Does my army sound good?

[OrkMuncha]

I am very new to the game and was wondering if the units I got to start would be good, it is mostly a melee focused army.

I've got:

12x Hormagaunts 
1x Trygon Prime
1x Swarmlord OR Hive Tyrant (I have not built it yet and am wondering what would be better, thanks in advance)
1x Broodlord
1x Toxicrene OR Maleceptor (I have not built it yet and am wondering what would be better, thanks in advance)
8x Genestealers

Does this sound good? Obviously it needs more units, and if this looks like a good start what other units should I add to bolster the ranks?

[ahormagaunt]

Well I’m also new and in my opinion it sounds good

[piersonsmuppet]

Swarmlord vs Tyrant is a toughie right now. A Hive Trant with Heavy Venom Cannon, Lash Whip, and Bone Sword looks like a solid option. A Flying Hive Tyrant with a Heavy Venom Cannon or Lash Whip/Bone Sword is also looking like a good option. Swarmlord might beat them out depending on how hard you want to go into CORE for the reroll hist and objective secured buffs. Since you don't have many CORE atm, I'd suggest a Hive Tyrant for now. You can always add SL later if you'd like to build/paint/use the model.

Maleceptor is looking really good, but it really wants a Neurothrope for 3d6 drop 1 psychic tests. Toxicrene seems decent for disruption, but the model is a PAIN to move around on the table. I'd build a Malceptor if you want a stronger psychic phase and plan to get a Neurothrope, otherwise the Toxicrene might be better.

Zoanathropes and a Neruothrope are probably the strongest addtitions to any Nid collection at this point, and more Warriors would help keep synapse chains intact. Exocrine, Tyrannofex, and Harpy are good Monsters for a shooty army.

With nids, pick which two phases of Psychic, Shooting, and Melee you want to focus on. Build evenly towards those as the main focus, and then splash some of the third phase to cover weak areas.

[dkng]

Warriors and Venomthropes will nowhere soon be a bad pick. As mentioned before you have to decide whether you want to suplement your CC with psychic powers or shooting.
If you choose the former then go for Zoans, Maleceptor and Neuro. And Leviathan
If you go for the latter then the Exocrine, ranged Fexes and more Warriors are the way to go. Also the Harpy seems to be a very good ranged unit. Tyrranofex is not ideal but definitely useable in some situations - a tank killer, chaff sweeper or elite infantry eradicator.

[piersonsmuppet]

Apr 8, 2022 13:59:14 GMT dkng said:

Warriors and Venomthropes will nowhere soon be a bad pick. As mentioned before you have to decide whether you want to suplement your CC with psychic powers or shooting.
If you choose the former then go for Zoans, Maleceptor and Neuro. And Leviathan
If you go for the latter then the Exocrine, ranged Fexes and more Warriors are the way to go. Also the Harpy seems to be a very good ranged unit. Tyrranofex is not ideal but definitely useable in some situations - a tank killer, chaff sweeper or elite infantry eradicator.

I honestly haven't really liked Warriors outside of Leviathan, they are just so darn slow in comparison to Horms. I wasn't crazy about Horms to start off, but they are replacing Warriors in my lists for troops. For 135 pts (15-man w/ TS for max models to keep bounding at 1CP) they have slightly less output in melee, but that 16" threat range really helps deny scoring and opponent shooting/movement. They essentially kept the SL double move from the last codex since 8"+8" = 10"+6", easiest 1CP to spend in the codex after using it a few times.

IMO, Tyrannofex is severely underrated when equipped with Acid Spray. My Kronos test list runs 2 and they do MASSIVE work. They don't care about the damage table or to-hit defensive shenanigans, and the added 4" range is very noticeable. They consistently perform equally to the Exocrine in the list, and surpass it when they get opportunities to overwatch. 

Pyrovores are also hilariously good if you can stand the model. Acid Blood is just a great strat and they are very underpriced from what I've experienced. Thier profiles are good into the current top armies, and they are going to be a great inclusion for battling other Nid armies (we have problems into them, big ones).

[dkng]

Warriors and Horms perform different battlefield roles and complement each other rather than compete against each other.
That’s the beauty of the new Codex - most of the options are interesting. It’s no longer 3 Tyrants, 6 HGs, and Exos all over again. I still cant see niches for Toxicrene and Biovores but Im sure we will figure something out

[piersonsmuppet]

Apr 8, 2022 18:55:05 GMT dkng said:

Warriors and Horms perform different battlefield roles and complement each other rather than compete against each other.
That’s the beauty of the new Codex - most of the options are interesting. It’s no longer 3 Tyrants, 6 HGs, and Exos all over again. I still cant see niches for Toxicrene and Biovores but Im sure we will figure something out

Eh... they both fulfill the mid-field objective contesting/holding role, just with different pros/cons. Warriors needing to weather 1-2 turns of shooting or take a Tyrannocyte has been a big con in my experience. I suppose the reason I'm off Warriors is for the mirror; they are terrible into HVCs or other 4+ Dmg weapons that seem to be everywhere (hence why I don't think they are just decent outside of Leviathan). However, you make a great point about the Codex, it is a great one for new players to get into. With so many working options, a newer player can buy a variety of models and then hone their collection to what they like to play and still have a fairly viable army.

Biovores just need CORE imo, they just don't do enough without the hit buffs from Tyrants/Guidance. They would then present a MW alternative to Zoans, trading a higher ceiling for range, no LoS, and consistency with the downside of competing for a buff or two. The same is with Hive Guard, which are relatively balanced at their points if they just had CORE. At this point, that is one of my only two big gripes with the codex (second being the 7ppm termagants).

Toxicrene may have a good use if GW FAQs that Attacker's Precedence actually takes precedence over Transhuman rules (doubtful). Otherwise, it's a great piece to sit on an objective with Territorial Instincts. Acid Blood and potential fight last makes charging the thing a potential nightmare.

[dkng]

Have you tried (by proxying for now ofcourse) the Parasite with Horms? I’d say they are tailor made for each other especially the SI - 9 pile in and 6 consolidate is simply bonkers. Add in Adrenalised Onslaught and 9 consolidate is off the charts.
Oh and by all means I dont want to argue as this is simply a matter of taste and personal strategy but I still think Horms can compliment Warriors alot simply by screening or engaging ranged threats. And I agree they are great objective grabbers but not holders - 1W T3 and 5+ dies to a stiff breeze. And while Warriors fall to all those 4+ dmg weapons that means those weapons are not being fired at your Monsters and Tyrants.
Maybe Im too much into Warriors as for so long they were (please do not swear) and now finally they have some use