Talking Tyranids - A first opinions article on the most alien of factions
'To think that Tyranids are mindless beasts is a grave mistake. When you fight Tyranids you face not only those before you on the battlefield, but the untold thousands which seek to surround you, which attack your supporting units and destroy your supply lines in perfect synchronicity. These aliens have shown evidence of both tactics and strategy that speaks of a far worse threat than that posed by a mere beast.' — Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines
Hey everyone, I’m Nic. For the past five or so years, I’ve been looking an optimal way to play Tyranids in a competitive format. In recent years, this journey took me from the footslogging, Termagant producing, Tervigon oriented lists of 5th Edition, to the T9 spam Psyker lists of 6th Edition (When Tyranids still had access to Biomancy), and finally to the Flyrant spam and Lictor shame (editor: SHAME!) hell that was 7th Edition. The problem is – Tyranids has for the longest time not been the most competitive of armies in the game of Warhammer 40,000. Sure, they make great “big bad” style villains in many a narrative campaign, but on the tournament tabletop, they just aren’t in the top tiers.
That was then. Now that 8th Edition is here, the Hive Mind looks like it might have found quite a few new toys to play with in a brave new world. I haven’t had the time to do very much testing, but at first glance, here are some of my opinions on some of the standout entries in the Tyranid portion of Index: Xenos 2
Troops
Genestealers – By far the most amazing entry in the new “Codex”, these alien-close combat kings are once again a viable option on the tabletop. With a threat range between 11 and 26 inches due to their ability to charge even after advancing, and a newfound 5+ invulnerable save, they largely retained their low point costs. Expect them to make short work of most things on the tabletop as long as they get into combat. (editor's note: As of the 40k FAQ released on 2 July, Genestealer cults Purestrain Genestealers are 2 points cheaper due to their rending claws being 0 points. That doesn't make the Hive Fleet 'stealers any less awesome however.)
Hormagaunts – A highly mobile (8 inches move) screen with the ability to Pile In and Consolidate 6 inches, Hormagaunts are able to pull off a lot of shenanigans during the combat phase. Coming in at just 6pts each (with Adrenal Glands that give +1" to advance or charge distances), an experienced player with good positioning can use them to rather devastating effect.
HQ
Tyranid Prime – At less than 10 wounds, these Synapse providers cannot be singled out by enemy fire in the new edition, making them excellent HQ choices. Be sure to screen them with lots of cheap gribbly sacrifices such as Termagants and Hormagaunts! Broodlord – Speaking of non-targetable characters, the Broodlord now not only brings actual Psychic powers to the table, he also makes your already great 3+ to hit Genestealers even better at 2+!
Hive Tyrant – The Flyrant is still a decent mobile weapons platform. This edition, Deathspitters are the new “in” weapon instead of Devourers. With a dakka Flyrant coming in at just over 200pts, and gaining a 5+ invulnerable save too, it’s still the best choice when you need to fill a Synapse gap somewhere on the table.
The Swarmlord – Our unique superhero is once again a massive force multiplier. One of his most important abilities now involves him choosing a friendly unit during the shooting phase and giving it the ability to move again (in place of shooting). Great for catapulting close combat units forward. That said, he’s going to be an obvious fire magnet, so be sure to load up on Tyrant Guards when fielding him. (Or have him come down in his private Tyrannocyte)
Elites
Venomthropes – The modifiers after die rolls rule in 8th Edition makes the Venomthrope ability to reduce incoming weapon rolls by 1 highly relevant. Friendly units around a Venomthrope will never be affected by Tesla “6”s for example. Also, they fly now, which is a double-edged sword as they are able to charge units with Airborne but are affected by Interceptor or other rules that hit units with fly more easily.
Pyrovores – They are touted as the most improved unit in this edition. They’re actually not too bad now. There’s a legit strategy involving a Tyrannocyte dropping a load of 3 Pyrovores more than 9 inches from the enemy and then delivering 3d6 auto-hitting Str 5, AP -1, shots. That will cost upwards of 300pts though, ouch.
Hive Guard - These guys were a necessary evil in 5th Edition, as they were some of the few options the Tyranid army had to deal with vehicles from a distance. Now in 8th, not only do they retain their ability to not require LOS when firing, their Impaler Cannons also got a range boost to 36 inches from 24! Definitely a solid pick in the Elite slot.
Heavy Support
Carnifex – A Carnifex kitted out with 2 sets of 2 Deathspitters with Slimer Maggots delivers 12 Str 7, -1 Rend shots, all for the 114 points. At T7 and 8 Wounds each. That’s a lot of value for a small investment in points.
Trygon – For many editions, the Trygon “tunnel” has been the laughing stock of the Tyranid codex. Poor rules design has made it almost impossible to rely on, since the Trygon might never come on board within the first 3 turns of the game. In 8th, this is now not only a very viable deep strike mechanic, it also enables the troops that go through the tunnel a chance to charge on that very turn. While the jury is still out on whether this form of infiltration is point efficient, you can definitely expect some lists built around the concept. (editor's note: The Trygon Prime feels like a much better investment due to the tendency to have it and it's tag-along unit, pop up deep in enemy territory so the synapse helps wonders in those situations) Exocrine – In one of the first games I watched at Gamersaurus Rex, the FLGS where I’m normally at, I saw an Exocrine Heavy Plasma take out a Riptide in one turn. At above 200pts, they can be pretty pricey, but as long as you realise he’s pretty much the Tyranid version of a Leman Russ Demolisher, you’ll quickly come to terms with his effectiveness.
Haruspex – This guy went from terribly unplayable to being one of the most powerhouse units in the army. He’s great at cutting his way through a flank, and at T8 and 13 Wounds, he’s pretty hard to take down. His points cost at just below 300 might be a little prohibitive though.
Biovores – Biovores have some interesting interactions when they’re being charged, able to create a Spore Mine in the path of the attacker and thus potentially stopping a charge. Cute and awkward. (editor's note: The FAQ released less than 24 hours ago has made the charge-interaction a non-factor now since Spore Mine Launchers can't be used for Overwatch. However, the ability to deal mortals wounds out of the 18" smite range for just over 100 points for 3 models, should not be underestimated. Even when they miss, the spore mines created by Biovores can be a hassle to navigate as they can deter chargers with only a handful of wounds left or make movement awkward for enemy units with the threat of exploding at the end of every charge phase if there are enemy models within 3".
Spore Mines (placed below the Biovore entry even though they're technically not Heavy Support choices) – They may not look like much, but they explode and do un-saveable mortal wounds now. Sometimes even up to 3 each. That’s more than decent.
Mucolid Spores – Swarmlord jihadists strategies aside (they can only move an extra 3+d6" with the Swarmlord's ability though), these larger spores are able to deal anywhere from d3 to d6 mortal wounds when they explode!
Well, that’s my “first glance” article on Tyranids in Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition. I’ll revisit some of these opinions over the next couple of months as I play some games and watch them happen (editor: "happen" being "eat other factions' faces in") in the tournaments that I run.
I’ll throw in a tactica-style article later when I feel more ready, but for now, I hope you’ve managed to find something in this piece that’s useful to you. Until next time, for the Swarm!
Bio: shoel4ces aka Nicholas Wong, is a long-time Warhammer 40,000 player, one of Singapore's premier tournament organisers, and co-owner of Gamersaurus Rex, one of our local Friendly Local Gaming Stores. His pet loves are Skaven, Tyranids, and his cat, Saber.