Levi Zoanthrope + Hivecult Ridgerunner Spam

[kwisatzhaderach]

After some discussion and playing a game with this list, I wanted to post what I've come up with for what could potentially be a competitive Tyranid list going forward.

The force consists of 3 parts: the zoanthrope "ball", the ridgerunner "ball", and the obsec troops.

I've found that the power in this list lies in having multiple to-hit debuffs (Mass Hypnosis and The Horror), plus tons of anti-elite and anti-armor shooting. 
Another nice thing about this army is that you can save most of your CP for rerolls on psychic tests and invulnerable saves. Maybe a cheeky Psychic Barrage. 

The Genestealer Cult section is split up to where you have some Four-Armed Emperor guys that give you access to the deny, and the rest are all Hivecult for that sweet warlord trait. The GSC traits themselves are useless in this army so we basically get all of the good stuff like warlord trait and stratagem. 


The Zoanthrope Ball:
Super resilient. Definitely cast Catalyst on whatever unit is going to be in the front or on an objective. Don't forget that Metabolic Overdrive still allows you to cast psychic powers.

The Ridgerunner Ball:
I know I only have 8 Ridgerunners, maybe I could cut some troops, but I'm not big on that. Pretty easy though, keep them all together where you can. With target priority sighted, you have BS 3+ lascannons rerolling 1's to hit. 

The Obsec Troops:
So, I have some cheeky recommendations here. There are 4 infantry units, with 3 of them able to cult ambush. Deploy Scramblers is super easy: turn 1, have Gants or a BB unit do the action in your deployment zone. Second turn, DS another BB unit to get the second part of deploy. Third turn, you get the 3rd unit of BB in their deployment zone using either normal DS or Lying In Wait if their deployment zone is chock full of guys. 


Recommended Secondaries:
Psychic Ritual or Mental Interrogation (use one of the Neurothropes)
Deploy Scramblers
Linebreaker
Raise The Banners


Ones I haven't tested but I'm curious about:
Grind Them Down (this is because this army is extremely resilient and punches way above its weight class)


++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Tyranids - Genestealer Cults) [53 PL, -1CP, 940pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Cult Creed: None (Mixed Detachment)

Detachment CP

+ HQ +

Jackal Alphus [4 PL, 75pts]: Warlord, Warlord Trait: Hivelord (HiveCult)

Magus [5 PL, -1CP, 100pts]: Familiar, Power: Mass Hypnosis, Power: Mind Control, Power: Undermine, Stratagem: The Cult's Psyche, The Crouchling (Four Armed Emperor)

+ Troops +

Brood Brothers Infantry Squad [3 PL, 50pts]: Brood Brothers Leader (Four Armed Emperor)
. 9x Brood Brother

Brood Brothers Infantry Squad [3 PL, 50pts]: Brood Brothers Leader (Four Armed Emperor)
. 9x Brood Brother 

Brood Brothers Infantry Squad [3 PL, 50pts]: Brood Brothers Leader (Four Armed Emperor)
. 9x Brood Brother

+ Elites +

Nexos [3 PL, 55pts] (Four Armed Emperor) 

+ Fast Attack +

Achilles Ridgerunners [12 PL, 210pts] (HiveCult)
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber

Achilles Ridgerunners [12 PL, 210pts] (HiveCult)
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber

Achilles Ridgerunners [8 PL, 140pts] (HiveCult)
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber

++ Battalion Detachment -3CP (Tyranids) [49 PL, 9CP, 1,059pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)

Detachment CP [-3CP]

Hive Fleet: Leviathan

+ HQ +

Neurothrope [4 PL, 95pts]: Power: Catalyst, Power: Smite

Neurothrope [4 PL, 95pts]: Power: Psychic Scream, Power: Smite

+ Troops +

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]: 3x Ripper Swarm

Termagants [3 PL, 50pts]
. 10x Termagant (Fleshborer)

+ Elites +

Zoanthropes [10 PL, 225pts]: Power: Psychic Scream, 5x Zoanthrope

Zoanthropes [10 PL, 225pts]: Power: The Horror, 5x Zoanthrope

Zoanthropes [10 PL, 225pts]: Power: Catalyst, 5x Zoanthrope

++ Total: [102 PL, 8CP, 1,999pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

[benlisted]

I like this list, saw you mention in in the other thread. From playing 1k sons with a unit of 3++ scarabs I know how valuable tough units are in 9th! I have a couple of suggestions and some questions.

