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Benlisted wrote:


But anyway, the flyrant works exactly as you'd expect, it's just another flyrant. The Crone and Harpies are mostly harassing units compared - you don't expect them to do as much damage, and you're almost happy if they soak up shooting that isn't going at the flyrants. However, you also really don't want to be forced to jink on them now, since swooping FMCs can't claim toe in cover and it prevents even vector strikes - so if you do you may as well fly them off the board the next turn. However, on the upside, now they can't ever be hit by blasts as per the wording of the FAQs, so there's less risk of their own weapons scattering onto them. With the Harpies I've found the Stranglethorns to be best - it's a pseudo TL-Dev in effect, shoot it at a unit of marines and it will get 5 or so hits hopefully, and do reasonable damage. The TL-VCs are pretty much only better for popping very high armour, think LRs. Even knights are alright to deal with if you have 3 flyrants or more, so you don't really need the Harpies to be on anti-vehicle duty. The crone will likely be flushing people out of cover and plinking off the haywire missles before he gets there opportunistically. Don't be afraid to land these ones to claim an objective for a turn or similar.



EDIT: Anyway, no testimonials about Dimachaeron usage at all?

TL-HVC are not going ot be great LR buster thanks to the -1 on the vehicle chart means no chance of an explosion result so your looking at 4 glances with a single shot weapon.

zerosignal wrote:Can someone run me through Skyblight Formation tactics? My housemate is going to proxy it up this weekend, he seems to think it's really strong.

The scoring capability of the skyblight swarm is the primary strength of the formation. Besides the obvious benefits of Objective Secured and the respawning effects, the Gargoyles' Instinctive Behavior Hunt is far more forgiving than Feed or Lurk. Half the time the penalty incurred from a failed IB test can be corrected by simply moving a synapse node in range and they can act normally once more, but even then being forced to go to ground isn't terrible for a unit whos main task is securing objectives.

The offensive capability of the formation is overall reasonable but ideally you'll want to run it alongside another detachment/formation containing heavier hitters (Levithan Mucolid Tyrants, Neural Node, Manufactorium Genestealers, Crusher Node, Broodkin).

zerosignal wrote:
Unsure if we're playing with the FAQ changes (to test) so that may have an effect, I understand Crones have been nerfed a bit now?

The main nerfs that the Hive Crone took from the FAQ was that it can no longer claim a cover save from terrain unless the terrain physically obstructs them and they can no longer perform a vector strike if they choose to jink in the previous turn. It is still a functional unit, just not as stellar as it once was.

Benlisted wrote:
The TL-VCs are pretty much only better for popping very high armour, think LRs.

Agreed with the review for the most part, though I disagree with this point. While the HVC can hurt higher AV targets that are outright immune to mass S6 shots, you really don't want to be taking shots at high armor if there are better targets available (mutli-wound T4 infantry ala Wulfen, open-topped vehicles that can be exploded, blast-armed vehicles that can be suppressed by a damage table roll, 1HP vehicles that would be a waste of a devourer volley, etc.).

Also related:

barnowl wrote:

TL-HVC are not going ot be great LR buster thanks to the -1 on the vehicle chart means no chance of an explosion result so your looking at 4 glances with a single shot weapon.

It technically doesn't have a -1 penalty on the chart anymore, though the overall damage table adjustment more or less makes it irrelevant. That said, outside of open topped vehicles the main reason you want to be rolling on the damage table isn't so much to kill outright (since you can't) but more to shut the vehicle's offense down for a turn (half the time the target and any riders are forced to snap-shoot) until more lethal weapons can be brought against it.

Benlisted wrote:
Personally I've never really felt the need to run more than 10 per squad, and I wouldn't buy any upgrades as they're fine without them.

A case could be made for Adrenal Glands for larger units since it allows them to effectively crack open vehicles with AV10 rears, though for a general scoring unit no upgrades are needed. I personally tend to prefer units of 15-20 in the Skyblight depending on points. A larger unit makes for better bubblewrap and can actually contribute offensively until needed to secure points. The other advantage is that it is much harder to wipe them out with a single unit's firing (assuming cover), forcing a greater investment of resources into removing them and much satisfaction in watching the opponent grumble after the unit they wasted so much firepower on comes back at full strength.

Benlisted wrote:
EDIT: Anyway, no testimonials about Dimachaeron usage at all?

