Anyone used Neurothrope / big zoa brood yet?

[topaxygourouni]

If you have, what's your verdict? Did you like them? Did you pod them? How did you use them? Did the shriek actually work?

[Jabberwocky]

I podded 6 with a Neuro. Massive waste of a huge chunk of the army.

Totally dependent on a strong psychic phase, doesn't generate dice until it lands, limited to 2 targets and hopeless in assault other than as a tarpit. Go up against anything with good psychic defences or ld10 or good cover in the case of warp blast and the whole unit feels very wasted.

I'd consider walking broods of 3 with the Neuro. I'd consider a maw claws prime in a big brood too, to help with assaults and get PE onto those warp blasts.

[sneggy]

I've run the Neurothrope with a pair of regular zoans. Neurothrope as my warlord. Good support unit.
Played a few games with that build, the shriek has gone off a few times. It killed a riptide in one hit game one. I like to cast it first during my psychic phase, tends to draw out sent dice as my opponent knows letting it go is potentially giving me a free blast casting later.
Leaves you with less deny attempts on your catalyst or paroxysm.

For the 175pts in spending I am a very bit fan. Certainly retaining it's place in my list for the foreseeable future.

[Jabberwocky]

When you compare it to farseer and warlocks or even spirit seers, zoeys and Neuro really lose a lot of appeal.

The farseer and 2 warlocks can put out S9 at 12" on bs5/4. They can shriek, along with having 5-6 additional powers, providing 5 warp dice instead of 2. They have 5 4++ wounds (albeit T3), put out more attacks, with armor/fleshbane. They are still considered poor in combat but I like them in a big unit.

If you push for 3-4 farseers instead of a 6 zoey brood they become incredibly devastating with psy shriek or singing spears plus doom/guide making them more likely to pen even av14.

I know it's unfair to make cross-codex comparisons but I play both armies and my Eldar make a much better psychic attack force so I won't be using the big zoey blob again.

[topaxygourouni]

Would you try something like this: Triple flyrant in double FoC, 3 zoans with neuro, 2 single zoans, maybe a podded terv. That's +12/13 dice every turn. Could something like that work?

[Jabberwocky]

Yes it could work, but you'd likely prefer to use those dice to get catalyst on all the flyrants and paroxysm on a unit or 2 every turn.

You can easily burn 12 dice on 2 catalysts and 2 paroxysm. I just don't think it's safe to hinge your offence on our psychic powers. It's better to think of it as an added extra to what our units can already do. flyrants and Terv are solid in their own right. Single zoeys help make the support powers more reliable. A single brood of 3 with Neuro isn't too large an investment so could be worthwhile for the occasion where it pays off.

[N.I.B.]

I've tossed the Neurothrope into the 'casual game' basket. You can usually pick up one or two units from that basket, put them in an otherwise competitive list and still win a lot of games. But your win-rate will go down for each unit you pick up.

[mattblowers]

Dec 5, 2014 12:22:28 GMT N.I.B. said:

I've tossed the Neurothrope into the 'casual game' basket. You can usually pick up one or two units from that basket, put them in an otherwise competitive list and still win a lot of games. But your win-rate will go down for each unit you pick up.

If I remember correctly, that is the same basket the dude got the lictors out of. I haven't playtested it enough to decide if it works well with my playstyle or not.

[N.I.B.]

It is I wouldn't have tossed the Deathleaper assassin formation into the basket before play testing.

[sajeel]

Yea the neurothrope only buffs Zoanthropes, and most people use zoans, more as cheap synapse with a chance to blast some vehicles. You'd really have to build a list around them to make them shine in a competitive sense, just like the lictor list.

[FTGT-BeeCee]

I love the idea of a zoanthrope bomb but as everyone else has said, having that extra couple layers of dice to go through can be game breaking for you.

[rpricew]

5 broods of 6 Zoanthropes, with a Neurothrope, each brood in a Tyrannocyte = 2000 points

hmmm, I don't think my gaming group would be very scared of that list. However, it would be a boatload of dice to throw at some powers!

Only about $1000 USD to buy...

[Jabberwocky]

It actually wouldn't be many dice. 10 warp charges is nothing in an entirety psychic 2k list.

[neomangas]

Can't wait to try him out! and to extend my brood size... though I don't think I will extend to 6! probably 4 or 5 including the Neuro
for me Zoanthropes always perform well, I have never had a game where they have underperformed and that was when I was taking them in broods of 3! they always consume a lot of firepower in which they usually absorb and survive, I have had much success with them against vehicles... so they can only get better in broods of 4-6

[OD from TV]

I think the Neurothrope was a good idea, just poor execution. Not going to lie when I was first reading the rules for Spirit Leech my immediate thought was that this was going to have some decent synergy with the Maleceptor, until I read the last sentence where that possibility was dashed. The extra points for the Neurothrope being equivalent to 5 Hormas, and no difference in stats other than the Character rule doesn't make him appetizing to me.

For better or worse the Zoans are one of the more reliable Anti-Tank weapons we have access to, not to mention the Synapse support. The couple games I've had with them, they've been rather high priority targets for my opponents and for that reason alone I know I'll have to try out the point heavy 6 man team. The downside to that is a smaller amount of Warp Charge verses taking two units of 3, but that's the cost of business. If that large squad manages to get off Warp Blast its almost a guaranteed to kill whatever vehicle you point it at (short of an undamaged Lord of War).

In my opinion though I think its a real shame that the Leviathan book didn't also update the Venomthropes to a possible 6 strong mob, but I suppose GW has to hold something in reserve for the next partial installment of Tyranid rules.

Peace
~OD