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Tyranid Army Lists in 5th Edition, part two
This is the second in a series of articles discussing some of the variety of options that the Tyranids have available in 5th edition. You can find the first one here. These are based on lists that were previously competitive and I'll point out if they still are, or what changes might be made to make them more so. I will post and discuss 2-3 armies each week, giving information on how to build the armylist, what it does and how to work it. These lists are designed at 1500pts, so they can be more easily scaled up or down to meet your requirements. First up, the mixed swarm...
Mixed Swarm
The Mixed Swarm army is a variation on the Traditional Tyranid list that was commonly seen in the 3rd edition, and was a very effective list.
175 5x Warriors Adrenal Glands(both) Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapace, Rending Claws/Scything Talons
175 5x Warriors Adrenal Glands(both) Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapace, Rending Claws/Scything Talons
185 5x Warriors Adrenal Glands(both) Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapace, Rending Claws/Scything Talons, Flesh Hooks.
185 5x Warriors Adrenal Glands(both) Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapace, Rending Claws/Scything Talons, Flesh Hooks.
185 5x Warriors Adrenal Glands(both) Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapace, Rending Claws/Scything Talons, Flesh Hooks.
100 20xSpinegaunt Spinefists
100 20xSpinegaunt Spinefists
100 20xSpinegaunt Spinefists
100 20xSpinegaunt Spinefists
195 3x Zoanthrope: Synapse/Blast
1500pts total
The Mixed Swarm is very similar to the "Traditional" Tyranid army. The first difference is that instead of using the Wave Theory with Horms and Gargoyles leading the way, then regular Gaunts following behind, this is designed to all hit more or less at once. The other difference is Distributed Synapse. Instead of using a few, tough Synapse creatures, it utilizes a large number of Warriors to provide the Synapse coverage. They also provide the killing power that the Genestealers would have provided. Finally, the list looks weak against vehicles, but remember that all the Warriors have S5 and Rending Claws. Hitting the back armor on vehicles and being able to Glance up to AV14 should sort out what the Zoanthropes can't handle.
Tactics
The list works by using the 80 Spinegaunts to tie up the enemy army. When in Synapse range, those broods are unbreakable, so they will stick the enemy army up like glue. Once the army is stuck in place, it is much easier for the nasties to come around and clean up a squad or two at a time, since they don’t have to worry as much about countercharges or getting shot. 80 is intended to be enough Gaunts to survive a few rounds of shooting and then hold up 3+ enemy squads for another couple of turns. Much like the Traditional Tyranid list, it tends to work best in a pincer or wedge formation.
Tweaks
The primary tweak would be to change out the Warriors for Tyrants and Carnifi to provide the Synapse and the killing power. A little bit tougher, but also a bit slower and a good deal less damage right away.
My Genestealer List
The original idea for this list came from the oft-repeated (even by me) advice given to all new Tyranid players, "Genestealers are a waste of points and Lictors are simply giving points to the other player." In 3rd edition, Genestealers were very slow and very fragile. Although they could do a lot of damage when they got there, they rarely made it. At some point, I got sick of hearing (and saying) this advice. I decided to see if there was a way I could possibly incorporate Genestealers into a list, and maybe even Lictors, too. I didn't really plan on this being a seriously competitive, hard-core tournament list, but I wanted to have a chance with it against decent lists. It worked much better than I expected, for several reasons I'll enumerate below. Once 4th edition arrived, with Fleet for the Genestealers making them way faster and Extended Carapace making them way more survivable, Genestealer lists caught on with a lot of people. While the reduction of the Rending rule does hurt Genestealers, Feeder Tendrils now makes up for it, and Scuttlers is much better than it used to be. (And it used to be pretty darn good!)
200 Hive Tyrant WS, S upgrades. Wings, 2xScything Talons, Implant Attack, Toxic Miasma, Warp Field
240 3xLictor
160 8x Genestealer Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
140 7x Genestealer Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
140 7x Genestealer Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
140 7x Genestealer Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
160 8x Genestealer Flesh Hooks, Scuttlers
160 8x Genestealer Flesh Hooks, Scuttlers
148 Carnifex BS3 VC/BS
1488pts total
Why it Worked so Well
The first part of it's success owes to the Genestealers. These guys are pretty much the Apex assault unit. Anything that they hit is ground into the dirt under a wash of angry, Rending Claws. With I6, that often happens before whatever they hit (or hits them) can strike back, leaving them ready to do it again right away, none the worse for wear. This means that any points the opposing army has spent on assault are pretty much wasted. I remember facing a World Eaters army with these guys. It didn't take very long. The second part of it's success was that I provided too many nasty targets, leaving the other player with a Hobson's Choice. If you shoot the Lictors, there'll be a Flyrant in your lines this turn, and too many Genestealers will hit you in the next turn to be able to manage. Shoot the Genestealers and the Lictors and Flyrant waltz through your lines. Shoot the Flyrant... That's not to say the list was or is unstoppable, but it forces hard choices and is very unforgiving to the enemy.
