The little squid of wonders

[dkng]

This is just a fun thread with an already discussed idea.
Please enjoy the read and post criticism about how bad the actual idea is

The Toxicrene. The big hentai blob of tentacles that does not show up in many lists. And for good reason. It’s not too fast, it’s not easy to identify a prefered target for it, its shooting is not reliable due to 2d6 shots and it lacks the solid 2+ save. It doesnt provide any buffs too, like Venomthropes. Plus the model is cluncky.
The Toxicrene’s stats arent fantastic on their own. D1 weapon, even with 12 attacks, is not going to blenderize the target easily. AP-2 and 2+ wounding helps ofcourse but still it does not cut it for the points.
But fear not anime monsters fans - there is still hope.
The true strenght of the Toxicrene comes from the multitude of Keywords it has and Strats it can use.
First let’s take a look on the Feeding Tendrils - it is basically used only for the Secondary Objective - Cranial Feasting. At times it will not be picked but against certain armies it is going to be a fantastic VP and CP generator. Not very useful overall tbh but can shine from time to time.
Sporecaster - may be sometimes difficult to use the Strat for it but having a 9” aura of -1 to hit (both CC and shooting) affecting enemy models can be huge for a mere 1CP. We want the Toxicrene to get stuck in and stay there so Remaining Stationary can be achieved more often than not.
Acid Blood - where we want the Toxicrene to be? In CC. What does Corrosive Viscera strat do? MWs when our monster is being wounded in CC. Let them kill themselves killing you Note it does not specify when exactly it has to be used so the opponent can’t chose which units will be sprayed - you get to do it.
Toxic Lashes - Psychotropic Venom is situational but can be great for making (almost) sure the few remainig models from a unit you want gone are... gone.

All the above make the Toxicrene do some nasty tricks but they still don’t make it great.

But here comes the strat - Toxic Entanglement. The defining, the magnificent, creme de la creme. Locking a unit to having to charge the Toxicrene (which is not a good idea as mentioned before) is fantastic. Adding +2 to your charge roll against a unit sounds even better. But wait, what? You have to shoot it first? With 8” weapon? Yuck! You cant even do that when you deep strike.
Bear with me though as there is a blink of hope on the horizon and it’s called Kronos. It doesnt only make your guns spit worms and acid further, it also makes your appendages longer

Showtime!

Pack the Toxicrene into a Sporocyst. Land it near a unit you want to shut down. Shoot with your longer-than-anyone-else tentacles. If you were crazy enough to give the giant squid Synapse you have a +2 to charge on 3d6 drop lowest for 2 CP. If not, well, shoot the target with something with synapse to tag it with Shard Lure. You shouldnt have problems with the charge and now you have a locked down unit that is unlikely to fall back, will cry salty tears if it wants to fight back (Corrosive Viscera and -1 to hit) and is basically screwed.

Is it the most competitive? Is it points efficient? Is it going to win you games after games easy? I really dont know. Is it fun though and can it surprise the enemy? You tell me

[piersonsmuppet]

It could be fun, though it's a tactic that heavily relies on the absence of terrain between your intended target and a drop zone big enough to land the Tcyte and Toxicrene bases. Running Kraken w/ Dermic on the squid is likely to see more consistent results as you get a free RR from the fleet power and will still have the surprise factor of the Toxicrene moving 16".

Not a bad idea, just an inconsistent one that relies on poor positioning by the opponent in conjunction with favorable terrain layout (read lack of terrain).

[dkng]

I dont mean to argue but what you’re saying is relying on casting two powers and lack of terrain between the Toxicrene and its target (to utilise the 16” movement) is better, or rather more consistent, than finding a good landing spot? That surely is more significant when you go second and the enemy spreads his units well but I guess it takes away the surprise factor.

[piersonsmuppet]

Kind of a bit of both, I suppose, depending on what you're looking for. Kraken uses 100 less pts and 1 less CP to do the same trick a turn later but has much less chance of needing to charge around a terrain feature. I don't think anything in a Tcyte will be much of a surprise for long after the codex. I'd assume all non-Nid players see something in a Tcyte and expect it is going to attempt the T1 charge because of Shard Lure. Now a 24" threat range in Kraken is a much harder thing to play around and stratagems often cause more surprise than models in reserves in my experience, but it doesn't quite have the potential impact that comes with Kronos and a Tcyte on T1.

