2000 Tyrant Mash Custom Fleet (Hive Fleet Basilisk)

[zimko]

Resilient units are the way to go it seems. Hive Tyrants are still one of our most resilient units with a healthy T7 profile, 12 wounds, 3+ and 4++. And now with obscuring terrain they can be hidden more reliably from shooting. By the sounds of the new Space Marine toys and my own experience vs Custodes and other melee brawling units... Warriors just can't stand up to the field in melee. It seems like spamming termagants may be the counter but I personally don't feel like rolling for that many models anymore. Yes it's competitive but playing until time runs out on every single round in a tournament is taxing. So instead I considered Carnifexes but decided they weren't resilient enough in melee. So here we are at Hive Tyrant spam again with their own version of Carnifex's spores (against melee instead of shooting).

Custom Fleet (Basilisk): Membranous Mobility (-1 to hit in melee against Fly), Metamorphic Regrowth (regain 1 wound each turn)
Battalion: Progeny of the Hive -1 CP
 - Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x M. Scy Talons, Murderous Size, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 230 - Paroxysm, The Horror
 - Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Devourers, M. Scy Talons, Murderous Size, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 245 - Paroxysm, Psychic Scream
 - Neurothrope Warlord - 95 - Psychic Scream
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
 - 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
 - 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
Patrol: -2 CP
 - Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Devourers, M. Rending Claws, Resonance Barb, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 230 - Catalyst, The Horror
 - Swarmlord - 270 - Paroxysm, Onslaught
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 15 Termagants - 75

The custom hive fleet gives the entire army -1 to hit in melee except the Swarmlord and Troops. It also allows the entire army to heal 1 wound per turn, which could benefit everyone except the 1 unit of Termagants. I THINK this is more valueable than 6+++ from Leviathan. The goal of the Tyrants is to get in melee and stay there. Badtouch stuff to silence most ranged weapons. Then use the -1 to be hit to mitigate the melee damage. The Neurothrope is going to attempt psychic Ritual almost every game, which is why I didn't give it the Resonance Barb. He wont need it since he can't cast any spells while performing the Psychic Action. The Zoanthropes are going to sit on objectives and smite what they can. They will also protect the Neurothrope while it casts the ritual. Zoanthropes are Infantry and our most resilient Infantry so they can attempt Infantry based Actions to score secondaries.

The double Scy Talon Flyrant is a tactical nuke to be launched by the Swarmlord at the most dangerous threat. He's almost a Super Flyrant. My experience with the Super Flyrant is that usually he doesn't survive after being launched at the opponent. He kills whatever I sent him after and then absorbs a whole lot of damage with Catalyst. So I might as well give him 2x Scy Talons to mimic the +1 Attack from Scythes of Tyran and to reduce his cost a little. The other two Flyrants and the Swarmlord are going to contest what they can and try to keep my opponent away from the Zoanthropes. The goal of the Tyrants is to stall my opponent while the Zoanthropes and Neurothropes score me points.

[acehilator]

I would be afraid for the HTs to become bogged down in unfavourable melee fights, like empty transports or stuff stuff with 3++/4++. Kraken fall back and charge seems like a must have.

[zimko]

I'm not too worried about them being bogged down. They're there to bog down my opponent, not just kill them. So it would be a mutual 'ok, we bog down each other so we each score points for objectives'. The Zoanthropes can still kill things that the Hive Tyrants are in melee with.

That's also why I gave them Paroxysm so that the Hive Tyrants can fight first even if they're stuck in melee for a couple turns.

In fact, if my opponent has a large unit of ob-sec... like necron warriors for example... I think it's favorable for a Hive Tyrant to get them stuck in melee. That prevents them from spreading out to objectives and limits their damage output. If they fallback then the new stratagem can deal some mortals to them and my Hive Tyrant is free to engage again. And remember that the Flyrants have -1 to being hit in melee as well.

[N.I.B.]

I like your ideas, are you having a game soon? Let us know how Hive Fleet Basilisk held up.

[zimko]

Aug 6, 2020 20:13:46 GMT N.I.B. said:

I like your ideas, are you having a game soon? Let us know how Hive Fleet Basilisk held up.

Unfortunately I dont think I'll have time to play until a GT at the beginning of September. This is definitely looking like the most likely list I will take for it though so I'll have a report for you by then.

[hivefleetkerrigan]

Any way to drop the termagant for some warriors? You'll gain the +1 wound regen, which I think could be helpful.

The list looks interesting. I'd be careful with the number of rippers you have as you might have difficulties performing certain actions.

[tallthor]

Aug 6, 2020 14:40:22 GMT zimko said:

Resilient units are the way to go it seems. Hive Tyrants are still one of our most resilient units with a healthy T7 profile, 12 wounds, 3+ and 4++. And now with obscuring terrain they can be hidden more reliably from shooting. By the sounds of the new Space Marine toys and my own experience vs Custodes and other melee brawling units... Warriors just can't stand up to the field in melee. It seems like spamming termagants may be the counter but I personally don't feel like rolling for that many models anymore. Yes it's competitive but playing until time runs out on every single round in a tournament is taxing. So instead I considered Carnifexes but decided they weren't resilient enough in melee. So here we are at Hive Tyrant spam again with their own version of Carnifex's spores (against melee instead of shooting).

