Hive Vanguard question.

[Davor]

I haven't played since 5th edition. So I am not sure how the rules work. I have joined a league where we only use the contents in the Starter box sets that GW has released. I am going to use Tyranids. I was going to put wings on my Warriors, but I made sure I spoke to the owner of the store to see if there was going to be issues. He told me I couldn't and I asked why. I replied that he said I can use anything in the Tyranid codex up to 400 points using the starter box set. So I found out he was looking at Battlescribe.

So my question is why can't Warriors in the Vanguard formation use wings?

Also can you give me ideas how to kit out my Warriors and Hive Tyrant? I am trying to use this Battlescribe and 400 points is not a lot I can equip my gribblies with. Just want to get an idea what I should be looking at and what I shouldn't even be considering.

[attune]

Well, warriors with wings are considered Shrikes, so maybe that was his hang up? Also wings aren't included in the box set as far as I know.

Of course neither are dual devourers and you'll want to kit your winged tyrant with 2 of those.

[slithernaut]

You do own a copy of the codex, right?

[Davor]

May 1, 2016 3:04:10 GMT slithernaut said:

You do own a copy of the codex, right?

Yes I do. I have the limited edition codex and the iPad version as well. Thing is, I haven't played since 5th edition and just want to make sure I am not choosing something that I shouldn't. For example, I made a Nid with a Norn Cronw, and thought it looked cool. Thing is, do I use it on my new Tyrant? Do I waste my time modelling it again or stay away from it?

So I wanted to see people's opinions to see how I should start thinking.

[gigasnail]

welcome back!

a shrike isn't just a warrior with a wings upgrade; it's a totally different unit.

flyrant is the only way to build the tyrant.

the gargoyle brood's trick of dropping into reserves and deep striking elsewhere near the warriors looks like it can be a neat trick; deviousdonut has used this formation out in the world and done well with it.

[attune]

Modeling sweet gear on your beloved units is never time wasted!

Although I would stay away from bio artifacts mostly, I've only ever used the reaper but then again I'm a total noob.

Also, if you're worried about loadouts you can always magnetize

[rpricew]

Davor... Welcome back. Enjoy some fun games. I like running the Warriors with Adrenal Glands and Rending Claws. Makes them really Killy in CC and against standard Bolters, the Warriors are pretty durable. Maybe you upgrade one to a set of Boneswords. Sometimes I give one Warrior a Venom Cannon or Barbed Strangler, but in smaller games, I like to run them up and punch stuff and usually don't waste time shooting.

Here's a set out of the Shield of Baal set that I built for a particular list. Adrenal glands and one set of Bone Swords... Cheap, fast and Killy in CC.

[No One]

Hah, you have no options with 400 pts (well, you could equip your hive tyrant some other way, but as giga said "flyrant is the only way to build a flyrant") so that's 240 pts for wings, double devourers and e-shock grubs (you could do 230 and drop the e-shock, but not much point), gargs are 60 min, so 300 pts. Warriors (unfortunately, shrikes are a separate unit, though you use the same kit. Definitely not usable in the formation) are 90 base - give one a barbed strangler, about the only thing worth taking for 10 pts and you're set at 400 pts exactly. Kitting your warriors any other way isn't really helpful either - cc focused warriors are outperformed by shrikes (and will also mean you can't fit a flyrant in at 400 pts), who actually have the mobility to make combat, and anything else is just too expensive and not really that useful.

(And no, norn crown isn't worth it - 40 pts is way too steep, especially when your flyrant will often be well outside of 18" and another zoan is only 10 pts more. Possibly on a prime in a swarm list? But that's not something you can field yet)

Yeah, as giga said, the formation benefit looks neat - nowhere near as nasty as some of the others, but I'm looking forward to trying it out at some point, since I actually have it and the models (will probably wait till I've got my other 10 gargs assembled though).

[Davor]

Thank you everyone for the comments, greatly appreciated. Now I see they are called Shrikes. I guess I am still thinking 4th edition as Warriors with wings. That was my confusion. I am glad I asked, now I understand.

I probably have a lot more game questions when I am reading the rule book and codex again but that will be later. Now on to some modelling.

[blackrainbow]

If the league expands, consider that in the codex the shrikes don't list any wings, so feel free to just call the warriors shrikes and justify any questions about how they move so much faster in lazy GW or super powerful legs that jump like crickets IN YO FACE!

And welcome back.

[gigasnail]

yeah, that's another important note. wings are no longer a biomorph/upgrade at all. shrikes are just straight jump infantry.

...i'm kind of shocked they didn't get squatted, since they don't have a model. i guess that's how they got around it.

[homnomnomigaunt]

I made some leaping warriors a few codexes back by cutting down the flesh-hooks and fitting them between calf and thigh behind the knees of each model. I've used them as shrikes before. I've also been allowed to use shrikes in a starter box set doubles tournament before, since the warriors boxset is the only way to build shrikes and there is currently no available official upgrade kit at the moment (forgeworld accidentally broke their mold for the wings kit I think).

[bolk]

Yeah, wherever those "new molds" for Shrike wings FW talked about on the e-mail I got from them went is a funny question.

[blackrainbow]

May 2, 2016 6:25:20 GMT homnomnomigaunt said:

I made some leaping warriors a few codexes back by cutting down the flesh-hooks and fitting them between calf and thigh behind the knees of each model. I've used them as shrikes before. I've also been allowed to use shrikes in a starter box set doubles tournament before, since the warriors boxset is the only way to build shrikes and there is currently no available official upgrade kit at the moment (forgeworld accidentally broke their mold for the wings kit I think).

That is a really cool way to model them, and very cricket-y.