To improve your tactic, I'd put synapse on the Tcyte and Dermic on the Toxi (maybe HI if going Territorial Instincts).

[dkng]

What if Onslaught gets denied. We can kind of assume it will go off with a bunch of Zoans or a Neuro but DtW is still an issue. And if it is successfuly denied then the ’Crene is a sitting duck mid-board.
Choices choices... that’s the beauty of the new Codex, isnt it?

[piersonsmuppet]

Apr 12, 2022 21:26:47 GMT dkng said:

What if Onslaught gets denied. We can kind of assume it will go off with a bunch of Zoans or a Neuro but DtW is still an issue. And if it is successfuly denied then the ’Crene is a sitting duck mid-board.
Choices choices... that’s the beauty of the new Codex, isnt it?

A fair point. Although, Zoans are not a good body for blessings; they only get the + to-cast on witchfires.

[dc0315]

They cant deny as the Neurothrope that knows the power will have a +2 to cast due to resonance barb, rolling on 3d6 due to warp siphon & cant deny as you are behind a wall in your deployment zone synaptic linking the spell through your other synapse to the toxicrene.

The only problem is an army that have a strat that can auto deny on a 4+.

[kazetanade]

They all need to be within 24" or less for that. The whole strength of bouncing spells is to stay out of deny range.

As for Kronos Squids - it's a nice little gimmick and is semi-competitive. If you have a gameplan that already revolves around Kronos, and can afford to lose some power for some utility, then it's alright. This works best if the enemy is blocked by terrain - you want to use it as a roadblock after all, and to clog up movement pathways.

[dc0315]

Apr 13, 2022 2:24:04 GMT kazetanade said:

They all need to be within 24" or less for that. The whole strength of bouncing spells is to stay out of deny range.

As for Kronos Squids - it's a nice little gimmick and is semi-competitive. If you have a gameplan that already revolves around Kronos, and can afford to lose some power for some utility, then it's alright. This works best if the enemy is blocked by terrain - you want to use it as a roadblock after all, and to clog up movement pathways.

I dont know if you are agreeing or disagreeing with me. Neuro can be infinitely away from the toxi, as long as every 12" from the Neuro to the Toxi there is a synapse creature along the way to hop it through

[kazetanade]

I'm saying that the auto deny on 4+ still have a 24" from Caster condition, which you can evade via Synaptic Link range bouncing.

[dkng]

Ah yes the Synapse chaining. Who would have thought that squirming bugs from outer space would dominate the psychic phase even against powerhouses like the Eldar or Grey Knights. Let’s pray GW won’t change the rules for DtW so that the denial can be done within 24” of the closest model in the chain instead of the casting one.

[dc0315]

Apr 13, 2022 6:22:15 GMT dkng said:

Ah yes the Synapse chaining. Who would have thought that squirming bugs from outer space would dominate the psychic phase even against powerhouses like the Eldar or Grey Knights. Let’s pray GW won’t change the rules for DtW so that the denial can be done within 24” of the closest model in the chain instead of the casting one.

Speaking about Eldar & Gk being dominated in the psychic phase here is something nobodys talked about....

RAW SiTW -1 to cast stacks now. *drops mic*

[piersonsmuppet]

Apr 13, 2022 10:41:44 GMT dc0315 said:

Speaking about Eldar & Gk being dominated in the psychic phase here is something nobodys talked about....

RAW SiTW -1 to cast stacks now. *drops mic*

The effects of multiple, identically named aura abilities are not cumulative.

[dkng]

Please pick up the mic

[beetlejuice]

Apr 13, 2022 6:22:15 GMT dkng said:

Ah yes the Synapse chaining. Who would have thought that squirming bugs from outer space would dominate the psychic phase even against powerhouses like the Eldar or Grey Knights. Let’s pray GW won’t change the rules for DtW so that the denial can be done within 24” of the closest model in the chain instead of the casting one.

this is impossible atm per psychic phase rules. You don’t resolve the power and select targets until after psychic test and dtw roll. Never give your opponent that additional information (like I’m casting catalyst on these warriors). Just say this model casts this power and make your roll. Then ask if they want to deny. Then resolve power which includes selecting targets. Most people hold on to their deny attempts for the right moment, don’t make their decision easier.