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Here's my 1500 point Tyranid list. I am a new Tyranid player and this is my first attempt at making a well-rounded army. Please let me know any suggestions you have:

HQ:

1 Hive Tyrant - 270 pts
Wings
Old Adversary
Lash Whip & Bonesword
Scything Talons
Toxin Sacs
Adreneal Glands

Troops:

20 Hormagaunts - 140 pts
Adreneal Glands

24 Hormagaunts - 120 pts

30 Termagaunts - 120 pts

1 Tervigon - 205 pts
Electroshock Grubs

Tyranid Warrior Brood - 100 pts
1 Barbed Strangler

Elites:

2 Zoanthropes - 100 pts

Fast Attack:

1 Hive Crone - 155 pts

Heavy Support:

3 Biovores - 120 pts

1 Exocrine - 170 pts

TOTAL: 1500 pts

Formations:

Living Artillery Node

looks good. As a semi-new tyranid player, I will give your my $0.02.

The list is very good. Only a few minor issues.

The tyrant is best IMHO with 2x twin linked devourers with brainleach worms, wings, and electroshock grubs, the upgrades on him seem like a lot. And a lot can be dropped (even if you are dead-set on the LW;BS), with a profile similar to above (replace the 2x devourer with whatever 2 weapons you would like to take), he will excel.

I think it would be worth it to include a venomthrope or two to help your gaunts survive.

Otherwise looks good,

-mikey

Here is my comments

1-The LAN ( living art.... ) is actually the best formation in my mind. Keep it on your list !

2-The best Flyrant you can run is actually 2 twin linked devourer and electroshock grubs. Try to get at least 2 like it !

3-You should include 2 venomthropes for the stealth cover

4-If you own a malanthrope, make sure this guy is in your list ! Go look his stats you will get why

5-Always include the models you like, you will have way more fun haha

Here is some lists:

Flyrant TLD Electro 240
Flyrant TLD Electro 240

Tervigon Electro 205
Termagants x 30 120
Termagants x 29 116


Venomthrope 45
Venomthrope 45
Zoanthrope 50

Tyrannofex Acid spray + Electro 185
Mawloc 140
Tyrannocyte 75


LAN
warriors x 3 1 venom canon 100
Exocrine 170
Biovores x 3 120



list 2

First CAD
Hive Tyrant - Wings, 2x TL Devourers 230
Hive Tyrant - Wings, 2x TL Devourers 230
30 Termagants - 120
Tervigon - Electroshock Grubs - 205
2 Venomthropes - 90
Exocrine - 170
Tyrannofex - Acid Spray, Electroshock Grubs - 185

Second CAD
Hive Tyrant - Wings, 2x TL Devourers 230
Zoanthrope - 50
3 Warriors - Barbed Strangler - 100
3 Warriors - Barbed Strangler - 100
Mawloc - 140

1,850

OFC these lists arent competitive but they do well on the table ! Happy gaming ! Hope i helped you !

Thanks for the advise so far! I do have a couple quick questions though:

1. What weapons should I use on the Termagaunts? It seems to be between Fleshborers and Spinefists.

2. Should I take 2 separate Venomthropes for the shrouded on the Gaunts, or 2 Venomthropes in 1 unit?

3. Is Venom Cannon or Barbed Strangler better on Warriors, seeing as they will likely be back with the Biovores and Exocrine?

4. I also like the Mawloc, What would I be able to replace to possibly get one in? Are they good?

5. Are Carnifex's decent? Is there any good way to run them?

Sorry if this is a lot of questions I just want to build a pretty good army for some casual games that's a lot of fun.

Bane1778 wrote:
Thanks for the advise so far! I do have a couple quick questions though:

1. What weapons should I use on the Termagaunts? It seems to be between Fleshborers and Spinefists.

2. Should I take 2 separate Venomthropes for the shrouded on the Gaunts, or 2 Venomthropes in 1 unit?

3. Is Venom Cannon or Barbed Strangler better on Warriors, seeing as they will likely be back with the Biovores and Exocrine?

4. I also like the Mawloc, What would I be able to replace to possibly get one in? Are they good?

5. Are Carnifex's decent? Is there any good way to run them?

Sorry if this is a lot of questions I just want to build a pretty good army for some casual games that's a lot of fun.

1) Honestly, it doesn't matter. They do basically the exact same damage to 90% of what you'll face. The biggest advantage that fleshborers have over spinefists is the ability to damage AV10. But you rarely want your gaunts to be shooting at vehicles. Most people run fleshboreres, but I think that's just because they are the base weapon.

