be enough? Won't it take long time to constantly move prime forward, especially as he lacks move through cover...

not really he does good for that, just don't constently move through Difficult Terran.

How about this one?

1 Tyranid Prime
-Deathspitter
-Ad. Gland
-Toxic sac
-LW/BS
20 Termagants
-Tox. Sacs & Ad. Gland
30 Gargoyles
-Tox. Sacs & Ad. Gland

Use the gargoyles for shield to move in with the terma and prime?

I wouldn't give up on the tervigon. A buddy of mine runs two and his 20 gaunt army is all of the sudden a 50 gaunt army by the end of the game. FMCs are brutal in sixth so if not a tervigon, I would look into one of those.

Okay, thanks. So you don't think the 30 Garg & 20 Term is a bad idea? 'cause it's starting to grow on me ^^

You really do need something to damage armour with.

Granted at 500 points you will usually have a single tank/flyer, but you could use something to damage them as troops or a prime really wont do a great deal.


Prime: Deathspitter - 85

3 Hive guard - 150
2 Hive guard - 100

11 termigants - 55
11 termigants - 55
11 termigants - 55

Bit overkill really for small games, but works well.
If you want to add in a tervigon or trygon for fun, then simply drop 3 hive guard and some gants and take one for the extra strength.
But in low points games, you shouldnt struggle with armour like this.
Also gives you some ability to fight at range. (well, for nids anyway)

Never seen the need for all the hive guard. The initial list was not a bad start. Here is my cahgesn for a vehicle heavy meta at 500:

1 Tervigon 200pts
-Adrenal Glands
-Toxin Sacs
-Catalyst
-scything Talons

1 Zoanthrope 60pts

16 Termagant 80pts

4 Ravener 160pts
-rending claws
-devouers

At 500 points a wall of 16 gaunts is going to be hard to shoot through. The Trevigon and Zoan's give you a strong psycher pool and psycher defense with 4 powers and SiTW. The Raveners are stupid fast, deepstrike in to cover with out taking dangerous terrain tests, carry 18" guns and can glance up to AV13 in assault. The Trevigon provides more gaunts, gives them a boost, and is brutal in an assault.

(edit)@Jackal: I thought I had that with the toxic sacs glancing. And they all have AP-values. I don't understand why this one has more against armour. I understand how Hive Guards are better but why drop the sacs?

EDIT: There is also a Tau-player that kites... How well will these lists work against him?

@barnowl. You need two troops minimum. I think going something like this might be useful.

HQ
Prime

Elites
Hive guard

Troops
10 termagaunts
Tervigon

Add what you need for taste but this is a pretty solid foundation. The tervigon is a tough mother and he can hold any objective nicely. Hive Guard are needed to pop transports and any flyer you may see ( not much at 500pt but you never know).

So, after much discussion I think this will be the list:

HQ
Tyranid Prime 85pts
-Deathspitter

Elite
Hive Guard 50pts
Hive Guard 50pts

Troop
12 Termagant 60pts
12 Termagant 60pts
Tervigon 195pts
-Adrenal Gland
-Toxic Sacs
-Catalyst

Thanks for all your input and discussion it has really helped alot.

Looks good to me now

My main reasoning was the fact that flyers are the new craze.
They are cheap on points and highly effective.
Your 1st list has nothing capable of hitting/destroying a flyer.

The hive guard are cheap, the flyer does not get to jink against the impaler cannon and they get 2 shots each.
All in all, hive guard are one of the best units in the nid book for hunting flyers.

I'd even consider dropping the other unit of termagaunts. They won't do all that much with only 12. Really the only use is screening the tervigon and protecting it. I'd drop one of the units for another hive guard. That's just me.

HQ
Tyranid Prime 95pts
-Deathspitter
-BS:s

Elite
Hive Guard 50pts
Hive Guard 50pts
Hive Guard 50pts

Troop
12 Termagant 60pts
Tervigon 195pts
-Adrenal Gland
-Toxic Sacs
-Catalyst

I'd drop the Adrenal Glands on the Tervigon. Furious charge is pretty useless for Terms with Toxin Sacs imo, and if the Tervigon's str 6 isn't enough you'd be better off with 2 str 10 smash attacks than 3 str 7 attacks.

For 500 points I think I'd play this:

1 Tervigon, 170 pts Toxin Sacs

1 Tervigon, 170 pts Toxin Sacs (Troop)

12 Termagant Brood, 60 pts

1 Hive Guard, 50 pts

1 Hive Guard, 50 pts

I'll admit it's not really a fast army, I've never really put one of those together... But I suppose this may work

1 Hive Tyrant, 260 pts TL Devourer w/Brainleech Worms x2; Wings

15 Hormagaunt Brood, 120 pts Toxin Sacs

15 Hormagaunt Brood, 120 pts Toxin Sacs

You would have to worry about your Flyrant as he only has 4 wounds and the silliness of grounding tests on hits and not wounds can lead to some problems.
But you wouldn't need as many models to start, with the Tervigons you will need a lot of Termgants unless you get bad dice rolls (I've gone from 20 to 120 by the third turn before with three Tervigons and couldn't spawn anymore because I ran out of models)

Being new I have no sure idea what this "...better off with 2 str 10 smash attacks than 3 str 7 attacks" refers to.

Also, I understand your list and you have some good points but the increase in money value is not something I want.

Instead of Adrenal Gland on tervigon I can put Toxic on Prime.

MC can choose to use smash attacks or their regular strength attacks. If they use smash it gives them S10 but halves their attacks rounding up.

Yeah, fielding Tervigons can get expensive quickly, which is why I added in the second list with the Winged Tyrant, it should be pretty cheap to get started with it, 3 boxes of Horms and then the Hive Tyrant, Should be around $150, just a bit more than the boxset, but you would be pretty SOL if they take out the Tyrant before you take out their armor/flyer

Do I wan't to separate the guards as 3 elite slots or 1-2 elite slot?

You can probably keep them in separate units, that would allow them to each shoot different targets, and it would prevent them all from being locked in combat.