Tervigon points

[raylorne]

So today was my first time using a tervigon, and now I'm trying to figure out how to play it smarter next time. I ran it at 235points with crushing claws, glands and sacs, 3x powers all 3 games.

The first game (Relic on Dawn of War) it spawned 17 gants and exhausted. Then it died turn 2 when none of my reserves arrived and my opponent's entire army shot at it. Had the reserves arrived I'm still not sure it would have justified all the bells and whistles I threw on it.

The second game (The Scouring on Hammer and ANvil) it spawned 11 gants and exhausted. Then it sat in the backfield and held an objective and maintained synapse on my hive guard. Didn't justify the bells and whistles.

Third game (The Emperor's Will on Vanguard Strile) it spawned 11+7 then exhausted. It sat on my single objective hidden out of sight until the end when it cast enfeeble on my opponent's HQ unit which made a pretty big difference in the shooting phase when I unloaded on him. This game was a toss up on justifying his cost.



I guess the main question here is how do you normally run your Tervigons? Today I saw the benefit to buying 3x powers since sometimes my first two rolls were garbage and I got saved with the 3rd, but the crushing claws and sacs+glands might not be worth it if I'm going to hide the tervigon in the back on an objective.

It doesn't help that my most common opponent at the store is dark eldar who fields 2x venoms and 2x ravagers at 1k+, but adversity builds character.

[Raven]

It depends on how you play them, I tend to be aggresive with my Tervigons so the points on toxin sacs and crushing claws are worth it (I don't run adrenal glands though) If you're more conservative and like to hold your Tervigons back it may not be worth it.

[Illithid]

I generally run mine with just toxic sacs, claws and teeth and the 3 psychic powers for support. I use mine as a defensive support that walks towards a back-line or mid-field objective and leaves some termagants close by. If I ran 2x Tervigons, I probably would run adrenal glands also for assault capacity.

I also have terrible spawning statistics, very rarely getting more than 15 termagants.

[gigasnail]

if you're using the tervigon to be the lynchpin and ground your army on the board while waiting for reserves, hide it behind some LoS blocking terrain. letting your opponent's whole army shoot at it is a bad idea. bad luck certainly happens, which is why you run two of them. i have had tervs dropped in one turn, but i've never seen two burned down in a turn (caveat that no one in my gaming circle uses DE or JotWW priests, and i don't charge tervs into GK forceweapon woodchippers).

[fleetofclaw]

This is just a general tactics thing I've discovered in 6e. Since rulebook powers are so fantastic now, we're even more effective in synergy with our force then ever before. That said, in most games (depending on the opponent) I no longer do the backfield objective thing. I place my objectives midfield where my force can establish control and support my more aggressive units that are pressing the attack. This is a fantastic place for the Tervigon. She's providing synapse, buffs, and psychic power support while providing a nasty midfield threat.

Armies I avoid this with are ones that have most of their firepower in that 24" range like a paladin heavy GK army. In that situation I will try and keep my distance and be more choosy about what I bring forward. Usually I try and set up a "killing blow turn" while minimizing the initial barrage of strength 5 and 8 gk shooting. The killing blow usually involves having two or three psykers with enfeeble (especially in case of deny the witch) to lay multiple enfeebles on the paladins, then open a can of s4 to s6, insta-killing, FNP denying firepower and assaults.

Most shooty armies, however, outrange us anyway, so why spread my army out, lose synergy, and keep my 235 pt beast out of the fight when my opponent can shoot me all the way in the backfield anyway?

In my 2000 point list I'm starting to run two different Tervigons, one is the midfield aggressor with all the upgrades, the other is the objective babysitter and synapse backstop. I still run a midfield control game regardless, but this gives me some flexibility, saves a few points, and gives my Tervies clearly defined roles.

Don't give up on the crushigon, just adapt your tactics around her.


