40K Online

EldarOnline => Eldar => Topic started by: WailingDoom on September 15, 2002, 03:15:02 PM

Title: Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: WailingDoom on September 15, 2002, 03:15:02 PM
Im thinking of starting a tyranid army, and i'll be mainly facing eldar and spacemarines. The marines dont worry too much, but the eldar do. Ive been told that a Dark Reapers squad can take out an entire brood of 32 gaunts. This is a very frightening thought as i had planned to have lots of gaunts. I also was told that Wave serpants and Falcons will be a nightmare, and so will banshees and scorpions. So if anyone could just give me some tips and tactics, whether you play Tyranids or not.
Thanks.

PS- tactics for tyranids vs. anyone else ould be apreciated too.
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: phobius_firehand on September 15, 2002, 11:33:58 PM
I think you should get a bunch of 4 point gaunts and no synapse creatures.  ;D
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: The Hive Custodian (Retired) on September 16, 2002, 12:18:51 AM
First, don't listen to him.

Second, against Eldar... you can expect:

Starcannons on Vypers
Scorpions
Starcannons on Wave Serpents
Swooping Hawks
Starcannons with Guardians
Wraithlord... with Starcannon...

'Least that's what I see a lot of.

Against Starcannons... use Venom Cannons, perhaps on Warriors with Wings so they can move fast and Deep Strike. At the very least, you'll make them pay a few extra points for a Crystal Targeting Matrix.

Scorpions... there are two ways of dealing with Scorpions:
1. Get a Tyrant or 'fex in there.
2. Mob 'em!
DO NOT go point-for-point with them with anything besides Ripper Swarms, a Tyrant, a 'fex, or a CC Warrior.

Swooping Hawks... unless you want to try to chase them down, there's not a whole lot you can do... if they Deep Strike:
1. Hope they scatter bad: off the table, or too far toward your lines.
2. Watch out if you have Hive Nodes. They are easy targets for Grenade Packs... Biovores take note, too, though they have two Wounds.

Guardians: Frag Mines. Or you can run them down with fast Gaunts.

Wraithlord: Get a fair sized brood of Genestealers in: every 6 you roll to wound wounds it and denies the armor save.

As for Dark Reapers: 5 Dark Reapers, 10 shots, about 7 hits, about 6 wounds on Gaunts a turn. Cost: Nearly 200, if no Exarch.
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: Predatoria on September 16, 2002, 02:52:26 PM
I am a nid's player and one thing I know, is that you cannot target the hive nodes.  They are considered as heavy weapon guy (same thing for other mutant) so you can alway switch them until everyone is dead.

Scorpions are the worst nightmare of any nid's player.  Even boosted hormagaunt dies by there hands.  Hive Tyrant and Carnifex are good against them.  That's the thing with eldars.  Don't try to act like if this was a normal army, I mean, you cannot beat any of their troops with yours.  You have to use your support...  And I don't talk about their elites...  Even worst, with the biel-tan army list, scorpions are troops!

Well, cheese against cheese.  Use your the Old One Eye who can beat anything in the eldar army in close combat.   Cover him with underlines ripper swarms are perfect, because no matter happens to them, they won't fall back they are fearless and they don't need synapse creature.  Covering him in this way will give him the opportunity to have many many wounds.  Because in the new assaut rule, you cannnot target a single models.  You cannot target the energetics gauntlet... but with underlines they cannot target your old one eye.  Same story with the hive tyrant.
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: Asurmen_ on September 16, 2002, 03:24:28 PM
Is old one eye a IC if not then he can't join the ripper squad and if he is then you can target him in combat
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: Predatoria on September 16, 2002, 05:48:19 PM
In the new assaut rules, even IC cannot target ennemy in close combat...  That make them and Exarch more powerfull than before because they will survive and will be the last one to die.  Read the new rules...  they are better than the old ones...
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: The Hive Custodian (Retired) on September 16, 2002, 07:21:42 PM
The Swooping Hawk Grenade Pack can pick out the Hive Node because it is an indirect weapon. You don't need to roll to hit, you just place the template over your target and roll to scatter. The D-cannon can pick out Hive Nodes too, but who wants to be within 24" of Gaunts?
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: Hivemind on September 17, 2002, 01:49:15 AM
The only thing that would save the hive node would be if not all the creatures under the blast marker were killed.  If there was one survivor you could choose to make it the hive node mutant.  You cannot reposition a blast marker that scatters - like a D cannon's or grenade pack's.

