Tyranid Swarmlord - Worth The Points?

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**Bane1778**

Hi all, so I'm a new Tyranid player, and I was wondering if the Swarmlord is worth the points? He seems like a very expensive HQ unit, and I hear the best way to run him is with Tyrant Guards attached, which gives him a grand total of 435 pts with 3 Tyrant Guard. I'm not running one in my 1500 pt army for sure, as I feel a Winged Hive Tyrant works fine, but for a 2000 pt game I'm wondering if I should run one. Any thoughts?

**BrianDavion**

consider that for the cost of that unit an IoM player could bring a kitted out Imperial Knight.

**SharkoutofWata**

If you're running a list that is INCREDIBLY heavy on Deep Strike models, like the Subterrainian swarm or Tyrannocytes, sure. Otherwise, remember that a melee Tyrant is only as good as the melee it can reach, and the game is all about mobility right now.

I skip it each and every time, even though I always have a walking Tyrant for fluff reasons. It's just not worth it in the armies I have used.

**jifel**

Bane1778 wrote:
Hi all, so I'm a new Tyranid player, and I was wondering if the Swarmlord is worth the points? He seems like a very expensive HQ unit, and I hear the best way to run him is with Tyrant Guards attached, which gives him a grand total of 435 pts with 3 Tyrant Guard. I'm not running one in my 1500 pt army for sure, as I feel a Winged Hive Tyrant works fine, but for a 2000 pt game I'm wondering if I should run one. Any thoughts?

I would say that, if you're trying to be as efficient as possible, you should never bring a Swarmlord either with or without Tyrant guard. He's a fun and fluffy Warlord in large games, but he is not even close to worth it points wise. A Flyrant is better in every way possible. So if this is just for competitive gaming, no Swarmlord ever. A Dimachaeron is better at Instant Death as he's slightly faster and more wounds and cheaper. Tervigons are better Synaptic Lynchpins as theyre a really tough synapse unit. Zoeys give more Warp Charge. Preferred Enemy on a unit isn't worth that many points, the only unique thing he can give. He looks cool and I've used him in friendly games, but he just ain't worth it I'm afraid.

**krodarklorr**

I've run one on numerous occasions, and he's performed very well. The thing to keep in mind, is that besides killing most things in melee, he's a big force multiplier. 2+ reserves, 18" Synapse, 4 psychic powers, and passing out Furious Charge, Preferred Enemy, or Monster Hunter to a unit is very nice. Preferred Enemy Devilgaunts? Preferred Enemy Exocrine? Monster Hunter Hormagaunts for dealing with Wraithknights?

And of course, the whole thing of him killing most things in CC, and having 11 T6 3+ save wounds, which can be combined with Venomthropes for a 3+ cover save.

Thats just my 2 cents.

**Kain**

He's been neutered by the lack of biomancy and the ascendancy of the Flyrant. He's too slow to get into the fights he wants to be in and he can't compete with Smashfether or Iron armed Daemon Princes and Great Unclean ones and doesn't have the EW, ranged invulnerables, and ability to get stuck in quickly to survive enemy shooting without sinking in a stupid amount of points for tyrant guards and venomthropes and maybe something for catalyst.

**pinecone77**

Yeah sadly, not really worth it...except for acting as a bodyguard for a Heiradule. A very unusual circumstance.

Fun to paint, but seldom fun to play.

Ok for fun lists.

(Spawn of Cyrtus, and a Swarm Lord!

fill to 1000 points.)

**Ratius**

Can you put him in a pod and drop him in?

**Truth118**

At what points cost would the Swarmlord be worth taking?

**Feasible**

Truth118 wrote:
At what points cost would the Swarmlord be worth taking?

50k

**Slayer-Fan123**

Truth118 wrote:
At what points cost would the Swarmlord be worth taking?

Over 2000. When you have more screening available, he becomes harder to kill and therefore much less of a point sink with those buffing abilities.

**casvalremdeikun**

The thing you have to ask yourself when building the Swarmlord is "Why am I not just building this as a Flyrant?".