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Now I am just looking for opinions on tactics, uses and general strengths or weakness of the below units.

I am putting together a 1000 pt list for a team tournament (that's why some builds have been left out.)

My teammate will be running something along the lines of:

Ethereal
Riptide
2 Fire Warrior Squads
1 Sniper Kroot Squad
1 Pathfinder Squad
3 Broadsides
Longstrike or crisis suits.

So below we have a list of outfits for units that I believe can work alongside Tau...any suggestions for which would complement them well?



HQ

Tyrants
Stock
Wings, Shreddershard Beetles
Adrenal Glands
Swarmlord

Tyrant Guard
Stock
Adrenal Glands

Old One Eye

Tervigon
Stock
Regeneration
Cluster Spines
Miasma Cannon
Miasma Cannon, Cluster Spines

Primes
Lash Whip Bonesword
Lash Whip Bonesword, Toxin Sacs



TROOP

Warriors
3x, Barbed Strangler
5x, Barbed Strangler

Genestealers
10x, Scything Talon Broodlord

Termagants
20x
30x
30x, Spike Rifles

Hormagaunts
20x
30x

Ripper Swarms
9x, Adrenals



ELITE

Hive Guard
2x
3x

Zoanthropes
2x

Venomthropes
1x



FAST

Shrikes
6x, Rending Claws, Scything Talons

Sky Slasher Swarms
7x, Spinefists

Gargoyles
20x
30x

Harpies
Cluster Spines

Hive Crones
Stock
Toxin Sacs
Cluster Spines

Spore Mine Clusters
3x



HEAVY

Carnifexes
2x, Adrenal Glands
2x, Adrenal Glands, 2x Death Spitters
2x, 2x Devourers
2x, 1 Stranglethorn Cannon, 1x Death Spitter

Biovores
2x
3x

Trygon Primes
Stock
Toxin Sacs
Maws Claws of Thyrax

Mawlocs
Stock

Exocrines
Stock

Tyrranofexes
Stock
Regeneration
Desiccator Larvae

I don't play Nids or read their new book but I do play Tau competitively so can give you advice from that point.

Is your partner set on his list? He could maximize his shooting if he is willing/can change his list.

But as for the Nids part. Tau generally lack mobility to get to objectives so you should try and take several fast units that can get to your opponents deployment zone. Also something that can take care of anything that you opponent's assault units that get close to your friends Tau.

From what I have been able to read about the new codex maybetake a Flyrant and some Carnefexes along with other fast units.

Let me know if you want help with the Tau part.

Marshall Ragnar wrote:
I don't play Nids or read their new book but I do play Tau competitively so can give you advice from that point.

Is your partner set on his list? He could maximize his shooting if he is willing/can change his list.

But as for the Nids part. Tau generally lack mobility to get to objectives so you should try and take several fast units that can get to your opponents deployment zone. Also something that can take care of anything that you opponent's assault units that get close to your friends Tau.

From what I have been able to read about the new codex maybetake a Flyrant and some Carnefexes along with other fast units.

Let me know if you want help with the Tau part.

Let's proceed with the idea that his list is fairly set in stone?

I have been looking at a Tervigon HQ with 50 Hormagaunts a few warriors with a strangler, some zoeys and 2 fexes to apply some pressure and take the heat off the tau early on.

 ductvader wrote:

Marshall Ragnar wrote:
I don't play Nids or read their new book but I do play Tau competitively so can give you advice from that point.

Is your partner set on his list? He could maximize his shooting if he is willing/can change his list.

But as for the Nids part. Tau generally lack mobility to get to objectives so you should try and take several fast units that can get to your opponents deployment zone. Also something that can take care of anything that you opponent's assault units that get close to your friends Tau.

From what I have been able to read about the new codex maybetake a Flyrant and some Carnefexes along with other fast units.

Let me know if you want help with the Tau part.

Let's proceed with the idea that his list is fairly set in stone?

I have been looking at a Tervigon HQ with 50 Hormagaunts a few warriors with a strangler, some zoeys and 2 fexes to apply some pressure and take the heat off the tau early on.

You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

I think I know the perfect way to say "LOOK AT ME, NOT AT TAU", and your opponent is going to have plenty of problems.

