Today I’d like to go through a list of what I’ve seen come out of tournament Tyranid lists over the last few months, and weigh in on what I think is working. The Tyranid book is often overlooked when people talk about winning Codexes, but more and more we’re seeing the weight of favor towards the bugs.
I believe the biggest reason for this is due to the mechanization of Fifth Edition. With more and more armies being a Space Marine variant, everyone has access to Rhinos. With the fact that vehicles are so strong they might as well be made out of diamonds, most people load up on anti-tank weaponry, and rightfully so. Hell, even my main tournament list is a Melta-spam Vulkan Drop Pod list.
So, what are the big names in Tyranid list making using today. I wanted to find out, so I’ve been scouring minds both local and foreign to find out what makes a good Tyranid list tick.
Working
Hive Tyrants
He’s a delightful balance of points per ability, making him a great buy and a ton of fun. The model is great and dynamic, and he does something I never thought the Tyranids could. He makes putting things in reserve not suicide. This alone puts him on my list, but he is great in any role you choose him to fill.
Hive Guard
Popping tanks at a distance is awesome, and that’s before you even notice the Toughness six. You’re basically required to take at least one full squad.
Tervigons
Termagant spam is awesome, and one of two dominant modes of Tyranids in my opinion. Overloading with large numbers of Troops provides an effective and fluffy Tyranid army. Too bad every game takes six hours moving all those Termagants.
Trygons or Mawlocs
I’m not entirely sure there’s other things in the Heavy Support slot. Argue amongst yourselves which to take, but I say one of each is a good place to start. They’re massive, scary bullet magnets. Even if they never make it into combat, the tactical scare can win games.
Genestealers
They may have been extremely nerfed in the new edition, and they’re still one of the best. That goes to show how broken they were. They still are one of the best close-combat Troops in the game. It’s easy to max out four or five slots, and with some Tyrant or Lictor backing you can Infiltrate them like a boss. I know I usually run forty in a list. They are the definitive Tyranid unit. Take em with Glands for maximum fun!
Kinda Working
This stuff can definitely make it into a tournament-level list, but isn’t a “Must take”. There’s no shame here, and imagine most people’s beef with my rankings will be on these units.
Venomthropes
The cover save is nice, and a great complement to Tervigons. The price of entry is a little steep for such a frail body, though. The model’s neat though!
Zoanthropes
They look so good on paper, and to be honest they’re not terrible. I can see the use of running a squad in a tournament list without batting an eye. The problem arises from the psychic check to shoot, and the inability to consistently handle armor 14. You end up with a few decent attacks, and sure you might get lucky and wreck a Land Raider, but the lack of consistency for a relatively expensive unit makes them a tough call.
Ymgarl Genestealers
They’re Genestealers with a few more rules and buffs, but the problem is that they’re really expensive. Maybe a competent general in a larger tournament would field them, but they are not push-button win like some of the other items on this list. If you bought Space Hulk on accident like the rest of us, then I would definitely use the models, but you can skip them if you’re not a fan or not confident in your skills.
Not Working
I had to include a few things in the “duh” category. I doubt anyone would take these guys, but if you want to defend your favorite underdog unit, let me hear about it in the comments.
Tyrannofexes
I really thought these were the unit to beat when the codex came out. All the fun weapons, the cool name, and what could be an incredible model make this guy drool worthy. However, competing with the Mawloc and Trygon is a tough call, and the model never materialized. He also needs to shave 10 to 30 points to make him truly competitive.
Carnifexes
I really put this in just to express my dismay at the current ‘Fexes. I have three close-combat-oriented ones I bought during Fourth Edition. The model oozes Tyranid style. Sadly, they don’t even come close to the point cost assigned to them; they’re completely neutered. Mine sit awaiting retrofitting into Tervigons, but I just can’t bring myself to break them down.
Pyrovores
150ish points for three two-wound guys who suck in close combat, foot slog, and only have a 4+? And they compete with, oh, seven of the best Elite choices in the game? Where do I sign up! I also think the model is a static, boring mess.
So, that’s what I see as the state of the Tyranids. How’d I do? Is there any glaring omissions, or any undeserved chiding? I still can’t decide where Doom fits in, and it seems like the internet is just as divided. Let me know how you feel in the comments!
