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I have read on the internet and heard from people that Tyranids in 5th edition were really weak. This surprised me because I won all my games but the ones against my brother. In the current edition (6th ed) I have also heard and read that Tyranids are also rather weak. In my experience with the new rules I haven't lost at all. Does anyone here think they are weak, if so please tell me how they are. Thank You for any comments.

All I remember is that in the beginning of 4th, Genestealers were combat kings. 'Nids used to be scary, like super scary.

Deathmaster Snikch wrote:
I have read on the internet and heard from people that Tyranids in 5th edition were really weak. This surprised me because I won all my games but the ones against my brother. In the current edition (6th ed) I have also heard and read that Tyranids are also rather weak. In my experience with the new rules I haven't lost at all. Does anyone here think they are weak, if so please tell me how they are. Thank You for any comments.

There are a few Nid builds that are very strong, but the Nid codex as a whole is very weak. Use the right stuff and you can smash people!

A quick question though, what kind of lists do you run, and how many/how competitive games have you played in 6th? I'm curious because in the competitive scene, Nids do well but suffer from a few occasional bad match ups.

In 4th I know that Nid armies used to be a half-step away from being busted as an army.

MCs that were cheap and hard as nails to put down, the area terrain rules helped them greatly, and don't even get me started on the insane start of game explination of what each individual creature's stat line was. I was almost as if nids didn't have a base statline and basically brought their own rulebook to the game, because they really only used the basic rules from the main one.

Tyranids are much stronger in 6th than 5th. They are currently mid to top tier. In 5th they were near the very bottom. A few changes really improved their ability to compete:

Flying MCs. Flyrants are much more survivable than they were before and are way more mobile.

Improved psychic powers. Tyranids can field a huge number of psykers that can roll on the Biomancy table. Tossing around three enfeebles each turn along with some iron arms and endurances will ruin any opponent's day.

Meta shift away from vehicles. Tyranids always struggled to open up transports, but few people are taking mass transports anymore. You don't need to spend points on Hive Guard anymore and your list can actually threaten your opponent without having to open metal boxes first.

Tyranids still only have a few good units to choose from, but those units are fantastic. This makes most lists look pretty uniform, which can be frustrating, but a list full of flyrants, tervigons, and zoanthropes can be very effective.

 jifel wrote:

Deathmaster Snikch wrote:
I have read on the internet and heard from people that Tyranids in 5th edition were really weak. This surprised me because I won all my games but the ones against my brother. In the current edition (6th ed) I have also heard and read that Tyranids are also rather weak. In my experience with the new rules I haven't lost at all. Does anyone here think they are weak, if so please tell me how they are. Thank You for any comments.

There are a few Nid builds that are very strong, but the Nid codex as a whole is very weak. Use the right stuff and you can smash people!

A quick question though, what kind of lists do you run, and how many/how competitive games have you played in 6th? I'm curious because in the competitive scene, Nids do well but suffer from a few occasional bad match ups.

My Nid build is just the Swarmlord like 90 gaunts, 30 Termagants, Tyranid Prime Zoanthropes and a Tyrannofex. I used to use the Doom of Malan'Tai but everyone said I relied on it to win. I proved them wrong. I haven't really played tournaments but my brother is a bit of a power gamer so its not quite the competitive play I think your meaning but its kinda competitive. The problem is flyers, if a Tyrannofex with a Rupture Cannon hits it, that is going down!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Sir Samuel Buca wrote:
All I remember is that in the beginning of 4th, Genestealers were combat kings. 'Nids used to be scary, like super scary.

They are still combat kings, just getting them there is a major problem, I played a game and infiltrated them and they got the blown out of them, outflanking wouldn't work, they can't charge when they outflank now For me it's just pushing forward with massive hordes and forcing the opponent to struggle to decide which one to kill. Its harder than it seems Yeah the MCs are scary, but the little guys can do a tonne of damage if left alone. My friend lays into them with Leman Russ, I blow them up with MCs and Zoanthrope

My lists are essentially

Flyrants

Maybe a swarmlord for variety

Zoanthropes, maybe a DoM if I feel like it.

Tervigons

Termagant scrubs (maybe some Devilgants when I'm bored)

Gargoyles to be a pain in the ass.

Biovores.