First off, is the Nexos really worth it when you have neither a clamavus nor a primus? Regenning cp on a 5+ isn’t that reliable and 6+ is really iffy. Especially as he makes your list give max assassinate (which admittedly is only happening if you are already losing, but no reason to give the opponent more points) I might be inclined to drop him and fiddle a bit else around to fit the 9th RR. My ideas for that were dropping BBs to acos which have a smaller footprint and can be FAE for more stuff that enables the strat, or dropping a unit of rippers.

Speaking of, I was curious what the rippers were doing for you - I guess contributing to linebreaker? Just as with so little infantry I was a bit worried about the RRs or indeed the zoans being tagged in combat by something suboptimal. Not so much getting killed by it, but pinned down and unable to move where you need. Infantry screens on paper look like they might help mitigate that risk.

I was also interested to see you take the cult’s psyche on the magos - I guess you see the extra cast per turn as worth the cp cost? One thing you could consider is running the magos as rusted claw for the -1 armour on vehicles spell, which ends up completely stripping a 3+ save with HMLs. Though with tons of invulns in the meta shame we don’t get a death hex equivalent...

But yeah, I might give something like this a try on tabletop sim as looks interesting!

[hivefleetkerrigan]

As a warning, the cults psyche won't give you a +1 to cast as it's for each other caster. The list looks good and fun to play though.

[kazetanade]

The Rusted Claw spell on battlescribe specifically calls out MELEE weapon only. Doesn't seem to work with ranged, otherwise it tandems super well with HG.

I tested out 8 RRs myself too, and I found myself dissatisfied with the number of shots I get. It's good enough to kill 1-2 tanks, and you'll have to pray your smites can take out what's on the ground.

With that in mind I wanted to craft a list with more pressure on the enemy's scoring in backfield as well, since many lists are focused on the front brawl. 15 Zoeys hold up very well but are susceptible to Smite Denies to be completely shut down (plus in my experience relying on smites to do damage leaves you with too many things still alive, esp if you roll 1s on damage often).


++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Tyranids - Genestealer Cults) [55 PL, 960pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Detachment CP

+ HQ +

Jackal Alphus [4 PL, 75pts]: Warlord, Warlord Trait: Hivelord

Magus [4 PL, 85pts]: Power: Mass Hypnosis, Power: Undermine

+ Troops +

Acolyte Hybrids [3 PL, 40pts]
. 4x Acolyte Hybrid: 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Cultist Knife, 4x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cultist Knife

Acolyte Hybrids [3 PL, 40pts]
. 4x Acolyte Hybrid: 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Cultist Knife, 4x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cultist Knife

Acolyte Hybrids [3 PL, 40pts]
. 4x Acolyte Hybrid: 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Cultist Knife, 4x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cultist Knife

Acolyte Hybrids [3 PL, 40pts]
. 4x Acolyte Hybrid: 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Cultist Knife, 4x Rending Claw
. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cultist Knife

+ Elites +

Kelermorph [3 PL, 80pts]: Oppressor's Bane

+ Fast Attack +

Achilles Ridgerunners [12 PL, 210pts]
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber

Achilles Ridgerunners [12 PL, 210pts]
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber

Achilles Ridgerunners [8 PL, 140pts]
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber
. Achilles Ridgerunner: Flare Launcher, Heavy Mining Laser, 2x Heavy Stubber

++ Battalion Detachment -3CP (Tyranids) [50 PL, 8CP, 1,038pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)

Detachment CP [-3CP]

Hive Fleet: Kronos

+ Stratagems +

Progeny of the Hive [-1CP]