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What about my babies the warriors? Run enough MCs and that toughness 4 instant death actually causes more problems for your opponent than yourself
My opinion of Warriors:
Vicious and underestimated. Yeah they got no more eternal warrior, but people dont know about their devestating attacks, wounds, and if you throw wings on them they basically can ruin a Close combat squads day.
My opinion: Warriors and Shrikes need to be placed in the “Works well”
Oversight and agreed. I’ll add it tonight if I make it from work at a decent hour.
Gargoyles are pretty BA as well. I’d put HT in the “Kinda Working” spot as they cost SO MANY points. I’d put the Tervigon in a slot above by itself, maybe with hive guard.
Yes! Nid articles brighten my day!
Hmmm …. I have been running Nids as my main army since the day this codex dropped and have had ample time to experiment with a variety of lists, so I have a few notes for the margins on this one.
Tyranid Primes – Even ignoring the Alpha Warrior ability to boost warriors, the Prime is a valuable HQ for two reasons; He is cheap (no fighting that when you look at the other HQs) and he synergises so well with certain units.
The Prime allows the humble carnifex the bonus of cover by making half your models infantry, you can mess around with regen and such but anytime you ratio them 1:1 or 2:2, you can pull cover through gaunt screen. You can also use them to drop synapse into places where synapse can be a vulnerability or otherwise unavailable due to the dynamics of your list, for instance, the Prime in a unit of hive guard gives you a synapse node dug into a tough unit that can hide and still be effective while the rest of the army is stuck in AND with proper biomorphs, produces a unit that isn’t as apt to being charged by chump units (no more hive guard getting tied up by 5-man chump squads). Same can be applied to venomthropes to make them an active part of the assualt push up the board – and a little more durable.
Now, as far as carnifexes go, I have been a trygon man for a long time, but mostly for reserve manipulation lists. When I look at hordes, the Trygon still has a place (but that is a longer discussion), but it is the carnifex that has become my darling. In the swarm lists, you pair carnis with primes and strap them with 2x devourers for some serious tank suppression/infantry killing. It takes some getting used to but as I have gotten used to how they synergize with the rest of a supporting list, they have become a go-to unit when I build lists.
I think the tyranid players out there are still feeling their way around and it shows in both the local and the internet metagame. There is little we all agree on and many folks just won’t run them for tourneys. As time progresses, some of the underdog units will be seen in better lights. It is a hard army to get a handle on in terms of gameplay, but also dollars. How many folks do you know have enough models to try a 5 tervigon list?
Anyway, I feel like I have done a little hijacking here, so I just want to say this is a great article and a slippery subject. I don’t know how many tyranid players you have locally, but on my side of town, I am the only full time one I know.
Yeah I forgot to mention that Primes are seen as the best HQ (tervigons as troops).
I’d put Lictor in the “duh” category as they aren’t very good either. Not as bad as the pyrovore, but they’re bad. I still use them because I love the idea of them and the model, but I doubt I’d ever see them in a competitive tournament.
I’m going to try this list this weekend at Gamers Sanctuary in Flint – 1500 pt tourney:
hq HT 265 scytal, wings, adrenal glands, hive commander
elite zoanthropes 160 2x zoans in mycetic spore
elite zoanthropes 160 2x zoans in mycetic spore
troops genestealers 136 8 genestealers w/ toxin sacs
troops genestealers 136 8 genestealers w/ toxin sacs
troops tervigon 195 Catalyst, Adrenal glands, toxin sacs
troops termagaunts 50 10 termagaunts
fast attack harpy 170 TL heavy venom cannon
fast attack gargoyles 112 x14, adrenal glands, toxin sacs
fast attack gargoyles 112 x14, adrenal glands, toxin sacs
It is a list I built for fun based on a gimmick – everything is reserved. The HT, zoans, gargs, and harpy are deep striking while the genestealers and tervigon are outflanking. The small termagants unit is built to take a spot on my side of the board (and make the tervigon troop, which means my hive commander can make him outflank).
Hopefully most everyone comes on turn 2 (hive commander makes it a 3+). I wouldn’t consider this a competitive list, but it should be fun. Plus I get to try out my new harpy.
Alright, a few hours into the evening and a fex and prime list brought me victory against an optimized dark Eldar list. Just saying …