Codex Tyranids Tactica: The Shadow Falls, The Hive Fleets Gather. Worlds Devoured

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**Eihnlazer**

You don't take biovores for their damage output only. You take them for board control and their sniping potential.

Their damage is fine against models that pay a prime for durability, but they also block movement paths and force your opponents to waste gunfire on spores instead of on your army. Since they don't need LOS to fire they aren't easy to get rid of either.

**Amishprn86**

Its not just 1 MW, its movement denials too and they are not 40pts they are 36pts.

Edit: Didnt see page 81, what @Eihnlazer said

**Zimko**

Also also, biovores are difficult to kill. A single biovore can easily hide out of sight and continue to do it's job every single turn. Hit or miss, it'll have an impact on the game. They can hold an objective for you and deny a small corner of your deployment zone to deep strikers, while slowly but steadily dealing damage or preventing movement/wasting enemy fire. They have 4 wounds, so they don't die easily even if someone manages to spot a sliver of one.

There's plenty of tricks you can do with the missed spore mines too. Last game (detailed a couple pages ago in a battle report), I purposely moved all 6 biovores so they had a higher chance of missing. I shot them at a random unit that was screening a character. This character was on a hill. I placed 4 spore mines behind that hill where nothing could see them unless they moved to see them, and they were close enough to the character that he would be hit by all 4 spore mines and die next turn unless he wasted a whole unit's movement and shooting to take them out. This is the kind of utility that wins games and for a very cheap price. That was on turn 1. They continued raining down Mortal Wounds for 5 more turns and only 1 died.

**Odrankt**

What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

**Niiai**

Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

They are not great.

That being said. They get better if you take 4+ of them.

They are one of the cheapest T6 3+.

They make good road blocks, and can block advancing armies for a turn.

They can cheap on number of deepstriking, by deploying on board and then burrowing.

**Sneggy**

Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

Why mawloc when you can Biovore?

Biovores put out similar damage output to a mawloc at a third of the price and are much more flexible and reliable.

Unless you desperately want a monstrous creature(a poor one offensively) in the back field they are just not really worth it.

**Odrankt**

Sneggy wrote:
Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

Why mawloc when you can Biovore?

Biovores put out similar damage output to a mawloc at a third of the price and are much more flexible and reliable.

Unless you desperately want a monstrous creature(a poor one offensively) in the back field they are just not really worth it.

Tried Biovores at a tournament 3 weeks ago and they didn't preform all that well tbh. I never got 1st turn so they were usually shot up 1st if people where able to aim and anytime a spore was set up instead of inflicting MW my opponents just shot them up.

I only own 3 Biovores but I have 4 Mawlocs and for 104pts they look pretty decent. Able to Deep strike within 2" of enemy units. I had a terrible time against Eldar due to all my opponents leaving no area for my to deepstrike in. Even if the Mawloc can't charge the turn it appears it could still be a good distraction or soak up some wounds from enemy fire.

Besides Biovores and Mawlocs, anything else I could take that will generally give me Mortal wounds, good toughness and either good shooting or Melee? I don't have access to a Sporocyst so don't think that Is an option.

**Badablack**

Mawlocs are the greatest distraction carnifex in the game. Nothing elicits an unnecessary amount of firepower like a giant monster 2 inches from all their backfield stuff. Just accept that if you only take one, it’s dead. Don’t upgrade it. Don’t even bother with the 1-point toxin sacs.

**Sneggy**

Odrankt wrote:
Sneggy wrote:
Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

Why mawloc when you can Biovore?

Biovores put out similar damage output to a mawloc at a third of the price and are much more flexible and reliable.

Unless you desperately want a monstrous creature(a poor one offensively) in the back field they are just not really worth it.

Tried Biovores at a tournament 3 weeks ago and they didn't preform all that well tbh. I never got 1st turn so they were usually shot up 1st if people where able to aim and anytime a spore was set up instead of inflicting MW my opponents just shot them up.