+ HQ +

Neurothrope [4 PL, 95pts]: Power: Psychic Scream, Power: Smite

Neurothrope [4 PL, 95pts]: Power: Smite, Power: Symbiostorm

+ Troops +

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]
. 3x Ripper Swarm: 3x Claws and Teeth

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]
. 3x Ripper Swarm: 3x Claws and Teeth

Ripper Swarms [2 PL, 36pts]
. 3x Ripper Swarm: 3x Claws and Teeth

+ Elites +

Hive Guard [13 PL, 300pts]
. 6x Hive Guard (Impaler): 6x Impaler Cannon

Zoanthropes [12 PL, 270pts]: Power: Catalyst, Power: Smite
. 6x Zoanthrope: 6x Claws and Teeth

+ Heavy Support +

Exocrine [11 PL, 170pts]
. Adaptive Physiology: Voracious Ammunition

++ Total: [105 PL, 8CP, 1,998pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

I break up the Zoey ball into a HG and Exo component respectively, and also have a Kellermorph with relic for surprise character takedowns or just general anti-infantry. So Kellermorphs, HG, Exo work together to take down the enemy's back line and ObSec while Exo and HG can pull double duty with the RRs to take down tanks and elites depending on what's required. Magus adds a 3rd smite if required, or otherwise finds a quiet corner to repair teleport Homer or Pierce the Veil. Esp if stacking with Line breaker. Catalyst on the single unit just to try and keep it alive longer.

Problem of this list is that cp consumption could outstrip available amount. The HG are the main question marks here though (they don't ignore dense cover, which is expected to be in places that cause many negatives to hit) so could take away from them to conserve cp for 2nd unit of Zoeys to tag team and a Sanctus for utility.

[kwisatzhaderach]

Thank you all for the feedback and insights!

benlisted, as for Cult's Psyche - I really like the flexibility an extra cast grants me. Yes, I know I have the familiar too, but that's mostly for the Crouchling.

As for the Rippers - yes, they're mostly there for LineBreaker, although I also think the Engage On All Fronts has some play since you can deepstrike them all over the place, or move a unit or two around using Metabolic Overdrive.
Getting stuck in combat with something suboptimal is definitely something that will happen, which is why I really like the list Kazetanade posted. A bit more unit diversity is nice, and a lot less chance that you get hard-countered by the many psychic armies that appear to be getting stronger like Grey Knights.

And while the Nexos isn't at his full power, probability wise I'll still likely be recouping 2-3 CP which is more than enough and basically "pays" for him. He also functions as an on-the-ground FAE unit so I have the deny up Turn 1. 


Hi Hivefleet Kerrigan - This is true, luckily the Crouchling also gives that +1 to cast so should be ok there.

Hi Kazetanade - Very nice list. I do agree that the list looks especially CP hungry to function. I think I might like to replace them with another unit of Zoanthropes as you had possibly suggested. Other than that, the list seems great.

One question: Have you found that the minimum squads of Acolytes have performed well for you? I seem to see them in lists here and there but it's hard to gauge their efficacy. In 8th I tended to run units of 10 with 3-4 saws and they were a terror. I realize GSC stuff tends to be a bit better in game than on paper or in theory, so would love to hear more about how you use them.

[No One]

kazetanade said:

The Rusted Claw spell on battlescribe specifically calls out MELEE weapon only. Doesn't seem to work with ranged, otherwise it tandems super well with HG.

Don't trust BS

Until the end of the
turn, when resolving an attack made with a weapon
against that unit, improve the Armour Penetration
characteristic of that weapon by 1 for that attack

kwisatzhaderach said:

And while the Nexos isn't at his full power, probability wise I'll still likely be recouping 2-3 CP which is more than enough and basically "pays" for him. He also functions as an on-the-ground FAE unit so I have the deny up Turn 1.

Don't bank on this. I was usually only getting 2-3 in 8th, with primus/clamavus. It depends how you/your opponent spend CP, but CP often get burnt very rapidly in 1 or 2 big turns. Then you've got a trickle from the command phase, but that's unreliable and less useful. (That said, I do think 1-2 CP, with potential to roll more, as well as FAE, is worth, but just mentioning).