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Okay, so I've read about all the nay-saying of the overpriced Tyrannofex and his place in an army.

Despite all of this, and after talking to a Tyranid player who really values them, I decided I am still going to run one in an upcoming tourney for sheer shitz and gigs.

Now the question is whether to take the Acid Spray or Rupture Cannon?

Acid Spray, the S6 Ap 4 Torrent, was recommended by the player. By playing it aggressive and rushing into close range, two templates and large blast could be very damaging to enemy infantry.

Then, of course, the Rupture Cannon is also a viable option, but with a BS of 3, and only two S10 shots at AP4, I'd rather take Zoanthropes in the case of anti-tank.

So didn't you answer your own question? You'd rather have Zoey's instead of Rupture Cannon and you're going to run him no matter what... So Acid Spray?

I am going to run a Tyrannofex with dual templates too.

If you are using target saturation and moving a wall of Nids (perhaps even with one or two venomthropes) I believe you can even survive a game with only flat terrain in the middle (killing fields)

I prefer the lots of shots option - fleshborer hive, stinger salvo and thorax (EG). One template but 24 shots within 12" - getting him into range for 3 templates can be difficult as he's pretty slow and everyone knows it's coming! Also, there is a concern for anyone looking to charge him especially if OA is still up and running.

The rupture cannon can work as well, but it's not a stand back and shoot option. He needs to be moving 6" every turn and starting off on your deployment edge. You need to make use of him having 3 weapons he can shoot in a turn - although in Big Guns there's far worse options to leave on a back objective!!

if you want shooting to work on him then make sure he remains in an OA bubble.

I personally rather like the Rupture Cannon on mine. It isn't really an anti-tank gun per say, but rather a "I can potentially hurt anything in the game" tool that combined with the secondary weaponry makes the Tyrannofex a generalist that isn't particularly good at any one thing but can be shoe-horned into covering just about any role in a pinch. It can help Zoanthropes in dealing with heavy armor, it can help Hive Guard out with lighter armor, it can help Termagants/Gargoyles against infantry, it can help Tyrants out against fliers (low chance of hitting, but against most fliers the Rupture Cannon will automatically inflict damage and it has the range to track aerial targets with minimal repositioning), and it also has the unique ability to double out increasingly common T5 models from well outside of charge range.

Can he even fire three weapons?

Yes, thorax swarm can be fired even after two other weapons, as stated in its rules.

Fleshborer hive is horrid. For the points just get termigaunts.

Rupture cannon is bad. 265 points for 1 S10 hit at AP4 so likely 1 stripped HP. NTY

Acid spray is the only decent one, but at 250 points you are getting only a hellhound, which was pretty mediocre in guard for 130 points. Spend your points elsewhere.

I find Acid Spray more effective generally, taking the Rupture Cannon is generally a waste of all his other weapons.

 zephoid wrote:
Yes, thorax swarm can be fired even after two other weapons, as stated in its rules.

Fleshborer hive is horrid. For the points just get termigaunts.

Rupture cannon is bad. 265 points for 1 S10 hit at AP4 so likely 1 stripped HP. NTY

Acid spray is the only decent one, but at 250 points you are getting only a hellhound, which was pretty mediocre in guard for 130 points. Spend your points elsewhere.

To be fair, you're also getting a T6/6W/2+ body that can march forward and push things out of the way. It's great disruption, simply because it is so hard to put down.

Tyrannofexes have more shooting than a Hellhound and are far more survivable to boot. Also, they aren't competing for a slot with Vendettas...

So it seems like the best way to maximize the efficiency of the Tyrannofex's three weapons per turn is to give it Acid Spray and march it right up into enemy infantry so it can unleash hell with two templates and a large blast, while at the same time being incredibly difficult to bring down.

Although, I can understand the viability of having the rupture cannon and making it a generalist to assist other units. In my list, I'm going to need some close-up field presence for target saturation so I will take Acid Spray and make hime a Anti-Infantry nightmare.

I included two Zoanthropes and 3 HIve Guard into my list, so I'm going to leave the anti-armor responsibilities for them, since they seem better equipped to handle that than the T-fex.

Go with Acid Spray, do a mediocre amount of damage, and try to trick your opponent into shooting at the most durable MC in the codex. Tyrannofexes are only as good as the firepower they soak up, so give it a nasty paint job, talk it up before the game, and put it right at the front of your army.

So I played some other Tyranids with the Tyrannofex and was a little blown away when his Doom dropped and one bad leadership roll on 3D6 smoked the most durable MC in the codex... WOMP

 Adamantium wrote:
So I played some other Tyranids with the Tyrannofex and was a little blown away when his Doom dropped and one bad leadership roll on 3D6 smoked the most durable MC in the codex... WOMP

The Doom isn't really a fair test though, as there isn't much (anything?) without an AV that can honestly say "I have nothing to fear from the soul-sucking xeno-vampire"...

Unfortunate to lost a T-fex like that though. Did you win?