HQ: 210 points
Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands

Troops: 200 Points
20x Hormagaunts
20x Hormagaunts

Elites: 90 Points
2x Venomthropes

Fast Attack: 180 Points
3x Tyranid Shrikes
3x Tyranid Shrikes

Heavy Support: 320
1x Carnifex w/ Adrenal Glands, Spine Banks, Bio-plasma
1x Carnifex w/ Adrenal Glands, Spine Banks, bio-plasma

Make them run.

 streamdragon wrote:
You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

As long as it is in the HQ, it is still a MC Character. BRB.

You thinking stock shrikes?

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:
You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

As long as it is in the HQ, it is still a MC Character. BRB.

You'll have to give me a page number on that I'm afraid.

 ductvader wrote:
You thinking stock shrikes?

Why not? Just about everything is fleet. You have a solid backfield unit in the Tervigon keeping up. Go for the FNP power, and if you fail, go for primaris. Charge those Hormagaunts in for epic runs while the shrikes come in with the fleeting Carnifexes on the sides, and those beautiful Venomthropes keeping them all in shrouded goodness. Your literally throwing a 1000pt MSU deathstar at him, and the best part is that it cannot be easily picked apart. Your going to have to waste fire trying to get shots around the Carnifexes and shrikes to get a shot on the venomthropes, if you can even see them. Then, you got to waste the shots to take out 2 different targets, all the while you have to take out yet 2 more groups of synapse in those shrikes, before you even start have to think about worrying for IB. All the while a ton of very angry Hormagaunts and Carnifexes are running into your front lines with lots and lots of death written all over them. Most people wont think that rationally however, so they will just wind up wasting quite a bit of firepower trying to figure out how to pick the units apart. You will have a teammate picking apart the backfield while you make the charge, and you can giggle and cackle insanely just like I do as you watch things die a gruesome death.

 streamdragon wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:
You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

As long as it is in the HQ, it is still a MC Character. BRB.

You'll have to give me a page number on that I'm afraid.

Pg 413. References. Granted most things in the BRB are now outdated, the principle should still be the exact same as last edition. I wouldn't operate differently until the new FAQ comes out and tells me differently.

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 ductvader wrote:
You thinking stock shrikes?

Why not? Just about everything is fleet. You have a solid backfield unit in the Tervigon keeping up. Go for the FNP power, and if you fail, go for primaris. Charge those Hormagaunts in for epic runs while the shrikes come in with the fleeting Carnifexes on the sides, and those beautiful Venomthropes keeping them all in shrouded goodness. Your literally throwing a 1000pt MSU deathstar at him, and the best part is that it cannot be easily picked apart. Your going to have to waste fire trying to get shots around the Carnifexes and shrikes to get a shot on the venomthropes, if you can even see them. Then, you got to waste the shots to take out 2 different targets, all the while you have to take out yet 2 more groups of synapse in those shrikes, before you even start have to think about worrying for IB. All the while a ton of very angry Hormagaunts and Carnifexes are running into your front lines with lots and lots of death written all over them. Most people wont think that rationally however, so they will just wind up wasting quite a bit of firepower trying to figure out how to pick the units apart. You will have a teammate picking apart the backfield while you make the charge, and you can giggle and cackle insanely just like I do as you watch things die a gruesome death.

No argument here really...but the FoC is Adepticon style.

HQ 1
ELITE 0-1
TROOP 1-3
FAST 0-1
HEAVY 0-1

And each list gets to use one extra floating spot between them for elite, fast and heavy. The Tau will either being using dual heavy or elite.

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:
You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

As long as it is in the HQ, it is still a MC Character. BRB.

You'll have to give me a page number on that I'm afraid.

Pg 413. References. Granted most things in the BRB are now outdated, the principle should still be the exact same as last edition. I wouldn't operate differently until the new FAQ comes out and tells me differently.

Uh, wouldn't this be a case of Army Book > BRB?

 ductvader wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 ductvader wrote:
You thinking stock shrikes?

Why not? Just about everything is fleet. You have a solid backfield unit in the Tervigon keeping up. Go for the FNP power, and if you fail, go for primaris. Charge those Hormagaunts in for epic runs while the shrikes come in with the fleeting Carnifexes on the sides, and those beautiful Venomthropes keeping them all in shrouded goodness. Your literally throwing a 1000pt MSU deathstar at him, and the best part is that it cannot be easily picked apart. Your going to have to waste fire trying to get shots around the Carnifexes and shrikes to get a shot on the venomthropes, if you can even see them. Then, you got to waste the shots to take out 2 different targets, all the while you have to take out yet 2 more groups of synapse in those shrikes, before you even start have to think about worrying for IB. All the while a ton of very angry Hormagaunts and Carnifexes are running into your front lines with lots and lots of death written all over them. Most people wont think that rationally however, so they will just wind up wasting quite a bit of firepower trying to figure out how to pick the units apart. You will have a teammate picking apart the backfield while you make the charge, and you can giggle and cackle insanely just like I do as you watch things die a gruesome death.

