Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've got a small tournament coming up, but it's really important to me to have an army that's fun to play. So here is a list I wrote up and I would like a critique to make sure I don't have any glaring holes.

HQ:
-Flyrant w/ 2x TL-Devourers -230
-Flyrant w/ AG, Scy Tal, Uber Bonesword -260

Troop
-30x Termagant blob -120
-Tervigon -190
-6x Warrior w/ Deathspitters & Scy Tal -210

Elite
-Venomthrope -50

Fast Attack
-Crone -155
-Crone -155

Heavy Support
-Trygon -190
-Trygon -190

General plan is to go second, start the flying bugs in area terrain with the venomthrope within range. Use other big bugs to block enemy LOS to him. Then move the Trygons up straight torwards, flying bugs into a flank, and troops + venomthrope into midfield/heavy objective concentration.

What do you guys think?

I'd swap the trygons for mawlocs they're so much better point for point I'd then add in a bastion with a coms relay. Hide the venomthrope inside and your flyrants behind.

I don't own a bastion unfortunately, and buying the two crones is going to set me back quite a bit unfortunately.

The trygons are much better in melee, why trade them for mawlocs?

They are but you have to walk trygons up the field and when you deep strike they do nothing but wait to get shot at. With the chance of 2 str6 ap2 blasts from a mawloc then 4 attacks in combat 5 on the charge it makes them much more points efficient. By swapping them you loose 4 attacks a couple of shooting attacks but you gain two maybe four str6 ap2 large blasts and 100 points that's a swap I'd make every day. Also you don't have to buy a bastion model you can make one yourself out of plasticard then make it as tyranidy as possible.

I think you'll lack synapse up-field if/when the Flyrants get shot down.

Pretty sure the Venom is 45 points.

Do you need 6 Warriors?
What's their purpose?
Perhaps swap for 2x 2 Zoans to give you some AP1/AP3 shooting and synapse that can move up-field?

Imagine, this...

You move up-field and put your Flyrants/Crones into cover and behind BLOS where possible turn 1.

Turn 2 you move all of your flyers right into the enemies face along with potentially 2 Mawlocs showing up at the same time causing potentially Large blast AP2 barrage.
What is your enemy going to shoot first?
Tough choices and its these tough decisions/pressure strategies that will help you win games.
You can achieve the same with Trygons almost. I just feel the threat of Mawlocs is so much more so.

Edit: Can you not use your Trygons as Mawlocs? I doubt anyone will notice the difference.

I agree that you have too little Synapse, if you go Mawloc, Mawloc you can buy two Zoeys and if seperate get two rolls for Hive Mind Powerz If you put them both in one brood they are much better able to survive.

If you stick with big wormeys, try to find points to add more Synapse, a Warrior brood with a Cannon can be as little as 100 points. (I'd take a look at Shrikes, if you have them) Or if you keep the big Brood of warriors try to get Hive Commander so you can Outflank them...?

I can't find my codex (grumble grumble) and I'm doing all this from memory, so you'll have to bear with me a little bit

I'm starting to like the idea more and more of taking two Mawlocs instead of my Trygons. Play testing will hopefully happen here soon to confirm my thoughts. One of the other issues that I'm seeing is a high vulnerability for my scoring units.

So with all that and the inputs everyone has given, this is the next version:

HQ:
-Flyrant w/ 2x TL-Devourers, Hive Commander -250
-Flyrant w/ AG, Scy Tal, Uber Bonesword -260

Troop
-30x Termagant blob -120
-Tervigon -195
-10x Termagant blob -40

Elite
-Venomthrope -45
-Zoanthrope -50
-Zoanthrope -50

Fast Attack
-Crone -155
-Crone -155
-Harpy -135

Heavy Support
-Mawloc -140
-Mawloc -140

This leaves me with 15 points that I really don't know where to spend. I'm also strongly considering taking a Biovore instead of the block of 10 gants. As stated before, I am first and foremost playing to have fun even though it's a tournament. I don't like the play style of having a bastion, as it tends towards bunkering down.

