Feedback on my first Nid list

[AgentP]

Would appreciate feedback on my first Tyranid list.  Looking for fun competitive, not competitive competitive.  This more OFCC level.  Good list, but not over the top:

 

HQ

Hive Tyrant, wings, 2x TL Devourer

 

ELITE

2x Zoanthrope

1x Venomthrope

1x Venomthrope

 

TROOP

30 Termagaunts (10 w/ Devourer)

30 Termagaunts (10 w/ Devourer)

15 Hormagaunts w/ adrenal glands

3 Tyranid Warriors (1 w/ Barbed Strangler)

1 Tervigon

 

FAST ATTACK

1 Hive Crone

 

HEAVY

1 Tyrannofex w/ Rupture Cannon, Regen

3 Carnifexes each w/ 2 TL Devourer

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[WestRider]

I'd ditch Regen and the Rupture Cannon on the T-Fex, pick up a Thorax Swarm (probably Electroshock) instead. Maybe add Adrenal Glands as well. I've had fun with the Acid Spray, but the Rupture Cannon is too often just frustrating as the low number of shots miss or get tanked by Cover.

 

Maybe drop a DakkaFex for some Biovores, a full Brood of fexen is kind of overkill, and the "reach out and touch someone" that Biovores provide is nice.

 

Depending on how you do it, those changes might leave enough Points for a decent Brood of Gargoyles, which are one of my favorite Units in the Dex. Especially in combination with Venomthropes, since the Gargs are tall enough to provide Cover to pretty much anything.

 

Not critical changes, just some other options to think about.

[PumpkinHead]

Hormagaunts with AG is a price you shouldn't pay for just +1S on the charge.  They already have fleet, so a better buy would be toxins sacs, IMO. If you want to keep the regen, put it on the tervigon. Otherwise I agree with Westrider on his suggestions.

[Guest]

Hormagaunts with AG is a price you shouldn't pay for just +1S on the charge.  They already have fleet, so a better buy would be toxins sacs, IMO. If you want to keep the regen, put it on the tervigon. Otherwise I agree with Westrider on his suggestions.

+1 S does mean they can destroy vehicles with light rear armor, like rhinos, chimeras, leman russ battle tanks, and predators.

 

It is expensive, but it's difference between being able to be tarpitted by an IG scout sentinel and destroying it in a single round of melee.

[WestRider]

I think Wave Serpents are actually the better argument for AG on Hormies. On the other hand, with only one Unit of them, any Army that they're a threat to is going to prioritize them, and with only 15, they're not going to last long.

[Guest]

I think Wave Serpents are actually the better argument for AG on Hormies. On the other hand, with only one Unit of them, any Army that they're a threat to is going to prioritize them, and with only 15, they're not going to last long.

Yeah, wave serpents are another one with rear AV10.

 

More is probably better.

 

Still, just because the threaten the enemy which get's them killed, doesn't mean the army doesn't benefit from their presence. If one unit is more a threat than another, you can still used it in a sacrificial capacity to force me to deal with them while you advance something else. In example, my mech IG have to deal with the horms, while the dev terms only present an issue if in my side/rear arcs. You can use the horms to get the time to use the terms.

 

Anyway, as for the list, I don't like the lack of low AP weapons in the army. Zoans are unreliable in this capacity. List looks like it's designed with apoc/escalation in mind. Still, you need solutions to the more mundane threats too. You've got the ap2 smash and some vectors, but a unit of ranged terminators or a riptide or a dreadknight will give this army fits.

 

I will also note that I've found S10 to be unreliable against those AV15 buildings, given that glances do nothing. Strongly suggest crushing claws on at least a single fexen. The zoan could work too, but ideal to have a second option. AV15 buildings are not super common, but they present a major challenge if unprepared for them.

[WestRider]

There is some merit to the distraction argument in general, but Adrenal Hormies are too expensive to waste that way. Without the AG, they fit in more or less the same Target Priority slot as the Termies, which will make them more likely to live long enough to do something.

 

Nids simply do not have access to good sources of low AP fire. It's one of the trade-offs you make when you chose the Dex. It's OK, tho, because they have excellent Torrent firepower. DakkaFexen are actually better at dropping Terminators than Exocrines.

 

What makes you say it looks like it's designed with Apoc/Esc in mind? Looks like a pretty standard casual Nid List to me. OFCC-style, to me, suggests that, one way or another he'll probably be able to avoid AV15 if he doesn't want to play it.

[Guest]

What makes you say it looks like it's designed with Apoc/Esc in mind? Looks like a pretty standard casual Nid List to me. OFCC-style, to me, suggests that, one way or another he'll probably be able to avoid AV15 if he doesn't want to play it.

Not a bug player, so grain of salt and all. Looks like he's got at least S4 on every unit, making them able to damage vehicles. Then we've got the rupture cannon, the zoans, hive crone and the carns all for AT. Maybe it's vehicles in general, but the list looks like the player is trying to make every unit able to damage vehicles and he's got a good number of high AV solutions too. For bugs, vehicle destruction is certainly an issue, so it might not be for escalation specifically.

 

Anyway, escalation in mind, not effective for escalation. I think most super heavies would sweep this list, even the cheaper IG ones. Still, he's doing a good job not relying on any one method to destroy tanks.

 

If going for escalation, I suggest that lictor special character. Most of the SH big weapons are unable to snap, so a character that forces snap is already a very durable character in escalation. I recall his power forcing shooting to snap at him, though it might be different than I remember.

[PourSpelur]

List schmist....how are you going to paint them? Seriously, there are some freaking awesome Nid paint schemes.

Good luck!

[WestRider]

Yeah, Pax, that's just covering the bases for regular 40K for a Nid List. If you're running Nids in Escalation/Apoc, it's basically CroneSpam or go home.

[AgentP]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

 

I may have to reconfigure this list to include the swarmlord now.  Because I just put together the new tyrant guard models and am in love.  

[galahad911]

I've been playing with Tyranids quite a bit lately and it seems to me that if you're going to use any FMCs then you need at the very least 3, and 4+ would be better. With only 1-2 they're going to get focused and die quickly. If that's all you have I think you'd be better served using those points for Swarmy and TGuards instead.

[AgentP]

In contrast, I just put together an exocrine model.  It's okay, if you can accept the giant phallic symbol.  But the Haruspex head is simply the most ridiculous model I have ever seen.  I was going to magnetize the model, to switch between the two, but no.  I simply refuse to ever field something that idiotic looking.