I only own 3 Biovores but I have 4 Mawlocs and for 104pts they look pretty decent. Able to Deep strike within 2" of enemy units. I had a terrible time against Eldar due to all my opponents leaving no area for my to deepstrike in. Even if the Mawloc can't charge the turn it appears it could still be a good distraction or soak up some wounds from enemy fire.

Besides Biovores and Mawlocs, anything else I could take that will generally give me Mortal wounds, good toughness and either good shooting or Melee? I don't have access to a Sporocyst so don't think that Is an option.

Your going to encounter the 'nowhere good to put them' problem more and more as people realise what they do.

If your opponents were shooting your biovores off before they did anything it means a few things:
1; either you didn't hide them properly or your tables dont have enough terrain to hide them in.
2; your opponent has hyper mobility and you didn't screen properly.

Biovores are a lot harder to block than mawlocs, thats for sure.

Mortal wound generation for Tyranids:
smite, psychic scream, exploding creatures (not great since its low chance and means you lost something), biovores, mawlocs, meiotic spores, mucolid spores, spore mines, malanthrope/similar poison auras, maleceptor bubble smite thing

Generally the stuff that does mortal wounds isnt great at doing much else (except the smite/psychic scream on broodlords/flyrants/swarmlord. Who all pay a premium for being dual purpose.)

With Biovores try things like placing the spore mines out of line of sight, or in positions where people have to move the wrong way to dispatch them. Whilst yes they can generate mortal wounds you can also ruin peoples game plans with them. Put them so people have to fall back towards them, or so people cant fall back at all.
Interfere with targetting priorities/charge lanes/moving towards objectives by dropping spores there.
Theres a very good argument that biovores are substantially better when they miss their targets.

I'm only running 3 atm (waiting on delivery of 3 more) as 3 units of 1 and I'm seriously impressed with them.

**Odrankt**

Badablack wrote:
Mawlocs are the greatest distraction carnifex in the game. Nothing elicits an unnecessary amount of firepower like a giant monster 2 inches from all their backfield stuff. Just accept that if you only take one, it’s dead. Don’t upgrade it. Don’t even bother with the 1-point toxin sacs.

Yeah was going to leave them as they are just cause it seems like the would not survive from focus fire if I was to bring 1-2. I am tempted to drop a GSC Leman Russ (Running GSC/Nids) to gain another 2 of them. 4 monster deepstriking within 2" of my enemy units does not sound like a fun time for them. Especially when the enemy units take MW when they deepstrike.

**Sneggy**

The problem is you cant stack up those mortal wounds on the same units much (specifically hidden characters) as the mawlocs have to be 6" away from each other.

Doing in en masse is sure to look threatening and maybe at the cheap cost its worthwhile as a distraction. Not convinced on their actual input aside from distraction though. Requires experimentation. Let us know how it goes with multiples.

**Odrankt**

@Sneggy

That's a good point. I did notice that all my opponents made anti-deepstrking spaces for only 9"drops though. I would imagine that for the 1st 3 games I could use the Mawlocs as planned before word spreads around and I'm up against people who can counter their ability.

They Biovores where subject to guns that didn't need Loss to be shot, dealth Mortal wounds from my Russ's exploring due to using them for LoS Blocking, lack of 3" or taller terrain.

They did play in 2 out of the 5 games but just didn't preform how I wanted. I probably didn't optimise their ability all that well but I suppose you can't learn from mistakes if you don't make them.

Using the spore as a way to prevent people from Falling back from combat so that they don't get dealth Mortal Wounds sound like a great idea. I was usually moving them towards objectives or tight spaces e.g between 2 buildings. To prevent my opponents movement and to stop them from scoring more points. Especially late game where every objective was worth 3VPs. It worked but I'd didnt star doing this until the end of my 3rd game.

My idea for the Mawlocs though is to just deploy turn one, deal all their mortal wounds, distract my opponents from firing at my Russ, Flyrants and Gstealers and any that survived will just burrow away and Deploy them again the next time they can.

I have a nifty guide on how to make Biovores from converted Warriors/Carnifex Claws. I own a Metal Biovores and 2 Warriors conversion and they are ideantical in size. I can show you a pic if you interested in the result?

