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So shortly after I was introduced to 40K, my fiance got into it as well. Her army of choice was the Tyranids because they reminded her of creepy space bugs and decided to base her army on more of a beehive than anything else.

The long and short of this is: she's still in the beginning stages of her army and hse has a very particular way she wishes to model and play them.

She hates, hates, HATES any of the bio-weaponry (swords and guns sort of stuff) and wants them to just be up-close, melee killing machines. She refuses to put anything but models that have scything talons in her army.

So here I am asking your advice on how to build an effective and playable army with those sorts of limitations placed upon it.

I'm looking for any and all army suggestions here to possibly help her out.

Ouch that is really limiting the an army. Well Trygons or Mawloks are both normal. How about venomthropes, haruspexes and zoanthropes. They all don't exactly have scything talons but they look natural atleast. The venoms and zoeys are usefull to get the CC oriented monsters your trying to bring up to the enemy lines. Unfortunately with the new codex scything talons are not effective at all. The rerolls are gone so your left with ap 6 being the only buff provided by them now. How about Rending claws? those are usually natural looking too. Honestly without the other weapons you don't have much. You can take warriors, Ravenors, Hormagaunts, tyrants, shrikes, lictors, carnifexes, and the others I listed earlier, I don't know what else to say. This army just won't have much for teeth. but you can build an army that way. At least the bigger guys will be Ap2 since their monstrous creatures. Even noncompetitively it will be hard to make a list like this to work.

It will not be the strongest army but it is definitely doable. cc Flyrant, Screamer killer carnifex, gaunts, ravener, trygon or mawloc ... Don't spam flyers when facing her and you should have interesting matches.

Speed and cover will be essential. Try to persuade her to allow stuff like claws and tentacles as well as talons... Something like:

HQ: Flyrant(s); Deathleaper
Elite: Venomthrope(s); Lictor(s)
Fast: Gargoyles; Shrikes
Troops: Hormagants; optional Genestealers
Heavy: Mawlocs; Adrenal Carnifexes

Gargoyles have guns; I wish there was a CC variant.

Oh she is more than fine with tentacles and claws, it's just the guns she's not fond of. She says they don't make sense to her (in her grand vision of how she would play them)

As I hears it. Carnifex spam is a good thing.

Just model guns on their thoraxes much like ravenors. Problem solved.

HQ
Flyrant - scything talons x2
Deathleaper or Old One Eye
Tyranid Prime - cc options only

No Tervigon since she probably doesn't want Termagants.

Would she consider a Swarmlord + Tyrant Guard?

ELITES
Haruspex
Venomthropes
Zoanthropes

TROOPS
Hormagaunts
Warriors - w/scything talons & rending claws
Genestealers
Ripper Swarms

FAST ATTACK
Shrikes - w/scything talons & rending claws
Raveners - w/scything talons

HEAVY SUPPORT
Trygon
Mawloc
Carnifex(es) - w/scything talons

You could probably put together something out of these available units. Maybe the Hive Commander upgrade on a Flyrant to outflank something nasty, and the Deathleaper to help with reserves.

Maybe attach a Tyranid Prime decked out for CC to a brood of 'fexes and run them like crazy. Keep a Venomthrope nearby and cast some stuff on them. Maybe mirror it on the other side with a second brood and/or a Haruspex. Let a Mawloc pop out of the ground to distract enemy shooting and take out some castled soldiers.

SIDE NOTE: How cool would it have been if the Haruspex could be taken in broods? Probably hard to justify broods of guys on 120mm oval bases, but still...

Anywho...

All the while, piles and piles of Hormagaunts race towards the enemy, perhaps with some Raveners splashed in between.

One could still create threat saturation problems with an all-cc Tyranids list. I know there are derpy people who camp in a corner all game and shoot (Eldar, Tau, IG), but a Mawloc or two and something out-flanking should help with that.

Take Adrenal Glands on almost anything that can have it. Furious Charge plus Fleet is pretty solid.

Good luck, and let us know how some of her first battles go!

HQ: Hive Tyrant (CC) or Swarmlord (Really CC)

Troops: Hormagaunts; Stealers or CC Warriors.

Elites: Venomthropes, Zoanthropes or Lictors (Pyrovores IF acid flamers are in)

FA: Crone

Heavy: Mawloc, Trygon, Trygon prime.

My Suggestion 1500pts:

Swarmlord (+1-2 Guard)
4x 10 Hormagaunts
1x 10 Stealers (Inc Broodlord)
2x1 Zoanthropes
2x Crone
1x Mawloc
1x Trygon