I haven't had an opportunity to run mine in an actual game yet, partially because I need to borrow a physical copy of the rules for it from a friend who owns the book. I might take it for a spin this Tuesday though, it has been begging for a chance to blend some marines and there is one person at our shop who wants to pit his 30k duelist character against it...

 Strat_N8 wrote:

Benlisted wrote:
The TL-VCs are pretty much only better for popping very high armour, think LRs.

Agreed with the review for the most part, though I disagree with this point. While the HVC can hurt higher AV targets that are outright immune to mass S6 shots, you really don't want to be taking shots at high armor if there are better targets available (mutli-wound T4 infantry ala Wulfen, open-topped vehicles that can be exploded, blast-armed vehicles that can be suppressed by a damage table roll, 1HP vehicles that would be a waste of a devourer volley, etc.).

Doubling out multiwound low toughness models is admittedly a use I'd missed for this, but besides Wulfen there's no obvious common target that doesn't have an armour save better than 4+, meaning the chances of doing anything are slim. Moreover, small blasts are just awful in my opinion - a decent player will spread his models out enough that the marker only hits one unless you get an extremely lucky scatter. In general though, I guess the point is I don't think the HVCs are the best option

Benlisted wrote:
Personally I've never really felt the need to run more than 10 per squad, and I wouldn't buy any upgrades as they're fine without them.

A case could be made for Adrenal Glands for larger units since it allows them to effectively crack open vehicles with AV10 rears, though for a general scoring unit no upgrades are needed. I personally tend to prefer units of 15-20 in the Skyblight depending on points. A larger unit makes for better bubblewrap and can actually contribute offensively until needed to secure points. The other advantage is that it is much harder to wipe them out with a single unit's firing (assuming cover), forcing a greater investment of resources into removing them and much satisfaction in watching the opponent grumble after the unit they wasted so much firepower on comes back at full strength.

AG does have that situational usage (same as for hormagaunts) - but actually, since the gargoyles have Str4 Fleshborers, in a pinch they are actually able to glance down rear armour without getting into melee. I've never thought to myself "damn, wish I could hurt this in combat" with Gargoyles anyway. Admittedly I don't actually own more than 30 of them so I haven't experimented with more, but again I guess I've just never felt the need to add more - their bubblewrap potential is pretty good anyway, though if I wanted one big unit for the board at the start of the game I might be inclined to run 1x20, 2x10. Smaller ones are also easier to DS. As someone who also loves Endless Swarm, I've struggled with the "how many is best" question a lot. Too many and you lose a huge amount if the unit doesn't respawn - too few and the battlefield impact is minimal. I think it probably just comes down to preference and playstyle tbh!

Benlisted wrote:
EDIT: Anyway, no testimonials about Dimachaeron usage at all?

I haven't had an opportunity to run mine in an actual game yet, partially because I need to borrow a physical copy of the rules for it from a friend who owns the book. I might take it for a spin this Tuesday though, it has been begging for a chance to blend some marines and there is one person at our shop who wants to pit his 30k duelist character against it...

Interestingly, I was looking at FW the other day and IA4 with his rules in is out of stock. A friend of mine rang FW and asked about it, and apparently whilst not able to comment on it officially, they could say that typically a book is removed 4 months before a new version is released, and that they were in the process of updating the IA books. So I guess in a few months we might be seeing a new version? Here's hoping the rumours of some new big beastie that were floating around a while ago are related...

Also planning on emailing them asking if they can give the Dimachaeron Fearless base, as it's the only Nid MC without it and it makes no sense for it to be the only one to get scared, when it's the most intimidating thing we have!

Benlisted wrote:

In general though, I guess the point is I don't think the HVCs are the best option

Indeed, though they are nice in lower point games with the Skyblight for the flexibility they offer. In larger games though, one is probably better off specializing for anti-infantry and leave other functions to other specialists.

Benlisted wrote:
AG does have that situational usage (same as for hormagaunts) - but actually, since the gargoyles have Str4 Fleshborers, in a pinch they are actually able to glance down rear armour without getting into melee. I've never thought to myself "damn, wish I could hurt this in combat" with Gargoyles anyway.

True, though to be fair they do get twice as many attacks in combat and hit on 3's (or automatically) rather than 4's. The other advantage is that you can completely destroy whatever is being transported if you can surround all of the access points and leave them no room to disembark. It is hard to do of course and more or less requires a larger unit, but it is satisfying when it happens.

