#Podshame

[N.I.B.]

Ok gigasnail, are you sitting down? Here's the next GT winning Tyranid build

#Podshame

7 Tyrannocytes

Dakka Flyrant, Egrubs
Dakka Flyrant, Egrubs

Zoanthrope
Zoanthrope
Lictor

10 Devilgants
10 Devilgants

Dakkafex
Dakkafex
T-fex, Egrubs

Sporefield formation
Mucolid
Mucolid
Mucolid
4 Spore mines
4 Spore Mines
4 Spore Mines

Bastion, Comms Relay

2000 points

Why the Zoans? Basically to help keep the Dakkafexes shooting and Gants not running away. This version is slightly less shooty, but more than makes up for it by having a Comms Relay, better deployment options and a ton of annoying spores.

The key thing about the Sporefield formation units is that they get Infiltrate. So I deploy the Bastion and nothing else (in most cases, but of course depending on an estimation of how many units my opponent can take out turn 1). After my opponent has deployed, I put down the spores in sweet spots, and man the Bastion.
Plus when killed the spores has a 50% chance of coming back. Although they do set you back kill points if killed again, my opponent should have a lot of other things to think about by then. Like, being alpha struck by an insane amount of dakka:

48 TL S6
105 S5
60 S4
S6 Torrent flamer
S5 Haywire flamer

It has 17 scoring units, intimidating ground presence, decent anti-air, decent psychic defense, and a metric ton of movement blockers.

The Lictor is the odd man out, as I had 65 points over. It doesn't really help that much in achieving a critical mass of shooting, but it works with the theme and arrives exactly were I want it. More Spore Mines would probably be much better (I could add another 3x3 + add 3 to the Sporefield for the points) but it would be a nightmare to keep track of which ones belong to which detachment.


I haven't played it yet. But I've played pod spam builds for years, and when I look at this list I get the tingles.

[gigasnail]

Pods for me sadly don't have the same shooting output.

Run it and see how you like it. I dig the counter deploying infiltrating mines, but, dunno i like they give VP 2nd time around. We sure on that?

[Freeman]

You could even try to infiltrate the Lictor to use his guidance thing to stop your pods scattering? That would be very LoS blocking terrain dependant.

Spore field doesn't give away victory points. Spore mines and mucolids never give up kill points it's part of their living bomb rule.

I think it looks an interesting list.

[xenite]

Yeah, I dig it! Share how it works out for you!

[gigasnail]

Mar 6, 2015 23:22:25 GMT Freeman said:

You could even try to infiltrate the Lictor to use his guidance thing to stop your pods scattering? That would be very LoS blocking terrain dependant.

Spore field doesn't give away victory points. Spore mines and mucolids never give up kill points it's part of their living bomb rule.

I think it looks an interesting list.

Read the spore field formation rules and you'll understand my question. Its...dumb.

[Freeman]

Well that is weird. As normal could mean: like a normal unit, or: like a living bomb so not scoring.

I think they've forgotten that the living bomb rule exists.

[gigasnail]

Yeaaaaaaah. GW, lol.

[Jabberwocky]

Even if the lictor deepstrikes, he can guide in any returned spores as will be unlikely to get targeted at all, especially in cover.

I really like the concept. I take it you are using home made spores rather than buying all those new kits?

[N.I.B.]

I'm pretty sure Sporefield units are supposed to give up KP second time around, otherwise that sentence would be pointless. But I don't think it's a problem.

I have three new Tcytes ready (and lots of old pods), if the list performs, I will buy another 4-5. I'll try to make Muco's from the kit.

[Freeman]

It would/will look awesome on the table top!

[mattblowers]

Mar 7, 2015 11:58:39 GMT N.I.B. said:

I'm pretty sure Sporefield units are supposed to give up KP second time around, otherwise that sentence would be pointless. But I don't think it's a problem.

I have three new Tcytes ready (and lots of old pods), if the list performs, I will buy another 4-5. I'll try to make Muco's from the kit.

You can easily make the t-cyte and muclids both. I'm anxious to hear how it works.

[Joe the Ripper]

Tyannocytes are cheap if you just buy the pod body on eBay. I'm up to four kits purchased and six pods from bits. Shave the bottom of the pods and glue to acrylic rods for appropriate model height. I caster my own mucolids too. Up to 11 so far. It's relatively affordable

[slutich]

I know I'm gonna be that wierd person in this alpha strike cult here, but what about sporocyst spam (~6) as a HS filler with two hive fleet detachments as an alternative?

