Warpshadow.com

(Moderators please move this topic if this is in the wrong topic section)

My fellow Hive Commanders:

After years of hibernation (due to my military responsibilities), I am planning a return to 40k and my Leviathan Tyranid army. Unfortunately, I haven't played Tyranids in several years. As such I request assistance in focusing on what units to field. With the new rules and Codex, I really dont know where to start. Here is my current inventory:

HQ
2 ~ Brood Lords
1 ~ Winged Hive Tyrant - Bone Sword - Lashwhip - Scything Talons
1 ~ Winged Hive Tyrant - 2x Devourers
1 ~ Hive Tyrant (old metallic that I can convert with magnets)
1 ~ Swarmlord
1 ~ Tervigon
1 ~ Tyranid Prime (unfinished so any weapons are available)

TROOPS
12 ~ Warriors - Rending Claws - Scything Talons
1 ~ Warrior - Venom Cannon - Scything Talons
2 ~ Warriors - Deathspitter - Rending Claws
2 ~ Warriors (unfinished so any weapons are available)
51 ~ Genestealers (8 unbuilt)
50 ~ Termagants - Fleshborer
70 ~ Termagants - Spine Fist
29 ~ Hormagaunts
6 ~ Ripper Swarms

ELITES
3 ~ Tyrant Guard - Scything Talons - Rending Claws
2 ~ Hive Guard - Impaler Cannon
2 ~ Lictor
1 ~ Deathleaper
4 ~ Zoanthropes
2 ~ Venomthropes

FAST ATTACK/FLYERS
12 ~ Gargoyles
6 ~ Raveners
1 ~ Hive Crone

HEAVY SUPPORT
3 ~ Biovores
1 ~ Trygon (older Forgeworld resin model)
3 ~ Carnifex - 2x Devourers
2 ~ Carnifex - Heavy Venom Cannon - Stranglethorn Cannon
1 ~ Carnifex/Beast of Phodia - Stranglethorn Cannon - Scything Talons
1 ~ Carnifex - Crushing Claws - Any Monstrous Bio-weapons
1 ~ Carnifex (unbuilt - may be magnetized)

===========================================
NOTES
1) I will be going to a local GW store to relearn how to build lists, so I am looking for suggestions for 1000, 1500, and 2000 points. I don't know how to use the Power points yet.

2) Although I love all the Tyranid models, I want to AVOID purchasing new models.

3) I apologize if some of my weapon choices look silly. The last time I played with any consistently was in 2006 and Sniperfexes (Heavy Venom Cannon and Stranglethorn Cannon was and legal unit)

Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

Welcome back to the game.

My experience so far in 8th is trying to find a balance between mobility and redundancy, which has been the core of tyranids anyway. The biggest things to note are quantity seems to do better than quality and going for a highly aggressive playstyle if you're interested in more competitive games.

Some of my key models are Swarmlord, old one-eye, harpie(with HVC), and tyranofex(with acid spray). They are Nidzilla based models but that's not to neglect flooding the board with 200x gants/gaunts has served well. High wound models are often punised with high damage weapons and the sheer bulk of wounds from fodder units can resist alot more firepower since armies like space-marines and Tau often favor high damage over quantity.

As for building, personally I stick to a singular hive fleet adaption but you are allowed to make hybrid/combinations aslong as it's a legal detatchment. This can be beneficial if you consider a searm of genestealers with Hive fleet kraken paired with a couple exocrine under hive fleet Kronos. The combination gives you a solid balance of melee and range however their respective synapse will not work for the one another. Synapse has been changed to be less of a crutch but still factor into the army, (IE a army with absolutely no synapse will suffer some penalty and risks but just as powerful as a typical build with)


Next I would have to mention Mortal Wounds dominate the game. Anything from spore mines, aura's, weapons, ect. Anything that has chance of dealing MW will be your most reliable damage since it cannot be defended against (most cases) and excess MW will carry over to the unit were Excess Damage is often wasted on single wound models.



Couple of common tricks I find tyranids useing is Swarmlord's hive commander and hive fleet kraken to move a brood of genestealers and assault on the first turn. Spamming biovores to flood the field with spore mines causing opponents to waste shots on preventing their mortal wounds.

My personal tricks is 2x tyranofex with acid spray inside tyranocytes to drop them behind/mid field to utilize their double tapping ability and no needing to move often. Harpies have also proven well since they are also capable of shooting and assaulting turn one and their spore mine ability is added threats. OOE has also proven to be a wonderful light vehicle and infantry destroyer since he can be hidden amongst our fodder units.

A few side notes to consider building is utilize the character rules to hide valuable targets and how to target your opponents (Death leaper not as good as he used to but another nice combo is DL and SS to get into melee combat with some key characters early on, usually in a sacrifice play but can get the job done reliably in most cases.)