Played a tournament yesterday and got some good data that may/may not be helpful to Nid players but I figured I would share.
My first matchup and only loss was against none other than Eric Hoerger, the nice gentleman who won 2nd at the
LVO last weekend. He used the same list although I apologize that I cant remember what he added in to make it to 1850 pts, he had 2 storm talons
and something else.
I actually didnt realize who he was until after the game when he told me, but I'm glad I got to play against a top tier list and player.
I went first and rushed my crones/harpy/flyrants. I inflicted a few wounds but the real joy came 2nd turn when everything came in and outflanked perfectly.
Unfortunately, my guys were just not able to capitalize on that turn, and despite killing some units the bikes were able to break out and go down the center to engage the Tervigon. My flyrants moved down to follow and I lost 26 gaunts to the thunderfire
cannon. My crones flew off the board which was a great move on my part, however when they came back on they whiffed on bringing down his newly arrived storm talons, despite rolling explosion results for haywire. A two flyrant combat ensued that killed
many bikers, but again they were able to hit and run out of there. Tervigon died in that combat. The game ended with 8-5 in kill points and he controlled more objectives.
I really like how well my Tyranids performed and I learned a lot about bikers/white scars. I blame myself and inexperience, I think they could have done better.
Game two was against a mechdar list:
4 Wave Serpents w/scatter lasers (5
DA in each)
2 Fire Prisms
2xLarge warp spider groups (I think about 6-8 in each) with an aspect warrior attached I believe, it improved reserve rolls)
3xWar walkers outflanking w/Starcannons
Crimson hunter w/Exarch
We played Vanguard strike, with the relic in the center and objectives in each of the 4 corners. He went first.
Turn 1 I deployed my Mawloc on the table because I wanted her to dive and come up on turn 3 when there were actual targets on the board, however this proved to be a mistake because Warpspiders ate her alive. With extra wounds inflicted on my Tyrants, I was worried immediately. But my crones and harpy were off the board. My flyrant was in a position to be brought down and it was a situation where it took a good chunk of his army trying to bring him down to do it. He had disembarked 10
DA to help do this, but that was a mistake. Both crones came on turn 2, one vector striking and destroying a warwalker, glancing a Prism, then one melted 9 Dire Avengers with drool cannon. The other fired a single tentaclid at the crimson hunter, I rolled a 6, and he couldnt jink it, so one shotted the Crimson Hunter out of the sky.
^ thats the end of his turn 2.
His next turn went worse for him as one of his serpents became immobilized. My warlord tyrant (red winged one) lived and flew off the board, vector striking and killing the last warwalker shown there. My 30 gant blob outflanked on the Warrior's side, and they served to shoot down
the last lone Dire avenger and secure the corner objective. My warriors ran towards my edge the rest of the game to secure the bottom corner objective.
^ bottom right corner.
The Harpy did...not a lot, all day. She vector struck and killed off some Warp Spiders, her cannon never pinned any one. The rest of the game was shooting down Warp Spiders, and one crone flew off and came back on to melt another group of DIre Avengers in the Bottom Right corner
trying to hold an objective. My Tyrant died to mass shooting, but both crones kept going to work and I eventually killed his last group of
DA's with bile. I was unable to secure the relic once all gaunts were dead, Tervigon couldnt grab it. But a solid win.
My final game was unfortunately against Tyranids, a matchup I never really have any fun with. I knew his list would fall to mine. He had one flyrant, swarmlord with guard, exocrine, two mawlocs, large gant blobs, a tervigon, one zoanthrope, venomthrope and 3 hive guard. Also
a small genestealer brood outflanking. This isnt mean egotistically, but my only regret is I didnt crush his army more. I stole the initiative, but I made a boneheaded move turn two and basically wasted a huge right push by moving my Flyrant warlord up to assault his flyrant...who
had swooped. AGH. So my grounded Flyrant got shot and vector striked off the board, easily the dumbest move of the day. But I just ignored his blobs and Swarmlord, handled the Flyrant and Mawlocs in my backfield and used my Biovores to keep the herds at bay. My outflanking
gaunts tied up his backfield, my warriors killed off the genestealers then instakilled the other mawloc. I even ignored the exocrine, and just focused on threat removal. I secured enough points in the Scouring and held my Emperors will for the win.
^ My turn 1
So for the day I learned a lot, and I understand how these tournaments work better and that every little point can help. The results are on TOF somewhere but I cant seem to access them, if anyone can help thatd be great. I finished in the middle, so much so that I won a 'middle of the road' award, a $25 gift certificate for the store, so I'm actually glad I landed where I did. My list for the day was
1850
Flyrant w/Reaper and
HVC,
HC
Flyrant w/
LW/
BS and
STC,
HC, toxin sacs
Venomthrope
Tervigon
30 gants/10 devourers (outflank)
6 Warriors w/rending claws, devourers, barbed strangler and
LW/
BS (outflank)
Mawloc
Biovore brood x2
Crone
Crone
Harpy
Things I would change? The venomthrope is leaving because in this list it just doesnt carry any weight. Everyone is gone on turn 1. I didnt want to spam Crones, but damnit if Harpy didnt do much of anything. I'll either have to add in a crone or swing in a Trygon or second Mawloc, something with backfield disruption. Also, I think I'd like some thorax weapons on Flyrants because the vectorstriking then flaming is a trait I'd like to have all my flyers rocking.
I run the Devourer because of carryover from when the Tyrant was BS3. Tossing a 
Mechanicus
Ravenwing
Deathwing
