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Breaking the bugs out of stasis, and myself into 6th. Curious about an all-spore pod force. Seems that if you choose to deploy all your forces in spods, then under the rules for Deep Strike (p36, first column, second paragraph), you have to put your entire force into Reserves leaving nothing to deploy initially. What does YMDC think?

Yes, if you can get your whole force in Pods then you can, and have to, put the whole lot in reserves.

However, you can't get everything in Pods, so odds are you're going to have difficulty getting them all in reserves as you can have at most 1 unit outside pods if you want to do it. Which would almost certainly be your HQ, as there's no HQ that has to start in Reserves or can take a Pod.

You can't Deep Strike unless in Reserve.
So you'll deploy nothing until turn 2.
Which will mean you loose the game before you deploy any forces.

 grendel083 wrote:
You can't Deep Strike unless in Reserve.
So you'll deploy nothing until turn 2.
Which will mean you loose the game before you deploy any forces.

...? Hows that?

If a game turn ends and you have no units on the board, you loose (victory conditions page 122).

But as pointed out you can't make a pure spore mounted list.

 grendel083 wrote:
If a game turn ends and you have no units on the board, you loose (victory conditions page 122).

But as pointed out you can't make a pure spore mounted list.

Doesn't matter. Sample list - Flyrrant, 2x 10 Termagants in a Spod. Termagants have to start in reserve, so don't count, leaving you with (1/2 rounded up=)1 model that can choose to start in reserves. Of course as pointed out, it auto loses.

Ok. Cool. Thanks.

While it might not directly pertain to the original question, has anyone considered using a pair (or even a trio) of Mawlocs to facilitate a deep-strike list? 12-18 T6 wounds (plus whatever HQ is used) should be a fairly durable anchor to start on the table while waiting for reserves to arrive and once the pods are down the Mawlocs can then use their burrow ability to deep strike themselves and join up with the rest of the force up-field.

Just as a quick hypothetical:

 Strat_N8 wrote:
While it might not directly pertain to the original question, has anyone considered using a pair (or even a trio) of Mawlocs to facilitate a deep-strike list? 12-18 T6 wounds (plus whatever HQ is used) should be a fairly durable anchor to start on the table while waiting for reserves to arrive and once the pods are down the Mawlocs can then use their burrow ability to deep strike themselves and join up with the rest of the force up-field.

Just as a quick hypothetical:

Spoiler:

HQ: Hive Tyrant - Duel Devourers, Wings, Hive Commander
HQ: Hive Tyrant - Duel Devourers, Wings, Hive Commander

ELITES: 2x Zoanthropes + Mycetic Spore
ELITES: 2x Zoanthropes + Mycetic Spore
ELITES: Doom + Mycetic Spore

TROOPS: 15x Termagants with Devourers + Mycetic Spore
TROOPS: 15x Termagants with Devourers + Mycetic Spore
TROOPS: 12x Termagants with Devourers + Mycetic Spore

HEAVY: 1x Mawloc
HEAVY: 1x Mawloc

Total: 1850 points

Any reason to take 2X Hive Commander? I thought the effects were not cumulative

Yeah, it's not cumulative. The FAQ says you still can only outflank a single unit of troops, regardless of how many tyrants you have with the upgrade. (although this list has everything in pods anyway)

The only reason it could be of any use is to ensure you still get reserves on a 2+ if one of your tyrants gets killed.

 Nem wrote:

Any reason to take 2X Hive Commander? I thought the effects were not cumulative

I wrote the list up quickly for hypothetical purposes and had a small handful of points left without a good idea as to where to put them, so I just copy-pasted from the first Tyrant. But yeah, the two do not stack, the only benefit in this case would be purely redundancy in the event one Tyrant goes down early.

Could be useful vs IG as one of their guys gives the opponent -1 to reserve rolls.

 PrinceRaven wrote:
Could be useful vs IG as one of their guys gives the opponent -1 to reserve rolls.

Wouldn't matter. Tyranid's would have +1/-1 for no modifier, as the +1/+1 don't stack. If the army included a Hive Tyrant and the Swarmlord then they would stack.

 Happyjew wrote:

 PrinceRaven wrote:
Could be useful vs IG as one of their guys gives the opponent -1 to reserve rolls.

Wouldn't matter. Tyranid's would have +1/-1 for no modifier, as the +1/+1 don't stack. If the army included a Hive Tyrant and the Swarmlord then they would stack.

