Cancon 2018 Swarmy FTW

[jamierk]

Hello fellow Krakenites (and non Krakenites)

Just back from ITC GT at Canberra with 130 players, 8 games over 3 days. It was an awesome ride, and my nids went 6:1:1 finishing 5th overall, which is my highest placing at a GT. It was alot of fun, and i'll post up some musings and batreps through the week. Lots of food for thought, but i'll tell you, Nids in ITC are bloody excellent!

Shout out to all my awesome opponents, by far the best bunch of players i've had at a tourney.

Keep calm and genestealer that (please do not swear)

Jamie

[jamierk]

My list for the record:

Jamie Kelly – Cancon 40k ITC Army List

Points: 1999
CP: 10
Warlord: Neurothrope
Number of Detachments: 3
Primary Faction: Tyranids

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Tyranids) [539pts] ++
Hive Fleet: Kraken
+ HQ +
Malanthropes [140pts]: Malanthrope
The Swarmlord [300pts]
+ Troops +
Ripper Swarms [33pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm
Ripper Swarms [33pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm
Ripper Swarms [33pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm

++ Battalion Detachment +3CP (Tyranids) [1282pts] ++
Hive Fleet: Kraken
+ HQ +
Hive Tyrant [224pts]: Adrenal Glands, Chameleonic Mutation, Heavy Venom Cannon, Monstrous Boneswords, Toxin Sacs, Wings
Hive Tyrant [189pts]: Adrenal Glands, Monstrous Rending Claws, Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Wings
+ Troops +
Genestealers [228pts]: Acid Maw x 4
. 19x Genestealer: 19x Rending Claws
Genestealers [192pts]: Acid Maw x 4
. 16x Genestealer: 16x Rending Claws
Termagants [76pts]: 19x Termagant (Fleshborer)
+ Heavy Support +
Trygon [173pts]: Adrenal Glands, Biostatic Rattle, 3x Massive Scything Talons
+ Elites +
Tyrant Guard [200pts]
. Tyrant Guard: Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Rending Claws
. Tyrant Guard: Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Rending Claws
. Tyrant Guard: Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Rending Claws
. Tyrant Guard: Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Rending Claws
. Tyrant Guard: Adrenal Glands, Lash Whip and Bonesword, Rending Claws

++ Spearhead Detachment +1CP (Tyranids) [178pts] ++
Hive Fleet: Kronos
+ HQ +
Neurothrope [70pts]: Warlord
+ Heavy Support +
Biovores [36pts]: Biovore
Biovores [36pts]: Biovore
Biovores [36pts]: Biovore

++ Total: [117 PL, 1999pts] ++

[swarm492]

I dont play in tournaments, so I look at lists like these and just get confused.

GJ though

[shadowfinder]

Looking forward to the about your list and how you used it.

[jamierk]

So I went into this tourney not really knowing what to expect from my list. I worked very hard on balancing out the alpha and beta strike, fully expecting to run into multiple lists with the Rowboat himself which can bring the pain. My list was based on:

A) Target Saturation

I have deployed several threats (the swarmlord, tyrant guard and 16 genestealers) on the board at once, all of which will need to be dealt with over the game, but all under the protection of the malanthrope. It's tough to have enough shooting to take down both the tyrant guard AND the genestealers with -1 to hit, and i often found i could get the tyrant guard into cover. I could even 'hide' the genestealers somewhat due to how much movement the swarmlord would afford them if he needed to (i did this to counter a nids threat)

B) Alpha and Beta

If i went first, the sheer movement available for my stealers would often mean i could get the front unit into combat turn 1 without using swarmlords ability and the second unit in the trygon would use that ability to put 16+19 stealers into my opponents deployment zone, also dropping both flyrants to attempt 8" charges. If I went second, even without a unit of stealers, I could either do this with the 19 stealers in trygong, which by the way is VERY hard to stop, even with good screening since you can just move them through gaps and around screens with that much movement. Often I also had the option (and it was mega effective) of instead dropping the choppier flyrant and Swarmy slinging him into my opponents backline, to smack down an important character or unit. He killed Eldrad doing this, and a Custodes land raider! Saving the 19 stealers until turn 2 was great fun, nothing more fun than having redundant genestealers

C) ITC objectives

Rippers win games, pure and simple. Linebreaker and recon almost every turn. These guys are hard to block, i actually killed some rangers with them once to deny my opponent recon, and I don't know what it is they did with those objectives, but it must have been universe changing because it defined the game. Would take more! Also I only give up 3 reaper points, a deliberate choice, big game hunter and head hunter are my weaknesses but against some armies I could actually castle and go for the strategic objectives first, then wait for my opponent to drop his heavies.