Unfortunately we didn't get to finish the game because I had to run to class, but it was a good game none the less. I believe we were in the lead when it ended. We were playing a TL game of 1000 points - my Nids w/ CSM - vs. 2000 points of Nids. Besides the Tyrannofex, Zoanthropes, and Hive Guard, I didn't suffer many other losses.

Xyptc wrote:

 Adamantium wrote:
So I played some other Tyranids with the Tyrannofex and was a little blown away when his Doom dropped and one bad leadership roll on 3D6 smoked the most durable MC in the codex... WOMP

The Doom isn't really a fair test though, as there isn't much (anything?) without an AV that can honestly say "I have nothing to fear from the soul-sucking xeno-vampire"...

Unfortunate to lost a T-fex like that though. Did you win?

He's right, the Doom will wreck any IC who fails a leadership roll a bad day. I understand that fielding a 250+pt model is no small feat, but don't count them out completly. This guy is one tough puppy, realistically he doesn't have to kill to much to make his points up, just soaking up a turn or two of fire is all you can ask sometimes. And if he goes ignored, all the better, but don't let the Doom get you down, we all have bad rolls.

Oh I definitely won't let one bad mishap deter me from using him. I really want to try out a tyrannofex or two more often and see how they fair, and see what kinds of list I can build with them as well. I plan to try out the Rupture Cannon sometime as well. I really hope these guys get buffed in the next Nid codex.

 Adamantium wrote:
Oh I definitely won't let one bad mishap deter me from using him. I really want to try out a tyrannofex or two more often and see how they fair, and see what kinds of list I can build with them as well. I plan to try out the Rupture Cannon sometime as well. I really hope these guys get buffed in the next Nid codex.

Based on the way the Rupture Cannon is described (one projectile that splashes the target vehicle, and then a second that reacts with the remains of the first to cause a brutal chain reaction), I've often thought that a cool way to make it much more dangerous and yet not overpowered would be that if both shots hit the target, then they cause a third automatic penetrating hit to represent the massive, destructive reaction. While you've only got a 1/4 chance of this happening per turn, it's still pretty darn brutal and would make the Rupture Cannon into a real heavy-armour hunter.

The Acid Spray is more or less where it should be. Making it AP3 would be delicious, but it's not really that necessary I don't think.

The only thing that really needs work is the Fleshborer Hive. I'm not sure what I would do with it though. Maybe try and make it into some sort of AA flak battery?



The idea behind the Tyrannofex is pretty cool. It harkens back to the old days of Malefactors, Haruspexes and Exocrines. It just needs a bit more oomph...

Xyptc wrote:

 Adamantium wrote:
Oh I definitely won't let one bad mishap deter me from using him. I really want to try out a tyrannofex or two more often and see how they fair, and see what kinds of list I can build with them as well. I plan to try out the Rupture Cannon sometime as well. I really hope these guys get buffed in the next Nid codex.

Based on the way the Rupture Cannon is described (one projectile that splashes the target vehicle, and then a second that reacts with the remains of the first to cause a brutal chain reaction), I've often thought that a cool way to make it much more dangerous and yet not overpowered would be that if both shots hit the target, then they cause a third automatic penetrating hit to represent the massive, destructive reaction. While you've only got a 1/4 chance of this happening per turn, it's still pretty darn brutal and would make the Rupture Cannon into a real heavy-armour hunter.

The Acid Spray is more or less where it should be. Making it AP3 would be delicious, but it's not really that necessary I don't think.

The only thing that really needs work is the Fleshborer Hive. I'm not sure what I would do with it though. Maybe try and make it into some sort of AA flak battery?



The idea behind the Tyrannofex is pretty cool. It harkens back to the old days of Malefactors, Haruspexes and Exocrines. It just needs a bit more oomph...

Fleshbore Hive could use a range bump to 18", but that is really it.

Xyptc wrote:
Based on the way the Rupture Cannon is described (one projectile that splashes the target vehicle, and then a second that reacts with the remains of the first to cause a brutal chain reaction), I've often thought that a cool way to make it much more dangerous and yet not overpowered would be that if both shots hit the target, then they cause a third automatic penetrating hit to represent the massive, destructive reaction. While you've only got a 1/4 chance of this happening per turn, it's still pretty darn brutal and would make the Rupture Cannon into a real heavy-armour hunter.

That... sounds... AWESOME!!!

Man, i really think GW needs to read these forums and take some hints or two.

 Adamantium wrote:
Okay, so I've read about all the nay-saying of the overpriced Tyrannofex and his place in an army.

Despite all of this, and after talking to a Tyranid player who really values them, I decided I am still going to run one in an upcoming tourney for sheer shitz and gigs.

Now the question is whether to take the Acid Spray or Rupture Cannon?

Acid Spray, the S6 Ap 4 Torrent, was recommended by the player. By playing it aggressive and rushing into close range, two templates and large blast could be very damaging to enemy infantry.

Then, of course, the Rupture Cannon is also a viable option, but with a BS of 3, and only two S10 shots at AP4, I'd rather take Zoanthropes in the case of anti-tank.

