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I have about 20 genestealers (from 3 battleforces) and I would like to know how to use them correctly—I usually infiltrate, then get mowed down by enemy shooting

In this edition, the best way to use them is to convert them into Ymgarl genestealers. When genestealers lost the ability to assault first turn when they infiltrate, they became expensive targets for anything with a cross hair. Ymgarls are the easiest way to use them as they can still assault the turn they arrive.

If you don't want to use Ymgarl Genestealers, you can always use Hormagaunts or Termagants as a screen to run them across the field- either they kill the Gaunts/Gants or kill the 'stealers. You have to be very careful with them, and where you send them really.

Close to what Sinful Hero said, but when I use them (it's not too often), I infiltrate them somewhere they can't be shot too heavily, then run them after the biggest, nastiest shooting unit they have. They usually don't do much damage, but when they're drawing the big guns off my MCs, even if only for one turn, they don't need to.

Take 5 with a Broodlord and treat them like a 7 wound mastery level 2 librarian who happens to score at 116 pts.

Try to coordinate them with your other forces so the enemy have multiple big threats to deal with at the same time. If you jump the gun and send them in too early they'll just get shot to ribbons on their own, but if you can have them becoming a big threat at the same time as everyone else then your opponent won't have many good choices. Keep them out of sight until then.

Also, it's pretty obvious but try to avoid charging them through difficult terrain if you can. Defensively they're quite poor, so you want them to strike first.

Its the story with all tyranid units synergy is key. Presenting your opponent with multiple significant threats. perhaps also running a cheap brood of stealers at the enemy Leroy Jenkins style will slow down his shooting at something bigger. If my Tervigon is saved from shooting by a unit of genestealers then its honestly worth it. Also as said before the Broodlord is amazing this edition. He is able to get some great psychic powers on the table and reasonably resilient to ID. give him a few extra wounds to surround him and he can lay some hurt down. (If only some one would pull their head out and give him a BS) Do remember that unlike someone said before the Broodlord is not mastery level 2 or Warpcharge 2... you only get to use on power a turn.

DarthDiggler wrote:
Take 5 with a Broodlord and treat them like a 7 wound mastery level 2 librarian who happens to score at 116 pts.

Interesting!

If you get enough of them you could try to push his flanks. A tactic in 5th edition suposebly was to have 60 genestealers and try to get a second turn charge. While not as optimal in 6th edition because of the cover rules it could work quite well.

DarthDiggler wrote:
Take 5 with a Broodlord and treat them like a 7 wound mastery level 2 librarian who happens to score at 116 pts.

This I like, what powers would you put with him, biomancy to buff the Stealers and go tank hunting?

Hell I say go for telekine dome. If ypur extremely lucky in two rolls you could get telekine dome and warpspeed and thats great fun right there!

I'd skip Biomancy for a Broodlord. Out of the 7 powers (counting the Primaris) 3 of them he literally cannot use, including the Primaris. Meaning if you roll a 4 or 6 you can't just suck it up and take the Primaris - you've essentially lost that power. Telekinesis is worse with 4 witchfires including the Primaris. Divination is the most likely to get a useable power but there's still some stinkers there - Perfect Timing is useless, and Foreboding is near useless. Telepathy would be where I'd roll. Mental Fortitude isn't that great because Fearless is easy to get from a Synapse Creature, Invisibility would be amazing, Terrify is okay, Dominate and Hallucination wound be fun. But there's still the possibility of rolling Puppet Master and losing that power slot (because the Primaris is a witchfire).

A couple of units of Genestealers (with Biomancy Broodlords) in Mycetic Spores (units of 10 + the Broodlord are what I use, with Toxin Sacks) can really gum up the works in my experience.


You can put them more or less where you want, hide behind the Spore, Fleet into cover and if you're lucky fire off Endurance or Catalyst on them to keep them going. The psychological impact those two units can have when they suddenly turn up in a good spot is enormous, and since I tend to run a huge brood of Toxic Hormagaunts as well there are plenty of choices for anti-horde firepower to be split over, improving the survivability of the force as a whole.

If you manage to avoid charging a dedicated CC unit in cover, Toxic Genestealers are absolute beasts and a Biomancer Broodlord can have a lot of unexpected punch.

One thing I have certainly discovered is that like many of the less optimal Tyranid units, if you're going to take Genestealers and want them for anything more than that 7 wound Librarian setup, you have to think a lot more about your list selection. This can be a bit of a shock when you normally run the endless numbers of Tervigons, Winged Tyrants and Hive Guard which can fit into any list and work very well.

Tyranids can't roll divination can they? I know the broodlord cant use invisibility as it is mastery level 2 and can actually get quite a bit of use out of biomancy. Iron arm, endurance and warp speed all cone to mind. Telekine dome is amazing so taking a shot at that could be fun in telekinesis. Do you have to roll to hit woth psychic shriek? I dont have mu rule book atm but if not the broodlord could use that.

patsfan32 wrote:
Tyranids can't roll divination can they?

Probably not - tbh I just went through all the different disciplines and checked them.

I know the broodlord cant use invisibility as it is mastery level 2 and can actually get quite a bit of use out of biomancy.

Dammit I always forget Invisibility is 2 Warp.

Iron arm, endurance and warp speed all cone to mind. Telekine dome is amazing so taking a shot at that could be fun in telekinesis. Do you have to roll to hit woth psychic shriek? I dont have mu rule book atm but if not the broodlord could use that.

Iron Arm, Endurance, and Warp Speed are all great - but trying for them comes with a risk. You might not get *any* powers. The first time I played 6th I went with a couple of Broodlord Delivery Squads... and both BLs rolled Hemmorage, one rolled Life Leech and the other rolled Enfeeble. So one of them couldn't use any powers, the other got one that is good but not amazing. Guess which one got destroyed on turn one?

Psychic Shriek is a Witchfire, meaning it's a Shooting Attack, and models with a BS0 can never make a shooting attack.

Backlash wrote:
In this edition, the best way to use them is to convert them into Ymgarl genestealers. When genestealers lost the ability to assault first turn when they infiltrate, they became expensive targets for anything with a cross hair. Ymgarls are the easiest way to use them as they can still assault the turn they arrive.

I have used Ymargls three times and twice the peice of terrain they were hiding in was occupied (my brother makes it his first priority to cover up all peices of terrain when he knows I have Ymargls). the other time, they were shot down on the first turn (I had decided not to use the dormant rule)