Also they do get Fleet out of it, for what its worth (unlike the poor Hormagaunts who over pay for Furious Charge).

Benlisted wrote:
Interestingly, I was looking at FW the other day and IA4 with his rules in is out of stock. A friend of mine rang FW and asked about it, and apparently whilst not able to comment on it officially, they could say that typically a book is removed 4 months before a new version is released, and that they were in the process of updating the IA books. So I guess in a few months we might be seeing a new version? Here's hoping the rumours of some new big beastie that were floating around a while ago are related...

I noticed that too. I'm hoping if it is being updated they are dropping the price on all of our gargantuan creatures, as most are atrociously overpriced compared to counterparts in other armies (supremacy suit and wraithknight in particular...)

Daring to hope, but I also wouldn't mind seeing new sculpts for the Hierodules and Harridan too. The sculpts themselves are nice looking, but the 3rd edition aesthetic doesn't mesh well with the modern designs.

Benlisted wrote:
Also planning on emailing them asking if they can give the Dimachaeron Fearless base, as it's the only Nid MC without it and it makes no sense for it to be the only one to get scared, when it's the most intimidating thing we have!

I can kinda see the logic to it not being fearless innately from a fluff perspective. With the Dimacharion basically being a Hive Tyrant offshoot with no synaptic link, it is likely sapient to some degree like Genestealers and thus subject to some sense of self preservation when not linked to the Hive Mind. That said, from a gameplay and uniformity perspective it is irksome.

If forge world were updating its rules, I'd actually rather like to see it upgraded to a Gargantuan Creature. It is tall enough to look a Wraithknight in the eye and look down on an Imperial Knight, but for some reason it isn't gargantuan enough to warrant the title... Also some new weapon options would be neat, maybe some sort of Crushing Claws or bio flails to swap out the upper arms for so it could go toe-to-toe with Knights and similar super-heavy walkers.

What do people think about making a competitive mc list for nids?

really want to start a list for them for fun (but not bad or flyrand spam) and love the big MC models (FW included)

Well, if it's a fun list you can use anything you want anyway. But if you want to avoid trap units/options, the first post has reviews of a large variety of Tyranids with a score(A, B, C, D, F) you can use to help craft a list.

I do love the Dimachaeron model. A shame on the rules though. It's exactly as easy to kill as a foot slogging Mawloc. It should've had a native 4+ FNP and Beast, and it would fly off the shelves. As most other players I was dumbfounded when the rules came out, so I emailed Foregeworld. Got some answers july 2014:

Me:

I'm looking through my new Imperial Armour book and have a few questions regarding the Dimachaeron rules, hope you can answer.


1. If the Dimachaeron end a charge move with any part of its base in difficult terrain, is it reduced to Initiative 1 in combat?

2. Why did you invent a new rule 'Leaper' instead of just using the 'Beast' rule?

3. As a related question to the first, I find it strange that a giant leaping from the sky would get slowed to Initiative 1 by a few twigs and branches. It's akin to a giant Lictor, but Lictors have assault grenades (at least they did). Why didn't the Dimachaeron get the equivalent of assault grenades?

4. The model itself looks to be a very fast creature, so the 6" move doesn't seem logical. Compare with the 12" move of a lumbering Imperial Knight for instance. What was the reasoning behind making it only a 6" mover? (as slow as anything in the codex, instead of a unit that could keep up with the other Fast Attack units in the Tyranid faction?)

5. Putting this unit in the Fast attack slot makes it harder to build an army list around - ideally you want a really fast army that moves in a cohesive fashion, around the Dimachaeron. Well, a couple of Dimachaerons and you only have a single FA slot left, target priority gets pretty simple for your opponent. (In many games, multiple CAD armies are a no-no because it's harder to balance). What was the reasoning behind putting it in the Fast Attack slot?

6. One last thing, why did you decide to make it not Fearless? Unless I'm mistaken it's the only non-Fearless MC in the Tyranid faction.

I do love the model, one of the coolest I've seen in many years. If it was faster I would buy a couple!