EDIT: haha in the time it took me to write my wall of text on my phone several other people replied and all gave great advice. The 235 "Crushigon" is definitely intended to be an aggressive unit. I think it's best to envision our "bubble of effectiveness" in terms of that 24" range on most maledictions and blessings our psykers can whip out. Thus the midfield control (with flyrants, ymgarls, and other fast things pressing upfield) strategy has seemed more effective for me, rather than creating multiple islands out of my forces (spiltting up objective campers, deep strikers, outlfankers, etc)


Sent from my Nexus S 4G using proboards

[infornography]

My Crushigons are forward pressing units. Usually if I HAVE to have backfield synapse it is support zoanthropes. Otherwise I just push forward and allow my tervigons to spawn tons of objective holders who run out and claim points. If I have surplus they travel with the tervigons and act as initial assaulters against tough opponents. My tervigons sometimes follow behind and join in the fun. Usually they head straight toward tough forward vehicles like land raiders, battlewagons, and monoliths or any enemy that needs to be instant deathed.

[casteel]

I run mine with Crushing Claws, Toxin Sacs, and Two Powers. It's roughly 215?! Points or so. I run two of them. They are great. If you are lucky and don't blow out, they really make it worth their point value. The idea is to not spawn, unless you have too.

[rampagingfex]

I've had good luck with 160 points. If you are only taking one, and you expect him to get shot up in the first couple turns, the 160-point version makes the same number of babies and draws the same number of shots. Most opponents don't know the difference and you may be able to save ~70 points. Don't expect him to win any combats, but still a really good value in my opinion.

-RF

[leeroy1986]

I always give my Tervigons furious charge and poison so then when their gaunts do charge in they wound on a 4+ with re-rolls being strength 4 against most other troops, means they hit just that bit harder.

[jifel]

I'd drop crushing claws... They're nice point fillers but not worth it on their own.
3 powers is mandatory, then poison, adrenal Glands advised but not fully neccessary.

[gigasnail]

they're definately worth it if you're expecting to get them into combat. with the smash attack you're ap2 and ID'ing everything T5 and below, and pretty much obliterating vehicles. i'll take the +d3 attacks for 25 points, for sure.

[raylorne]

So far I'm at the point where I'm playing slightly outside my comfortable point range. Most people seem to want to play 1500 at the store and I can field 1300 with a stacked tervigon. Once I need to save the points I think I'll drop everything but the powers. Looking to get two more hive guard to fill out my unit of 3 and maybe grab a zoanthrope or two since I can probably proxy one as a doom. Also want to get a second tervigon which might get the claws. After reading about other people's experience with a them I really want to own my opponent with a warp strike smash beatdown at least once..

[lordbob]

Well judging from what you've said about your games, the points you're putting into the tervigon isn't worth it, but this doesn't mean it isn't, you are just suing the tervigon wrong. Don't sit it back on one of your objectives, use small squads of gants to do that (don't worry if they're out of synapse, they'll just hunker down in cover). Be aggressive, march your tervigon into the front lines and take their objectives, get it into combat and you'll see how worth it is.

Also part of your problem was just having bad luck, you rolled really small numbers of gants and then expired, so that directly inhibits how much worth you can see from the points you spend on it, if you rolled more average numbers of gants the toxin sacs and adrenal glands would see much more use from granting it to them.

The first game unfortunately you had a high priority target out in the open when you had a lot of your army in reserves.

But no pain no gain, you need to push forward if you spend more points on it, the same as if you spent all the point on a hive tyrant and hid it in the backfield, or carnifexes. There actually aren't many things I would keep in the backfield, biovores and objective-holding gants. Hive guard are usually played midfield for me, and even if I ever used a tyrannofex that would be moving upfield the whole time.

[commandersasha]

The Tervigon is definitely now a frontline aggressor, so is worth buffing, especially the buffs it shares to its spawned Gants.
If you want cheap synapse troops for back objectives, barebones warriors going to ground are probably cheaper!
I find pushing everything forward hard is even better in 6th than it was in 5th; I use a mobile fire base of 3 Hiveguard and 3 Biovores, with an attached Prime; once they're in the middle of the table they dominate!

[Jabberwocky]

Unfortunately warriors (or MCs) can't go to ground thanks to fearless from synapse and doubly from MC status.

Stealers with Broodlords are reliable out of synapse, can go to ground and still use powers but that is another topic.

I'd stick with the super Tervigon for a bit but definitely try trimming her down once you have other places to spend the points. You buy the unit for the role, don't try to find a role for a unit; otherwise you'll find yourself wasting points.