In 8 games I played 5 Eldar armies, mostly due to the fact that these were up the top tables. I also played a Custodes army with Boutey, A Robot army with Boutey and a Tyranid army (no Boutey). Given that I didn't play any MEQ, Knights or Magnus lists its actually hard to say exactly how good my army is, but against anything but pure optimal Eldar I can say it works well. Will write up how some of the battles went hopefully tonight, but spoiler alert, Boutey died ... lots!

Swarm On

Jamie

[mrmucolid]

Nice to here that the tourney players were classy. My last two tournies, back in 5th edition, brought out the inner children in the players. It was sad.

[vandalex]

Shout out to you Jamie, played against you with my nids during game 4. Still salty about my failed Genestealer charge!

Good Game again man, congrats on your final placing!

[xtztxtxz]

Jan 30, 2018 6:50:10 GMT jamierk said:

If I went second, even without a unit of stealers, I could either do this with the 19 stealers in trygong, which by the way is VERY hard to stop, even with good screening since you can just move them through gaps and around screens with that much movement.

How did you manage this after tunnelling out of interest? Metabolic Overdrive prevents charging so did you use that to get into a good position to charge on the next turn, get really good charge rolls, or bring the Swarmlord up to use Hive Commander on the 'stealers?

Nice to see you had success with Tyrant Guard, they're a unit I want to use more often after several editions on the sidelines. How well did they pull their weight outside of being ablative wounds?

Well done!

[kazetanade]

Jan 30, 2018 13:03:42 GMT xtztxtxz said:

Jan 30, 2018 6:50:10 GMT jamierk said:

If I went second, even without a unit of stealers, I could either do this with the 19 stealers in trygong, which by the way is VERY hard to stop, even with good screening since you can just move them through gaps and around screens with that much movement.

How did you manage this after tunnelling out of interest? Metabolic Overdrive prevents charging so did you use that to get into a good position to charge on the next turn, get really good charge rolls, or bring the Swarmlord up to use Hive Commander on the 'stealers?

Nice to see you had success with Tyrant Guard, they're a unit I want to use more often after several editions on the sidelines. How well did they pull their weight outside of being ablative wounds?

Well done!

Swarmlord makes Genestealers like magic. Otherwise they're like sharp floppy sponges.

[jamierk]

Jan 30, 2018 13:03:42 GMT xtztxtxz said:

Jan 30, 2018 6:50:10 GMT jamierk said:

If I went second, even without a unit of stealers, I could either do this with the 19 stealers in trygong, which by the way is VERY hard to stop, even with good screening since you can just move them through gaps and around screens with that much movement.

How did you manage this after tunnelling out of interest? Metabolic Overdrive prevents charging so did you use that to get into a good position to charge on the next turn, get really good charge rolls, or bring the Swarmlord up to use Hive Commander on the 'stealers?

Nice to see you had success with Tyrant Guard, they're a unit I want to use more often after several editions on the sidelines. How well did they pull their weight outside of being ablative wounds?

Well done!

Thanks mate! Yeah the swarmlord was my method for moving the stealers after deepstrike. Spoiler alert, it was boss!

[jamierk]

So day 1, i played 3 games: Robots, Eldar and Eldar:

Game 1. The list i played had the Rowboat, Cawl and 3 x 4 Robot units, god those guys are tough and put out a tonne of fire. I obviously had far more drops than him and I have 6 reserve drops and 3 biovores before i have to deploy anything I cared about. He deployed centrally with 3 robot units around his characters, and I lined up to joust him. Despite him being +1, i won the first turn roll of. I probably don't have to say much more. Two units of stealers in his face turn 1, plus 2 flyrants who made their charges. I failed the trygon charge (this will be a pattern) but got him in there on turn 2 to help smack down robots. The hardest choice was not knowing how much damage my stealers were going to cop on overwatch, I managed to survive the overwatch (6 shots each!) and overran into Rowboat, killed him with stealers and when he didn't get back up that was game. The main point of this game was that his robots can't withdraw from combat and shoot, so even if i just tagged them with my flyrants i was gonna be safe. I had him tabled entirely by turn 2. I'm not gonna lie, it felt good, game 1 under my belt I knew i was now likely to face a tougher list. For the record my objectives were recon, behind enemy lines and gang-busters (his robots gave up 4 points for the unit i chose).

