How important is synapse?

[bohdominator]

I usually run a fair few synapse creatures in my army. However I have a 1750 point battle against dark eldar tomorrow. My monstrous creatures are going to be poisoned to death in no time as he will have about 72 poisoned shots from 36" a turn.

My gaunts have lurk so can still shoot at the nearest unit, so I don't think they will suffer too much from instinctive behaviour.

My only worry is for their regrouping and sweeping advances.

Anything with feed can't shoot which is a blow, but they gain rage which could actually play into my advantage.

Any help would or advice would be great thanks

[t⊗theark]

It really depends on what the unit is and what you were aiming it at. I mean a lot of gaunt broods by themselves are going to do the thing you were probably intending if they fail anyway, that is, termagants sit on an objective/cover and shoot what ever comes close and hormagaunts gunho to the closest enemy hoping to sink their talons into it. Remember that you don't have fearless either which is its own thing but instinctive behaviour has its own quirks, for example, units have rage when they feed.

Units like biovores or raveners or something that you actually need to direct and have points invested in you might want a zoathrope around to aim them, lest (using those examples) you end up strength 4 barraging or have a carnifex land itself a fun time with a librarian force weapon.

Feeing units cannot fire, this is true, but there's not many feeding units that usually should fire. There's the carnifex if you're using a dakkafex and not a stone crusher. The pyrovore, if you have a sense of humour, still shoots and others things that feed and can get guns don't often get guns anyways - like raveners.

What I always do is have a chap brood of synapse in the back field with a long ranged weapon. I personally do this with 3 warriors, all armed with scything talons, toxin sacs, and rending claws except for the one with a barbed strangler. It makes the biovores behave, it sits on deployment zone objectives, it can catch falling back units, it can take pot shots so it isn't useless and if it's tied up in combat, it still isn't useless - all for 115 points. Heck, you could drop the combat precautions and just keep them at 100.

[bohdominator]

The warrior idea sounds really good, genius in fact

I am however considering a tervigon instead of the warriors, it would be 45 points more and be able to create gaunts, aswell as been able to do everything the warriors could.

[t⊗theark]

Do remember, though, that a small infantry unit draws significantly less attention than a monstrous creature than births more units and is a psychic monstrosity.

[infornography]

Tervigons are best utilized on the front lines. They are quite capable melee combatants especially in this edition.

What I most like to provide my backfield synapse is a zoanthrope or two who traded in their powers for biomancy. They are a lot lower priority target for your enemy if they aren't firing out AP1 lances or AP3 blasts and can buff your backfield while giving them synapse.

[TheContortionist]

hormagaunts, trygons, carnifex, raveners. none of these units need synapse anymore they will have rage and get 2 attacks on the charge. remember though that not keeping them in synapse they will not have fearless.

[infornography]

You do realize how important fearless is for hormagaunts and raveners right? If you don't want them cut down when they run away from the battle they need fearless. If you don't want them running away after taking 25% losses during the enemy shooting phase they need fearless. They really are not any good at all without it. The chance at getting an extra attack is NOT worth losing fearless on those units by any stretch.

[Illithid]

^ Absolutely agree with Infornography here. +1 extra attack is nice, but fearless is priceless. Imagine losing a single Ravener to shooting and then the unit running off the board.

[TheContortionist]

my list.

--2000--
1-Tervigon w/3 powers-190
1-Tervigon w/3 powers-190
1-Tervigon w/3 powers-190
1-Tervigon w/3 powers-190
1-Tervigon w/3 powers-190
24-gaunts-120
24-gaunts-120
24-gaunts-120
1-Doom in a pod-130
3-zoanthrope-180
3-zoanthrope-180
1-trygon
=2000

i don't muck around with that trash. stay in synapse or you're gonna have a bad time.

[bohdominator]

Really I need to keep my gaunts in synapse then, Does the same apply for my termagaunts? Because as things stand my list looks like its going to fall apart simply because I lack synapse.

My list contains 3 tervigons and thats about the only synapse I have. The problem is my opponent will target these and destroy them early on.

I am not scared of instinctive behaviour because 9 times out of 10 I will be forced to do what I was going to do anyway. It really does come down to sweeping advances and fearless. I should handle my self in close combat, my swarms have enough attacks and wounds to avoid losing combat and falling back. He will spam venoms so his squad sizes will be small. His beastmasters unit is my biggest threat for close combat, but I should be able to weaken these with early shooting.

My worry is he will have my gaunts fleeing and I will be left running for the table edge.

[bohdominator]

The contortionist

I am fighting dark eldar in a 1750, MC's against dark eldar is a recipe for disaster your paying points for the hefty toughness and its wasted on 4+ poison.

I see the effectiveness of your list but I don't think it would suit a battle against dark eldar.

I suppose on a plus side, if he shoots the hell out of my 3 synapse models the 3 tervigon, he isn't shooting my other models that can really deal some damage.

I could take a prime attached to one of my large squads of gaunts, unless he's challenged he will be hard to kill and he should be in relative close range to all my swarm units to keep them in synapse fighting strong.

[TheContortionist]

well, i have to pick my battles. dark eldar and eldar are a terrible matchup for nids. so instead of making my bad matchups better and still keeping it a bad matchup. i have chose to make most other game an almost sure win.

I am part of a competitive community. and am a tournament player. there just isn't a lot of dark eldar/eldar. Thankfully.


With this list, against eldar, you have a next to no chance of winning if your opponent has half a brain. I'm playing a tournement today and i'll do some battle reports.

[bohdominator]

Yeah I feel nid are very weak against 2 armies, grey knights and dark eldar, unluckly for me I am up against 1 of those 2 armies lol

I feel swarms are my best bet but all synapse models are so weak to dark eldar... I guess as the match is tomorrow I will just field my army as it is, and hope for the best.

[retnab]

I strongly suggest you using non-MC Synapse critters as was mentioned by others. Support/Warp X'ing Zoeys work, I don't much like Warriors but they're a possibility too. You could also use a Flyrant and hope their poison guys don't land on a Mysterious Objective with Skyfire, it'd make them a lot less of a threat to him.

[Davor]

If you have gaunts, not in synapse, are they still a scoring unit? I can't rememeber and too lazy to check in codex right now.