Forgeworld

Hi,
Thank you for your email. The answers to your questions are as follows -
1. Yes, if follows the 40k rules for fighting in difficult terrain
2. The Leaper rule allows the Dimachaeron the ability to leap over intervening units and terrain, including impassible terrain that beast would have to move around
3. Lictors no longer have this ability. It follows the 40k rules, but please note its other abilities due to being a monstrous creature.
4. see answer to 5
5. The idea for fast attack options doesn't always mean having the longest movement rate, it also takes into account other abilities and how the entry falls withing a general list theme. You also need to remember that it is a monstrous creature and gets all the benefits of this, on top of its other rules.
6. The reason it was not given fearless, is it is not designed to be a mindless killing machine. The thought was it was a creature that would be willing to pull back, and then attack somewhere else. It is also Leadership 10, with instinctive behaviour

Me

*snip*
]And from your answer to question #6 below, it seems you meant for the Dimachaeron to have Hit and Run, but forgot to give it to him?
Because the only in-game effect of not having Fearless is that it can (and will) be run down after losing combat. Unlike any other Tyranid monsterous creature. Seems a bit... off, to put it mildly. The Mawloc does a much better job at "pulling back and attack somewhere else" with Hit and Run, and I can see no reason to derive the Dimachaeron of Fearless to achieve it. There haven't been any mindless killing machines since the old Frenzy rule in Fantasy.

FW

We appreciate your feedback in terms of the model having the Hit and Run rule and we will pass on this observation to our rules team.

sure you'll do, lol

 N.I.B. wrote:
I do love the Dimachaeron model. A shame on the rules though. It's exactly as easy to kill as a foot slogging Mawloc. It should've had a native 4+ FNP and Beast, and it would fly off the shelves. As most other players I was dumbfounded when the rules came out, so I emailed Foregeworld. Got some answers july 2014:

Me:

I'm looking through my new Imperial Armour book and have a few questions regarding the Dimachaeron rules, hope you can answer.


1. If the Dimachaeron end a charge move with any part of its base in difficult terrain, is it reduced to Initiative 1 in combat?

2. Why did you invent a new rule 'Leaper' instead of just using the 'Beast' rule?

3. As a related question to the first, I find it strange that a giant leaping from the sky would get slowed to Initiative 1 by a few twigs and branches. It's akin to a giant Lictor, but Lictors have assault grenades (at least they did). Why didn't the Dimachaeron get the equivalent of assault grenades?

4. The model itself looks to be a very fast creature, so the 6" move doesn't seem logical. Compare with the 12" move of a lumbering Imperial Knight for instance. What was the reasoning behind making it only a 6" mover? (as slow as anything in the codex, instead of a unit that could keep up with the other Fast Attack units in the Tyranid faction?)

5. Putting this unit in the Fast attack slot makes it harder to build an army list around - ideally you want a really fast army that moves in a cohesive fashion, around the Dimachaeron. Well, a couple of Dimachaerons and you only have a single FA slot left, target priority gets pretty simple for your opponent. (In many games, multiple CAD armies are a no-no because it's harder to balance). What was the reasoning behind putting it in the Fast Attack slot?

6. One last thing, why did you decide to make it not Fearless? Unless I'm mistaken it's the only non-Fearless MC in the Tyranid faction.

I do love the model, one of the coolest I've seen in many years. If it was faster I would buy a couple!

Forgeworld

Hi,
Thank you for your email. The answers to your questions are as follows -
1. Yes, if follows the 40k rules for fighting in difficult terrain
2. The Leaper rule allows the Dimachaeron the ability to leap over intervening units and terrain, including impassible terrain that beast would have to move around
3. Lictors no longer have this ability. It follows the 40k rules, but please note its other abilities due to being a monstrous creature.
4. see answer to 5
5. The idea for fast attack options doesn't always mean having the longest movement rate, it also takes into account other abilities and how the entry falls withing a general list theme. You also need to remember that it is a monstrous creature and gets all the benefits of this, on top of its other rules.
6. The reason it was not given fearless, is it is not designed to be a mindless killing machine. The thought was it was a creature that would be willing to pull back, and then attack somewhere else. It is also Leadership 10, with instinctive behaviour

Me

*snip*
]And from your answer to question #6 below, it seems you meant for the Dimachaeron to have Hit and Run, but forgot to give it to him?
Because the only in-game effect of not having Fearless is that it can (and will) be run down after losing combat. Unlike any other Tyranid monsterous creature. Seems a bit... off, to put it mildly. The Mawloc does a much better job at "pulling back and attack somewhere else" with Hit and Run, and I can see no reason to derive the Dimachaeron of Fearless to achieve it. There haven't been any mindless killing machines since the old Frenzy rule in Fantasy.

