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I'm making a 1999+1 point list for a LFGS Tournament on Feb 9th. My list roughly consists of:

2 Flyrants with TL Devourers
2 Tervigons
10x3 Termagents
Doom in Pod
2 Carnifexes with TL Devourers in Pods
2x2 Zoanthropes
Skyshield Landing Pad

I've ran the list twice and won both times. One time being a 4-objective stomp-fest and the second was an extremely close 2-objective nail biter. Regardless, of whether I won or not , I wanted to get an idea of why so many people run Hiveguard. And those who do run them, spam them in their lists. I like having zoanthropes because I don't have to worry about S8 impaler cannons being strong enough for enemy AV 13/14. And having 2 groups makes the enemy have to spend more shots killing each. Also, if they run hoods, I can simply choose Biomancy from the BRB and grant myself blessings. Or TK for shrieks against full mech lists.

What do you guys prefer and why?! Thanks for voting!

Hive guard are great at killing skimmers, infantry and MCs. They are also tough as nails and don't require LOS which keeps them safe.

As far as av13/14 goes you have MC smash attacks at strength 10

Zoanthropes with telepathy can kill nearly anything with wounds with the primaris by acting like a directed Doom. While a deny the witch can reduce their effectiveness slightly, you can also wipe out whole units or MCs. Against vehicles they would lose their effectiveness but you can keep one with warp lance.

Hive guard are great, and make excellent shields while shooting at anything in range, killing light vehicles and throwing around str 8 shots.

Take both and use them for their strengths.

I was going to take all but you said 1999+1 so take both in that:

Zoanthropes have some nasty fun powers in the BRB and can pop tanks if you leave one codex plain. But they also have to test, hit, pen and now there's DTW. Plus at T4 they can eat a krak missile and die...

Hive Guard can ignore cover and some armor, good for the skimmers/MCs or instant gib a SM captain/character. Higher T means no getting popped themselves so I like 2 units of 2.

I would say looking at your list I would run HG as you have plenty of synapse and walking the zoans can be a while to get where they're needed. If I saw this across the table I would try to 'crash' the flyrants, then wound the moms before they dropped the kids off. (Like the pods by the way, don't see many at my flgs)

A technique I am trialling (quite happily, I might add) is to spam Zoanthropes (2x3), and to take Telekinesis on all of them.

The objective is to get as many Objuration Mechanicum results as possible (great not just against vehicles, but against regular troops too).

Telekine Dome is a nice consolation prize, and since I've also taken to running a brood of 30 Hormagaunts with Toxin Sacks, it's a real boost to their longevity.

Crush is in no way as effective as Warp Lance, but again, it's a consolation prize I would happily take. The same can be said of Shockwave; a situational Nova that can cut down the odd light infantry model if you have nothing else to do.

The only power on their I don't particularly like is Gate of Infinity; scary on a Swarmlord with Guards, not so handy on a Zoanthrope.

Anyway as to your original question about Hive Guard; they are a fairly reliable, medium-distance anti-transport battery at a dirt-cheap price and to boot you can hide them from your enemy and still use them to great effect. They fulfil a niche that few other Tyranids can (with the possible exception TMCs with quad-Devourers). For many lists, they are a no-brainer.

There is also a definite appeal in that unlike some of the more exotic Tyranid elites slots (Venomthropes, Lictors), Hive Guard are really easy to use, so you can inject them into your list and see quick, very visible results.

I tend to bring Hive Guard for primary ranged AT mostly due to their not requiring a psychic test in order to shoot. Unfortunately, in the majority of my games I have to deal with Runes of Warding which effectively reduces my Zoanthropes to living Shield Drones...

I do like both units however. In games where I can use my Zoanthropes freely I tend to leave them with their stock powers, since low AP shooting is a rare commodity in the Tyranid codex and there are plenty of other psykers in the army that are happy to take book powers.