Plan is roughly the same as last time, except my Tervigon w/ block of 10 gants and Venomthrope would stay at home while the 30 block and Zoanthropes move up.

If you don't own the 3 flyers yet i'd just roll with the Crone/s. You already have two flyrants anyway. I personally think the Tervigon isn't worth it here too. He's a vital point of your synapse and therefore going to waste his power on Dominion toavoid exploading Gaunts. She's the same cost of 4 Zoans which survive more and do more for me.

I also think a CC Flyrant should be Vanilla or take OA. He doesn't want to be killing to much first round to avoid winning and being shot at next turn.
He is already hitting first against most stuff, wounding on 2s, and ignoring armour. With 4 wounds and no good save, there's plenty of charscters out there who will hand him his arse, BS/LW regardless.


As for Trygons. I still like them. If you've got 2 in their deployment zone turn 2 and 4/5 other MCs, who they gonna shoot. Certainly not the Mawloc when you tell them about the stats and 3 atks at ws3.

 rabid1903 wrote:
I can't find my codex (grumble grumble) and I'm doing all this from memory, so you'll have to bear with me a little bit

I'm starting to like the idea more and more of taking two Mawlocs instead of my Trygons. Play testing will hopefully happen here soon to confirm my thoughts. One of the other issues that I'm seeing is a high vulnerability for my scoring units.

So with all that and the inputs everyone has given, this is the next version:

HQ:
-Flyrant w/ 2x TL-Devourers, Hive Commander -250
-Flyrant w/ AG, Scy Tal, Uber Bonesword -260

Troop
-30x Termagant blob -120
-Tervigon -195
-10x Termagant blob -40

Elite
-Venomthrope -45
-Zoanthrope -50
-Zoanthrope -50

Fast Attack
-Crone -155
-Crone -155
-Harpy -135

Heavy Support
-Mawloc -140
-Mawloc -140

This leaves me with 15 points that I really don't know where to spend. I'm also strongly considering taking a Biovore instead of the block of 10 gants. As stated before, I am first and foremost playing to have fun even though it's a tournament. I don't like the play style of having a bastion, as it tends towards bunkering down.

Plan is roughly the same as last time, except my Tervigon w/ block of 10 gants and Venomthrope would stay at home while the 30 block and Zoanthropes move up.

Looks better to me....though you have so few troops, if Mama Tervy poops out...problem. If you go with Lash/Bone, Toxic you save a few more points, and if you drop one of the (now double) glands you save some more, you might buy a small unit of bugs, or put a Miasma Cannon someplace...? (and stay with double glands on your flying assasain)

Late entry: I see you dropped the Warriors and put in a FMC, that kinda suggests Hive commander has few options for an Outflank. If you don't add in the Harpy/Crone and use some savings you can still use a Warrior/Shrike mob for your Outflanking unit. Less front pressure, but more backfield disruption...?

Honestly I'm strongly considering dropping the Tervigon, a few gants, and the Harpy in favor of Trygon Primes and a third Crone.

Tactics would change to reserving my gants (straight reserve one and outflank the big blob) while providing some serious pressure on the enemy. I'd have no shortage of synapse either and wouldn't have to worry about leaving half my army behind. A Zoanthrope could stay behind to babysit a small squad of gants if I needed to.

In case it wasn't apparent, the theme for my Tyranids has always been death from above and below (used to be spores and Trygons.) I'd like to stick with that theme if at all possible, and Tervigons have never really fit in. I took them before because I just didn't have any other options.

Looking at this a bit more, I'm considering dropping the Harpy in favor of a 3 man squad of Shrikes with rending claws and flesh hooks. That'll make them a great disruption unit when combined with outflank. Then I can beef up the little squad of gants.

HQ:
-Flyrant w/ 2x TL-Devourers, Hive Commander -250
-Flyrant w/ AG, Scy Tal, Uber Bonesword -260

Troop
-30x Termagant blob -120
-Tervigon -195
-18x Termagant blob -72

Elite
-Venomthrope -45
-Zoanthrope -50
-Zoanthrope -50

Fast Attack
-Crone -155
-Crone -155
-3x Shrike w/ Scy Tal, Rend Claws, Flesh Hooks -117

Heavy Support
-Mawloc -140
-Mawloc -140

 rabid1903 wrote:
Looking at this a bit more, I'm considering dropping the Harpy in favor of a 3 man squad of Shrikes with rending claws and flesh hooks. That'll make them a great disruption unit when combined with outflank. Then I can beef up the little squad of gants.

