Sporocyst

[dc0315]

Saw a vid on Auspex tactics and saw 2 lists that won a GT running the sporocyst. Whats so special about this guy, kind of underwhelming since it dies t1 most of the time, right? Right?!

[piersonsmuppet]

Sporocyst has Transhuman in Levi, so it can be fairly durable. It is mainly used to spit 6 Spore Mines out to use for area denial or MWs.

[No One]

piersonsmuppet said:

Sporocyst has Transhuman in Levi, so it can be fairly durable.

It does not:

Units in Auxiliary Support Detachments, Super-heavy Auxiliary Detachments and Fortification Network Detachments never gain any Detachment abilities, even if every unit in that Detachment is from the Faction specified.

It is mainly used to spit 6 Spore Mines out to use for area denial or MWs.

Yeah, it's basically a worse biovore unit, but you can take it in addition to biovores I guess? Seems like it could be solid with appropriate terrain layout (wild guess that those were player placed events), otherwise meh to bad.

[dc0315]

Strange thing is, 1 of the lists was a Kraken build....strange very strange. I mean, its nit that easy to hide, dies quickly compared to other monsters. After 20 years playing nids competitively this 1 confuses me

[vejby]

Oct 6, 2022 6:46:53 GMT dc0315 said:

Strange thing is, 1 of the lists was a Kraken build....strange very strange. I mean, its nit that easy to hide, dies quickly compared to other monsters. After 20 years playing nids competitively this 1 confuses me

There is quite a large possibility they just played it wrong. Looking through whine threads on Reddit about how OP nids are, it quickly becomes obvious that about 30% of that OP-level is people making up rules or not reading what the codex actually says. The amount of people complaining that nids can smite through synaptic link range is staggering, for example.

A sporocyst could be quite fun until you realize how limited interaction it has with the rest of the codex due to being a fortification. 

[dkng]

Does it block LoS?
Does it count as a unit to prevent enemies deployment within 9"?
Does it say anywhere it cannot be placed on an Objective to simply body-block?

It's still T7 10W to chew through. If it manages to seed Spore Mines it kinda costs only 35 pts afterwards.
As Kraken loves Raveners maybe the Synaptic Relay rule is useful for a unit of snakes that just moved 20" and need the Onslaught to be cast on them?
So many questions... maybe someone will get their hands on a batrep or video of such a match where it was used.

[No One]

dkng said:

Does it block LoS?

Inasmuch as anything i.e. essentially no (you could probably hide a couple of smaller models behind it I guess).

Does it count as a unit to prevent enemies deployment within 9"?

Yes.

Does it say anywhere it cannot be placed on an Objective to simply body-block?

I mean, terrain, so no but in practice generally yes.

It's still T7 10W to chew through. If it manages to seed Spore Mines it kinda costs only 35 pts afterwards.

T7 10W 4+ is bad by the standards of the Codex. Your competition is 15 wounds or 9 wounds, 2+, -1 D. You'd never take spore mines at their actual points cost, so that metric is pretty bad as well, and biovores spawn almost as many, at longer range, for the same and while completely safe (and can even hold an objective). Ultimately spawning 6 spores every turn within 18" is still pretty good for 100 pts, but only if you don't die, which with the complete lack of ability to move, deployment restrictions, very large profile and poor defensive statline...eh.

[dkng]

By no means I'm trying to defend it, I'm simply trying to find arguments why people use it. Maybe it's worth it just for protecting the backline from deepstrikes or more offensively to block early movement. Interesting subject I'd like to discuss further that "it's bad".

[No One]

As I said earlier, I'd guess with player placed terrain. If you can have a terrain set up that actually lets you set it up protected mid and it's actually difficult to shift, then 6 spores a turn become an actual problem. Alternatively they already have biovores and just really want more spores, which...even then I think only really with player placed (or a terrain layout where they're confident in the same outcome), especially with how much that sort of gameplan wants to go 1st over going 2nd. If you're instead having to place it backline it's problematic: now wholly within 18" is quite restrictive, you're either competing with other units for T1 defensive locations, or more likely have to deploy in the open and are very vulnerable to any long range shooting, and a do nothing unit screening the backline just isn't relevant in most match ups.

[joysan76]

in my initial approach to the codex i was taking 2x3 biovore, a sporocist and an harpy, i must say that having the first turn i used them to fill the battlefield of spore mones that really blocked/influenced a lot all my opponent first turn forcing him slow his moves to avoid the risk of deflagrations and shoot to them to free space to his movement

[No One]

You can only do the biovore action with one unit. And yes, they're powerful units for going 1st, but can fall off hard as your opponent moves up to restrict where you can place them and where they can restrict movement. And since going 1st is already (usually) an advantage, especially with a harpy...going that all in will often just be 'win more'.

[joysan76]

yes but i have also sporocist and harpy that drop them the second biovore unit may hit directly yhe enemy

[dkng]

Lennon just won a tournament with a Kraken list sporting a Sporocyst along 3 Biovores. Maybe after the inevitable nerf in the upcoming patch the boob will see more play.

[piersonsmuppet]

Oct 6, 2022 16:49:36 GMT dkng said:

Lennon just won a tournament with a Kraken list sporting a Sporocyst along 3 Biovores. Maybe after the inevitable nerf in the upcoming patch the boob will see more play.

I think it already sees a fair amount; 3 Biovore + Sporocyst is probably the second common archtype behind 2x Harpy of X-1 lists in nephilim.

[dkng]

Still the questions stand - why and how they use the Sporocysts?