Thanks for all the info. I really would like to run 2x2 Zoanthropes or 2x3 Zoanthropes and drop the Doom out of my list. I could put Telepathy's Psychic Shriek on the two in the pod if I play against a horde army. Even though it might only hit 2 groups instead of 3-4 groups. It's 12" instead of 6" and, the shriek doesn't get cover saves (Doom's ability does get cover saves made against it).

I feel like with 6 zoanthropes, or even 4, I have a lot more options. I could stick with blessings, or simply run them all shriekers if I play against a horde. If I need AT shooting, 6 lances S10 AP 1 shots do wonders. +2 to damage chart is way too tempting to pass up. Even with the extra rolls/tests. 4+ explodes. Hard to beat that when you're looking at a Hiveguard's S8.

Hopefully this thread will keep going and have more replies. I know a lot of people that I talk to are all convinced 3x3 Hiveguard on every list. I can't stand it. I can see running one squad for the more reliable low AV tanks, but Zoanthropes... they are so much scarier. They make my opponent have to choose between shooting at my flyers or the walking Zoanthropes on Turn 1.

I'm just starting to use tyranids, and I personally plan to use both. My reasons are as follows:
1. Hive Guard present a really good way of taking down skimmers (which are really common in my group). Ignoring cover is also useful against some units. Assault weapons are also useful, given that they don't suck in CC.

2. Zoanthropes present a useful source of back-field synapse. I like to play aggressively, and I don't like the idea of my tyrants/tervigons babysitting backfield units.

I would go 3 x2 Zoanthrope and aim for a choir if you are not worried about the need to crack AV. Just watch the dang Rune priests and eldrad. Had both shut down my Psychers in todays tourney at our FLGS. Out of the Armies that showed for the qualifiers ( 8 stores will be in the final) I got eldrad or a Rune Preist in every one I faced.

How do the Eldar and rune priests work? I've never played against them and have never play against anyone with hoods or priests T.T I feel like that's all I'll see in the FLGS tournament next month.

Eldar make you test on 3 dice and perils a lot, so you'll find yourself hamstrung by this if you have a lot of psykers. And this covers the entire board. Tyranids work in a similar fashion, but makes it harder to perils with a far, far shorter range. Rune priests have a very reliable DTW save.

Saythings wrote:
How do the Eldar and rune priests work? I've never played against them and have never play against anyone with hoods or priests T.T I feel like that's all I'll see in the FLGS tournament next month.

Eldar Runes of Warding force all enemy psykers on the board to take their psychic tests on 3D6 and in addition cause a Perils of the Warp attack on any roll that adds up to 12 or more in addition to double 6 or double 1 (example: A roll of 3, 5, and 4 = 12, therefore the psyker attempting to cast Perils). Since the effect is table-wide, the only real way to counter it is either killing the Farseer who has them (which is generally easier said than done, they generally hide away in a resiliant unit such as Wraithguard or a fortification) or simply not casting at all unless it is absolutely critical that turn.

I'm not quite as familiar with Rune Priests, but if I remember correctly they can nullify any pyschic power on a 4+ as long as the Rune Priest is within a certain distance of the casting psycher (I think it was 24'', might be wrong).

As for Hoods, their rules are now in the main rulebook and the old rules in the various codexes were FAQ'ed out. They are much weaker than before, so they shouldn't be as large a problem as the other two defense measures.

As an aside:

 DexKivuli wrote:
I'm just starting to use tyranids, and I personally plan to use both. My reasons are as follows:
Zoanthropes present a useful source of back-field synapse. I like to play aggressively, and I don't like the idea of my tyrants/tervigons babysitting backfield units.

You might want to consider a small unit of Warriors to do backfield babysitting instead of the Zoanthropes. Most Zoanthrope powers are relatively short ranged and they would probably be more helpful at the front-lines, while Warriors are perfectly happy to sit about taking potshots at things with one of their 36'' range guns (and being a troop unit they also are scoring in all missions, so if they are sitting on an objective while babysitting so much the better).