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A small group of friends and I play a few games a week and one of my friends plays Imperial Guard. Most of our lists reach around 1000 points and my IG friend constantly runs 3 vendettas with his 3 troop choice inside. Knowing this, these are my main priority targets for any objective games and even kill points (being 2-3 pts each, if the HQ is inside one).

Regardless, my lists usually consist of 2 Flyrants (flying Hive Tyrants), 1 Tervigon, Gaunts, and 3 Hiveguard. I was wondering if I should change it up to deal with flyers better. 3 Hiveguard only give me 6 chances at Snapshots at shooting his birds (vendettas) and with a S8, if I hit they usually glance/pen his AV 11. However, my Flyrants with TL Devourers w/ BLW have a S6 and aren't as powerful. This being said, if my Flying Monstrous Creatures are swooping I can elect them to the Skyfire rule for that turn.

Knowing my flyers with skyfire are his main priority, he saves all shots for them. With 3 birds, he has up to 9 TL Lascannons shots with BS 3. Rules for FMCs state that if a FMC takes a HIT (not a wound, but a hit) I have to take a Going to Ground Test. On a 1 or 2, my FMC takes S9 hit with not armor save aloud. AND he is to remain grounded til my turn. So, with 9 TL Lascannons at BS 3 and ONLY needed to hit my FMC once, his entire army can fire into him afterwards at FULL BS.

Knowing full well he will aim for my FMC, it usually ends up being, who rolls better and takes out the enemy flyers first. My hiveguard are great at taking out enemy vehicles, but are extremely unreliable at hitting flyers. Zoanthropes run into similar problems because they also don't have skyfire.

Is there anything in the Tyranid codex that is reliable or good against enemy flyers or do I have to protect and babysit my Flyrants?

FIrstly, vendettas are AV 12 12 10

Secondly, what does the rest of his list consist of?, and also, what does he have in the vendettas? can you just ignore him, as if he just runs meltaguns, and that will take up alot of his points 390 for the planes, minimum 210 for the chumps inside, so you could just run a full swarm list to troll his vendettas. Other that that, you just need to make him react to your moves, and dictate where the fighting happens, as realistically you are going to have a very hard time taking them out. Also, going second will help alot, as not only will your flyrants have the drop on the vendettas, but once his troops hop out to claim the objectives, you can simply munch him.

Sounds like you could just ignore the flyers and win the game on the scenario. Take 2-3 Tervigons and just spawn a bunch of guys everywhere. If he only has 3 scoring units and they are in vendettas he's not likely to win any scenario games. Vendettas only have 3 shots each, and with 3 of them that is a maximum of 9 wounds... more likely 6-7 wounds per turn... which don't even arrive until turn 2 at the earliest.. and that's not even counting cover saves, FNP, regeneration, it will not die, or anything else that increases resiliency. Tervigon spawm should win this matchup.

What is he putting on the table for before the vendettas arrive?

A squad of gargoyles for 60 points could be a good screen for your Flyrants if you are determined to go that route. However, without Look-Out-Sir, the best defense you can get is Iron Arm and a Tervigon giving him FNP, either through endurance (biomancy) which also gives IWND, or through the codex power.

Otherwise, a Carnifex with devourers in a pod is decent at shooting down vendettas since it can drop in and shoot rear armor with 12 twin-linked shots. Should end up with 3-4 hits that will glance on 4+ and can possibly take all it's hull points down. Somewhat expensive though. I wouldn't recomend Zoanthropes or Hive Guard against flyers really.

Don't forget to play the mysterious objectives and the warlord traits. The strategic one that makes opponents subtract -1 from their reserve rolls is good, as his flyers will come in piecemeal if he hasn't taken the re-roll reserve character. Also, skyfire nexus could be useful if you end up with one.

-Myst

Generally the IG player runs 2-3 heavy choices and 1 chimera with HQ. The chimera is often left out and it's just 2-3 heavy choices and 3 birds in reserve with troop choice loaded.

After visiting my LFGS, they told me that if anyone ran 3 flyers in a 1000 pt list, they are playing extremely cheesy and I should just run horde lists with no MCs. As an easy fix, that works. But I'd rather not tailor my list or make MY LIST choices based off his. I'd rather have a "competitive" list that works against my other friend's list as well (Necron/Eldar/CSM/DA).

Regardless, sorry about the mistake on the bird's armor. I knew it was AV12, just overlooked it! Eeek.

On another note, he usually has meltas and 2-3 flamers on the troops in the bird. I've been flying my FMCs into his heavy choices towards him in turn 1, and popping them turn 2. Leaving his birds up and primed to down my flyers on his turn 2. If they survive I usually finish off his heavy choices with vector strikes or I fly off into reserves. This keeps them alive and back in range of FNP from Catalyst from my Tervigons when they come back on the board. My tervigon and Gaunts don't have strong enough weapons to damage his birds. So if my Flyrants die, I have no other choice but to ignore them with his troops inside or snapshots from my 3 Hiveguard (almost impossible to hit with 6 shots).

Well, at 1000 points its hard to argue that Tervigons are bad against any army. The more you take, the more you abuse the low-point game mechanics. I think you are seriously handicapping yourself by taking 2x Flyrants at this level. That's over half your army in two models after all... you and the IG player are turning the game into rock-paper-scissors or coin-flip... and by that I mean you are taking a large percentage of your army in a hard-to-deal-with package, and if the opponent can't deal with it you win, but if they can then you lose. Not too much tactics going on there after deployment.

Try it a couple times at that point level without the Flyrants and you might be surprised at how well you can do.

-Myst

Put flyrants behind a wall? move 24 inches flying over the Vendetta (he couldn't shoot you because you were out of LOS)
vector strike him and then shoot 6 S6 shots into his rear armor of 10 (also the other fly most likely will not be able to shoot you next turn either if you pull it off right, maybe if another come on it could. or take double devourer and forget the vector strike. 12 st 6 shots into st 10 rear armor will kill it. remember FMCs have 360 vision even in they need to dace a specific direction. That is 2 dead flyers in my book, oh and the guys inside will die also most likely.

Do FMCs get cover save from ruins/partial buildings/area terrain while they are Swooping (In Air)? I don't get how I can "hide them behind a wall" then fly over the birds to get in the back arc. I get what you are trying to say, just it doesn't work in practice because he keeps them further than 24 inches away from them almost at all times. He would rather zoom them off the board into ongoing reserves, than give me 12 free back armor shots. Both my Flyrants runs 2x TL Devourers.