The Mawlocs are only for distraction to be honest. 104pts for T6, 3+ save, chance of dealing mortal wounds Everytime they DS and they deal MW per unit within 2" of the Mawlocs DSing. I didn't even look at their attacks or anything so if they actually get into combat and did damage that would be a bonus. The plan is the deploy them in opponents corners and middle of their back board so it would look like I'm "encircling" them in Nids and their allies. Even if not effective it would be pretty thematic imo.

**NidsNidsNids**

Hi,
don't know if you guys remember me, I had a little fight with necrons... which I won by points. By 5 VP. But I only had ony model left in the end, and the necron guy had a fair control.
I hate Imortals with tesla and "My will be done" which add 2 extra hit with 5+

But with that in mind, a fresh barely victory I am looking into the Carnifexes - and especially Old One Eye.

His Alpha Leader gives him +1 to all hit rolls - then this should stack with his Beserk Rampage so that 5+ is in fact an additional attack

When I read the 1dchan of tyranids, they haven't connected these two abilites, but it's well know that aura effects also applies to the one who gives the effect.

Do you guys agree? Beserk Rampage at 5+? and any other +1's to hit would lower the dice roll needed for Beserk Rampage.

Just thought this should be noted in the 4dchan of tyranids.

Second question: If I have a vanilla Carnifex and I equip him with 2 pairs of dakka, so he has no CC weapons - then he would fight with his profile STR and no modifiers - basically claws and teeth?

**Herodius**

NidsNidsNids wrote:

His Alpha Leader gives him +1 to all hit rolls - then this should stack with his Beserk Rampage so that 5+ is in fact an additional attack

...

Do you guys agree? Beserk Rampage at 5+? and any other +1's to hit would lower the dice roll needed for Beserk Rampage.

...

Second question: If I have a vanilla Carnifex and I equip him with 2 pairs of dakka, so he has no CC weapons - then he would fight with his profile STR and no modifiers - basically claws and teeth?

1) Yes, Old One Eye gets extra attacks on a 5+ (barring any negative modifiers to hit). If he charges, then that changes to a 4+ (Immortal Battering Ram).

2) Yes, Pg 183 of the Rulebook, under 4. Choose Melee Weapon. It's worth mentioning that if you are equipping the Carnifex with Devourers, there is some debate over equipping it with the Acid Maw over the Enhanced Senses, due to the sheer volume of shots from the Devourers.

**Strat_N8**

Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

Not sure on the overall consensus, but I like them in Jormungandr tunnel lists.

1. Mawlocs can start on the table to allow more units access to the tunnel network, then use burrow on the first turn to join up with the rest of the deep striking units (ideally behind the enemy to make it harder to fall back).
2. Mawlocs offer another potential emergence point for units hidden in the tunnel networks if needed, and can in theory deliver multiple units in a game due to their burrow ability (assuming they tunneled in turn 1, burrowed turn 2, and came back turn 3).
3. Jormungandr's trait synergizes perfectly with the Mawloc's role as disruption, giving it a 2+ armor against shooting makes it even more obnoxious to remove after it performs a Terror from the Deep attack.
4. Jormungandr tends to be fairly CP hungry due to their stratagem so they generally want a Brigade and Mawlocs are a fairly inexpensive way to fill Heavy Support slots (cheapest is Biovores, but they don't have as much synergy with Jormungandr as the Mawloc does).

Also is worth noting, while they aren't exactly melee powerhouses Mawlocs do get a surprising number of attacks (9 total, 7 base, 1 for tail, 1 bonus for multiple scything talons).

**Amishprn86**

I love Mawlocs, i normally use 2, but i take them not just for Damage, but as forward threats with my Genestealers and HT's.

**ChargerIIC**

Hoping for some help on list choosing. I'm building up in an escalation league and need to make the final purchases to get to 2000 points. I'm debating betwen two list ideas but haven't been able to decide which one will work better.

List 1: Brigade with multiple popup threats:

Spoiler:

List2: Batt + 2 specailty formations, focusing on bigger targets in hope of threat saturation

Spoiler:

Any advice?