Game 2. Played Eldar player 1, this was a tougher match up, corner deployment which made behind enemy lines much easier, but i had to go old school for my 3rd objective. He had 3 of those harlequin transports that look a little like vypers and 3 units inside full of fusion guns. He had Yvrain, Eldrad and deepstriking wraithguard which worried me a little, in addition to some chaff and a unit of 8 scatter bikes which parked on top of a 3 level building. He spent most of the game castled behind that building casting good powers on the scat bikes, but this gave me the board to score the primary objectives and push my genestealers and tyrant guard up with malanthrope keeping them from being murdered by the scat bikes. I surprised him by first deepstriking my flyrant and using the swarmlord to move him 16" over the back of his building, then smacking down Eldrad in a turn. He dropped in his wraithguard and thank god, failed to cast soulburst on them. This meant they didn't have enough shots to take out the first flyrant, and the second one was ruining the lives of all the harlequins. Turn 2 i deepstriked my genestealers in and swarmy slung them round to murder all his chaff and engage the wraithguard, pinning the unit so it couldn't withdraw. That was pretty much me in control, once i got a charge off with the flyrant on the scatter bikes we pretty much called it and rushed through to the end. Lesson: Flyrant assassin is very tough to stop! I used this tactic alot through the tournament, its hard to counter and not many people even anticipate it. My opponents seem very happy to let me have the board with swarmy and tyrant guard, being more worried by genestealers and flyrants in their face. The list is working!

Game 3. Eldar AGAIN! This list was all serpent spam, 5 wave serpents with some guardians and dire avengers in them. The usual shining spears and autarch gig, plus some deep striking banshees and a warlock to cast quicken on them. I got turn 1, so i raced across the board to start smacking on serpents with two units of stealers and a flyrant. I managed to get a flyrant into the shining spears and fought twice with him to take them down as I knew how badly they could outrun me. Those damn serpents took alot of punishment, and on his first turn they did all of the serpent shield shots on my flyrants, d3 mortal wounds ouch! 1 flyrant survived, and by this time i had got swarmy up the board to help out. I think by the end of the game i had taken 4 of them off the board with genestealers and swarmy. My opponent did politely remind me to charge the genestealers first into a serpent, rather than swarmy as i was about to. I'm like, 'not too much change of those bright lances getting me, but sure i'll play it safe'. 3 Genestealers died to massive overkill copping lascannon overwatch to the face! lol. Honourable mention in this game goes to my tyrant guard, who engaged the rangers and illic in the middle of the board, taking them out to claim important objectives. Also my termagaunts who had to deal with the howling banshees and did remarkably well. They lasted 2 turns and held them off for the game. I had all 4 objectives (in the diamond shape) for most of the game, but disappointingly that's only worth 1 point each. This is my problem with ITC, those primaries should be worth more. I HAD THE WHOLE BOARD CONTROLLED!

So end of day 1, 3/3 riding high and way above my station. I was fully expecting to get shot down tomorrow but i enjoyed it. Great start to the week.

More to come tomorrow, having just learned my matchup was another Kraken nids list ... and his has more flyrants and stealers than me!!

[dc0315]

Didnt the eldar players use there stratagem to shot at your unit of genestealers once it came out of reserve with the trygon?

[jamierk]

From memory in game 2, I had already smacked down eldrad before I dropped the genestealers and he didn't have a good unit near Eldrad to shoot the flyrant on the turn that came in. In game 3 I got first turn so his farseer was still inside the serpent and he couldn't use the strat.

[ggordonn]

I'm curious to know how you modeled your Flyrant with Heavy Venom Cannon and Monstrous Boneswords. Or did you just use the feet as swords?

[jamierk]

I greenstuffed the Boneswords from a swarmlord to the outside of the heavy venoms Cannon arms at the shoulder joint. Looked fairly natural.