Best Tyranid Units (8 of 15)

[nameless]

Our best Tyranid units

Lets get a group consensus of our best (in a competitive sense) unit. Lets worry about individual upgrades later (aside from Melee vs dakka).

Ranking (these are links)
1. Flyrant (2 TL/Dev + Wings) [+/- Electroshock grubs] - 85%
2. Malanthrope - 60%
3. Dakkafex [+/- AG] - 67%
4. Biovores [LAN] - 36%
4. Gargoyles - 36%
6. Hive Crone - 53%
7. Tyrannofex (acid spray) - 39%
8. Current - TBD

[nameless]

Getting near the bottom of the barrel. LAN exocrine I guess.

[biomassbob]

I still don't see raveners in your lists!!! What gives!!! [sits in the corner rocking back and forth drooling with 18 ravener models scattered on the floor]

[nameless]

Hmm... What's a Ravener?

[Yautja]

Bah I need to try to convince more of you guys to try a melee Flyrant. They're so sexy <3

[gigasnail]

they're sexy until you fight anything with power weapons/ID/grenades/invul saves.

[Yautja]

Have faced all of those except ID. If there is something else with ID, it has the movement/assault range to pick it's battles. Give it a try

[gigasnail]

and give up my gunboats? not likely. for a 3rd flyrant, maybe. probably for a 4th. what are you doing with them you couldn't shoot 12 times first, then assault, and not have better results?

[Yautja]

Sept 23, 2014 1:29:34 GMT gigasnail said:

and give up my gunboats? not likely. for a 3rd flyrant, maybe. probably for a 4th. what are you doing with them you couldn't shoot 12 times first, then assault, and not have better results?

The Ogyns I faced last night, with T5/W3/3+ would be durable to Devourer fire I suspect. I'm not great on the math...
Average 11 hits after re-rolls is it?
Wounding on 3s = 7.3 wounds
3+sv = 2.4 failed saves? So that's either 1 wound left or 1 dead rounding up

5 attacks on the charge, hitting on 3s = 3.33 hits
Wounding on 3s = 2.22 wounds. 
No armour save.

4.6 wounds total. 1 dead 1 injured

CCFlyrant
Grubs - 3 auto hits.
Wounding on 4s = 1.5 wounds
3+ save = 0.5 wounds 

6 attacks, hitting on 3s. Re-rolling 1s = ?? hits
x hits, wounding on 2s. Re-rolling 1s/ID on 6s = ?? wounds
No armour save.


I've no clue how to calculate this because OA complicates it too much for my brain to handle. Last night I killed all 3 in one round of combat. That's 9 wounds. Re-rolling 1s in both hit and wound rolls make a big difference. As does ID.  I fully acknowledge the results would be closer if ID made no difference, but we could use these numbers against common Nurgle marines and melee would probably still be better. 

I know I am biased as I am enjoying this play-style so much (which you can argue is the most important calculation) but my experiences so far are convincing me there is little performance difference between the two. Sure in other circumstances the Devourer spam will be better, plus benefiting from swooping durability but I am not seeing the justification for the CC option to be maligned as it is. 

[nero07]

Sept 23, 2014 1:29:34 GMT gigasnail said:

and give up my gunboats? not likely. for a 3rd flyrant, maybe. probably for a 4th. what are you doing with them you couldn't shoot 12 times first, then assault, and not have better results?

If you want to assault, you are not swooping. If you want to shoot before you assault you are not jinking (and if you are you only get 2 hits). Assaulting with a standard flyrant is risky business.

[mattblowers]

Sept 23, 2014 12:00:23 GMT nero07 said:

If you want to assault, you are not swooping. If you want to shoot before you assault you are not jinking (and if you are you only get 2 hits). Assaulting with a standard flyrant is risky business.

Try that math again, you should get 3 hits from TL: that's 2 on the first roll and 1.67 on the second roll. That means 4 hits 50% of the time and 3 hits 50% of the time with average rolls. Then wounding on 2s in most cases. Even a snap shooting flyrant is a dangerous thing while a melee flryant out of combat is a giant paperweight. I think they can work, but like gigasnail said, they are worse than almost any MEQ/TEQ CC oriented fighter. I prefer ol' swarmy if I'm going into combat. He is a great support psyker, has an invul in CC, and eats MEQ for lunch. The trouble is he needs even more points invested to bring along his posse of tyrant guard so you have to build your list around him.

[Yautja]

Sept 23, 2014 12:56:10 GMT mattblowers said:

Sept 23, 2014 12:00:23 GMT nero07 said:

If you want to assault, you are not swooping. If you want to shoot before you assault you are not jinking (and if you are you only get 2 hits). Assaulting with a standard flyrant is risky business.

Try that math again, you should get 3 hits from TL: that's 2 on the first roll and 1.67 on the second roll. That means 4 hits 50% of the time and 3 hits 50% of the time with average rolls. Then wounding on 2s in most cases. Even a snap shooting flyrant is a dangerous thing while a melee flryant out of combat is a giant paperweight. I think they can work, but like gigasnail said, they are worse than almost any MEQ/TEQ CC oriented fighter. I prefer ol' swarmy if I'm going into combat. He is a great support psyker, has an invul in CC, and eats MEQ for lunch. The trouble is he needs even more points invested to bring along his posse of tyrant guard so you have to build your list around him.

Dude, with wings and fleet there is no reason it shouldn't be in combat from turn 2.

[mattblowers]

I have no idea what you are trying to say Yautja. I was commenting on a jinking dakka flyrant still being dangerous. I don't like a melee flyrant running upfield to get in turn 2 combat. My experience with that against any experienced opponent is no flyrant on turn 3. Again, not sure of your point. An unsupported jumping flyrant is a dead flyrant. A CC based list only works with multiple threats descending at the same time. Spread it out and it becomes like a Tower Defense game where they kill your army as it crosses the table.

[Yautja]

You stated a melee Flyrant is a paperweight (as I highlighted). My point was that with it's mobility, it shouldn't be out of combat for long. You then state if it's unsupported it's dead. This probably applies to anything and is a more broad discussion so not going to get into that.

[tag8833]

This is where the LAN biovores would be if I were making my own list. Great when they have a target, but many armies don't offer one.