**Dynas**

Odrankt wrote:
Sneggy wrote:
Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

Why mawloc when you can Biovore?

Biovores put out similar damage output to a mawloc at a third of the price and are much more flexible and reliable.

Unless you desperately want a monstrous creature(a poor one offensively) in the back field they are just not really worth it.

Tried Biovores at a tournament 3 weeks ago and they didn't preform all that well tbh. I never got 1st turn so they were usually shot up 1st if people where able to aim and anytime a spore was set up instead of inflicting MW my opponents just shot them up.

I only own 3 Biovores but I have 4 Mawlocs and for 104pts they look pretty decent. Able to Deep strike within 2" of enemy units. I had a terrible time against Eldar due to all my opponents leaving no area for my to deepstrike in. Even if the Mawloc can't charge the turn it appears it could still be a good distraction or soak up some wounds from enemy fire.

Besides Biovores and Mawlocs, anything else I could take that will generally give me Mortal wounds, good toughness and either good shooting or Melee? I don't have access to a Sporocyst so don't think that Is an option.

What hive fleet did you play? I imagine Kronos Mawlocs againt eldar or Deamons and pop the 1 die pysker spell stratagem.

**Marmatag**

I've found the Kronos stratagem to be somewhat overrated. Against a Psyker army you'd have better luck with a Kronos warlord, though, because failed powers can really hurt. But again, this is so situational.

I'm looking more into the 6+ FNP. Our usable stuff is either in droves or has lots of wounds. A list with 6 tyrants gets effectively an extra tyrant with the 6+ FNP. My current playstyle and list is built around Kraken, but if i was making a monster based list, i would strongly consider Leviathan.

**lindsay40k**

Even if your opponent successfully screens, the fact that they did so means the Matlock forced them to react. That’s something. The larger the game gets, the more marginal the cost is on a single Maslow it and the greater the number of drops your opponent changes to avoid it. Also my autocorrect is clearly more interested in Derbyshire and psychologists than Xenos tremors worms

**Odrankt**

Strat_N8 wrote:
Odrankt wrote:
What's the consensus on Mawlocs? Have not used them but tempted to drop a Flyrant to field 2 of them. How have you guys been using them and how many? What's everyones recommended Have Fleet?

Not sure on the overall consensus, but I like them in Jormungandr tunnel lists.

1. Mawlocs can start on the table to allow more units access to the tunnel network, then use burrow on the first turn to join up with the rest of the deep striking units (ideally behind the enemy to make it harder to fall back).
2. Mawlocs offer another potential emergence point for units hidden in the tunnel networks if needed, and can in theory deliver multiple units in a game due to their burrow ability (assuming they tunneled in turn 1, burrowed turn 2, and came back turn 3).
3. Jormungandr's trait synergizes perfectly with the Mawloc's role as disruption, giving it a 2+ armor against shooting makes it even more obnoxious to remove after it performs a Terror from the Deep attack.
4. Jormungandr tends to be fairly CP hungry due to their stratagem so they generally want a Brigade and Mawlocs are a fairly inexpensive way to fill Heavy Support slots (cheapest is Biovores, but they don't have as much synergy with Jormungandr as the Mawloc does).

Also is worth noting, while they aren't exactly melee powerhouses Mawlocs do get a surprising number of attacks (9 total, 7 base, 1 for tail, 1 bonus for multiple scything talons).

Can Mawlocs deploy other units? I thought it was only the Trygon that was able to deploy Infantry keyword units when it tunnels to the surface?

Jormungandr Mawlocs sound pretty neat only issue is that they will be in the same Detachment as Genestealers so I'll need a Hive Fleet that benefits everyone. I could use an AM Detachment to use Grand Strategist to gain a CP on a 5+. That would probably help out with you eating Into your CPs.only issue is that your GSC detachment would be tax. I don't intend on my Mawlocs getting into CC or lasting long enough to get the option to. If they get into CC it's just another way for mean to deal wounds.

