500 pts tourney Need advice Edit: More info

[ikterus]

So my local store is setting up a small tournament. It's supposed to be an easy going 500 pts tournament with rewards for fun lists and hopefully without to much power gaming.

That suits me fine as I'm a very easy going player and not much for WAAC. I like a good narrative and themed armies.

This my first experience playing 6th. I have read it and I think I know the rules but the mechanics still is a mystery to me. I would like to try out some of the new psychic stuff but not many psykers are available at 500 pts (I don't have any Zoanes). I could however proxy a Broodlord...

I have played an all CC non Tervigon-army and have very little shooting so I know I'll have problems.

This is what I own:

2 tyrants (BS/LW+dual Dev & dual ST) both can have wings
1 Alpha (dual BS)
1 Tyrant Guard

4 Hive Guard
2 Venomothropes

Lots of Genestealers (30)
Lots of Hormagaunts (45)

2 Trygons


So, what can I do?


Swarmy:

HQ
Alpha w BS 90 pts

Troops
20 Hormagaunts 120 pts
19 Hormagaunts 114 pts
8 Genestealers + BroodLord 172

496 pts



Balanced

HQ
Alpha w BS 90 pts

Elite
Hive Guard 50 pts
Hive Guard 50 pts
Hive Guard 50 pts

Troops
14 Hormagaunts 84 pts
8 Genestealers + BroodLord 172

496 pts



Beastly

HQ
Tyrant (dual scytal) 170 pts

Troops
10 Hormagaunts 60 pts
10 Hormagaunts 60 pts

Heavy
Trygon w Toxin 210 pts

500 pts



Psyker

HQ
Tyrant (dual scytal) 170 pts

Elite
Hive Guard 50 pts

Troops
8 Genestealers + BroodLord 172 pts
18 Hormagaunts 108 pts

500 pst



So my questions are:

1. Which list is most competitive against a balanced opposition?
2. Which list is least boring to play against?
3. Which list will teach me most about 6th?
4. Which list should I choose?
5. Which list should I play instead of the ones above that obviously suck chitinous ass?

Thanks mates!

[l0rdf1end]

Tyrant Arnoured shell, 2 TL devourers.
1 Hive Guard
1 Tervigon
10 Gants

2+ save Warlord with a lot of Dakka
The hive guard can get cover save from the Tyrant and walk up behind
Tervigon for spitting out troops for shields and tarpitting.

2 Psykers, 3 rolls on Biomancy should get you something useful.

500 points bang on.

But if i had to choose from your lists i'd go with "Balanced". 3 Hiveguard should wreck anything.

[ikterus]

I only own one of the things you suggest... And that's the Hive Guard

But I do realize that Tervigon/Termagants is the way to go in 6th.

But your vote is on balanced. Noted. I guess you suggest Biomancy for the Broodlord?

[l0rdf1end]

Tough call.

Depends on what your facing I would say.
But Biomancy does give you 3 good options:

Iron Arm.
Endurance.
Enfeeble.

If you face very low leadership like Carnifexs and Trygons you could try and get Fear or Dominate in Telepathy.
You've got your tank busters, Objuration Mechanicum is useful for dealing with overwatch also.

You could rejig your list and try to play defensivley.

HQ
Prime dual syth. 80 (wack him with Hormies).

Elite
2x Hive Guard 100
2x Hive Guard 100

Troops
15 Hormagaunts 90 pts
5 Genestealers + BroodLord 130

500 pts

Make him come to you with all of the Hive Guard hurting him then pounce with your assault squads.
Only trouble is range of only 24 inches. If he has anything long range that would be your target priority with infiltrated Stealers.

[NidsAndMarines]

So let's see, what do you need to know/learn about 6th? Flyers, psykers and shooting is still king so with no termagants you will find it tough.

Despite that, of the lists you've written I'd probably pick 'Balanced'.

Two ideas, first using your models and second using other stuff ...

1st
HQ: Tyranid Prime, Devourer, BS, TS; 100pts

Elite: Hive Guard x2; 100pts

Troops: Genestealer x6, Broodlord (with ST), TS; 167pts
Hormagaunt x11; 66pts
Hormagaunt x11; 66pts

499pts

2nd
HQ: Tervigon, AG, TS, Cat, Ons; 210pts

Troops: Termagant x10; 50pts
Termagant x10; 50pts

Heavy: Carnifex, TL Dev w/ brainleech x2; 190pts

500pts, or possibly swap the C'fex out for the genestealer loadout above and give CC to the tervigon.