Oh yeah, I forgot Hive Commander doesn't stack with itself. Problem here is if you do want stackable reserve bonuses, the Swarmlord isn't all that effective for a drop pod list, even if you do roll Gate of Infinity.

ADL with Com Relay if you want to improve on the 2+ of hive Commander.

Heres MY Take on an All Pod List

Tyranid Prime

Ripper Swarmx3
ADL With Comms Relay

4x 15 Termagants with Devourers in Pods
2x 1 Dakkafex in Pod
2x 2 Zoanthropes in Pod
1x Doom in a pod


That there is 9 pods. 3+ rerollable for your reserves and its all depending on 3 Ripper swarms staying alive to grant you that

Simply deploy the Defence line in such a way that if someone used Barrage, 2/3 rippers would still get a cover save.

3 ripper swarms and a Tyranid Prime - since he can't join any units in pods.

So I thought Spores didn't have a rule like Drop Pod Assault. Am I wrong?

Because then the only thing you have to worry about is having everything blown off the table. You don't even get to roll for Reserves if you have nothing on the table. You just lose. Its why Drop Pods are needed for full null deployment lists.

They don't. Which is why the Rippers and Prime are there.

Tis what I thought, but wanted to be sure since someone has my 'Nid Codex. I'd be too worried about getting blown off on turn 1 to try it. Dark Eldar and Guard and a few others have either enough volume of fire or enough ranged attacks that ignore cover saves that I'd be concerned.

Well the rippers couldn't be targeted at all behind an ADL without barrage, and even then it's the full 2D6 scatter. So there is a high chance of not being killed as not many armies have/take TL Barrage weapons.

When I was working on an all/majority reserve list, I used a Winged Tyrant and had placed LoS blocking terrian in half of the table. First turn swoop from one LoS blocking terrian. Blasts can't hit him, LoS cant shoot him turn 2 2+ reserve rolls away.

Yonush wrote:
I used a Winged Tyrant and had placed LoS blocking terrian in half of the table.

In the event of someone making a table fairly, that woulnd't be really very good....

In the event of someone making a table fairly, that woulnd't be really very good....

What?

The Rules for table setting is very specific. Nothing prevents me from placing 2-3 pieces of LOS blocking terrian in my half (or on any place for that matter) of the table. How isn't that fair? It's part of a stratagy when the terrian pieces are picked and the alternating placement rules. Just like when people use it to create bottle necks, or place lakes infront of ADL's to give better sight lines.

The rules are just that the pieces are placed so that no two peices are within 3" of each other and (IIRC) ~25% of the board is covered. 2 or 3 Large LOS blocking pieces have no impact on fairness, at all.

Yeah, placing terrain strategically is just a part of the game in this edition.

Wow... Thats a bit crappy....

I run a spore list, and have used the mawloc before as one of the first turn units. One of the bonuses if you are going second, is you can burrow that first turn of yours as long as you still have something out. Doesn't matter if they kill it next turn, because your whole army including the mawloc will be coming back in before turn two ends. A great way to deny your opponent two turns of shooting at you.

Seapheonix, that doesn't work within the rules. If, at the end of any player turn, you don't have any models on the table, the game is over and you lose. So in your example, if you have a Malwoc on the table and everything else in reserve on your player turn 1, you burrow, removing the model from the table, at the end of your turn, you lose.

The only way to do the reserve army with nids is to Hide a unit on the table and hope they survive until turn 2.

Yonush wrote:
If, at the end of any player turn, you don't have any models on the table, the game is over and you lose.

It's Game Turn not Player Turn (p122).

Grendel, thanks for the clairification. That doesn't change the problem though. You go first, burrow, end of the game turn you have nothing on the table and you lose or you go second, burrow, end of the game turn you lose.

Yonush wrote:
Grendel, thanks for the clairification. That doesn't change the problem though. You go first, burrow, end of the game turn you have nothing on the table and you lose or you go second, burrow, end of the game turn you lose.

He said there is another unit on the board. Basically the order is as follows:
Opponent Turn 1 - stuff happens
Tyranid Turn 1 - Mawloc burrows, other units hide
Opponent Turn 2 - Tyranid units on board are wiped out. Since the Tyranid player still has a turn in Game Turn 2, there is a chance at least one thing will come in before the end of the game turn.