Tactics
The Scuttlers rule allows you to bring the Genestealers on from the sides, so you can get them shot less and so you can (hopefully) coordinate your attack better. The Lictors and the Flyrant work best if you use them near each other. Basically, by having them doing damage near each other, you are reducing the number of enemy units that can fire at you at close range. Then the Genestealers come in. (Note that 2 of the Genestealer broods have Flesh Hooks for assaulting into cover, rather than using Feeder Tendrils. This makes them much less effective unless they are near a unit or model that has Feeder Tendrils. Use these to assault the units in cover, but make sure there's a Lictor or an FT Genestealer brood nearby if possible.) There are two schools of thought to bringing the Genestealers in. The first one is to reinforce success. Bring them in on the same side that the Lictors and Flyrant are eating, so you can continue the carnage and roll up the line. The other school of thought (and this is more fun, in my opinion) is to bring them in on the opposite edge, catching the enemy army in the pincers of an ambush. I like this style better, as it really gives the feeling of there being no escape from the nightmarish creatures of the Tyranid army. One final option, of course, is to simply start all the Genestealers on the board (45 Genestealers will very nearly make some players wet their pants) and use their Scuttlers move before the game starts to be closer. This should get you charges on turn 2, which is definitely a nightmare for the other player.
Tweaks
While I like the Lictors, they sometimes underperform. Compared to the rest of the list, they provide a very weak punch and are pretty fragile for their expense. A very simple tweak would be to replace them with even more Genestealers. One possible drawback to this would be an increased vulnerability to vehicles. At that point, you'd have to rely on the Carnifex or the Flyrant to deal with any AV14 vehicles. (Not that Lictors are fantastic at that, but they do provide the option.)
Constrictor Swarm
This list is another one that I came up with, this one from the 4th edition codex. While the idea of taking lots and lots of Gaunts to hold up the enemy has been around for a very long time, I believe I was the first to plan to actually do damage with the Gaunts, grinding down the enemy under a sea of chittering beasts.
This was the last style of Tyranid army that I tried before I started my Tau army, and I didn't meet with a lot of success. That's not entirely true. At 1000pts or less, I usually buried my enemies. Beyond that level, I really struggled and often lost. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. I think what was holding me back at higher point values was not having enough Gaunts. More specifically, it was worrying too much about vehicles and keeping Synapse creatures alive, and spending points on those things rather than the Gaunts. I put Scuttlers on a lot of my Gaunts so that they could get into combat quicker, meaning that my Synapse creatures were shot less. Unfortunately, that sometimes meant that I got out of Synapse range with my Gaunts when they charged into combat, and then an entire brood or two would lose combat and get swept into the ground by small numbers of the enemy. While Synapse support _is_ vital to this list, and it will need something to take down vehicles, I think I can make it cheaper so that the Gaunts can really shine.
247 Hive Tyrant BS4 S6 Sv2+ TLVC, 1 Guard
247 Hive Tyrant BS4 S6 Sv2+ TLVC, 1 Guard
135 27xSpinegaunt
135 27xSpinegaunt
135 27xSpinegaunt
135 27xSpinegaunt
135 27xSpinegaunt
135 27xSpinegaunt
195 3xZoanthrope Synapse Warp Blast
1499pts total
Tactics
The idea is to use the 162 Spinegaunts to totally gum up the enemy army. Even after several turns of shooting, there should be plenty of them left to thoroughly envelope the enemy. Every unit will be surrounded by a mass of Spinegaunts. So far, this looks like the Mixed Swarm or Traditional army. However, instead of waiting for the nasties to come and kill off the enemies stuck in tarpits, we’ll just let the tarpits do the killing. The Tyrants and the Zoanthropes take care of the vehicles. When using the Gaunts, remember that the No Retreat Wounds only apply if you _lose_ the combat. If you outnumber Space Marines 4:1 on the charge, you will not lose the combat. For that matter, at 3 to 1, you will tie them up for almost the entire game and cost them nearly their entire unit. I'm putting together an article on Swarm Tactics in 5th edition. Once I've written it, you'll be able to read it here.
Tweaks
One tweak would be to give 2-3 of the broods Scuttling. While this would normally lower the numbers of Gaunts, it would also lower the damage done to them by shooting and keep the Synapse units better protected. Drop the Tyrant Guard and use those points to pay for the Scuttlers. (2 broods of 22 Scuttling Gaunts and 2 broods of 29 and 2 broods of 30) That will let you keep your numbers, and reduce your incoming damage. Just make sure that you use some Run moves to make sure the Synapse can keep up with the lead Gaunt broods.
Wrap Up
So, there you have the second installment of 5th Edition Tyranid Army Lists. Hopefully this will help all the overfiends out there to realize the creativity and options we have available to us and some of the interesting combinations of units and biomorphs and tactics we can use. Once I have written it, you can find the next in the series here.
If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know
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