FW

We appreciate your feedback in terms of the model having the Hit and Run rule and we will pass on this observation to our rules team.

sure you'll do, lol

Hang on, since when did Lictors not have assault grenades? I just double checked my codex and it says Flesh Hooks negate the penalty for charging through terrain, and obviously Lictors are armed with them. Am I missing something?

Probably just another case of disconnect between GW proper and Forgeworld.

whirlwindstruggle wrote:
Hang on, since when did Lictors not have assault grenades? I just double checked my codex and it says Flesh Hooks negate the penalty for charging through terrain, and obviously Lictors are armed with them. Am I missing something?

I'm willing to bet someone over at FW just flipped open a tyranid codex and looked for "assault grenades" under Lictor and didn't see any.

 adamsouza wrote:

whirlwindstruggle wrote:
Hang on, since when did Lictors not have assault grenades? I just double checked my codex and it says Flesh Hooks negate the penalty for charging through terrain, and obviously Lictors are armed with them. Am I missing something?

I'm willing to bet someone over at FW just flipped open a tyranid codex and looked for "assault grenades" under Lictor and didn't see any.

phew, thought there had been an update I'd missed

Anyway, im basically new to the game. But i have any troops ive built and am painting. I've seen limited success, but some.

My current roster of units:

HQ
5 Flyrants (learning to magnetize!)
1 Swarmlord
1 Tervigon
1 Deathleaper (Need legs)

Troops
40 Hormagants
90 Termagants
10 Ripper Swarms
18 Genestealers
5 Tyranid Warriors
5 Mucolid Spores

Elites
2 Venomthropes
6 Zenothropes
6 Lictors
4 Hive Guard

Fast Attack
20 Gargoyles
Many Spore Mine

Heavy Support
3 Carnifex
4 Biovore
1 Tryon
2 Mawlocs


3 Tyrannocye


What can i buy to add to my army thats useful?

Tyrannofex? Another Tervigon? Crones/Harpies? Exocrine?

@Arkengate

You basically have everything you need to run most Tyranid builds. The only thing that I can recommend are some Harpies/Hive Crones + 10 more gargoyles in case you want to run Skyblight and perhaps a Barbed Hierodule as your Gargantuan.

Oh, and a Malanthrope as well.

 jy2 wrote:
@Arkengate

You basically have everything you need to run most Tyranid builds. The only thing that I can recommend are some Harpies/Hive Crones + 10 more gargoyles in case you want to run Skyblight and perhaps a Barbed Hierodule as your Gargantuan.

Oh, and a Malanthrope as well.

Yeah, pretty much just missing a few forgeworld options. AS you say you are new, I am guess you aquired someone else's army as your core. Pretty nice haul.

barnowl wrote:

 jy2 wrote:
@Arkengate

You basically have everything you need to run most Tyranid builds. The only thing that I can recommend are some Harpies/Hive Crones + 10 more gargoyles in case you want to run Skyblight and perhaps a Barbed Hierodule as your Gargantuan.

Oh, and a Malanthrope as well.

Yeah, pretty much just missing a few forgeworld options. AS you say you are new, I am guess you aquired someone else's army as your core. Pretty nice haul.

for the most part, i acquired parts of multiple peoples armies very cheap :p

So, malanthrope.

What about a 2nd Tervigon/Fex box?
Or Dia....something or other from forge world?

Arkengate wrote:
So, malanthrope.

What about a 2nd Tervigon/Fex box?
Or Dia....something or other from forge world?

Tfex are fun, just dont run the rupture canon for armor hunting. An s10 ap 4 gun on a bs3 platform is just a bit confused for a 30 point upgrade.at 20 point s it might be worth it. the problem is your paying for AV level stopping power in a gun that vehilces will just shrug off, it needs a way to get a +1 on the damage table to be worth it.

The dima, is confused, it wants to be a Gargantuan CC deathmachine but it is just another slow MC that lacking fearless can in theory get swept by a bunch of guardsmen.

