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Hi Dakka,
So, tomorrow, I'll have a 920 points game against a friend of mine, who is begginig a tyranid army.
I'm looking for some advice. I guess we will do a Maelstrom.
His list is exactly:

Winged Hive tyrant (double twin liked devourers)

Zoanthrope
zoanthrope

venomthrope

15 gargoyles
15 gargoyles

30 termagaunts

15 hormagaunts
15 hormagaunts

1 carnifex (double twin linked devourer)


(I may have forgotten some gaunts, they are so many !)



I did two different lists:
C:SM, Ultramarines chapter tactics.

Librarian, ML2, auspex

5 vv (5 jump packs, 3 power mauls)

6 scouts (5 sniper rifles, 1 HB with hellfire)
5 scouts (bolters)
5 Tac marines (rhino, flamer, combi flamer)

3*1 Land Speeder (LMT)

5 devatators (4 ML)
1 thunderfire

The idea is to kill his synapse creatures with the devastators and the LS, and then to make his gaunts make "pinning" test with the sniper scouts.
The librarian is here to psychic shriek his gaunts (low LD ) and mainly to protect my troops from his psychic powers.

The main problem is the Hive tyrant.


My second list is the following:

Chaplain with jump pack

6 vv (6 jp, 3 power mauls).

5 scouts with sniper rifles
5 Tac marines (rhino, flamer, combiflamer)

Land Speeder Typhoon
Land Speeder Typhoon

5 devastators (4 ML)
Stormraven (multimelta, twin-linked assault-cannons)

This time, I have a stormraven to take care of the hive-tyrant. However, I don't like this list very much, as it can't come before T2, and cost so much.
It is about the same tactics: to kill his synapse creatures using my LS and devastators, and hoping that his gaunts will kill themselves / flee the battlefield.


So, what do you think about this ? Isn't the first list too tailoired ?
Keep in minf that we will play on shorter map (not 6' * 4')

You need a solid answer for that flyrant/dakkarant. neither list has any good answer for that. The first list seems the best to me just need some adjustments.

I agree, but, unfortunately, I only have a stormraven (no stomtalon/stomrhawk or hunter/stalker, so...).
I can ally with the Inquisition, as I have the codex and some models.

I think I should go for Divination (presience) and let the Librarian with the devastators.
I thought about an Inquisitor with the Tome of Vethric in a big plasma squad, rerolling to hit thanks to the Tactical tactics, but it is more effective .

A Stormraven is better than nothing. It may be a lot of points but that flyrant is savage. If you can maybe try and take out the flyrant before it can leave the ground, but that may prove difficult.

Usually i end up ignoring flyrants. Although if you know its coming a stormraven fares okay.

I'd be tempted to drop the vanguard in favour of more dakka. Flakk on your devs to take down the flyrant. Sternguard are great against nids, take a unit full of combi-flamers and you've got a unit that can easily wound everything he's got, which he'll never want to charge.

That's a lot of little gribblies, and pretty much no synapse anchors.

First priority should be to take out the two zoanthropes. T4, 3+ invuln, 2 wounds. They die like marines. Easily.
Then the only synapse remaining in the list is the flyrant, which really wants to be swooping around your flanks/backfield. Instead it will be forced to hang around the main army babysitting gaunts.

If your opponent doesn't realise this, then they will start failing instinctive behavior tests. Termagants will run off the table, gargoyles will go to ground, and hormagaunts will just stand around and eat each other.
Gaunts of any flavour really cannot handle being out of synapse.

Aside from the flyrant, the only other source of firepower in that army is the dakkafex. Shoot your heavy weapons at the flyrant if it's on the ground (which it might well be if it's stuck with the gaunts), and otherwise point them at the fex.

The venomthrope will give everything near it good cover saves... in this case it might not be an issue. It doesn't really help the zoanthropes, and it has the same leadership as a gaunt. It will run off the table with the termagants.

Yes, I thought about a sternguard squad, killing his flyrant T1, but I have 50% probability to begin second^^
It is a huge investment, that can be totally useless.
So, I'll keep the Stormraven.

What do you think about a stenguard squad with a heavy flamer, in a rhino ? Ok, they can't kill the flyrant T1, but they can still be useful if I begin second, going where I need the most.

Try toalpha strike the Venomphrope first, which is the unit that doubled the durability of Nids units nearby. Sternguards in Droppod is best suited for this strike due to their dragon fire bolts, 10 shots S4 AP5 ignore cover will be overkill for a single Venomthrope. After that, use missile lauchers from Devastor and LS to take out the Zoanthrope or Carenifex, Ithink the better way maybe fire the Devastor at the Carnifex (you are probably attaching the Libby with Auspex with them, right ) and the LS at Zoanthrope, meanwhile, use your TFC and flamerTACs to thin down those guants. Ignore the flyrant unless it is on the ground. It is on average only killing three Tac marines per turn, if you are putting infantries in transports, like rhinos and LSS, it will costed him even longer to gun you down, by when you two may already reached end game and you just win by the last Scout and last Tactical marine sitting on two objectives.

So, the game happened this morning.
I used my stormraven, and a sternguard squad in a drop pod, as you adviced .
So, my list was the following:

Librarian (level 2, auspex)
5 sternguard on pod (1 heavy flamer)
5 scouts (5 sniper rifles)
5 Tac marines (rhino, flamer, comi flamer)
1 LST
1 LST
5 devastator (4 ML)
Stormraven.

It worked well !

I did kill a zoanthrope T1 thanks to the LST and the veterans,
T2, my stormraven put 3 wound on his jinking flyrant, and the scouts killed him
I was so proud of them !

And, finally, his last zoanthrope died T3, killed by my stormraven, IIRC.


All his army began to fall apart with the death of his flyrant, and, as my librarian psychic screamed his dakkafex, he had nothing to destroy my stormraven, so he conceded T4 or T5.

So, what is the lesson ?
Psychic scream is very good against tyranids !
Flyers can be good if they come T2
Never ever play with unit of onlly 1 zoanthope^^
He took the decision the get a new box to make unit of 2 zoanthopes / venomthrope, I think he is right.

He offered me a tyranid head to glue to one of my scout, as a trophy, for their glorious action

Thanks guys, it was a fun battle, and, partly thanks to you, a victory.