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Author Topic: New to 'Nids, looking for advice  (Read 1970 times)

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Offline Gunner_Sabot_Tank

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New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« on: April 8, 2013, 07:42:43 PM »
So I've been thinking about starting a Tyranid army for a while now and finally decided to go for it. The thing is, I've only ever played Marines and IG and have never played against anyone with Tyranids so I could use some advice on units to use/stay away from and potential tactics (my group of friends have SW, CSM, Orks, BA, Necron, and may soon include Eldar, DE). Our games tend to run1k-2k.

My codex should be coming in today with the first few units I've ordered coming in over the next week or so. All told I have 2 Battleforce Boxes, 1 box each Termagaunts and Hormagaunts, 1 Broodlord, 2 Hive Guards, 1 Hive Tyrant, and 1 Trygon/Mawloc coming in. Any advice on armaments for the Tyrant and gaunts, 'stealers vs Ymgarl 'stealers, Trygon vs Mawloc, and potential weaknesses against the above mentioned armies would be greatly appreciated.
Vincere Vel Mori

Offline Chuckles, The Space Marine Clown

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #1 on: April 9, 2013, 04:55:52 AM »
Welcome to the swarm!

A lot will depend on how aggressively competitive your local group's games tend to be. Tyranids can usually hold up okay against reasonably friendly lists used in "fun" games. In a more competitive environment however your list of good options narrows quite a bit. I will assume that you are playing in a pretty competitive environment, but if that's incorrect let me know and I'll amend my advice somewhat.

In general, you are singing from a fairly specific songsheet with Tyranids these days. The core elements of a powerful Tyranid list are, invariably, a Hive Tyrant (preferably with wings) or Tyranid Prime for HQ, and a mix of Termagants and Tervigons for troops. After that the next priority choices tend to be any combination of the following: Ymgarl Genestealers, Hive Guard, Doom of Malan'tai (pretty much always in a mycetic spore), Zoanthropes. After that you can fill in with whatever you like (including things like Trygons etc). As for regular genestealers vs Ymgarls- it's a pretty one-sided contest in favour of the Ymgarls. Regular stealers are naff all use for objective grabbing and have been pretty effectively neutered in assault by the 6th edition rules which have left them only marginally faster than regular infantry, no assault grenades and no outflank assault. The only real reason to take a stealer squad is that you have to to bring a Broodlord, and they're pretty good as character assassins. Use with care and keep your points spend to a minimum if you want to use normal stealers, but I'd just fill up with gaunts and tervigons and take them in the elites slot if I were you.

Keep the questions coming and I'll do my best to answer them.
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Offline Gunner_Sabot_Tank

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #2 on: April 9, 2013, 01:01:31 PM »
I'd say the environment is more friendly competitive. The guys like and try to win and don't pull any punches but its definitely a friendly atmosphere and no one brings any serious cheese. The most competitive one is probably the Necron player. My IG army is the only one in the group that can effectively deal with either his flier or his Monolith. But even at up to 2k pts I've only seen him field one or the other. What would be your advice as far as building either the Trygon or Mawloc and for a CC vs ranged focus on the Tyrant and warriors/Prime? Despite the shooting emphasis in 6th, most of the guys don't shy away from assault.
Vincere Vel Mori

Offline Travellar

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2013, 03:12:38 PM »
Really the Tyranid Tactics thread at the top of this board is a good place to start.  I may not agree with all the assesments myself, and some o fthem may have changed a bit since 6th ed has come out and everyone's sought to adapt, but fundamentally it's solid.

The biggest strength to Tyranids is the radical adaptability.  It is entirely possible to outnumber your opponents one game, with only a few models that can challenge them for quality, and be outnumbered three to one the following game because you decided to load up on Warriors.  You can mix to anything in between, use Mysetic spores to emulate a drop-pod marine force, or just crash across the field with monsterous creatures.

When this codex first came out, I spent close to 6 months loosing as I built army lists around each individual aspect of what's in the codex.  From those games I learned (vividly!) the strengths and weaknesses of each part of my force, before trouncing everyone I could find all summer long.  I'd suggest you take a similar approach, and work with all the different elements to find uot just what you've really got there.

Lastly, The Tyranid codex is built around Synergy.  It's extrodinarily unlikely you can choose just a few model types, say "these are the only units which are any good", and get anywhere with them.  Everything has it's role on the battlefield. Termagaunts get in the opponents way, Tervigons draw a lot of well deserved fire, Genestealers make a low profile, Warriors win where you need to win, Tyrants are over-priced support units that your opponent doesn't DARE ignore, Biovores destroy armies, Dues ex Trygon, ect.

Welcome, and happy hunting.

*ps: I almost forgot.  Tyranids are a highly psychological army.  You gain a lot of advantages from your opponent being afraid, and you have a lot of things they should be afraid of.  Keep them blasting away at those Genestealers in a blind panic, and you can snatch an objective (and victory!) with those three surviving Termagants while they aren't looking.  Also, paint.  Grey plastic isn't nearly as terrifying.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2013, 03:16:31 PM by Travellar »
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Offline Gunner_Sabot_Tank

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2013, 06:38:30 PM »
Also, paint.  Grey plastic isn't nearly as terrifying.