No argument here really...but the FoC is Adepticon style.

HQ 1
ELITE 0-1
TROOP 1-3
FAST 0-1
HEAVY 0-1

And each list gets to use one extra floating spot between them for elite, fast and heavy. The Tau will either being using dual heavy or elite.

So basically, your telling me to go rebuild the list. *Exasperated sigh* Duct, I thought we were friends. Criteria always needs to be specified. Don't hold out on me like this.

HQ: 215 points
Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Cluster Spines

Troops: 200 Points
20x Hormagaunts
20x Hormagaunts

Elites:45 Points
1x Venomthropes

Fast Attack: 220 Points
7x Tyranid Shrikes w Barbed Strangler

Heavy Support: 320
1x Carnifex w/ Adrenal Glands, Spine Banks, Bio-plasma
1x Carnifex w/ Adrenal Glands, Spine Banks, Bio-plasma

Fixed.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 streamdragon wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:
You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

As long as it is in the HQ, it is still a MC Character. BRB.

You'll have to give me a page number on that I'm afraid.

Pg 413. References. Granted most things in the BRB are now outdated, the principle should still be the exact same as last edition. I wouldn't operate differently until the new FAQ comes out and tells me differently.

Uh, wouldn't this be a case of Army Book > BRB?

Actually, this is the fun case of Codex + BRB. Math rocks.

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 streamdragon wrote:
You'll need another HQ unit to be the Warlord. The Tervigon is no longer a character, and so doesn't qualify. :(

As long as it is in the HQ, it is still a MC Character. BRB.

You'll have to give me a page number on that I'm afraid.

Pg 413. References. Granted most things in the BRB are now outdated, the principle should still be the exact same as last edition. I wouldn't operate differently until the new FAQ comes out and tells me differently.

Uh, wouldn't this be a case of Army Book > BRB?

Actually, this is the fun case of Codex + BRB. Math rocks.

You're going to have to explain. There is a clear conflict in the rules between the BRB (which says Character) and the new Army Book (which does not). According to the BRB, where there is a rules conflict the Army Book wins over the BRB. Citing the BRB is meaningless, as the BRB itself tells you to go with the Army Book.

The rulebook is simply covering it's bases. You don't see stand-alone HQs without a Character class. In the last book, that was how people could field a Tervigon HQ, and it was their warlord. It's still the exact same thing for this book, really. The Tervigon has always been a straight up Monstrous Creature (Character for HQ section only) unit for Tyranid Codex, far as I know. The rulebook is not denying it the MC status, simply adding to it. No real fighting between the two. Just the BRB giving the Codex a nice backrub while they watch a movie together.

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:
So basically, your telling me to go rebuild the list. *Exasperated sigh* Duct, I thought we were friends. Criteria always needs to be specified. Don't hold out on me like this.

HQ: 215 points
Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Cluster Spines

Troops: 200 Points
20x Hormagaunts
20x Hormagaunts

Elites:45 Points
1x Venomthropes

Fast Attack: 220 Points
7x Tyranid Shrikes w Barbed Strangler

Heavy Support: 320
1x Carnifex w/ Adrenal Glands, Spine Banks, Bio-plasma
1x Carnifex w/ Adrenal Glands, Spine Banks, Bio-plasma

Fixed.

I knew you could handle the challenge...and who doesn't love list building?

I do enjoy a good Screamerfex.

RAW, streamdragon is right. The tyranid codex lists every HQ choice as characters except for tyrant guard and tervigons. Until an FAQ comes out it looks like a tervigon can't be the warlord. Might be best to take this one over to YMDC.

Does it have to be a Character to be Warlord? I don't recall seeing that. Just that it had to be the HQ with the highest LD.

Since the Trevigon is an HQ and does not require you to run a second HQ either one of 2 things happens: you can run a Trevigon and don't have to have a warlord trait, or as the sole HQ it can take the Warlord trait.

