2000 Pt. Kraken List with Harridan

[betaanphelion4]

Hey all,



Longtime lurker, first-time poster here. Like many of you, the recent release of the Forgeworld Compendium rekindled my excitement for Tyranids. I’ve been playing Nids since the 4th Edition heyday of Devourer Carnifexes and therefore I have a deep-seated preference for running Nidzilla lists. I haven’t played many games in the last few editions so I’m looking for feedback from you more experienced players on my list below.



Kraken Battalion



HQ

Hive Tyrant - 225 pts.

    Wings

    One pair of TL Devourers

    Monstrous Rending Claws

    Adrenal Glands

    Chameleonic Mutation

    Powers: Catalyst and Synaptic Lure


Malanthrope - 150 pts.


Swarmlord - 270 pts.

    Powers: Catalyst and Onslaught



Troops
 3 Rippers - 36 pts.


 10 Termagants w/ Fleshborers - 50 pts.


 10 Termagants w/ Fleshborers - 50 pts.


 10 Termagants w/ Fleshborers - 50 pts.



Fast Attack

Dimachaeron - 230 pts.



Heavy Support

Scythed Hierodule - 235 pts.

    Dermic Symbiosis



LoW Detachment

Harridan - 700 pts.

    Dermic Symbiosis



Total Points - 1996 pts.

Total CP - 8



Gameplan

Disclaimer: This list was built mainly to play models that I think look cool / actually own. I’ve always preferred melee builds and heavy emphasis on monstrous creatures. Though I realize this may not be the most competitive list, I do want to make the list as strong as possible given these models (I don’t own the typical strong Nid units like Exocrines, Hive Guard, Zoanthropes).



My main focus was to maximize resilience and balance the threat level so that the opponent doesn’t have a clear-cut kill order. With all MCs having invulnerable saves, -1 to hit, and two Catalysts to use per turn, on paper at least, this list looks pretty tough to kill while also pumping out a lot of damage.



But I know 9th edition has gotten away from pure damage output and points per wound. So the termagants are there to hold back/mid-field objectives, while the lone ripper squad will be left in reserve to bring in at a key moment.



I like that only the Dimachaeron and Hierodule need to sit in the Malanthrope/Swarmlord bubble first turn while the Winged Tyrant and Harridan can float freely and provide support where needed. The Dimachaeron would be the Swarmlord’s first slingshot target while the Hierodule can either be second, or I can try to Onslaught it and get them both a first turn charge (not sure how feasible this is).



What also stands out to me about this list is the speed. From what I understand, 9th edition has placed a strong premium on board control. With the threat overload and speed of this list, I think board control would be a strong suit.



Questions/Discussion Topics
:
How do you guys feel about Chameleonic Mutation versus Resonance Barb on the Winged Tyrant? Also Synaptic Lure as the second Psychic Power? Maybe it should be Psychic Scream in case I need to pump out some extra mortal wounds


On a similar note, what do you think about Rending Claws and one pair of Devourers versus two pairs of Devourers? My Tyrant is modeled with the Forgeworld Devourers so I could run either. I really don’t like how weak the Tyrant is in combat with two pairs but maybe the volume of shots and strategem-potential outweighs the combat weakness?


The LoW detachment puts a dent in my CP pool so I would need to be more careful about strategem use than normal. What strategems do you see being the most valuable (I know it will heavily depend on the situation). I see Voracious Appetite, Opportunistic Advance (1st Turn for the Hierodule), Pathogenic Slime (Harridan), getting the most use but any other big plays that I should be aware of?


Another tough question but what sort of secondary objectives might favor this list? While We Stand We Fight seems reasonable to keep at least two of the Harridan, Hierodule, and Swarmlord alive, but I could be way off there. Maybe Linebreaker or Engage on All Fronts could be good bets as well?


Maybe a dumb question here, but would the Harridan get any benefit from being a certain (non-Kraken) hive fleet? I know it doesn’t get the adaptation but perhaps from a key strategem?


I foresee this list having difficulties with horde armies. Any other hard counters you guys see here?


Lastly, I’ve seen a bunch of posts here confirming that the Dimachaeron and Hierodules are working well, but has anyone here actually played with a Harridan? Mine is modeled with a reasonably sized base and flys high so it shouldn’t have too many practical issues with movement and fitting around terrain. To me it looks to be a very powerful, fast, and tough unit that isn’t getting talked about enough.




I know that was a long post, so if you read the whole thing, you’re a champ. Any answers to some of my questions or just general feedback would be greatly appreciated. I’m looking forward to getting a couple games in with this list in the next few weeks.



Thanks

[No One]

betaanphelion4 said:

two Catalysts to use per turn

You can only ever attempt one of the same psychic power per turn.

How do you guys feel about Chameleonic Mutation versus Resonance Barb on the Winged Tyrant? Also Synaptic Lure as the second Psychic Power? Maybe it should be Psychic Scream in case I need to pump out some extra mortal wounds

Res barb for this list. The flyrant's damage is eh without any combat buffs (double devs is even worse: it can be OK with patho, but you've got better options for that in the harridan/scythed). They're not going to be focusing the flyrant over the more dangerous (and sort of easier to kill) threats. So take the barb to be a more impactful unit, since the -1's not likely to come into play until it's too late to really matter.

Another tough question but what sort of secondary objectives might favor this list? While We Stand We Fight seems reasonable to keep at least two of the Harridan, Hierodule, and Swarmlord alive, but I could be way off there. Maybe Linebreaker or Engage on All Fronts could be good bets as well?

See if you can tweak the list a bit to get deploy scramblers in: really good if you can fit two lictors, then just the gaunts (1 and gaunts is an option, but 2 is surety and can help with engage). Engage as 2nd: linebreaker is also an option, but you don't want to be forced to play very aggressively into them, and you can't rely on rippers/lictors for it as much without investing heavily.

I'd also consider some gargs to ride with the harridan: I'm not sure if it's good or just an interesting option, but something to consider, and just dropping either the mal or flyrant.

Other concern is just holding/contesting objectives, but that's just going to be an issue when you sink 700 pts into a single model, and ~900 into another 4.

[cmob208]

I second no ones idea to add some lictors if you can for deploy scramblers (or on the right map you can even start them on the board and do raise the banners).