Custom Fleet (Basilisk): Membranous Mobility (-1 to hit in melee against Fly), Metamorphic Regrowth (regain 1 wound each turn)
Battalion: Progeny of the Hive -1 CP
 - Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x M. Scy Talons, Murderous Size, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 230 - Paroxysm, The Horror
 - Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Devourers, M. Scy Talons, Murderous Size, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 245 - Paroxysm, Psychic Scream
 - Neurothrope Warlord - 95 - Psychic Scream
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
 - 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
 - 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
Patrol: -2 CP
 - Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Devourers, M. Rending Claws, Resonance Barb, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 230 - Catalyst, The Horror
 - Swarmlord - 270 - Paroxysm, Onslaught
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 3 Rippers - 36
 - 15 Termagants - 75

The custom hive fleet gives the entire army -1 to hit in melee except the Swarmlord and Troops. It also allows the entire army to heal 1 wound per turn, which could benefit everyone except the 1 unit of Termagants. I THINK this is more valueable than 6+++ from Leviathan. The goal of the Tyrants is to get in melee and stay there. Badtouch stuff to silence most ranged weapons. Then use the -1 to be hit to mitigate the melee damage. The Neurothrope is going to attempt psychic Ritual almost every game, which is why I didn't give it the Resonance Barb. He wont need it since he can't cast any spells while performing the Psychic Action. The Zoanthropes are going to sit on objectives and smite what they can. They will also protect the Neurothrope while it casts the ritual. Zoanthropes are Infantry and our most resilient Infantry so they can attempt Infantry based Actions to score secondaries.

The double Scy Talon Flyrant is a tactical nuke to be launched by the Swarmlord at the most dangerous threat. He's almost a Super Flyrant. My experience with the Super Flyrant is that usually he doesn't survive after being launched at the opponent. He kills whatever I sent him after and then absorbs a whole lot of damage with Catalyst. So I might as well give him 2x Scy Talons to mimic the +1 Attack from Scythes of Tyran and to reduce his cost a little. The other two Flyrants and the Swarmlord are going to contest what they can and try to keep my opponent away from the Zoanthropes. The goal of the Tyrants is to stall my opponent while the Zoanthropes and Neurothropes score me points.

Very interesting, I like the Idea.

[zimko]

Aug 6, 2020 21:34:10 GMT hivefleetkerrigan said:

Any way to drop the termagant for some warriors? You'll gain the +1 wound regen, which I think could be helpful.

The list looks interesting. I'd be careful with the number of rippers you have as you might have difficulties performing certain actions.

75 points could get 3 warriors with devourers or melee weapons. But without enhanced resilience or any equipment they'd be about as useful as 15 termagants. I'm going to stick with termagants because that is what I have painted and ready to go but I think either could work.

[zimko]

I made a change to add 2 units of Meiotic Spores. I own and already have painted 9 of them. When I listened to a recent podcast they reminded me of this unit which has infiltrate and the easy potential to deal 3d3 mortals to my opponent since screens are no longer being used with heavy elite armies. With Metabolic Overdrive they can easily move 12+ inches and deal some mortals to units that really dont like mortals.

So to fit them in, I removed the Termagants (which didn't really have a purpose except to fill points), a unit of Rippers and Toxin Sacs/Ad. Glands from the Flyrant that doesn't have Monstrous Size.

Custom Fleet (Basilisk): Membranous Mobility (-1 to hit in melee against Fly), Metamorphic Regrowth (regain 1 wound each turn)
Battalion: Progeny of the Hive -1 CP
- Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x M. Scy Talons, Murderous Size, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 230 - Paroxysm, The Horror
- Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Devourers, M. Scy Talons, Murderous Size, A.Glands, T.Sacs - 245 - Paroxysm, Psychic Scream
- Neurothrope Warlord - 95 - Psychic Scream
- 3 Rippers - 36
- 3 Rippers - 36
- 3 Rippers - 36
- 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
- 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
- 5 Zoanthropes - 225 - Catalyst
Patrol: -2 CP
- Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Devourers, M. Rending Claws, Resonance Barb, - 220 - Catalyst, The Horror
- Swarmlord - 270 - Paroxysm, Onslaught
- 3 Rippers - 36
- 3 Meiotic Spores - 60
- 3 Meiotic Spores - 60

[N.I.B.]

Depending on how the meta evolves you might getting overly tuned against elite armies. Those Rippers and Termagants are usually very valuable.

[hivefleetkerrigan]

2x smite went by the wayside, but I'm guessing the zoans are there to take beating and continue living?

[zimko]

Aug 10, 2020 22:54:52 GMT hivefleetkerrigan said:

2x smite went by the wayside, but I'm guessing the zoans are there to take beating and continue living?

Yeah, my local TO already ruled that we weren't playing RAW for smites. 3 units of zoans is still 3 big smites and they soak damage very well for objectives. I'm finishing up painting my zoanthropes for a GT the first weekend in September. Since I"m in the process of packing my house for moving, this is going to be the list I take since it's ready to go.

[zimko]

Aug 10, 2020 20:12:30 GMT N.I.B. said:

Depending on how the meta evolves you might getting overly tuned against elite armies. Those Rippers and Termagants are usually very valuable.

We will see. I dont think we can take a true TAC in 9th so I might as well tool myself vs the common meta.

[N.I.B.]

Yeah at this point everything's up in the air. It's the best of times, imo.

[N.I.B.]

About Meiotic Spores, they are deployed during normal deployment, in other words you don't know who's going first when they are deployed, which is a big nerf to how they used to work.

Anyway,

Meiotic Spores explode when it is within 3″ of any enemy unit at the end of any Charge Phase. Each time a Meiotic Spore explodes, roll a D6. On a 1, nothing, on a 2-5, it inflicts D3 mortal wounds to the nearest enemy unit, and on a 6, it inflicts D6 mortal wounds. The Spore is then destroyed.

Is it measured model by model, or is it enough if only 1 model is within 3" for all to explode? The wording says 'when IT is within 3"' which seems to suggest we should treat the whole unit as 'a' spore. Meaning the rest of the spores can be anywhere on the table, as long as one model in the unit is within 3" of an enemy.