The Mycetic Spore-Why give it weapons?

[squidy]

I see a lot of Tyranid players put weapons on their pods. I don't understand why, though.

Not only are you paying points on weapons for something that does its job without killing anything, but you trade an already powerful weapon.

I've kill countless raiders, rhinos, trukks and such with this stupid thing and its ranged attack (ripper tentacles?). Being twin-linked on other weapons helps to hit, but none of them seem reliable anyway. Just stick with the base weapon. Its not like you are podding in to get range on the enemy. You can be positioned within 6" just fine (because your trying to get close to them anyway xD ). Even if you don't kill anything, you only payed the minimum points to get what you needed to the front line to the front line. Why else would you buy a pod?

[swarm492]

I buy mine cluster spines, because I don't pod guants so I don't worry about the scatter and my local players don't bother killing it. Every game I put guns on it it blows infantry away, and at 10 pnts for the upgrade its not hard to make pnts.

[l0rdf1end]

But you have to shoot the nearest target and at BS2.
Better off spending those points on Toxin Sacs.

[swarm492]

bs 2 don't matter much when your using a large blast weapon, and I pod my doom near infantry so still works out good for me.

[rpricew]

If I understand things correctly... the codex says "may take" one of these weapons not "replace Ripper Tentacles" with this weapon.

Monstrous Creatures may fire 2 weapons per shooting phase.

Pod in behind a AV 10-11 vehicle

Shoot Ripper Tentacles
Shoot TL Deathspitter

and you have a good chance of destroying the vehicle.

Also, if you pod them in front of your enemy, give them Barbed Stranglers then they will drop a whole lot of Pie Plates on your enemy. It's just a preference. I give mine TL Deathspitters if I have an extra 10 points.

[gigasnail]

taking guns on a pod does not replace ripper tentacles. take the TL deathspitters for side/back armor shots on vehicles, then hose the disembarked contents with whatever was riding in the pod.

i've tried the cluster spines, the scatter made them hard to use in 5th but now that you get full strength for just being under the blast, i'm sure it would be a lot more reliable.

[coredump]

rprice has the right of it.

[N.I.B.]

When you upgrade your spores it is because you need a critical mass of focused shooting.

[Deadlink]

I only upgrade my pod if I am dropping in a unit that is vital to my plan. Simply because the pod could be a distraction or it could do some damage saveing my real cargo from dieing.

I agree with rpricew barbed Stranglers on a pod ( against some armies ) can really mess things up. Think of all the pie plates people!!
On one particular ocassion my devilgaunts died and IG took back the objective. Then 2 turns later my pods Barbedstrangler took them all out.
I think upgrading them is hand provided how/where you plan to deploy them and who your upagainst.
That being said I would never upgrade them unless I really have the points to spare cause sometimes they just don't work out.


Deadlink~

[demoric]

Sept 7, 2012 21:15:23 GMT rpricew said:

If I understand things correctly... the codex says "may take" one of these weapons not "replace Ripper Tentacles" with this weapon.

Monstrous Creatures may fire 2 weapons per shooting phase.

I have always missed that and played it as a replacement. That changes things.

[mash]

Cluster spines worked for me. It's 10 points so you've gotta be unlucky not to earn that back. How it works best is combined with the the tentacles your opponent starts to think it a serious threat and starts trying to kill the spore. It does happen and you'd happily pay 10 points for that distraction whilst your real swarm gets closer.

[ravengoescaw]

I am looking at pg 90. It says Options: Take One of the following:CS, SS, T-L DS, BS, VC. I always assumed it means you are required to take one of them. Because it is missing the word may take one. This doesn't not replace the ripper tentacles because it doesn't say "may take one and replace ripper tentacles". If this isn't require please reply and where you found it not being a requirement.

[brianb9999]

They just mean that you can only take one of the options; ie, you cannot upgrade your spore to have both a barbed strangler AND cluster spines. If what you are saying is true, then tervigons would be forced to take either scything talons or crushing claws, but I have seen plenty of lists use tervigons with neither.

[ravengoescaw]

Great point Thank you brainb999. That just got me another devigaunt. Thank you.

[coredump]

It is listed as an Option; which is why taking one is optional.