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I'm going to take some zoeys as a buff/ synapse for some swarm nids but I'm not sure how to run them. They seem pretty durable but that seems too good to be true so I was wondering what the best way to run them would be. I don't want to put too many points into them so I have more for the swarms but I know they are essential so any advice you guys have would be great

A few different ideas based on how you want to run your swarm.

Idea 1: back up support
Run your main synapse in the center of the army and run two units of one zoey each on either side (about 12-18" from the outer table edges). This will allow you to spread your swarm out if you are truly going mass swarm (like 150-200 little bugs)

Idea 2: anchor
run 2-3 in a single unit as back field support as you run your main synapse up with the swarm. They will create a great anchor than can be spread out a bit to cover a decent area. They can also use warp blast to try and handle units/vehicles that you enemy drops in your backfield. Do keep at least one units of termagants as bubble wrap to prevent easy charges.

Idea 3: slingshot (the most fun)
Put 3-6 zoeys (with a neurothrope) in a tyrranocyte and drop it in your opponent's backfield. This will give you a hive mind target to send your swarm into while the rest of your bugs catch up. Plus, a neurothrope and 5 zoeys can really wreck an enemy's backfield the turn they arrive.

I find that if I play super-swarm (in casual games), I prefer idea 1. The rare times I try swarm in competitive, I use Idea 3.

Just my thoughts,

Good luck!

My friend has been running 4-5 zoeys by themselves so he gets all the dice he needs and is more likely to roll good spells on the chart. It works pretty well for him and he does use a lot of little bugs so he has a combo of kungfujon's options 1 and 2.

I usually run them as single Broods. Not a huge fan of podding them in (that said, 6th placed Tyranids at Adepticon ran a podded unit of Zoanthropes and Neurothrope that worked well for them).

I much prefer the Malanthrope these days, even against Tau.

 Alienoid wrote:
I'm going to take some zoeys as a buff/ synapse for some swarm nids but I'm not sure how to run them. They seem pretty durable but that seems too good to be true so I was wondering what the best way to run them would be. I don't want to put too many points into them so I have more for the swarms but I know they are essential so any advice you guys have would be great

Well, they are pretty durable. but like all things with Invulnrable saves they suffer from volume of fire. A T4 surely does not help.

It is dependant on "meta" but the most effective use is in Broods of one. My personal meta knows to kill Zoeys, so I run them in Broods of x2. I find that to be plenty durable.

The "best" way to keep them alive is give the foe plenty of other, more threatening target choices.

hmm ok this sounds good, what about their psychic powers? which do you think are better and/ or should be used more than others?

You don't get the choice of powers. You have Warp Blast and one other determined by a D6, so it doesn't matter one bit what folks say you shou,d use since you might not get it. You have to make do with what you're given.

But, because of that randomness, don't try to lock them into a single role unless you're using Warp Blast and the Neurothrope power to the exclusion of all else. Be versatile. Think on your feet. If you get Catalyst or Onslaught, the Zoas would do better babysitting a brood of Carnifex or an Exocrine. If you get Psychic Scream then they should be tail deep in the enemy with some Hormagaunts as Bubble Wrap, casting where it would do the most damage. If they get Paroxysm or the Horror then they are stuck on anchor detail and get to pout in the back for being stupid. Or go back to the idea of just throwing Warp Blast around the table.

Because I run them with so much variation from game to game I keep them in broods of two. Nice and simple that way but still effective. I can use them for many roles depending on what my Warriors fail to do.

The powers are what the dice god gives you. You will always have Warp lance and Dominion, so the wild card is the third power.

IF you get Catalyst and Onslaught are really good early game powers with Catalyst staying useful the whole game, but require you to position near the units you want to cover with the powers.

Paraxyom, and horror you can can keep them back as mid field support synapse with easy.

Shriek on the other hand really forces you to lead from the front to get the most use out of it.

Yes indeed, the answer to "how do I run Zoanthropes?" is:

"You don't. You run Malanthropes because they are so dope"

But Zoanthropes aren't such a handicap. In fact, they're a good synapse beacon. They also are good psychic buff machines, and since they are brotherhood of psykers, they're like pink horrors - good to the last Thrope. Multiwound T4 is an issue, but having a 3++ does help.

The only real issue is that they are basically like 25 point marines. How long does it take you to fail 2-6 3 up saves? Because their real vulnerability is to small arms fire. But if your opponent doesn't prioritize them, they are a good source of synapse and can hand out whatever powers you need, plus being able to face melt tanks if they're neglected is always nice. Sadly, this means that they probably won't be neglected.

I typically run them as a unit of 2 to avoid super easy first blood/a super easy kill point whenever. But if you run them as single man units, you get 2 warp dice for each dude, and you get to roll two powers for each of them. Definitely not too shabby if you're not playing kill points. I think 3 or more in a squad is usually overkill unless you're running them in a Tyrannocyte to try and pop something on the turn they strike in.

 luke1705 wrote:
Yes indeed, the answer to "how do I run Zoanthropes?" is:

"You don't. You run Malanthropes because they are so dope"

But Zoanthropes aren't such a handicap. In fact, they're a good synapse beacon. They also are good psychic buff machines, and since they are brotherhood of psykers, they're like pink horrors - good to the last Thrope. Multiwound T4 is an issue, but having a 3++ does help.

The only real issue is that they are basically like 25 point marines. How long does it take you to fail 2-6 3 up saves? Because their real vulnerability is to small arms fire. But if your opponent doesn't prioritize them, they are a good source of synapse and can hand out whatever powers you need, plus being able to face melt tanks if they're neglected is always nice. Sadly, this means that they probably won't be neglected.

I typically run them as a unit of 2 to avoid super easy first blood/a super easy kill point whenever. But if you run them as single man units, you get 2 warp dice for each dude, and you get to roll two powers for each of them. Definitely not too shabby if you're not playing kill points. I think 3 or more in a squad is usually overkill unless you're running them in a Tyrannocyte to try and pop something on the turn they strike in.

You only get to roll one power for each. they are stuck with warp blast and get one roll per the Codex entry.