They make spore mines faster than a tervigon could shake a termagaunt at even before the nerf of the new codex based on point-for-point value. These spore mines can assault the turn they come on, EVERY TURN, which means anything nearby is getting S6 AP4 obliterated unless they're a real special snapfiring squad in which case the huge amounts of spore mines you'll make can be used to just make a giant wall and huge annoyance which I'm figuring you guys know about given the sporefield. They fall like a rock on any objectives remotely nearby you, letting your flyrants go free, up and over the wall of flesh. The biggest upgrade to using these over tyrannocytes in this list specifically is the extra points saved by not needing the sporefield. (I understand that's a large part of this army but when you can just infiltrate spore mine factories, sporefield feels a bit redundant for me)

All in all, the only thing really being exchanged is an actual foc slot, 99% turn 2 deepstriking with stuff and movement for more pieplates and immense bodyblocking + losblocking and no required comms bastion. For me, tyrannocytes would be a lot better if they weren't so easy to see under. They are of course both great choices, but every time I look at the sporocyst I see the most cost effective pieplater in pretty much all of 40k.

In terms of the given list, I'd just be worried about what's starting on the base deployment. I wanted to say this just because I really feel like just replacing one or two of the pods in this list would help tremendously as a fortress preparing the turn two strikes, you can even man the comms relay with a sporocyst which gives even more choices for infiltration deployment.

[N.I.B.]

I have a local version of Podshame that I tested last week, without Bastion/Comms Relay (no fortifications here). I played against Space Wolves with pods and 3 Flyers.

Mission was kill points primary and secondary Maelstrom, First Strike and Linebreaker. My opponent won the important roll and forced me to go first, plus he rolled the -1 enemy reserves warlord trait.

I still had a good chance of winning but had some appaling dice, and my opponent was rolling hot for armour saves throughout the game, in the end it was a 0-20 loss. My army was arriving piecemeal, it started with 30 S6 hits failed to do 2 Hull Points to a pod and it continued along those lines, seemingly immortal Thunderwolves did a number on my forces and so on.

Returning Mucolids cost me 3-4 kill points, because I tested some things that didn't work out. The momentum was shifting back to Tyranids but the game ended turn 5 and at that point I was way behind on kill points and Maelstrom objectives.

Now I have a better feel for how the list plays, I'm happy with it and confident that it can do well against most armies out there. I'll be back with more reports.

[N.I.B.]

Had another couple of games with #podshame without Comms.

8 Tyrannocytes

Dakka Flyrant, Egrubs
Dakka Flyrant, Egrubs

Zoanthrope
Zoanthrope

10 Devilgants
10 Devilgants
10 Devilgants

Dakkafex
Dakkafex
T-fex, Egrubs

Sporefield formation
Mucolid
Mucolid
Mucolid
3 Spore mines
3 Spore Mines
4 Spore Mines

2000 points

Both against AM - Pask + friend, heavy weapon teams, 2x allied White Scar biker units, chapter master, 2x2 Wyverns, more stuff.

Again I had bad reserve rolls, got only my troops and Zoanthropes in the first wave, which is not what you want. And my opponent had really good maelstrom draws, got a solid lead early. I bled a lot of kill points from returning Spore Field formation. Ended up with a 5-15 loss.

Second game against AM was heavy on tanks (4 Punishers, 2 Wyverns, 2 Chimaeras) and a Vendetta, with GK allies - a DK, Terminators, Librarian. My Flyrants came in and along with the Tfex Egrubbed Pask and his Punisher puddy to death (they had clumped up so I could lay the templates over both). But the Sporefield cost me a lot of kill points. 14-6 win.

After this I made a thread on Dakkadakka on the subject of Sporefield formation and kill points www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/640792.page
Seems some interpret the intention to be that returning spores aren't supposed to give up kill points, but it's still an interpretation. If you're not a Tyranid player, expect to be challenged on it.

Nevertheless, what it boils down to is that you need Comms Relay in a build like this. The list in the first post is what I want to do, but until Fortifications are allowed in my region, I'm shelfing this build.