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I've been trying to put together a shooting-oriented list for use eventually in our local league. I generally run a more mixed force with a bit of a slant towards assault, so this is probably my first real "gunline" sort of list (not to say it is a "gunline" - too sort of range for that).

HQ: 1x Tyranid Prime with Rending Claws, Toxin Sacs

ELITES: 2x Hive Guard
ELITES: 2x Hive Guard
ELITES: 2x Hive Guard

TROOPS: 15x Termagants (5x with Devourers)
TROOPS: 15x Termagants (5x with Devourers)
TROOPS: 15x Termagants (5x with Devourers)
TROOPS: 15x Termagants (5x with Devourers)
TROOPS: 3x Warriors with Barbed Strangler
TROOPS: 3x Warriors with Barbed Strangler

HEAVY: 1x Exocrine
HEAVY: 1x Exocrine
HEAVY: 1x Exocrine

Total: 1500 points

Overall goal is basically to leverage S7 and S8 firepower while still maintaining a good body count for scoring and durability purposes. Our local meta is utterly infested with AV13+ vehicles at the moment, so Brainleech Devourers are not as ideal as they usually are sadly. I'm really not sure about the Prime in the HQ, but I like how the rest of the list looks and a Hive Tyrant is just too expensive to include without either dropping a lot of bodies or cutting into firepower. I considered a Tervigon since it could make up for some of the lost bodies via spawning, but it not being a character means I loose out on Warlord traits...

On the other hand, since I am using the Prime I'm tempted to maybe try out a variant list with Maw Claws or the Miasma Cannon on him. Being an Independent Character he is probably a fairly safe place for an artifact and I haven't really used any of them so far.

Fire-support screams Living Artillery Node, I don't know why you don't have it. You already have most of it, just add some Biovores.

I originally was building it around the Living Artillery Node actually, but thus far every time I've brought my Biovores out to play I've ended up playing against a fully mechanized opponent or 'nidzilla type list where they can't really hurt anything. I figured the Warriors with their stranglers could probably cover the same role while also providing synapse coverage should the match-up be unfavorable to their guns and the twin-linked bonus can be somewhat compensated for by redundancy.

 Gerst wrote:
Fire-support screams Living Artillery Node, I don't know why you don't have it. You already have most of it, just add some Biovores.

Word. I'd also strongly suggest some Veno cover, otherwise you'll lose to counter battery... (our short range means sniping from just out of range totally pwns us. )

Do you have the models to do a Bio bombardment (?) Node? That's...umm...Warrior Brood, three Gunfexen, and a Tyrano. Special rule...re-roll ones? Even going for max fire power I think I'd want my Elite slots to be Hive Guard x2, Zoey x2, Veno x2.

I really don't like Warrior Prime these days, but I see what you're saying....would a Walking Tyrant be undoable? Heavy Venom Cannon, BS4 on a Monsterous creature...? Maybe it's "just me" but I consider Mawloc to be a Nid version of Artillery.

I suppose Harpies are also an option, Salvo spines (?) and they can run AA, and long range bombardment, plus drop spore mines.

pinecone77 wrote:

Word. I'd also strongly suggest some Veno cover, otherwise you'll lose to counter battery... (our short range means sniping from just out of range totally pwns us. )

I'd like to bring some venomthropes, but I'm not sure if I want to sacrifice the third unit of Hive Guard (or more specifically, the ability to shoot at a third unit). We tend to play with a fair amount of terrain at our league (typical example) so if nothing else I should be able to hide the Hive Guard out of sight and the Exocrines in forests/ruins to at least get a 5+.

Still, might be able to fit them in. If I drop a unit of Hive Guard for a Venomthrope or two that would also give me an extra 20-65 points to play with...

pinecone77 wrote:

Do you have the models to do a Bio bombardment (?) Node? That's...umm...Warrior Brood, three Gunfexen, and a Tyrano. Special rule...re-roll ones?

I'm one gunfex short, but I could reconfigure one of my talon Carnifexes with a biocannon of some sort. I'm not very familiar with the formation, any restrictions on what weapons can be taken? If the bonus is just rerolling ones, I imagine it wouldn't be too helpful for the blast weapons, but I guess it might make a Rupture Cannon a bit more reliable.

pinecone77 wrote:
Even going for max fire power I think I'd want my Elite slots to be Hive Guard x2, Zoey x2, Veno x2.

I'm more or less the same, scans the Zoanthropes (never managed to get them to work for me). I was running a Haruspex in my elites for a little while, but I wanted to playtest an Exocrine so I converted it over for the time being.

pinecone77 wrote:

I really don't like Warrior Prime these days, but I see what you're saying....would a Walking Tyrant be undoable? Heavy Venom Cannon, BS4 on a Monsterous creature...? Maybe it's "just me" but I consider Mawloc to be a Nid version of Artillery.

Not undoable (I've actually been running one quite a bit lately), but I'm not sure what to drop to make room for it. Besides the cost, the only other issue I have is that he is a bit vulnerable without Tyrant Guard while the Prime at least can hide...

Also I agree with Mawlocs, but as said I generally run a rather assault-leaning list so the goal is something that is more or less something with pure dakka (ideally above S6 dakka - lots of AV12-13 running around).

Thanks for the input so far though! I'll try putting together a few variants...

I was thinking about this , this AM...and I scribbled this down...

HQ: Winged Dakka'rant, Hive 240

Elites: Zoey, x2
Elites: Veno, x2
Elites: Hive Guard, x2 300 total?

Heavy: Mawloc
Heavy: Mawloc 820?

Living Artillery: 390
Warrior Brood, x3, Venom Cannon
Biovore Brood, x3
Exocrene

running total: 1210?

Troops: Termagants,x20 80 (or x10+5 Devilgaunts)
Troops: as above
Troops: as above

That should run 1450... it seems that it should be easy to jigger things around...maybe lose one Mawloc? that should let you add a Warroior Brood, x3, x2 deathspitters, Strangle Cannon, and one more Brood of Termagants.

And, if I've added correctly, that would be 1500 even.

I use Zoey, as durable Synapse, that can add Psycher Buffs, the Warp Lance/Blast is pure gravy...it also gets you 2 extra WC's. I would use the Venos to babysit the LAN, otherwise the foe can just shoot your Node right off the table.

I would be temped to use the Zoeys to babysit the HG, that way if he trys to bum rush a heavy AV at ya, you Might get a Warp Lance off...

Hopefully this will give you some useful ideas.

Have you considered electroshock grubs on Flying Hive Tyrants? Judging from all of your weapons you need to glance all the difficult vehicles to death anyway (S7 AP2 against AV13 notwithstanding).