2) Take 2 separate venoms. Each will provide a 12" shrouded bubble. With 2 as a brood, your overall effective range is 16" (6" range, 2" base, 2" coherency, 2" base, 6" range). When they are 2 separate unites, you can spread them out throughout your swarm and get a 24" effective bubble.

3) It's personal choice. Some people prefer the barbed for the pinning. I prefer venom for the higher strength and because I think pinning is mostly useless. Run games with both and see what you like.

4) Mawlocs are great. Very cheap for the ability to drop 2 AP2 templates on the turn they come in. I don't run them much in my lists, but a lot of nid players will swear by them. If you wanted to run one, you could drop the horms with AG.

5) Carnifexes got a great boost with the new book. Really nice for swarm lists, and some people drop them in with spores. There are two basic builds that I've seen people run (and that I run myself). The most popular is of course the 2 TL-brain leeches (aka the dakkafex). Basically an on-foot flyrant for 150 points. It will thin out troops and can put some damage on light and medium tanks. The other option is 2 scything talons, bio-plasma, and AG. This is your tank killer. Run him towards the biggest tank your opponent has and rip it apart. I usually put bio-plasma on them to get another shot at killing tanks, plus it will melt termies.

Hope this was helpful

Thanks for the advise Freytag93, it really helps clarify some stuff. So here's my revised army list, let me know how this one looks!

Bane1778 wrote:
Here's my 1500 point Tyranid list. I am a new Tyranid player and this is my first attempt at making a well-rounded army. Please let me know any suggestions you have:

HQ:

1 Hive Tyrant - 230 pts
Wings
Electroshock Grubs
2x Twin-Linked Devourers with Brainleech Worms

Troops:

28 Hormagaunts - 196 pts
Adrenal Glands

30 Termagaunts - 120 pts
Spinefists

1 Tervigon - 205 pts
Electroshock Grubs

Tyranid Warrior Brood - 100 pts
1 Venom Cannon

Elites:

1 Venomthrope - 45 pts

1 Venomthrope - 45 pts

2 Zoanthropes - 100 pts

Fast Attack:

1 Hive Crone - 155 pts

Heavy Support:

3 Biovores - 120 pts

1 Exocrine - 170 pts

TOTAL: 1496 pts

Formations:

Living Artillery Node

Good advice! I prefer Spine fists for purely artistic reasons. One reason to run the base is a strict asshat way to read the rules is that Tervigons Only spawn the base flesh borers, so it is easier to recyle losses if they are all the same.

One sometime "hidden" feature of Carnifexen is that they have a Strength of 9 So D3 HOW, and a S9 lets any Carnifex smash vehicles with good success.

You'll find that Shrouding adds so much to your army that becomes a "must take". Doubling out depends on your "meta", in mine sniping out "Thropes is a established practice, so I double both most of the time.

Just a general suggestion, a basic "meta rule" for Nids is to avoid upgrades, and spend the points on more figures. It is almost always the best course. So I would lose the Adrenal on the Hormagaunts.

In any case, good luck! And welcome to the Hive Mind!

So if I remove the AG from the Hormagaunts while boosting it up to 30, that leaves me with 50 points left. Any recommendation for the remaining 50 points?

Looking through the Codex it looks like I can only really add a small Termagaunt, Hormagaunt, or Ripper Swarm Brood. I could also double up on Venomthropes to give me room for a Lictor if they are any good.

Any thoughts?

well there are lots of ways to toss away 50 points. You could take Old Adversary/ Prefered Enemy, and Fighter Ace for 50.

Or trim some points and buy a Big Bug. trim the extra Zoey, add 50 points and you are close, if you find 40, grab a Mawloc. They can be very "hit or miss" some folks have great luck, others hate them. If you can find 50 more then grab a Dakkafex (Carnifex with twin sets of Brain Leeches) It can add a huge amount of striking power to your list. Personally I would trim Hormagaunts down to add a Heavy slot, I like Mawloc, but a Dakkafex is a very good addition as well.

A different way to go is Hive Commander for the Tyrant, for 20, so you can Outflank the Tervigon. That leaves 30 to spend, or 80 if you drop one Zoey.


Oh, and double check your math. Just glancing at the first item, a Winged Dakka'rant with Thorax hive should run 240, I think.

