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So The Tyranid Warriors are back in a big way. Their gun, the Deathspitter, going down 3pts is really great, combine this with the super low cost of the Boneswords who bring them up to 4 attacks each that go through armor decently makes them very fierce in close combat. To really cement them with the right to be considered; the new Venom Cannon got a nice upgrade so these guys pack a pretty heavy hit in the shooting department as well as in close combat and are synapse to boot all for a very decent price.
Unlike Genestealers the Warriors actually can get Adrenaline Gland, thus by adding to this the Behemoth trait to reroll charge rolls, you get a big unit that can comes out of a Trygon Hole and has a re-rollable 8+ charge roll to make which is a very decent chances to make it, even if they are to fail a charge, they would still have been able to shoot at least which isnt bad compared to other options.

Behemoth actually unlocks one of the few good Tyranid Relics, the nice Scythe of Tyran, giving the Flyrants Talons a much needed Str boost and more attacks too.
This list would have up to 6 units that would try to make that 8+ Behemoth rerollable charge.
Using 1CP for Bounty of the Hive Fleet Stratagem to give the second Flyrant the underwhelming Reaper of Obliterax, I have a question about the Reaper's ability of double damage and the Toxin sac adding 1 damage, does this mean that he deals 7 damage or does he deal 8 damage when he rolls a "6"?

Anyways, heres the list

Behemoth Battalion Detachment

219 - Hive Tyrant - Warlord (Adaptive Biology) - Wings - PPT - Scythe of Tyran (Relic) - Heavy Venom Cannon - TS - AG
219 - Hive Tyrant - Wings - PPT - Reaper of Obliterax - Heavy Venom Cannon - TS - AG

297pts - 9xTyranid Warriors - 3xVenom Cannon - 6xDeathspitters - 9xBoneswords - AG
297pts - 9xTyranid Warriors - 3xVenom Cannon - 6xDeathspitters - 9xBoneswords - AG

173pts - Trygon - PPT - AG (Tyranid Warrior Unit in tunnel)
173pts - Trygon - PPT - AG (Tyranid Warrior Unit in tunnel)

(Stays with Malanthrope and HG)
99pts - 3x Tyranid Warriors - 1xVenom Cannon- 2xDeathspitters - 3xBoneswords - AG


Kronos Spearhead Detachment

90pts - Malanthrope

144pts - 3x Hive Guard - Impaler Cannon
144pts - 3x Hive Guard - Impaler Cannon
144pts - 3x Hive Guard - Impaler Cannon

1999pts - 9 deployments - 7 CP


Backfield of Hive Guards with a few Warriors for close combat and a Malanthrope for cover, Kronos for better shooting.
most everything else deepstrikes in and charges on first turn with the Behemoth + Adrenal gland combo.
I need to keep at least one of the flyrants on the board since I only have 11 units thus the max I could deepstrike is 5 units.
So, at least one Flyrant must stay on the board, either way, depending on the scenario, starting on the board can make it even easier to get your charge on first turn with the very decent 16" Mov they have. Probably the Warlord would stay on the board since his warlord ability make him tougher and makes him want to take a bit of damage early.

Shooting is very decent:
18 Impaler Cannon Shots
2D3 Heavy Venom Cannon Shots
7D3 Venom Cannon Shots
42 Deathspitter shots
12 Bio-Electric pulse shot

Close combat is very strong with 6 big threats who are likely to make it in close combat on first turn, the shooting I have will be able to pop transports if that is needed.

Im pretty satisfied with this list but what do you think Dakka? did I forget something?

Warriors are indeed worth now, but without the tyranid prime buffing them I wouldn't run them honestly.

Also without advancing and charging or with deepstrike charging behemoth trait isn't that good. It would benefit you more to have leviathan's or jormugundyr's trait with warriors.


Don't forget that the malanthrope's -1 hit aura doesn't work on nids from a different fleet so that's also a bit of a rough spot.

