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I know that they are pretty expensive per base(20 points), but I have used a five base unit in my mix Tyranid list so far and have been surprised by how useful they seem to be.  I usually have them following my flying Tyrant, using them to tie down units farther down an opponents flank to prevent escape, blocking fire to my genestealers with combats,blocking fire to genestealers who won combats on the wrong turn(specific situation last game.  Three ten man tac squads in a line 8 inches from eachother.  Genestealers charge first one, rippers the second.  Stealers destroyed the first one in my turn completely, but were safe from return fire because one of the other units was stomping rippers, and the other had blocked line of sight because of said ripper stomping).

 

Anyway, are the people in my area just not thinking clearly (or am I not?) in dealing with them, or are flying rippers really just that useful?

It sounds like you are simply using them correctly.

They are definitely useful, the trouble is that you are spending 20pts per model on a unit that cannot capture objectives and that is easily killed by templates and s6 weapons. If they ever end up outside of synapse (It looks like you are preventing this, but it can easily happen with their fast movement) then an assault cannon or two can insta-kill the entire unit.

I was initially afraid of their apparent fragility for the cost of another carapaced genestealer. Frag missiles are actually being used against me now too. So I guess I just have to be careful with them. In any case, I always deploy them with my Flyrant, so synapse usually isn't a problem, unless the Tyrant gets killed, in which case I am probably losing anyway. As for scoring, well, I have two units of stealers, one hormagaunt unit, one spinegaunt unit, some Warriors(pretty dissapointing performance honestly) as well as the aforementioned flying Tyrant, a Walking Tyrant, and Gunfex at 1500 points. I think in the future I will reduce my genestealer squads to 10 so I can field more units of them. 8 just seems too small.

Posted By blue loki on 07/14/2006 10:04 AM
 If they ever end up outside of synapse (It looks like you are preventing this, but it can easily happen with their fast movement) then an assault cannon or two can insta-kill the entire unit.

Just wanted to mention that they do not benefit from the synapse instakill negation ever. 

Rippers are ok in my book, but for the purpose of holding units down I much prefer spinegaunts.  With gaunts you have the fearless on/off switch of synapse, that you don't get with rippers.  This is only important if you plan on shooting your tied up units though, if you're pure assault then rippers do the job just fine.

 

 

Winged rippers are a horrible use of Fast attack slots, Ravaners are much bettter.
Leaping rippers are ok for their cost, you can even take carapace on them which is usually worth it due to its low cost.

I agree with vsurma; leaping rippers are the way to go. Two units of 5 w/leaping and ext. carapace rock. I swear by mine, and all my regular opponents hate them. If a squad of five makes it into combat, they're there for the game. Just avoid the hidden powerfists.

Make sure you stay in cover to take advantage of the +1 to the save.

I do like the idea of using them to accompany a Flyrant; may try it for my Godzilla army

Generally you need the ravaners to protect your fexs, makes all the difference against certain enemies. Winged rippers just arent fast enough, (they move no faster than leaping ones in a defencive role.

Might work better if your aggressive with them, going for 2nd turn charge with 3 units of 3, let me know how it goes if you do decide to do it, I don't see myself going for the option as the 3 ravaners I use for my Fast attack slots are very often the MVPs of my games. (last game 2 ravaners killed 2 terminator squads and finnished the librarian in the 2nd squad after the 3rd rav joined the fight)

Well, I use them aggressively by default. That was why I chose flying. They have a fast, consistent 12 inch move so that they can keep up with the Flyrant. As for Raveners, well I don't have any. I go for a turn two assault with them, ideally against something that won't kill them quickly(like most firepower units out there) to not only block fire from them, but from any squads behind them due to the whole close combat blocks line of sight things. My turns usually go something like assault on two with Flyrant and ripper unit, turn three has the rest showing up (genestealers and hormagaunts, whatever else).

I only have one gunfex as well, but am in the process of learning Tyranid tactics through simply playing them and have decided I need another, or at least some Zoanthropes.

Ah ok, for some reason I assumed you where playing zilla nids

Well if you don't have ravaners then I suppose winged rippers are ok, Ravs are still better imo though, they actually kill those tac squads instead of just tieing them up.

I would actually like to use Raveners(seems like a lovely unit to compliment hormagaunts). Just need to get some.

Wouldn't flying rippers accompanying a flying hive tyrant make you lose the assault a lot?  I just finished a game yesterday, and because my opponent assaulted a unit of my Kroot with both his tyrant and a few bases of rippers I was able to cause more wounds on the rippers and get some No Retreat wounds on that tyrant.  He said it was the dumbest thing he could have done because a solo tyrant would probably have won the combat and sweeping advanced the unit.

- Oaka

Actually, I think I said that I almost never assault the same unit with both the Flyrant and Rippers. The rippers go farther down the line and attack something else to serve multiple purposes. One, to prevent the next unit in line from escaping the assault of the Tyrant. Two, to block line of sight to other units in my army with a close combat that will last quite a while.

Clarification: "No Retreat" wounds?

No Retreat:

Flying Tyrant and 3 bases of flying rippers assaulted a couple of my Kroot units (20 man carnivore squad w/ shaper and Angkhor Prok = 25 wounds)(3 Baggage Great Knarlocs and 6 Goads = 21 wounds).  The Tyrant killed 5 Kroot, as expected, but the Kroot then were able to kill two ripper bases and take a wound off the Tyrant.  The eviscerator shaper took off two more wounds, and I actually won combat (if the rippers weren't in combat, the tyrant would have won combat 5 wounds to 3).  Because I outnumbered the tyrant 4:1, it took an additional 3 wounds and ended up failing a save and dying.  That's when my opponent realized that charging simultaneously with the rippers actually cost him his tyrant that turn.

- Oaka