1500 points of versatility!

[sirmagpie]

Hello again!
SirMagpie here, and it has been quite a while since I last reported on any of my progress as a new player. It has now been six months since I first started playing 40k and Tyranid, and I have gotten quite a few games under my belt. Over the months a friend of mine who plays Imperial Guard and I have been constantly escalating our armies and my once 500 strong army has now reached the magical number 1500. And just in time for a tournament as well! The rules allow for one list to be used over all games, against all the opponents, and since I have no idea what these opponents will show up with I hope to have an army ready to respond to whatever they may send my way! Or at least one that will be versatile enough to go down with a fight.
This is my current list (and pretty much all the models I own thus far).
HQ:
Hive Tyrant
-Wings
-Twin-Linked Devourer
-Twin-Linked Devourer
-Old Adversary
-Indescribable Horror

TROOPS:
Tervigon
-toxin sacs
-catalyst

Tervigon
-toxin sacs
-catalyst

Termagant x10

Termagant x10

ELITE:
Hive Guard x3

FAST ATTACK:
Shrike x 5
-Lashwhip and Bonesword

Gargoyles x10

Gargoyles x10

HEAVY SUPPORT:
Trygon

What do you think? The tournament is still a good month away and I have time (and finally the resources) to invest in yet a few more models, which I could use to change up my current list.

I also feel that an explanation may be needed as my choice of using Shrikes is, to my understanding, something people tend to shun away from. The explanation is this: Grey Knights.
The few times I have gone up against the Knights they have wrecked me, that is, until I started throwing the Shrikes at them. As long as I am allowed the charge on the enemy squad I tend to pluck them like newborn chicks. Then, on the flipside, if they get to shoot or charge at me I usually go down like paper. Hence the Gargoyles. They act as the Shrike delivery unit.

What I am skeptical about the most is my Trygon, at the moment he is there basically to fill out the list and because I don’t know what else I would put in his place. Maybe I am using him wrong, but in most of my games he has been shot down before he get to even reach the enemy, and if he actually does he tends to be killed within that same round. Maybe he’ll at least draw some fire away from the Hive Tyrant.

The Tyrant is my most recent investment, and have thus far only seen one battle, during which he did phenomenal! I picked him because I liked the model and because I needed an upgrade of HQ from my former Tyranid Prime, whom is now happily cheering from the shelf.


So this is my army, at the moment, and it is open for suggestions and tips on how to play it to the fullest!

Thank you for reading,
SirMagpie.

[ranmafan]

I love Shrikes. My only problem right now is that Shrikes suffer the 'Warrior syndrome' - too expensive for something that's insta-gibbed by S8 weapons. However against a GK army, that may not be a real problem seeing as how they *typically* field less S8 weapons (unless it's an Inquisitor warband full of Meltas...) and don't have access to Storm Shields which makes Boneswords disgustingly powerful. The gargoyle screen does make them very survivable however, so it's a decent choice. A few weaknesses (not enough antitank IMO).

Against GKs, a Tyrant keeping Paroxysm and Leech Essence is probably a feasible idea - since most GKs have high WS, dropping them down to BS/WS 1 so they can't fight properly is a big bonus; especially painful against the model-limited GK armies. Indescribable Horror is kind of meh because most MEQ armies (especially GKs) almost always pass the Ld test needed to charge anyway.

I'm not sure Old Adversary is that good on a Flyrant. Sure, there'll always be the ocasional instances where you'll roll 6 1s, but unless you're running a shooty list on a walking Tyrant it's kind of wasted.

Also - 1 Trygon isn't enough redundancy. A single Force Weapon will end it immediately. It's probably better to field 3 Hive Guards for the cost, drop Old Adv. and give the Tervigons Onslaught so they can roll 3 Biomancy powers.

Alternatively, instead of Shrikes, you could field a gigantic brood of Genestealers with Toxin Sacs and a Broodlord. You get more wounds for the same points cost, the same Initiative as GK Halberdiers (I6, I7 on the BL), higher WS, and a more effective tarpit since Stealers don't have multiwounds to worry about so Force Weapons only really worry the Broodlord... who, if he rolls Iron Arm, will probably laugh a bit. With enough rends, any GK unit stuck in combat with Stealers will likely stay out of the fight for the entire game.

Ymgarls might also work, but at 23 points a model they're slightly more expensive to lose per model. I'm always in favour of hordes.

[Squire]

I like the shrike/gargoyle aspect to the army. I wouldn't consider shrikes without the gargoyles but they're a perfect combination together.

[revx]

looks like a fun list for a tourny that should do well. i would just make that one big brood on 20 gargs.