Swarm, big bugs or balance

[thelittlemadone]

Ok Hivers I have a question for you all. How do you think is best for tyranids to be based

Is this a time of swarm lists many little with a few big unz to fill the board with OS and win through cards

Fewer bigger bugs to puch the living stuffing and consume.

Or balance a blend of them both sacrificing mobility and longevity in an attempt to be more than the sum of its parts.

I ask as I look at the 60 gants I own and contemplate fielding all of them. Mostly so I get time for a beer and a chat as I move the hord.

Or do I blend and run 2 flyrants 2 tervigons 60 gaunts 3 fex's and other stuff...


TLet ers how do you run your bugs and what are your pros and cons

[Silegy]

You dont run Tervigons anymore. You can either spam some Flyrants and Carnifeces or play the Lictor Shame.

We are currently consuming others with no remorse, but we also do have stuff that, if tailored well, can make a decent and fun list (and yeah, pod some Pyrovores).

[gigasnail]

just because you have a lot of different stuff in your list, doesn't make it 'balanced.' being balanced isn't a consideration of a winning list, aside from being balanced in the sense you can deal with whatever threats you're likely to run into.

[mattblowers]

Balance is a really misunderstood term in 40K. I don't know that balance really matters. I wish our codex choices were more balanced, they aren't. What matters is being able to force hard choices from your opponent. I'd rather play offense then defense in 40K, but that's me.

[harrytown]

I think if you want balanced in the sense of a mix of units both big and small you can manage that. Gargolyes are a good example of a swarmy unit that will not inhibit movement to much since they can move 12. I usually run 30 gaunts with 10 devours and found out they work great. The biggest problem like you touched on is finding a way to make the movement work. 60 I think is too much but if you are good at visualizing the board and moving units it should work.

[gigasnail]

They *can* work great. Right up until you run into thudd guns or thunderfire cannons or wyverns. These are common in an open environment.

[macdaddyt]

I normally run a classic Nidzilla with a unit of Gargs to screen (normally 20 Gargs) that's a powerful army that has a lot of threats and allows for reasonably timed games that are fun and competative

Nidzilla
2 Flyrants cookie cutter load out
Venomthrope (sometimes two in separate squads)(I don't have the money to afford a Malanthrope right now)
2 ripper swarms that deep strike (or two Mucliods)
2 Hive crones
20 Gargs
Two Carnifex w/ Devos
Tyrano with spray and e-grubs
LAN (or replace this formation with hive guard and some upgrades if I'm facing mech heavy armies)

When I want to run swarm I play
2 Flyrants cookie cutter
2 zoanthrope a (separate)
2 Venomthrope unit
2X 30 termagants
2X 20 Hormigaunts
20 Gargs
2X 4 Shrikes w/AG and RC
Carnifex w/ Devos
Carnifex w/ Devos
Tyrannofex classic

My "balanced" version (mix of both) is the first list with 40 Hormigaunts as troops (either 4 units of 10 or two units of 20)

If you really want to go swarm take the Endless swarm takes forever to play and can be very ineffective at killing anything at all...but hey, you brought bodies to die in droves and still cover the board not to actually kill stuff right? Also consider a trygon or two with that formation as it may let you bring back those units through thier holes

[zergling15]

I'm new here, but just wanted to say that it's great that an army like Tyranids allows for such different styles of armies. Not sure which is better (swarms, big bugs, or a balanced list), for me I would say it is based on your playing style. If your having fun then your choice of what to take was the right one.

[nurglitch]

Mar 3, 2015 0:01:32 GMT gigasnail said:

They *can* work great. Right up until you run into thudd guns or thunderfire cannons or wyverns. These are common in an open environment.

I've been scratching my head about this one, but I think the solution is MSU. Not really in the sense that LictorShame used it, but in the sense that while these units can absolutely massacre a large brood of 30 bugs, they're almost wasted on small broods of 10 or so. Plus the Leviathan detachment really opens up the FOC to include many Troop choices along with stuff like multiple Tervigons. Also, things like Endless Swarm being regenerating units of 10.

[thelittlemadone]

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't so much suggesting anything I had written as a list for either style being balanced, or swarm or what ever you it was mostly ramblings as I though. All I was trying to work out is with the maelstrom missions becoming more common now 7th has settled in, have people seen a revival of swarms that can take the objective.

Was also wondering what styles of lists people take and what the advantages and disadvantages are. Reason is I'm the only tyranid p.ayer in my area so hard to bounce list building thoughts past people.

Also I'm not a competition player and never will be but like to be at least reasonable competitive so was looking at the styles of lists and what successes people had with them.

Thanks for the reply and been interesting reading your thoughts

[mattblowers]

Mar 3, 2015 17:50:09 GMT thelittlemadone said:

Also I'm not a competition player and never will be but like to be at least reasonable competitive so was looking at the styles of lists and what successes people had with them.

I'm not a competitive competition player, but I am a player. Typically, despite all the WAAC talk, most tournament players are actually quite a pleasure to play. It's their lists that are nasty. Don't be afraid to give it a whirl. I prefer beer and pretzels where you build against each others lists, but I'd encourage you to give a competition a go.

[thelittlemadone]

[/quote]I'm not a competitive competition player, but I am a player. Typically, despite all the WAAC talk, most tournament players are actually quite a pleasure to play. It's their lists that are nasty. Don't be afraid to give it a whirl. I prefer beer and pretzels where you build against each others lists, but I'd encourage you to give a competition a go. [/quote]

I mean no disrespect to those that are, but the competitive scene just isn't me, for anything. I gave up my national rank in fencing because I lost the joy of doing things for fun and kinda put me off competing in well anything I enjoy. I'm odd I know.

That said my beer and pretzel team is fun and some are beginning to compete, so trying to find ways to challenge them hence the question, and yeah also ideas for myself on how to be a better space bugs player

[gigasnail]

Mar 3, 2015 16:58:23 GMT nurglitch said:

Mar 3, 2015 0:01:32 GMT gigasnail said:

They *can* work great. Right up until you run into thudd guns or thunderfire cannons or wyverns. These are common in an open environment.

I've been scratching my head about this one, but I think the solution is MSU. Not really in the sense that LictorShame used it, but in the sense that while these units can absolutely massacre a large brood of 30 bugs, they're almost wasted on small broods of 10 or so. Plus the Leviathan detachment really opens up the FOC to include many Troop choices along with stuff like multiple Tervigons. Also, things like Endless Swarm being regenerating units of 10.

true enough, but a unit of 10 isn't really doing a lot more than being a speedbump. it's small enough to the point where barrage/ignores cover weaponry isn't necessary to deal with it.

[Kwodd]

Nidzilla and A blob.

[rroach]

I use to run as many Big Bugs as I could, with only the bare minimum hordes. I liked the look and how resilient they were.

Now, I can see the value in lots of little gribblies. They give a 5+ cover, they eat up Overwatch, they tarpit whatever CC units come their way and with enough of them shooting they can plink a few wounds off of Terminators or Demon Princes. Or they just babysit Objectives while older brother and sister go on a rampage. A 20 strong unit of Gargoyles can be a gigantic pain in the ass.