Agree. Behemoth is really best with the DS/Trygon Tunnels. I ran it this weekend and I only actually ended up getting the benefit of the rerollable charge once.

I would make the entire fleet kronos or levithan. You have a lot of synapse so you can easily get everything the FnP.

The Reaper of Obliterax is fun.
The damage is 7, you multiply first then add, so (3x2)+1 (note if you take the Behemoth warlord trait on the Warlord you get another +1)

Agree with making it Kronos. Why miss if you don't have to?

Tyranid Primes Aura would be nice but with no way of making him deepstrike in like the other Warriors (Im not spending 123pts to Tyranocite a small Tyranid prime) I feel the warrirors on their own can do some good stuff without trying to get the Prime to run up the board to catch up to them.

When units deepstrike they are considered as having moved so all the Behemoth stuff wouldnt benefit from Kronos at all so that wouldnt be better.

This list was specifically minded towards Behemoth's better charges and even if the re-roll only let 2 or 3 units make their charge in the whole game it could be more than worthwhile since missing a charge is huge and this list has 5-6 hard charges to make on first turn and more across the game.

Leviathan or Jormungandr would be good too but would lose my ability to take the Scythe of Tyran which is a much better option than almost any other relic.

Are we sure that a Malanthrope from one fleet cannot give cover to another fleets units? where do we have that confirmation? it wouldnt matter too much in this list except for single small warrior unit staying in the back field and maybe for single Flyrant staying on the board if I dont get first turn but still I prefer knowing.

I haven't done the math, but at least in the Index, Barbed Stranglers were better than Venom Cannons against prettymuch everything IIRC. Did that change?

Also, you're gonna be pretty weak against deep striking and super fast fly units, so your hive Guard are pretty exposed.To squeeze out some points for screens, you may be able to go 1x6 Hive Guard to make good use of the Kronos strategem to doubleshoot, then fill with Biovores and use the remaining points on Termies to screen and grab objectives.

Also, regarding the Malanthrope aura, if the wording is <Hive Fleet> you're boned, if it's <Tyranid> you're fine. I don't have a codex in front of me so I don't know which it is.

Warriors are not that great, and for deepstrike s I would go with true champions the ravengers. Better movement more attacks and they can take RC. And there upgrade character can deepstrike with them. How about deepstrike ravangers and the warriors piggyback? Put a 1000 points of heavy bolters in the face of the SM and stuff will die.

@Chippen: The Venom Cannon got a great upgrade actually, AP went from -1 to -2 and Damage went from 1 to D3 making them actually likely to do damage vs before which was unlikely.

True, a strong alpha striking army would work well against this list due to not much being on the board at first but then I get to alpha strike his alpha strike

@Redinc: Im not convinced about the Raveners, sure the extra move is nice but deepstriking and shooting properly means that the Tyranid Warriors dont really suffer from being slow.
Raveners are 3pts/model more expensive and have a lesser ArSv which is significant in the survivability of the unit. they cant take the boneswords so would end up having the same 4 attacks that the warrirors with boneswords get, they dont have synapse and are not troops so dont help me get my command points as well from filling up a battalion detachment. I would also need to lose further CP to allow them to tunnel up more infantry behind them (this stratagem restrains me to Jormungandr only which doesnt work for Flyrants). lastly they dont shoot nearly as well as they cannot take the new and improved Venom cannon or can even take AG/TS.
The Red Terror really feels underwhelming for a 75pts close combat model who has no armor piercing, no shooting, no psychic, is really quite frail and unlike the Prime, his aura doesnt affect shooting attacks.

All this to say the Raveners still dont really impress me too much, not that they are bad but certainly not an auto-take over Warriors.

I do suggest you run it "mono" Fleet, as noted above with the Malanthrope, the Warrior babbysitters can't provide Synapse to a differant fleet. It's just so easy to get confused during play, that it might be worth avoiding.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The one reason I might run Kronos is that it can put the fear of the Hive Mind into a psycer heavy force.