The only things I can see you missing are a few gargolyes and Harpies for Sky Blight formation, a box of Tyrand guard if you want to actually use the Swarmlord, maybe some more warriors if you want to run a bunch of formations, if you want to run the stealer formations you will need more stealers and a broodlord, beyond that buy what you like. Yourcollection as is runs most of the competivie builds and alot of strong fun builds.

If they eratta the FAQ back to battle brothers I'd suggest the Deathwatch box for the genestealer cultists even if they don't I love me some cultists.

If you get an Exocrine (and one of your warriors has a basic bio-cannon) you can run the living artillery formation - I haven't got the models for it but it looks fun!!

Hi, this seams to be the place to ask this question. I have gone through a lot of the posts already, but as the Tactica appears to be 2 years old not sure it is still the most up to date advice.

I want to run a Heirophant at 1,850. I know what most will say, but I love the model and love the rules and in a tournament where we know the missions and deployments beforehand I can plan a strategy around its weaknesses.

The main problem I have (having played at the events multiple time before) is Alpha Striking Grav. I already have 1 Malonthrope, and am planning on a second. But is there a reliable way to protect the Titan for first turn of Grav, say from something like the Skyhammer?

Also, would you guys recommend doing swarm around it (Tervigon/Termigants) or sticking with the tried and tested Flyrant. Would also like to add that I do love the Mawloc rules for anti invisibility, but the Ichor on the Titan will handle that most effectively if it gets into charge range.

The list needs to be battleforged and must not use more thn 3 sources.

Thanks (and sorry the post was a bit long)

SandraSmith wrote:
Hi, this seams to be the place to ask this question. I have gone through a lot of the posts already, but as the Tactica appears to be 2 years old not sure it is still the most up to date advice.

I want to run a Heirophant at 1,850. I know what most will say, but I love the model and love the rules and in a tournament where we know the missions and deployments beforehand I can plan a strategy around its weaknesses.

The main problem I have (having played at the events multiple time before) is Alpha Striking Grav. I already have 1 Malonthrope, and am planning on a second. But is there a reliable way to protect the Titan for first turn of Grav, say from something like the Skyhammer?

Also, would you guys recommend doing swarm around it (Tervigon/Termigants) or sticking with the tried and tested Flyrant. Would also like to add that I do love the Mawloc rules for anti invisibility, but the Ichor on the Titan will handle that most effectively if it gets into charge range.

The list needs to be battleforged and must not use more thn 3 sources.

Thanks (and sorry the post was a bit long)

Grav is a pain in the neck against our big bugs. The Hierophant is especially vulnerable. The best answer is the Void Shield Generator, which in most formats makes the units under its protection immune to Grav. Of course this is moot if you are using the GW Draft FAQ's, but it is still valid under the ITC FAQ's.

Here are some tactics:

1. Depending on interpretation, run the Void Shield Generator and then bubble-wrap it with the HBT and lots of gants (or gargoyles). You'd want to go 1st so that you can fill out the area of protection.

2. Run a malanthrope/venomthrope, either within the VS protection or as a passanger of the HBT itself (it can take an upgrade which then lets it transport up to 20 infantry models). This way, at least you'd get a 5+ cover out in the open, followed by a 5+ FNP. Not great but still better than the 6++ Invuln.

3. Reserve the titan. Not a great option, but at least you can use it as a last-ditch tactic.

 jy2 wrote:

SandraSmith wrote:
Hi, this seams to be the place to ask this question. I have gone through a lot of the posts already, but as the Tactica appears to be 2 years old not sure it is still the most up to date advice.

I want to run a Heirophant at 1,850. I know what most will say, but I love the model and love the rules and in a tournament where we know the missions and deployments beforehand I can plan a strategy around its weaknesses.

The main problem I have (having played at the events multiple time before) is Alpha Striking Grav. I already have 1 Malonthrope, and am planning on a second. But is there a reliable way to protect the Titan for first turn of Grav, say from something like the Skyhammer?

Also, would you guys recommend doing swarm around it (Tervigon/Termigants) or sticking with the tried and tested Flyrant. Would also like to add that I do love the Mawloc rules for anti invisibility, but the Ichor on the Titan will handle that most effectively if it gets into charge range.

The list needs to be battleforged and must not use more thn 3 sources.