 Nate668 wrote:
RAW, streamdragon is right. The tyranid codex lists every HQ choice as characters except for tyrant guard and tervigons. Until an FAQ comes out it looks like a tervigon can't be the warlord. Might be best to take this one over to YMDC.

^+1

Let's do that...elsewhere.

 ductvader wrote:

I knew you could handle the challenge...and who doesn't love list building?

I do enjoy a good Screamerfex.

I love building lists. The problem is that until I get Primes figured out, the Tervigon is the only real option for an HQ that has any benefit for you. And I hate Tervigons!

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 ductvader wrote:

I knew you could handle the challenge...and who doesn't love list building?

I do enjoy a good Screamerfex.

I love building lists. The problem is that until I get Primes figured out, the Tervigon is the only real option for an HQ that has any benefit for you. And I hate Tervigons!

Personally starting to toy with giving him Adrenals and running him alongside a Broodlord.

 ductvader wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 ductvader wrote:

I knew you could handle the challenge...and who doesn't love list building?

I do enjoy a good Screamerfex.

I love building lists. The problem is that until I get Primes figured out, the Tervigon is the only real option for an HQ that has any benefit for you. And I hate Tervigons!

Personally starting to toy with giving him Adrenals and running him alongside a Broodlord.

I just see that getting reall expensive real fast for questionable gain. It would provide some interesting Challenge options though.

How about, in general, and not for my purposes here, a Prime tanking some wounds for venomthropes while 2 units of lictors go forth with a 2+ (most of the time) cover save


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It's fun and themey...maybe not competeative, I like options though.

 ductvader wrote:
How about, in general, and not for my purposes here, a Prime tanking some wounds for venomthropes while 2 units of lictors go forth with a 2+ (most of the time) cover save


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It's fun and themey...maybe not competeative, I like options though.

Fun maybe...Themey...doesn't really feel that way. I've been thinking things over though for a bit to find some fun items hidden in the codex.

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 ductvader wrote:
How about, in general, and not for my purposes here, a Prime tanking some wounds for venomthropes while 2 units of lictors go forth with a 2+ (most of the time) cover save


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It's fun and themey...maybe not competeative, I like options though.

Fun maybe...Themey...doesn't really feel that way. I've been thinking things over though for a bit to find some fun items hidden in the codex.

Oh I keep building him with the Ymgarl mutation...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, try out the Maws Claws on a Trygon Prime, you will not be disappointed.

 ductvader wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

 ductvader wrote:
How about, in general, and not for my purposes here, a Prime tanking some wounds for venomthropes while 2 units of lictors go forth with a 2+ (most of the time) cover save


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It's fun and themey...maybe not competeative, I like options though.

Fun maybe...Themey...doesn't really feel that way. I've been thinking things over though for a bit to find some fun items hidden in the codex.

Oh I keep building him with the Ymgarl mutation...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, try out the Maws Claws on a Trygon Prime, you will not be disappointed.

I'd have to pick up the model first. You know what, one of these days I am going to just spend the points, but I am too cheap for it now with how I love my horde. I built the models how I liked them to look, but now that the Codex is out, I would technically have to pay for them. 1 brood of 3 Carnifexes outfitted with Dual Scything Talons, Regeneration, Bio Plasma, Thresher Scythe, Adrenal Glands, Acid Blood, Spine Banks, and Toxin Sacs. That's a 675 point unit.

You think there's a viable way of throwing Old One Eye in there?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:
I'd have to pick up the model first..

Last time Tyranids came out amidst Missile Fangs...and I wasn't putting out the money for 3+ save creature that just popped up to say hi.

This time, I see a lot of promise in multiple Mawlocs or a solo Trygon Prime.

Trygon prime is a good one as he should pop up the same turn as our fast stuff hits/gets close to there lines and takes over synapse duties if your mid field synapse's etc are toast or thinned out therefor maintaining fearless and being another threat.

 ductvader wrote:
You think there's a viable way of throwing Old One Eye in there?

Give me a day. I am working on writing up a moderately honest and fair tactica rough draft so that people don't have to look at units from a tournament view.

Skullhammer wrote:
Trygon prime is a good one as he should pop up the same turn as our fast stuff hits/gets close to there lines and takes over synapse duties if your mid field synapse's etc are toast or thinned out therefor maintaining fearless and being another threat.

I personally start him on the board more often than not.