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Played my very first game of Tyranids tonight against Necrons. This is the list I used:

Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs
Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs

Malanthrope
2 Zoanthropes
Zoanthrope

15 Termagants
15 Termagants
15 Termagants

2 Dakkafexes
Dakkafex
Dakkafex

Lost a close one with a little bit of bad luck on a few important rolls. The most notable one was the MSS from a Destroyer Lord that hit the unit of two Carnifexes three turns in a row. The second time it was a 1/5 chance due to Termagants charging in and the third time is was 1/4 chance for the same reason. This was after he got up with Ever Living. Ouch. I conceded after turn 5 when the score would be 4 against 7 at the end of the turn. There was no way I could come back turn 6 or 7. The biggest factors to his win was probably MSS on Fexes, Reanimation roll on his Destroyer Lord and the fact that I was never able to take out one of his three Annihilation Barges.
However, I got some insight on how the list ran. I was of course very pleased with the Flyrants and the power of 72 TW S6 shots each turn. Malanthrope is gracious with that 2+ cover save on gaunts. I loved 8 base Warp Charges as got the better psychic powers. Onslaught was very good with Carnifexes since I could run up to the distance where it could shoot. Paroxysm was of course awesome, and Warp Blast can do more than hitting with the Lance choice as AP3 is good against infantry. I am looking to improve my list, and this is what I have come up with. Please give a comment if you have any input!

Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs

Malanthrope
Zoanthrope
Zoanthrope

Ripper Swarm of 3 - Deep Strike
15 Termagants
15 Termagants

Dakkafex - Tyrranocyte
Dakkafex
Dakkafex

Sky Tyrant Formation:
Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs
10 Gargoyles
10 Gargoyles

Thank you!

I like it. I see a lot of potential for the skytyrant formation. I honestly would like to see it with more gargoyles though. Itll help control the board better and provide more ablative wounds for the tyrant. 20 seems like a lot, but they will disappear quickly and you will need as many as you can when trying to tarpit the maximum number of enemy units.

Callylove wrote:
Played my very first game of Tyranids tonight against Necrons. This is the list I used:

Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs
Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs

Malanthrope
2 Zoanthropes
Zoanthrope

15 Termagants
15 Termagants
15 Termagants

2 Dakkafexes
Dakkafex
Dakkafex

Lost a close one with a little bit of bad luck on a few important rolls. The most notable one was the MSS from a Destroyer Lord that hit the unit of two Carnifexes three turns in a row. The second time it was a 1/5 chance due to Termagants charging in and the third time is was 1/4 chance for the same reason. This was after he got up with Ever Living. Ouch. I conceded after turn 5 when the score would be 4 against 7 at the end of the turn. There was no way I could come back turn 6 or 7. The biggest factors to his win was probably MSS on Fexes, Reanimation roll on his Destroyer Lord and the fact that I was never able to take out one of his three Annihilation Barges.
However, I got some insight on how the list ran. I was of course very pleased with the Flyrants and the power of 72 TW S6 shots each turn. Malanthrope is gracious with that 2+ cover save on gaunts. I loved 8 base Warp Charges as got the better psychic powers. Onslaught was very good with Carnifexes since I could run up to the distance where it could shoot. Paroxysm was of course awesome, and Warp Blast can do more than hitting with the Lance choice as AP3 is good against infantry. I am looking to improve my list, and this is what I have come up with. Please give a comment if you have any input!

Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs

Malanthrope
Zoanthrope
Zoanthrope

Ripper Swarm of 3 - Deep Strike
15 Termagants
15 Termagants

Dakkafex - Tyrranocyte
Dakkafex
Dakkafex

Sky Tyrant Formation:
Winged Hive Tyrant - 2 TW Devourers with BLW, Haywire grubs
10 Gargoyles
10 Gargoyles

Thank you!

That does look like an improvement. I think I would not add the Pod, and take 75 points of Hormagaunts. Malanthrope, plus one or two Dakkafexen, with a screen, can do some serious damage. The other option is Moar Gargoyles! (+12?)

pinecone77 wrote:

That does look like an improvement. I think I would not add the Pod, and take 75 points of Hormagaunts. Malanthrope, plus one or two Dakkafexen, with a screen, can do some serious damage. The other option is Moar Gargoyles! (+12?)

The problem I had with the Dakkafexes and the reason behind the pod is that I never got to use them in the assaults I wanted to. Their S9 makes them my most reliable anti tank, especially versus the barges that can jink away from Warp Lance. With the pod I can get his tail and hopefully make him move his focus away from my main swarm or else I will charge into a vehicle with high AV.

I like the idea of having more Gargoyles, but I don't think I will replace the pod before I try it. Is there maybe something I else that I can remove?

Callylove wrote:

pinecone77 wrote:

That does look like an improvement. I think I would not add the Pod, and take 75 points of Hormagaunts. Malanthrope, plus one or two Dakkafexen, with a screen, can do some serious damage. The other option is Moar Gargoyles! (+12?)

The problem I had with the Dakkafexes and the reason behind the pod is that I never got to use them in the assaults I wanted to. Their S9 makes them my most reliable anti tank, especially versus the barges that can jink away from Warp Lance. With the pod I can get his tail and hopefully make him move his focus away from my main swarm or else I will charge into a vehicle with high AV.

I like the idea of having more Gargoyles, but I don't think I will replace the pod before I try it. Is there maybe something I else that I can remove?

One of the zoans maybe? The pod is the easiest to remove and is the least risky. The other reason is that even with the pod, you are getting a turn 3 charge at best, so I do not think it will be as effective as you want it to be in that regard. I personally would rather have those shots contributing throughout the game while the fex trundles up the field and gets a turn 3 or 4 charge anyway. 50 points can still get you some more gargoyles, but at a greater cost army-wide because of the loss of synapse.

Yeah, the pod is the lowest hanging piece of fruit... If you put a screen in front of the Dakkafexen, and provide Shrouding, you produce a threat level that forces the foe to react. I like to use Hormagaunts for the screen, because they are lightning fast. So they do not slow down the big bugs. Most of the fire goes at the big scarey Fexen, so the screen can arrive more or less intact. Hormies are pretty decent on the charge, and they can tar-pit until the Dakkafexen are in position.

The Malanthrope provides both Synapse, and Shrouding, and if you get lucky, Prefered Enemy for all those Brain Leeches! IMHO, the best way to use bugs, is as a team, try to find, and exploit synergies as they are found.

I second pinecone's hormagaunt idea. Exactly how I use a small brood of gaunts as well.