Oh I plan to. I hate putting models down on the board with nothing but primer and won't field bare plastic models. I'm planning on a green, jungle oriented paint scheme. Starting this tyranid army is taking me back to my Catachan days back in 2001. A lot of the fluff in that dex dealt with their deathworld vets and the nids stalking each other through the jungle.

I have a couple questions about some of the models though. The first, in the big picture of the Hive Fleet Eumenides bundle on GW's website you can see the winged tyrant in the back. What weapon is that he has? I would have guessed fleshborer hives until I realized only the T-Fex can take those. Whatever it is, it's also not in my tyrant kit that just came in.

The second question, what is the best way to get lash whips and bone swords that'll fit a warrior? The set that came with the tyrant look way oversized on the warrior and they don't quite fit in the socket. Also, what is the best source for TL Deathspitters and Devourers w/ BLWs for the tyrant?
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Offline GaleRazorwind

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2013, 05:19:24 PM »
It looks like those are either custom built arms or maybe something from forgeworld.

The Carnifex kit is where you will find the tl devs and deathspitters, and you can buy dual sword or sword/whip packs for your warriors on GWs website ($20 for a 3 pack), or you can simply make your own with spine fists and platicard. You can also make whips by cutting down the tubing for thee venom cannons and adding in a scytal on the nub.
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Offline Gunner_Sabot_Tank

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2013, 05:53:38 PM »
It looks like those are either custom built arms or maybe something from forgeworld.

The Carnifex kit is where you will find the tl devs and deathspitters, and you can buy dual sword or sword/whip packs for your warriors on GWs website ($20 for a 3 pack), or you can simply make your own with spine fists and platicard. You can also make whips by cutting down the tubing for thee venom cannons and adding in a scytal on the nub.

Thanks. I figured one of the kits had to come with those TL weapons. I'd seen the accessory sprues on the GW site but didn't wanna drop $20 a piece till I knew they were the right size. I like that idea about making the whips but it'll be a bit before I have spare venom cannons as so far I've made both of the ones that have come in the kits I have (Warrior and HT).
Vincere Vel Mori

Offline GaleRazorwind

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2013, 01:23:41 AM »
Here is an example of my conversion, AKA "Giant Meat Cleavers of Doom"

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Offline Gunner_Sabot_Tank

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2013, 02:45:02 AM »
Thats cool man. I'd like to see the finished products.

It looks like those are either custom built arms or maybe something from forgeworld.

Actually, I think they're in the T-Fex kit. I was browsing GW's site and there's a picture of the T-Fex with the same arms. I find it interesting they used a picture of a kitbashed model like that. It's also in this month's white dwarf battle report and in there they listed it as 2x TL devourers.
Vincere Vel Mori

Offline BritishBill

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Re: New to 'Nids, looking for advice
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2013, 09:20:42 PM »
Hello,

I have been playing Tyranids for a few months in my gaming environment and been having reasonable success with them. I have to say that if you want to be competitive, I very much agree with Chuckles assessment. The list I run is built around the following units, which ones will depend on the points limit.

1) At least one flying hive tyrant with Brain Leach Worms. At 1500 points and up I will take two. It is easily our most effective unit against fliers and tends to be a fire magnet which is difficult to hit when it is swooping. I will usually take Hive Commander with one of these to make bringing on reserves more reliable. Consider starting them in reserve against a heavy flier list if you are going second. Hive Commander should bring them in reliably and you should be able to bring down two fliers per turn.

2) Troops, I agree with Chuckles, the Tervigon / Termagaunt  route is the way to go. I field two tervigons with the minimum 10 termagaunts each. I generally do not upgrade them, at all, not even toxin sacs, I am always short of points.

3) The killing machines for this army are Trygons. I will take one as a prime and one normal. Both will have toxin sacs, being able to reroll to hit and to wound (normally) is a big benefit. They will normally both get in on the second turn due to Hive Commander.

4) Fast attack tends to be limited to gargoyles with poison. I will bring those in via deep strike on reserve before the trygon prime who will be the synapse control for these guys. I don't have that much success killing things with these guys, because they are weak, but they tie things up well and tend to also be a fire magnet.

5) Elites are our over crowded spot. I tend to put in a brood of hive guards first, then a brood of zoanthropes, then the doom in a spore. I started this list with upto three broods of Zoanthropes but I found the lack of range to be a problem, and the invulnerable save did not really compensate for the relatively low toughness. If you are really pushed for points, two single Zoanthropes work well, they tend to get ignored and provide some synapse cover.

As I say, I have been getting pretty good results with this army and it is nice, because Tyranids are rare where I play. Best thing though, this is fun to play and has good variety with both shooting attacks and some rather juicy close combat attacks. Tyranids are also fairly easy to paint and look good. I use hawk turquoise (thats the old name for it, I just can't get used to the new color names) as a base color which I will highlight by dry coating with mythril silver. The carapaces are Tin Bitz. But there are so many combinations that would look good with these models.

Hope this helps to some extent.


 


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