Kronos would be useless on about 1400pts of my 2000pts list as these guys will not stop moving.

Behemoth is useless on the shooty units,

We have the possibility to split up the hive fleet so im taking this flexibility.

True there is a bit of confusion that could happen but I don't think it would be too bad.

Try this list for 2000:

+++ War (Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition) [113 PL, 1999pts] +++

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Tyranids) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Hive Fleet: Kronos

+ HQ +

Neurothrope

Neurothrope

+ Troops +

Ripper Swarms: 3x Ripper Swarm

Ripper Swarms: 3x Ripper Swarm

Ripper Swarms: 3x Ripper Swarm

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Tyranids) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Hive Fleet: Jormungandr

+ HQ +

Malanthropes: Malanthrope

Tyranid Prime: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs

+ Troops +

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Venom Cannon

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Venom Cannon

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Boneswords, Venom Cannon

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Tyranids) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Hive Fleet: Jormungandr

+ HQ +

Neurothrope

Tyranid Prime: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, The Ymgarl Factor, Toxin Sacs, Warlord Trait: Legendary Fighter

+ Troops +

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin Sacs

+ Heavy Support +

Trygon: Adrenal Glands, Biostatic Rattle, 3x Massive Scything Talons

Trygon: Adrenal Glands, Biostatic Rattle, 3x Massive Scything Talons

Trygon: Adrenal Glands, Biostatic Rattle, 3x Massive Scything Talons, Toxin Sacs


Put one prime and a mabey a nuero underground with the jormy strat and deep strike the third detatchment warrior squads and a prime+nuro onto a flank. You can strategum some spore mines in front of where your gonna put them for some chaff if you want. tons of firepower going where you need and attacking from 2 fronts.

I have a feeling that you have too many units deepstriking units Eihnlazer.
Maximum of half your units(not deployments) can start in reserve. Im counting 11 deepstrikers and 7 starting on board if 2 Characters use the tunnels, if you keep 2 rippers on the board you would be ok tho I guess and that can be usefull for negating alpha strikes.

Aside from this I would say that you are missing out on the Venom cannons that Warriros can get, to give you long range threat and anti vehicule/monster firepower which you have a serious lack of (Smite will only go so far).

You do have a lovely 12 CP and a lot of psykers but a vehicule heavy list will never go down from this list.

I didnt realize that the Jormungandr Strategem will allow you to bring in Characters like Broodlord and Tyranid Prime. thats a great catch, thanks bro! (is it 1CP per unit that deepstrikes? or 1CP to deploy as many as you want in tunnels? 1CP per unit right?)

I would let go of one detachment, probably get rid of Rippers and one Neurothrope or two and use these extra points to get the Venom cannons and a few extra warriors. One Chronos and one Jormungandr Detachment.

You'd be surprised at how effective the deathspitters are at taking out vehicles. They wound everything on 5's and give -1 AP so they can do work.


I like the buff to venom cannons, but volume of fire is where its at and no other army can put out the amount of str5 -1armor shots the warriors can.

Well a quick calculation would say that the 15 deepstriking warrior would average 3.3 damage if they all shoot into a T6+ , 3+ArSv unit (this is considering a Prime helping them shoot better) which is not very impressive.
6 Venom cannon would average 8 damage which is much better ratio and would also give the Warriors some actual long range shooting so would prepare you much better against very maneuverable armies and vehicule/monster heavy lists.

I could test this list if I had 18 Boneswords lol. I have the old Scything Talon rending claws setup right now

Looks great, curious how it does against IG and Tau Gunlines/Drones

Meh, im not all about WYSIWYG, all my warriors have 2 pairs of scything talons except for one out of three that has a barbed strangler and scytal.
My list is not confusing, all warriors have boneswords and deathspitter or Bonesword and Venom cannon.
The opponent just needs to be able to differentiate the special guy in the unit which is simple since its the one with a giant gun.

No confusion should happen so lack of WYSIWYG isnt a problem IMO