Rupture cannon, no contest. Tyranids don't need more anti-infantry at all, if anything they have too god damn much anti-infantry, they desperately need more long ranged anti-tank and the Rupture cannon is literally the only thing in the entire tyranid army that does this reliably outside of apocalypse. And acid spray doesn't even kill MEQs all that well and there are much better ways to kill squishier squads in cover than to waltz up the single most expensive unit in the codex up to them, namely swamping them in hormagaunts. The Rupture cannon isn't great, but it's the only thing that fills the LRAT niche in the entire army until you hit apoc.

Honestly Tfexes should have a higher BS, the Rupture cannon and acid spray should be AP 3-2, with the rupture cannon having lance rules to the acid spray's fleshbane.

Honestly Tfexes should have a higher BS, the Rupture cannon and acid spray should be AP 3-2, with the rupture cannon having lance rules to the acid spray's fleshbane.

So your solution to a border line competitive unit is to break the crap out of it ?

Acid Spray brutalizes FNP power blobs better then just about anything in the Codex. The name of the game in 6th is FNP power blobs, not MeQ, or Mech, so it's inefficiency against those units is really quite irrelevant. And Power blobs laugh whole heatedly at gaunts. Not sure what you meant by that.

ShadarLogoth wrote:

Honestly Tfexes should have a higher BS, the Rupture cannon and acid spray should be AP 3-2, with the rupture cannon having lance rules to the acid spray's fleshbane.

So your solution to a border line competitive unit is to break the crap out of it ?

Acid Spray brutalizes FNP power blobs better then just about anything in the Codex. The name of the game in 6th is FNP power blobs, not MeQ, or Mech, so it's inefficiency against those units is really quite irrelevant. And Power blobs laugh whole heatedly at gaunts. Not sure what you meant by that.

Overall the Tfex is a disappointing unit that only has a place because it fulfills a role the Tyranids desperately need, LRAT. Without it, you have no real way to stop those tanks from getting uncomfortably close. As for power blobs, thank you for wasting your power sword wielders on hormagaunts while my actual killy arm does something important. Also, the Rupture cannon not being able to break marine armor when it can crack Tanks makes no sense at all.

So I tried the Rupture Cannon for the first time: what a waste! After missing more than half of the T-fex's shots, I immediately regretted taking them. I think Acid Spray is the only way to go. But I don't think I will be spending 250 points for it's Torrent flamer anytime soon.

 Adamantium wrote:
So I tried the Rupture Cannon for the first time: what a waste! After missing more than half of the T-fex's shots, I immediately regretted taking them. I think Acid Spray is the only way to go. But I don't think I will be spending 250 points for it's Torrent flamer anytime soon.

Acid Spray fills a role that the Tyranids don't need filled, which is anti-infantry. If you want to mulch infantry in the heavy support slot, Biovores will do that job better due to not needing to be in the enemy's face.

True, but I do see the value of having two hulking 2+ MC's storming the frontlines dishing out templates upon templates to enemy infantry.

 Adamantium wrote:
True, but I do see the value of having two hulking 2+ MC's storming the frontlines dishing out templates upon templates to enemy infantry.

Templates which can't kill MEQs and biovores can kill GEQs in cover from a safe distance.

 zephoid wrote:

Fleshborer hive is horrid. For the points just get termigaunts.

Rupture cannon is bad. 265 points for 1 S10 hit at AP4 so likely 1 stripped HP. NTY

Acid spray is the only decent one, but at 250 points you are getting only a hellhound, which was pretty mediocre in guard for 130 points. Spend your points elsewhere.

This. Buff in the next codex or stays on the shelf.

The Tyranid codex's internal balance is easily the worst in the game. In the same book as amazing autotakes as flyrants, trygons, zoanthropes, and tervigons you have units that range from meh (warriors, shrikes), extremely situational (harpies, raveners), overcosted and mediocre (carnifexes, lictors, and tyrannofexes) and ungodly inconceivably all consumingly bad (pyrovores, rippers). Much of the tyranid Codex never sees competetive play, pretty much these are the only good choices.

Tyrant (very occasionally a guard) Prime, Swarmlord (tervi is always troops all the time)
Hive guard, Zoanthrope, Doom.
Termagaunts with Tervigons, devilgaunts in a pod, hormies are exceedingly vulnerable to OW and random charge ranges suck, as is no longer being able to run and charge. Stealers have pretty much become overpriced BL guards. Warriors cost too much and go splat too easily.
Gargoyles are the only non situational FA choice.
Trygons, Biovores, or Stonecrushers are the good HS choices, everything else costs too much for what it does.

Nearly half the damn codex is not suitable for competitive play.

Let's hope the new book is kinder to us. We have so many nice models and so many of them are attatched to bad units.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Derp, forgot ymgarls, which are also really good.

I'd say the Eldar are in the same boat as the Tyranids. It might be even worse for them. They are my poster chikd for "peak and valley" codex.