@Dynas

I was using Kraken because of my units of Genestealers. I think Kronos would be a waste on Mawlocs due to no guns and the Stratagem is only a once per turn Stratgem. If it lasted till the next pyskic phase then it be more tempting.

**Amishprn86**

Yes but its 1CP and they still need to be 9" away. It is used to place units in DS so a Lictor can redirect that DSing unit, so for 2CP you can have a Mawloc act as a Pod and still do damage while redirecting the unit onto a Lictor LOL.

I did that with a 30man Devilgant unit.

Edit: Want to note, I dont think its worth doing at all and is a waste of CP

**Zimko**

Amishprn86 wrote:
Yes but its 1CP and they still need to be 9" away. It is used to place units in DS so a Lictor can redirect that DSing unit, so for 2CP you can have a Mawloc act as a Pod and still do damage while redirecting the unit onto a Lictor LOL.

I did that with a 30man Devilgant unit.

Edit: Want to note, I dont think its worth doing at all and is a waste of CP

You can't do that. The FAQ restricted this use of Pheremone Trail.

**Amishprn86**

It said for Genestealer If i remember, i'll dbl check

Automatically Appended Next Post:
"Page 119 – Pheromone Trail
Add the following sentence:
‘You cannot use this Stratagem to affect a unit of
reinforcements being set up by the Genestealer’s
Infestation ability, or that are added to your army due to
a unit’s ability.’"

**Herodius**

Amishprn86 wrote:
It said for Genestealer If i remember, i'll dbl check

Automatically Appended Next Post:
"Page 119 – Pheromone Trail
Add the following sentence:
‘You cannot use this Stratagem to affect a unit of
reinforcements being set up by the Genestealer’s
Infestation ability, or that are added to your army due to
a unit’s ability.’"

In the same FAQ:

Q: When a unit is set up in a locale other than the battlefield, can they change that locale (other than to be set up on the battlefield)? For example, if a unit is set up ‘within the tunnels’ as part of The Enemy Below, must they be set up on the battlefield following that Stratagem, or can they be set up in another fashion?
A: They cannot change their locale. In the example, they can only be set up on the battlefield following the conditions of The Enemy Below.

**Amishprn86**

Well thats completely stupid, i played it before the FAQ so i didnt remember fully. I've been using Imperial lately for a Doubles tournament in march.

So they just dont want Nids to use Lictors lol.

**lindsay40k**

Yeah, Lictors are marginally viable in Narrative and Open scenarios where you're allowed free reserves, and weak elsewhere. Even Deathleaper is just a minimum size Tactical Squad with rubbish guns and a fancy sword. Maybe the spring FAQ wave will rewrite PT to work like Jorm stratagem.

**Dynas**

Yeah. the FAQ killed lictors and 2 or 3 of our stratagems. The other one i like was metabolic overdrive with catalyst to charge. Cant do that anymore either. I mean come on. At least let me charge and on a 6+ i take a wound. Just extend the stratagem wouldn't be that hard.

**Strat_N8**

Odrankt wrote:

Can Mawlocs deploy other units? I thought it was only the Trygon that was able to deploy Infantry keyword units when it tunnels to the surface?

Not innately, but the Enemy Below stratagem allows Jormungandr infantry units to be put into the tunnel network and emerge alongside a tunneling unit (Raveners, Mawlocs, Trygons). While Mawlocs ideally want to use their Terror from the Deep ability, they are perfectly viable targets to bring in units with if required.

Also note that the Trygon can only deliver units with the TROOPS battlefield role. If you want to deliver other infantry units (like Shock Hive Guard or Venomthropes) you'll need a Tyrannocyte or Jormungandr.

**Zimko**

Dynas wrote:
Yeah. the FAQ killed lictors and 2 or 3 of our stratagems. The other one i like was metabolic overdrive with catalyst to charge. Cant do that anymore either. I mean come on. At least let me charge and on a 6+ i take a wound. Just extend the stratagem wouldn't be that hard.

Onslaught didn't really allow that to begin with. Metabolic overdrive is really good as is anyway.