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So back into the hobby past few months, mostly building and painting and looking to make a semi-solid list (mostly looking to play games where i can improve knowledge of rules and have fun but not be completely demolished every time).

So I've been reviewing my current tyranid list tweaking it here and there based on the models that i have. Models are as follows:

BUILT

flyrant with 2 x devourers (possibly electroshock grubs included)

8 genestealers and broodlord (from deathstorm so potentially children of cryptus which may be good with zoanthropes?)
20 termagants with devourers
25 termagants with fleshborers
3 warriors (2 with devourers and 1 with barbed strangler)

carnifex with 2 x devourers.


unbuilt
tervigon
3 warriors
3 hive guard
3 venomthropes
12 termagants

my list was going to use the tervigon and the fleshborer gaunts together. Using 30 devgaunts to make it troops (though with 1 hq i guess that's pointless except for scoring objevtives maybe?).

Warriors are almost solely to provide synapse and barbed stranglers for a little extra in shooting. I've been warned about genestealers sucking so may take them out for other units (zonethropes/tyrannocyte).

wanted to use gaunts to cover big units along with venomthropes for shrouded bonus saves.

hive guard as they are.

Finally possibly going to use the 3 warriors along with the zonethrope heads from the venomthrope box to make cheap (money wise) zonethropes instead of 3 more warriors.

original on paper list mounted up to this (before considering the above)

HQ
flyrant 2xdev egrubs 240pts

TROOPS
8genstealers broodlord scything talons adrenal glands 192pts

3warriors barbed strangler 100pts

3warriors barbed strangler 100pts

30 devgaunts 240pts

tervigon 195pts

ELITE
3 hiveguard 165pts

3 venomthropes 135pts

HEAVY SUPPORT
carnifex 2xdev 150pts

total = 1517pts

needing to shave some points off but it's feeling really close... Until one of you tells me this list is useless that is. i generally centered it around scoring troops choices and trying to cover the board in synapse. even my consideration to change 3 warriors for zoanthropes was made through them being synapse. i notice there isn't a lot of massive strong shooting but rather a big barrage of devourers now, every unit has them except those that can't.

I would drop the genestealers for more gaunts. take two squads of 30 and put 15 devs in each unit, so your not losing "valuable" gaunts every time they get shot at.

I like the warriors but most of the interwebs doesnt.

3 venomthropes is kinda overkill. Just take 1 to babysit the dakka-fex and get 2 zoanthropes instead.

I would suggest that you trade the 3 hiveguard for another dakka-fex for synergy and effectiveness but as you said your working with what you got, I wont.

Not too much to add, I don't much like Hive Guard...so I suggest you drop one and spend 55 points elsewhere. That way you get you ignores cover, with fair rate of fire, and get more points to spend.

You do want a second Winged Tyrant down the road... In the meantime you can run the Tervigon as your second HQ, just put a Thorax hive on her. That way you don't have to put 30 Termagants in a single Brood.

I like to run Devilgaunts at 2/1, or 50/50 so you can use the cheap ones as losses. In any case, good luck, and good hunting!

cool thanks for the posts guys. it all makes great sense what you're saying as you both mention mixing gaunts weapons in broods. seems hive guard are an issue, i really bought them liking the model but also liking the s8 ap4 guns that i thought would be decent marine killers (just leave them camping in/behind cover, although they'd require synapse... anyway)

seems wise about 3 venomthropes being too much, hadn't put real consideration in that other than the box containing 3. While a brood of 3 is maybe pointless, could it be worthwhile keeping 2 in their own broods? that way when shots are fired from say a squad or a tank that only one can potentially be lost (like for instance a devastator squad fire but can only kill one whilst using up all their fire which could have potentially killed all venomthropes had they all been together). plus they can spread out allowing other units to split up and keep shrouded.


haven't been playing yet, just watching battle reports and reading rules/codex.
thanks for suggestions, this has given me some extra thoughts on how to expand

Hive guard are actually terrible marine killers due to AP4. They are best suited at transports that like to jink such as serpents, barges, etc but still lack the solid AP to do any pens. They are ok but ever sice they went from BS4 to BS3 I find it difficult to get the hits I need to glance an AV12 vehicle.

A nice addition could be the new tyranocyte (pod). They make dakkafex get right where you want them and are not so bad at shooting themselves. They are also quite durable being T5 6W.

ah yeah, reading up on rules again, i thought it said strength 8 vs toughness 4 would not allow an armor save but turns out upon closer reading that it instant kills ignoring further wounds the model has if it actually suffers the first one. rats, thought i had a seriously solid marine killer there. i suppose wounding on 2+ is alright but still gutting.

tyranocyte for the dakkafex looks great. an ok alternative is 20 devgaunts in a pod to open fire maybe? think i'll tailor a few different lists, maybe troops in the pod for scoring objectives and dakkafex in pod to cause general chaos for the other player.

in the meantime im going to create a 1000pts list with the models i've built and see how things fare. thanks for the input everyone!