It's the same day in and day out.

I haven't played many games lately, but they've always been a blast for me. Back in 5th I kind of had it rough- Imperial Guard and Blood Angels were some tough customers. Now with the psychic powers I can kind of choose them based on who I play, either rulebook or codex.

UncleMeat wrote:
Tyranids are much stronger in 6th than 5th. They are currently mid to top tier. In 5th they were near the very bottom. A few changes really improved their ability to compete:

Flying MCs. Flyrants are much more survivable than they were before and are way more mobile.

Improved psychic powers. Tyranids can field a huge number of psykers that can roll on the Biomancy table. Tossing around three enfeebles each turn along with some iron arms and endurances will ruin any opponent's day.

Meta shift away from vehicles. Tyranids always struggled to open up transports, but few people are taking mass transports anymore. You don't need to spend points on Hive Guard anymore and your list can actually threaten your opponent without having to open metal boxes first.

Tyranids still only have a few good units to choose from, but those units are fantastic. This makes most lists look pretty uniform, which can be frustrating, but a list full of flyrants, tervigons, and zoanthropes can be very effective.

I'd add one point to this.

Hull Points. Vehicles, as you said, are spammed less. The vehicles left are susceptible to being killed by stripping Hull Points. Tyanids have two platforms that can do this incredibly well - Flyrants and Carnifexes, as both can be armed with two pairs of Brainleech Devourers. 12 twin linked S6 shots will make AV10-11 vehicles cry, and AV12 vehicles sweat. These three AV brackets make up most of what you'll face these days outside of Necrons and IG. When there's no vehicles left, they're amazing at anti infantry as well.

My Tyranids have lost 1 game of 6th, and that was due to my friend and I forgetting that you can't deepstrike your entire army in 6th. My most recent game against him was his Eldar (which admittedly used the old codex) ended up with him having 3 Dire Avengers left at the end, and I had most of my army. And I didn't cast a single psychic power thanks to Runes of Warding.

Deathmaster Snikch wrote:

 jifel wrote:

Deathmaster Snikch wrote:
I have read on the internet and heard from people that Tyranids in 5th edition were really weak. This surprised me because I won all my games but the ones against my brother. In the current edition (6th ed) I have also heard and read that Tyranids are also rather weak. In my experience with the new rules I haven't lost at all. Does anyone here think they are weak, if so please tell me how they are. Thank You for any comments.

There are a few Nid builds that are very strong, but the Nid codex as a whole is very weak. Use the right stuff and you can smash people!

A quick question though, what kind of lists do you run, and how many/how competitive games have you played in 6th? I'm curious because in the competitive scene, Nids do well but suffer from a few occasional bad match ups.

My Nid build is just the Swarmlord like 90 gaunts, 30 Termagants, Tyranid Prime Zoanthropes and a Tyrannofex. I used to use the Doom of Malan'Tai but everyone said I relied on it to win. I proved them wrong. I haven't really played tournaments but my brother is a bit of a power gamer so its not quite the competitive play I think your meaning but its kinda competitive. The problem is flyers, if a Tyrannofex with a Rupture Cannon hits it, that is going down!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Sir Samuel Buca wrote:
All I remember is that in the beginning of 4th, Genestealers were combat kings. 'Nids used to be scary, like super scary.

They are still combat kings, just getting them there is a major problem, I played a game and infiltrated them and they got the blown out of them, outflanking wouldn't work, they can't charge when they outflank now For me it's just pushing forward with massive hordes and forcing the opponent to struggle to decide which one to kill. Its harder than it seems Yeah the MCs are scary, but the little guys can do a tonne of damage if left alone. My friend lays into them with Leman Russ, I blow them up with MCs and Zoanthrope

I am not a power gamer! Maybe in 5th with my eldar... But not anymore! I'm just better than ya ;D

But in seriousness, little brother, 'nids aren't that bad if your army is anything to go by, and I still love seeing the look on some older guy's face when you stomp them into the dirt. Just a lot of your units are quite weak right now, or were never good to begin with (pyrovores ) But collect what you want, the people you play with aren't that competitive, except maybe me, and probably Lachlan soon, but the list you have the most fun with just so happens to be one of the better ones out there, because you can't kill that many gaunts Unless you're me


Von Chogg