Thanks (and sorry the post was a bit long)

Grav is a pain in the neck against our big bugs. The Hierophant is especially vulnerable. The best answer is the Void Shield Generator, which in most formats makes the units under its protection immune to Grav. Of course this is moot if you are using the GW Draft FAQ's, but it is still valid under the ITC FAQ's.

Here are some tactics:

1. Depending on interpretation, run the Void Shield Generator and then bubble-wrap it with the HBT and lots of gants (or gargoyles). You'd want to go 1st so that you can fill out the area of protection.

2. Run a malanthrope/venomthrope, either within the VS protection or as a passanger of the HBT itself (it can take an upgrade which then lets it transport up to 20 infantry models). This way, at least you'd get a 5+ cover out in the open, followed by a 5+ FNP. Not great but still better than the 6++ Invuln.

3. Reserve the titan. Not a great option, but at least you can use it as a last-ditch tactic.

Can the Heirophant mount a Skysheild? Seems getting a 4++ would be nice atleast for turn one. I don't play with or against enough GMC to know off hand.

Yes, he could.

Any tips for a Walkrant? Far it may be from a Flyrant, but it's for a 500 point game and Flying versions are too good at that points level, maybe even 750. Was thinking a Stranglethorn Cannon to accompany 40 Termagants (2x10 Spinefists, 1x10 Fleshborers and 10x Devourers) coupled with Hive Commander to outflank the large unit. Two Tyrant Guard to complete the set up. Large lack of synapse but meh. Maybe even drop the Devourers and Hive Commander to have Zoanthropes.

The Skyshield is interesting, I do have a Void Shield already (Built one for my Eldar that would do the job). Would give some protection and allow me to counter charge any deepstrikers

The Skyhammer (played with any punch) is around 500-600 points so it its own points sink

Also noted the FAQ on Intervening Models, with a MC in front and the Malonthrope behind the HBT will get a +3 Cover save

 Frozocrone wrote:
Any tips for a Walkrant? Far it may be from a Flyrant, but it's for a 500 point game and Flying versions are too good at that points level, maybe even 750. Was thinking a Stranglethorn Cannon to accompany 40 Termagants (2x10 Spinefists, 1x10 Fleshborers and 10x Devourers) coupled with Hive Commander to outflank the large unit. Two Tyrant Guard to complete the set up. Large lack of synapse but meh. Maybe even drop the Devourers and Hive Commander to have Zoanthropes.

At least the Stranglethorn to make up for its slow speed. Then either Devourers or the Miasma Cannon if you really want to make it a ranged fighter(at least against infantry models).

You might consider making room for a Venomthrope/Malanthrope to give your HQ more protection since you have so much of your list sunk into it.

 Frozocrone wrote:
Any tips for a Walkrant? Far it may be from a Flyrant, but it's for a 500 point game and Flying versions are too good at that points level, maybe even 750. Was thinking a Stranglethorn Cannon to accompany 40 Termagants (2x10 Spinefists, 1x10 Fleshborers and 10x Devourers) coupled with Hive Commander to outflank the large unit. Two Tyrant Guard to complete the set up. Large lack of synapse but meh. Maybe even drop the Devourers and Hive Commander to have Zoanthropes.

Personal favorite (mostly since I have Gunrant from 4e), is a Strangltethorn+Miasma cannon. Gives you to good guns to use the Tryant BS, and if you have the electro shock grubs, 2 templates to discourage assault. He is still s6 ap2 in melee so you are not losing much of anything there.

Zoanthrope support would be handy and give you a threat against armor. Zoan are not reliable, but they can crack any armor in the game.

From a Synapse stand point it might be worth running the Leviathan formation for the IB re-roll.

Haven't yet had the chance to play my HBT against a competitive list, but I will most likely be using the Void Shield to support it.

Been thinking about the upgrade options...

my question is tactical; If you were to use one of the options, which one would you choose and why?

Thanks

Lots of people have mentioned using Void Shield Generators with their Tyranids. Are you guys using the standard "imperial" looking VSG, or something more bug oriented ?

 adamsouza wrote:
Lots of people have mentioned using Void Shield Generators with their Tyranids. Are you guys using the standard "imperial" looking VSG, or something more bug oriented ?

I've been using a Void Shield lately, and even with the changes from the GW FAQ it's been wonderful for me. However, I am using an Imperial-looking one. Not quite the original model, but an Imperial Bastion with a plasma globe attached. At least it looks pretty!