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I've not long started on the nid path and purchased my first models. I'm looking to buy my HQ choice next, but I'm a little stuck at what to do. At first, a flyrant made perfect logical sense. Though to most people's disgust he wasn't purely armed with shooting weapons. But then I noticed, every single boring person in the world who builds nid lists include a flyrant. I'm getting pretty bored reading "HQ - 2 Flyrants", so I started looking at other options. I love the swarmlords fluff and the rules, but I fear even with tyrant guard he's far to squishy for a model so slow.

So, does anyone ever run him with any success?

It truly depends on your meta. Are people around you very competitive and always strive to win using netlists and tournament cheese builds? Then the swarmlord will have a hard time indeed. In a more relaxed meta where people might build harder or softer lists while still focusing on their own enjoyment rather then the win, he should pull his weight with tyrant guard.

But the flyrant is stronger, no doubt.

The flyrant is one of the most competitive choices in the game at the moment. (I'd love to see a count of how many flyrants were at LVO. It's probably almost "number of nid players x5," with the exception of the lictor shame list that ONLY runs 3.)

So if your local group is not into playing tourney tier lists, you'll keep more friends and get more games in by avoiding taking flyrants.

I think iNControl did - he ran it with a Barbed Hierodule to give it PE.

Of course, he also ran two or three Flyrants because they are the best unit in the Codex

The Swarmlord makes your enemies pee their pants. It's got such a big psychological factor that, despite being nerfed when compared to the previous Nid codex, it'll always get shot to bits before reaching cc.

However, you can build a list around that taking the fire magnet aspect of the Swarmlord into consideration and allowing that to let you swarm the enemy with other fragile, but good cc-choices like Genestealers and Shrikes. The enemy cant shoot at everything at the same time.

This thing is, building a list around him surely means sinking points in to keeping him alive. Which is all. Well and good, but when you consider his already extortionate points cost, and that fact that you can't give him something like adrenal glands for fleet.. (even though you can give them to a carnifex....) he's just so slow. He has no shooting except psychic, so people can just keep out of his way and shoot him into a big quivering mulch of nid goo.

I think if nids get a 7th ed book, then he not only needs to be improved for his cost, but needs to be worthy of the inevitable Lord of war title they'll place upon him.

Based on my experience when the Swarmlord reaches close combat with pretty much any other unit that unit doesn't live much longer.
So if you can get him into combats then take him and if not try experimenting with him as a distraction to see if that works.

Just my thoughts.

But how do you get him there? I'm looking for ways to run him.

My area isn't the most competitive so people tend to have their close combat units just run into each other in the middle. You could try using the Tyranids drop pod (Sorry I forgot the name) to land something more threatening in your opponents deployment zone. Or at least something they can't ignore.

There are basically two ways to profitably run the Swarmlord now. One is to use him as a bodyguard for a must-kill shooting unit (i.e. Barbed Hierodule) or to put him in a Tyrannocyte (i.e. make him even more expensive). The latter idea isn't too bad if you are playing a reserve heavy list, as the Swarmlord helps out with reserve rolls even when he's not on the board.

Neither of these ideas strike me as particularly competitive, but they could be fun and rather scary for your opponent.

Swarmy just can't get it done this edition. Besides being a slow and fragile 285 point unit, he also isn't that great in assault. He cannot deal with knights or walkers, as smash is only 1 attack. He gets one shotted by nurgle princes who strike before him. He no longer forces rerolls to invuls so storm shield units can wear him down. Swarmlord is my favorite model and fluff in the game....he just isn't very good.

 Khaine's Wrath wrote:
This thing is, building a list around him surely means sinking points in to keeping him alive. Which is all. Well and good, but when you consider his already extortionate points cost, and that fact that you can't give him something like adrenal glands for fleet.. (even though you can give them to a carnifex....) he's just so slow. He has no shooting except psychic, so people can just keep out of his way and shoot him into a big quivering mulch of nid goo.

I think if nids get a 7th ed book, then he not only needs to be improved for his cost, but needs to be worthy of the inevitable Lord of war title they'll place upon him.

Put her in a Pod...

Or try a Bug Star, Swarmy...285
Brood of Hormagaunts, x15 75
Venothrope 45

Total cost 405 points, so lets add one Tyrant Guard.....50? 40? 455 points for a reasonable threat with moderate mobility....seems a little over priced for what you get, and it eats up an Elite slot (the Guard) but it will get into contact a fair number of times, having a good cover save, makes one Guard plenty tough, IMHO...

I'm just going to say that one of the top nids player at LVO ran the Swarmlord. He does have his uses.

pinecone77 wrote:
Or try a Bug Star, Swarmy...285
Brood of Hormagaunts, x15 75
Venothrope 45

Total cost 405 points, so lets add one Tyrant Guard.....50? 40? 455 points for a reasonable threat with moderate mobility....seems a little over priced for what you get, and it eats up an Elite slot (the Guard) but it will get into contact a fair number of times, having a good cover save, makes one Guard plenty tough, IMHO...

That's 3 separate units since Swarmy (with the exception of Tyrant Guard) and the Venomthrope can't join other units. And the Tyrant Guard doesn't eat an Elite slot - they're slotless.

rigeld2 wrote:

pinecone77 wrote:
Or try a Bug Star, Swarmy...285
Brood of Hormagaunts, x15 75
Venothrope 45

Total cost 405 points, so lets add one Tyrant Guard.....50? 40? 455 points for a reasonable threat with moderate mobility....seems a little over priced for what you get, and it eats up an Elite slot (the Guard) but it will get into contact a fair number of times, having a good cover save, makes one Guard plenty tough, IMHO...

That's 3 separate units since Swarmy (with the exception of Tyrant Guard) and the Venomthrope can't join other units. And the Tyrant Guard doesn't eat an Elite slot - they're slotless.

Yes, though I would run almost the same, with a Zoey for Synapse, and a Dakkafex...style...I did miss that the Guard does not eat a slot. Otherwise I don't think I understand what you are saying...

It's not a "reasonable threat with moderate mobility" it's a reasonable threat with moderate mobility (the hormies) a force multiplier (Swarmie) and a target (Vope).

It's not a "Bug star", it's a bunch of units that are decent when used together. "stars" are normally all one unit.

rigeld2 wrote:
It's not a "reasonable threat with moderate mobility" it's a reasonable threat with moderate mobility (the hormies) a force multiplier (Swarmie) and a target (Vope).

It's not a "Bug star", it's a bunch of units that are decent when used together. "stars" are normally all one unit.

Ah, it is a matter of definition. I call that a Bug Star, because it is Not a Deathstar. I reacon I will continue to do so...