I struggle here because I love my dakkafex and I love the stealers w/ broodlord too.

'Nids & Marines.

[ikterus]

Thanks guys!

I allready knew that the days when you could field a valid tyranid force without Tervigons (was there ever such a time since the new codex?) is over.

But this is what I have, and thanks for working with me with this limited palette.

I do have some plans on aquiring two Tervs in the future if Nurgle doesnt come in between...

I was accutally most tempted by the Psyker list. It contains no spam and have a lot of psyker potential. Sure it's a "all egs in one basket" list and it's slow but don't you think it could work?

We do play on rather big tables though so maybe Hive Guard spam is the way to go? If so I'm thinking l0rdf1end's list...

[l0rdf1end]

You could even drop 2 Hormies and give your Prime Toxin, that means he rerolls all hits and wounds in combat.
As specified, the only issue is range with the HiveGuard. Although I think this is probably the best list you could run with models available.

Hivegaurd have a good chance to deal with Mid ranged MECH and even Flyers.
They can ID most troops on a failed save if facing multiwound like wraiths, oblits, paladins or any character without eternal warrior that is toughness 4.
You'll be pumping out 8 shots a turn which is pretty savage for a 500 point game.

I'd just play the game your way and make him play on your terms. Keep laying down the hurt with HiveGuard and make him come to you to try and kill them.

[ikterus]

Thanks all!

I have some new info about the tournament and maybe i t changes things...

We're going to play on small boards 24" wide and 48" deep (!)

That's very narrow battlefields... I'm not sure how it will affect CC-oriented armies or swarms for that matter. Does it make swarms more viable? Will it be beneficial for my Hive Guard?

[ikterus]

I guess the Hive Guard will have an easier time hitting things with their 24" range and it will help a lot with keeping synapse range, but infiltration will suffer as the boards will get crowded...

I also think CC will get more easily reachable and more effective...

[NidsAndMarines]

Well my 10 year old plays all his games on boards that size at the local GW store in the beginner sessions - and they play 1000pt armies. It just means HG are almost always in range, there's nearly always some synapse and CC happens really quickly - which is nice

nids & Marines.

[l0rdf1end]

If your always in range with Hive Guard thats just perfect for you. Take 9!

Just remember before you go running up the board, you only have 2 units.
If you do it make sure placement is perfect with your Prime out in front for those 3+ saves and look out sir.
And your broodlord doing the same thing.

Personally I would just keep hurting him with Hive Guard so he has to come to you to kill them.

[ikterus]

Also I forgot to add that everything is allowed.

That means that I could end up facing a Land Raider or fliers.

When it comes to AV 14 all I have is Hive Guard that need sixto glance and the Brood Lord that needs Iron Arm and a good roll.

Also I've thought a bit about wounds. Fieldning a balanced list I can put around 30 wounds on the table, Fielding a swarm it can go up to almost sixty wounds... It would be fun to field a swarm in this format... But them I'm completely screwed against high AV and fliers...

[ikterus]

The lists I'm currently considering are:

1.

Prime (Dual ST)

15 Hormagaunts
15 Hormagaunts
16 Hormagaunts
6 Stealer w Broodlord

That's 58 wounds! They'll just rush forward into CC. 46 Hormagaunts will be hard to remove from the table... Sure armor will be a problem.

2.

Prime (Dual ST)

2 HG
2HG
15 Hormagaunts
5 Stealers w Broodlord

34 wounds. Much more balanced, and the Hive Guard can make the opponent cry. But I'll still have problems with armor and I lose the possibility to hose the opponent with bodies.

So...

Can I field a list with a Tyrant just for taking down armor? Both my Psyker and Beastly lists above will take down armor much more easily, while fielding 30 and 32 wounds (almost equal to the balanced list above...

Thoughts?

[Jabberwocky]

Just drop 2 HG for hormies and keep the gun on your Prime, preferably giving BS too. Thats still ~42 wounds with some swarminess and shooting.

Personally I would take a Tyrant but that's just how I am :-)