Predatoria, read the new rules a little more carefully.  Even joined with another unit IC's are considered seperate units when deciding to allocate attacks in close combat.  The Tyrant and OOE can be picked as a target by any enemy in base contact - even if accompained by Tyrant Guard or other Tyranids.  The new assault rules make monstrous creatures slightly worse in assault since they can be targeted, but can no longer target the powerfist weilding vet sarge, or exarch with scorpion claw.  The idea behind the new rules was to make assaulting units LESS powerful.

Similarly, even if he's in a unit of rippers, OOE could be targeted by shooting attacks.  The Tyranid codex is very specific in saying that only Tyrant guard will prevent monstrous creatures from being specified as a target by enemy fire.

Its a good idea to send a more numerous unit with your monstrous creature though - since that way the entire enemy unit won't be able to engage the monster at once.
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: SKEETERGOD on September 17, 2002, 10:23:48 AM
I play against nids alot!  I have to say that the unit that gives me the hardest time are gargoyles.  Various types of gaunts no matter how mutated ar still just gaunts and are easily slaughtered.  But two groups of gargoyles are the biggest threat to my troops.  The next worst unit is the zanthrope.  They are one of the toughest critters to get as they follow closly to the other critters and they actually have a weapon that can kill my falcon and waveserpents.  The peskyest is the biovore.  Spreading mines all over the table to limit my movement so I have to spend a unit shooting at mines instead of critters.  The nid players I play against have given up trying to target my units with mine fire and instead shoot short so that I cant zoom around as I like.  The nids move through but I get blasted.  Also give your tyrant a guard.  The players who dont almost always lose thier tyrant first turn against me.  The guard will suck up a lot of fire before the tyrant gets hit causing me to spend more shooting, usually two turns before it dies.  Mean while the rest of his army gets closer.  I see a lot of new nid players who think the steeler is the ultimate unit, but they are not.  They get creamed by pistol fire, and when assaulted by banshees or scorpians they are all dead with no return attacks.  Sure one unit of 6 or 8 is good to get into the rear and cause a distraction, but it will die before turn 3.  So to sum up, take gargoyles, zanthropes, biovores, and a tyrant guard.  Minimize steelers, and dont waste points on mutating gaunts.
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: Predatoria on September 17, 2002, 05:09:15 PM
Hive Mind, it's seems you are right, I search in the White Dwarf and Q/A for answers.  I'll Write the rules to make things Clear :

First the mutants (hive nodes) it is writting in the Q/A of the new chapter approved book (it's on the net on the official site of GW) exactly that :

Q. Folks around here are wondering how to treat mutants in squads for shooting.  Assuming identical statlines, I would imagine that they count as heavy weapons troopers in that they aren't going to die until you kill the whole squad/kill everything under the template.  Others want a hit assignet to the mutant which is rolled separetely, in hopes of nailing him with a simple bolter round.  Which way should this be played?

A.The mutant should be treated like a heavy weapon trooper.

What I did'nt saw, was the "/kill everything under the template"

As for the Monstrous Creature, I did'nt talk about shooting, for it is clearly stated in the rules of the Codex that they can always be shot at.  

It's is written in the new assaut rules that Monstrous Creature are considered like Inpendent Caracter and that they are always a unit in their own.  So the only way to protect your Beasties is to put many gaunts around the dangerous caracters like power fist and some eldar stuff to (I don't remember the name of it).  So the caracter will have to engage the unit in base to base contact.  An independent character may allocate his attacks between units engaged with.  It's a UNIT he can choose not models (witch means he cannot target your mutants), but don't forget that Monstrous Creature always count as a unit.

I hope it will be clearer that way.
Title: Re:Tyranid tactics vs. eldar
Post by: elvishlord on September 17, 2002, 05:58:00 PM
ok, hive nodes are a big no-no. put like 3-4 exceptional size S&T 8 gaunts into play, but don't tell them, and have your armylist on paper so you can prove you did.  they will go against anything with synapse, so run as many warriors as you can with the good stuff, venom cannons are heavy ONLY!! you are better off running zoies with warpblast than a venom cannon.  biovores are nice, but they attrack hawks like a fly to sugar, run a squad of warriors with sything talons and venom cannons as 1 heavy, a fex with a BS as the next, then 3 zoies as # 3.  run nothing but gaunts for troops, genestealers cost way too much concidering the main purpose is ripping armor apart, and eldar have none.  run gargoyles or close combat warriors as fast, i reccomend the gargoyles, raveners are only good for catching bullets.  warriors as elites. and if you can wing it, warriors as HQ.  the idea it to shoot hard, and get there and tie stuff up in 2 turns max. i used to play nids.