Trying something new, Kraken 2,000 points

[Halollet]

I love the rush of Kraken.  Taking the board and forcing my opponent to fight out of a corner.  Especially since Maelstrom is common in my Meta.

I tried with T-fexs but I want to do something a little different.  Plus, I've been seeing Swarmy popping up more and more, would love to run him.

So, first turn;
Swarmy commanders himself
Flyrant Advances and Onslaughts
Genestealers get the double run via Kraken strat
Maleceptor double moves via strat

Second turn, everything else is there all the while shooting and smiting along the way.

Battalion

Flyrant, AG, Chameleonic Mutation, HVC, MRC, TS, Warlord: Mind Eater (Trying this out too!), Catalyst, Paroxysm
Swarmlord, Psychic Scream, The Horror

Genestealers x17, 4 Acid Maw
Genestealers x20, 5 Acid Maw
Warriors x9, AG; 4 with Boneswords and deathspitter, 2 with 2x talons, 3 with Sword & Whip and venom cannon

Carnifexes x2 - AG, Bone mace, Crushing Claws, Tusks, Devourers (I'd happily trade the -1 to hit vs the +2 to wound against things T7 and up, plus with Kraken I can charge every turn)

Vanguard

Neurothrope - Catalyst

Maleceptor, The horror
Venomthropes x3
Zoanthrops x5, Onslaught

Getting first turn would be ideal, but going second isn't terrible as I'll Prepare Defences and except for the warriors, Venomthropes, and fexes, everything has an invunerable save.  I hope Swarmy will be alright with 2+/4++ and a -1 to hit for a turn.
Thoughts?

[pokesers]

The venomthropes seem out of place. 3 of them wont do much as they will very quickly and easily be shot down. Im a big fan personally of HVC flyrants and your battalion looks good in general, also why not 6 zoans?

[Halollet]

Yeah, that's the big debate in my head. The venomthropes will be shot down pretty quick, I don't have any more to boost the brood so I'm concidering sealing the venoms and neurothope for a malanthrope. Probably a good ideas right?

As for the zoans, I only have 5.

[nackanid]

As always, if you play on a table with los-terrain you should always be able to hide the Venomthropes. Or you keep them way back and chain the sqauads back to the aura. Swarmy is very fast and you can always use the metobolic overdrive-strat to get him where you want him. That's 18+2*A move first round. So for him to stay back is not a problem. An alternativ with swarmy is to make him the warlord and redeploy him if you dont get first turn.

With carnifexes, they are alot more efficent if you take them as pure shooting or pure CC.

Like the Zoanthropes, they are really hard to kill. But five is the worst number, go 4 and sprinkle in some more genestealers.

You are really thin on boardcontrol. Stealers wont survive 2 rounds against a good opponent if you cant hug something. May some mor terma, horma or rippers?

[pokesers]

I disagree with only taking 4 Zoans, with only 4 if even 1 dies then they lose their smite bonus.As for buying a malanthrope, they are definitely more durable than venoms and im guessing are around the same price as a full venom brood so if you have the money and want a malanthrope, go for it. The only problem with them is that 3' is a very small aura, it does however affect monsters. Is also handy that the malanthrope has synapse on top of everything else. It is really the perfect babysitter. Its also great fun to paint and imo is one of the best looking models we have.

For the fexs you might be better going pure shooty with enhanced senses, HVC, devs for some more tank busting since your list rather lacks high strength weapons and crushing claws are bad without OOE support. Also your point about charging every turn, you also get overwatched every turn and all this is assuming they havent already fallen back. There arent many things that happily stay in melee with a fex and the things that do, you probably dont want to be fighting up close.

[Halollet]

Hmmm, board control is a bit of a concern. What would I drop to get a brood of rippers or two?

Here's ver 2


++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Tyranids) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Hive Fleet: Kraken

+ HQ +

Hive Tyrant: Adrenal Glands, Chameleonic Mutation, Heavy Venom Cannon, Monstrous Rending Claws, Power: Catalyst, Power: Paroxysm, Toxin Sacs, Warlord, Warlord Trait: Mind Eater, Wings

Malanthropes: Malanthrope

The Swarmlord: Power: Psychic Scream, Power: The Horror

+ Troops +

Genestealers: 4x Acid Maw
. 18x Genestealer: 18x Rending Claws

Genestealers: 5x Acid Maw
. 20x Genestealer: 20x Rending Claws

Tyranid Warriors
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, Boneswords, Deathspitter
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior: Adrenal Glands, 2x Scything Talons
. Tyranid Warrior (Bio-cannon): Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior (Bio-cannon): Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Venom Cannon
. Tyranid Warrior (Bio-cannon): Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Venom Cannon

+ Elites +

Maleceptor: Massive Scything Talons, Power: The Horror

Zoanthropes: Power: Onslaught, 5x Zoanthrope

+ Heavy Support +

Carnifexes
. Carnifex: Enhanced Senses, Heavy Venom Cannon, Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms
. Carnifex: Enhanced Senses, Heavy Venom Cannon, Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms

++ Total: [107 PL, 2000pts] ++

[pokesers]

I would maybe lose the warriors, you dont need the extra synapse since half of your list is synapse and genestealers dont have instinctive behaviour, Either that or the malceptor maybe. Not sure how good they are.

[Halollet]

Dec 2, 2018 10:00:56 GMT pokesers said:

I would maybe lose the warriors, you dont need the extra synapse since half of your list is synapse and genestealers dont have instinctive behaviour, Either that or the malceptor maybe. Not sure how good they are.

Well, the malceptor is a distraction carnifex, just expect him to absorb some firepower first turn.

As for the Warriors, what would I swap them out for?

[pokesers]

Just going off approximate costs, Im guessing those 9 warriors come to around 300 points, maybe a tiny bit less or more. There are a few useful things you could do for that, you could make the 18 genestealers to 20 and add a 3rd full squad of genestealers. This would allow you to take an extra acid maw on the 18 stealer squad which means 4 more acid maw attacks, quite a significant upgrade.

You could put 3 more cheap fexs in there, I run a loadout that is 98pts a piece wo you could do that, they will work as amazing distraction units to help you genestealers survive, or you could get some hive guard, not sure how many but im fairly sure you could fit at least 6 with enough points to top off that stealer squad. I would say that all of these would perform better than warriors.

Warriors are kind of in a weird place imo because their profiles definitely favour melee and in shooting they only hit on a 4+ which kinda sucks but they only have 6" movement so without a trygon getting them into melee combat is really difficult. If you wanted tehm for the venom cannons you would be better off with more dakafexs with enhanced senses for the extra BS.

[kazetanade]

Have you looked at the netlist kraken list? It's actually really tight and basically the optimum list for kraken GS Sling.

Warriors are a terrible choice for this build, slow and require both shooting and melee to make their points back. Or to stick around doing either for like 3 turns. Only really hurt infantry, same target profile as GS.

If you don't want the netlist : The points into more Fexes is actually better for real. Give it a try with full GS, then more Fexes. If you have points leftover, GSC Magii are a good support function.