Thanks for all the advise so far pinecone, I really appreciate it! So it looks like a Flyrant with the upgrades is 240, I forgot to update that. My main list is on BattleScribe, and it says I have 50 points left with no upgrades on 30 Hormagaunts.

I've played around with some points and managed to open up 150 if I drop a Zoey and cut the Hormagaunts down to 20 instead of 30. I'm leaning towards a Mawloc, but I also heard it's better to run a Lictor with a Mawloc so you can guarantee it hits. Any thoughts?

I also want to make sure I have enough anti-armor and anti-transports. Right now it looks like the Exocrine is the main one, with a Hive Tyrant and Hive Crone being able to help with Haywire stuff, as well as the Tervigon having EG. What is the best anti-armor for Tyranids, and could I maybe fit it in? I feel pretty good with anti-infantry right now, but should I add more anti-armor?

Well, I love Mawlocs, I habitually run two. But if you're concerned about Anti-armor a Dakkafex is likely a better add. 12 S6 shots (twin linked)are good for smashing most anything "soft", and Carnifexen have D3 HOW, with a Strength of 9, add +1 attack when you charge, and you can open just about any can.

I always try to run my Big Bug with a screen (Hormagaunts) and then try to toss in a Synapse, and a Shrouding source. It makes a very tough puzzle for the foe to solve. And while they work on that your Fliers can run around doing stuff.

If you decide to go with Hive Commander to Outflank the Tervigon, drop one Zoey and trim two Hormagaunts. and that should give you 90 points. That can buy 6 stands of Rippers with Tunneling, that can make two units of Troops (Objective Secured in a CAD) that can Deep Strike. That lets you snatch Maelstrom Objectives, or snag Linebreaker. If you want twin Zoeys, trim three Hormies and grab one Brood of tunneling Rippers.

That's one of the nice things about Nids, we have good ways to add low cost units that can help in many ways. Or trim one Hormagaunt and spend 35 for Fighter Ace. That way you keep your Zoeys doubled out, they're more durable, and if you get a Warp Lance/Blast off it has an extra shot.

Out of all these choices, I think adding a Big Bug is the best (Mawloc, or Dakkafex) Dakkafex will likely be better for general use. I personally would lean towards Hive Commander, and trim three Hormagaunts for a x3 Brood of Tunneling Rippers.

If you find you're struggling in Maelstrom, then try dropping a Zoey and adding Two Broods of Rippers. Rippers are "extras" in dang near every box, so as you go along, you'll have plenty.

Ok so I definitely feel a DakkaFex is a good way to go, seeing as he has the D3 HOW and can Glace/Pen Armor 12 or below, I think with the 2 Twin-Linked Devourers with Brainleech Worms it comes to 150 for the Carnifex. I also think I'm definitely going with the Spinefists for the 30 Termagaunts since the Tervigon will spawn Termagaunts with Fleshborers, and I'd rather take Twin-Linked over 1 extra strength point. Any other thoughts? So here's my updated list so far:

Bane1778 wrote:
Here's my 1500 point Tyranid list. I am a new Tyranid player and this is my first attempt at making a well-rounded army. Please let me know any suggestions you have:

HQ:

1 Hive Tyrant - 240 pts
Wings
Electroshock Grubs
2x Twin-Linked Devourers with Brainleech Worms

Troops:

20 Hormagaunts - 100 pts


30 Termagaunts - 120 pts
Spinefists

1 Tervigon - 205 pts
Electroshock Grubs

Tyranid Warrior Brood - 100 pts
1 Venom Cannon

Elites:

1 Venomthrope - 45 pts

1 Venomthrope - 45 pts

1 Zoanthrope - 50 pts

Fast Attack:

1 Hive Crone - 155 pts

Heavy Support:

3 Biovores - 120 pts

1 Exocrine - 170 pts

1 Carnifex - 150 pts
2x Twin-Linked Devourers With Brainleech Worms

TOTAL: 1500 pts

Formations:

Living Artillery Node

Looks like a good list! To get real competitive, you're going to want more Tyrants...two or three is considered the minimum. There are people running 5. Likely if you end up with three you'll have as many as you'll ever need.

OK, maybe four.

If you get a chance let us know how it does, and what changes you might make. Take care.

Sounds good, thanks for all the advise. I should be doing some games with my friends in a few months once we get the models and paint them, one's running a Necron army and the other is running an Eldar army, so hopefully I do well!

Looks solid! Let us know how your games go