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Hive Tyrants, Tervigons, and the Tyrannofex can buy Thorax Swarms as quite a cheap upgrade. The weapon no longer can be fired without counting as one of the two shooting attacks a MC can make, but the weapons no longer take the place of Wings on a Tyrant, opening up some interesting options. Furthermore, Tervigons can now get access to another weapon to give them some close-range punch.

So first, do you think the Thorax Swarms are a good option on these three MC's? Maybe not on a Flyrant, because it would replace shooting the BL-Devourers, but on a Tervigon and Tyrannofex I see them being quite useful.

I am also wondering which Swarms people think are the best? I see a lot of people suggesting Electroshock Grubs because of the Haywire and Str5, which can be useful against vehicles as well as infantry. But the Dessicator Larvae seems solid to me in clearing out infantry that can tie up either of these big monsters in combat. Furthermore, if you are in range to fire your Electroshock Grubs, won't you just destroy the vehicle anyways with your Smash in CC? So which Thorax Swarm do you think is the way to go?

It just seems like something that would go so unused in all three of those situations, I cant justify the points there.

I think Electroshock Grubs on a Flyrant are very useful, in case you have a target of opportunity such as a Land Raider or a Leman Russ squadron, and want to stay in the air. Otherwise a Tyrannofex it may be worth it, but probably not Tervigons unless you are playing them very agressively.

I think Tervigons need to be a bit more aggressive, honestly. That is so many points to just be a babysitter!

I'm loving them as deturents for walker assaults. Bjorn, defilers, furioso dreads. All will think twice before assaulting into D3 haywire hits.

Damn, this thread just made me realize that Tyrannofexes don't get a special rule anymore allowing them to fire 2 weapons + a thorax swarm... Oh well, shaving off more than 60pts from their cost is worth that anyway. Gonna have to decide if I want to bother with a Thorax Swarm though if I'm closing in on opponents or doing overwatch (I plan on running an Acidfex).

Thorax swarms are all pretty amazing now. I never see shreddershard get mentioned, but rending + shred is a pretty awesome combo on a flamer. Against marines, that means no cover, however many wounds on fives you get, and 6s are rending, and you get to reroll all failed to wound rolls giving you better chances for 6s.

I have been messing around with a dual flamer flyrant, giving him thorax swarm dissicator and miasma, 2 wounds on 2s flamers, one that is ap 4. Been pretty fun so far, great against backfield troops and high toughness units. This also doesnt occupy his weapon slots, so he can have both of those, plus 2 weapons, or both and keep his scytals for better CC.

I think swarms are a must on tyros, double flamer at close range is very nice, though I am not sure if electroshock or shredder are better on him...

What, no love for Dessicator larvae? I think Shreddershard are actually better now though.

So who can take the thorax swams now? Is it hive tyrant and tyranofex? Could also the tervigon take it?

Tervigon with outflank via hive commander with throrax swarm(choose your flavor) is nasty.

You can spawn babies after you outflank right? because in the new codex it says "At the end of your Movement phase, a Tervigon can spawn Termagants"?

Correct me if im wrong. TY

EDIT: grammar and punctuation's.

 gameandwatch wrote:

I have been messing around with a dual flamer flyrant, giving him thorax swarm dissicator and miasma, 2 wounds on 2s flamers, one that is ap 4. Been pretty fun so far, great against backfield troops and high toughness units. This also doesnt occupy his weapon slots, so he can have both of those, plus 2 weapons, or both and keep his scytals for better CC.

Watch out though . Bio-artifacts do take up a weapon slot (crown and Ymgarl factor aside) so the miasma cannon does take one. Scytals aren't worth keeping then .

Mmmm, gonna have to read that again, I figured the special bonesword combo would, didn't see if the others did too. Will reread.

In that case, it would probably be best to run him as a cc tyrant and give him a lash whip and bonesword... but that is running his cost a little high, might just be better to stick with devourers for the range...

I am thinking a throax swarm on my scytal flyrant could be fun. especially if he rolls up Warp blast.

Its actually making me consider a tyrannofex + thorax as compared to a second Trygon.

Razerous wrote:
Its actually making me consider a tyrannofex + thorax as compared to a second Trygon.

Why would you even take a first Trygon?

I played my first game with the new Nid Codex last night. I took a Dessicator Larvae swarm on my Tervigon and my Tyrannofex. The Dessicator Larvae did some serious work that game. My Tervigon cleared an objective of Troops claiming it for herself, and when a Daemon Prince charged her, she did two wounds with the swarm on overwatch. That template is really nice on the Tervigon and helps shore up her two weaknesses: against lots of infantry, allowing her not to get bogged down in combat, or to clear objectives for herself; and big monsters that are scary than herself. Than d3 on overwatch can give some other monsters pause before wanting to charge.