HQ:
-Flyrant w/ 2x TL-Devourers, Hive Commander -250
-Flyrant w/ AG, Scy Tal, Uber Bonesword -260

Troop
-30x Termagant blob -120
-Tervigon -195
-18x Termagant blob -72

Elite
-Venomthrope -45
-Zoanthrope -50
-Zoanthrope -50

Fast Attack
-Crone -155
-Crone -155
-3x Shrike w/ Scy Tal, Rend Claws, Flesh Hooks -117

Heavy Support
-Mawloc -140
-Mawloc -140

Looks nicer to me, are you going to Outflnk the Terv? Or the Shrikes? Combined with heavy Mawloc attack you can do a real number on the backfield... Heck I'd suggest looking at possably popping in a Lictor or a Lictor brood to boost your Mawloc threat power

If you get a chance I posted a "Endless Tunnel Assault" "concept army" give it a look if you have a chance

I'll have to take a look at it.

Another thing I want to see if I can squeeze in is Adrenal Glands on the Shrikes. Fleet would be fantastic on them.

 rabid1903 wrote:
I'll have to take a look at it.

Another thing I want to see if I can squeeze in is Adrenal Glands on the Shrikes. Fleet would be fantastic on them.

I agree, and its only 15 points or so...

Hmmm...lose the Reaper, 45 pts? Lash whip/ Bone sword 20, Toxic +10, just saved 15! Coincidence? Or a master plan? (You still have Adrenal as well...)

As you have so few troops as is, outflanking them is a little rough. I run a set up close to that one with my troops. I use a zoan to move the 2nd troop to an objective... I use the momma and spawns to handle a back placed objective.. and the larger group tends to be a shield.

The one thing with your Synapse is that most of your units are not going to fall apart if they are not in it. Shrikes... I get why one might like them... but they out right die to bolter fire... I'd rather see gargoyles ( if you have them) mostly to run as a screen for one of your flyrants.. if they live...being able to eat OW and or blind things before you CC flyrant comes in and beats stuff is something that has worked well for me so far.

Found my codex, so now I can iron this out. Turns out it was hiding in the pile of stuff my wife asked me to look through haha

So big wrench I see in my plans is the inability for the Shrikes to outflank. That actually is ok, because deep striking them gives me more options but is just a little less reliable.

To give them all Adrenal Glands, it's going to cost me 12 points. Losing 3 gants is easily worth that to me.

As for their vulnerability, I am well aware of it. Fleet + Jump Infantry gives them a very sizable threat range though so I'm less concerned than their walking brethren.

 rabid1903 wrote:
Found my codex, so now I can iron this out. Turns out it was hiding in the pile of stuff my wife asked me to look through haha

So big wrench I see in my plans is the inability for the Shrikes to outflank. That actually is ok, because deep striking them gives me more options but is just a little less reliable.

To give them all Adrenal Glands, it's going to cost me 12 points. Losing 3 gants is easily worth that to me.

As for their vulnerability, I am well aware of it. Fleet + Jump Infantry gives them a very sizable threat range though so I'm less concerned than their walking brethren.

I was figuring you would Outflank a big blob of 'gants and Deep strike the Shrikes to babysit. Then the Shrikes can clean up any messes or hit things in cover...

Coupla Mawlocs...Party time! (and with Synapse flying around they can stay on the board if called for...)

Good point, that would work well. I'm doing a bit of digging to see if I'd like to try to incorporate any of the dataslates into my army. There are some pretty good formations out there right now, but buying that many gargoyles is pretty painful.

Yeah, I basicly stayed away from all the flying stuff, so it would cost a small fortune for me to jump in now But that Shyswarm formation looks like a real winner.