MY TYRANIDS AND ME... Creating the list you like and being competitive too.

When we were at Brighton a month or so back, we bumped into Zak Gregory, a Tyranid player with a difference. Tervigons? Flying Hive Tyrant? neither graced his list. What was also starterling is that they were well painted too! heaven forbid!

Zak has written this article for us about his nids. Enjoy!

The most important thing I think about when it comes to 40k is your play style. What I mean by this, is how you like to play; do you favour shooting, assault, aggressive or defensive play, there are a lot of different ways and finding yours will help you play better.

I personally have always favoured the getting up into the other opponents face and crushing them swiftly. Here is we're the problem lies when 6th edition came about, with over watch and taking causalities from the front ranks my beloved swarm was no more, back to the drawing board with my nids. After much looking and trying little things here and there I settled on something very different. And it seemed to work well.

The list:
Swarmlord. 280 point

Doom of Malan'tai: mycetic spore. 130 points

8 Warriors: Deathspitters, Scything talons, toxin sacs. Mycetic spore. 360 points

8 Warriors: Deathspitters, Scything talons, toxin sacs. Mycetic spore. 360 points

20 Gaunts: fleshbourers. 100 points

Trygon Prime: toxin sacs. 250 points

Mawloc. 170 points

Here's a little reason on my choices in the list:

The whole idea of the list was to null deploy, a strange one for Tyranids I agree but it works! Honestly it does! Reading the simple rule of reserves on a 3+ Is were my whole army idea came from.

The swarm lord originally was a flying hive tyrant, however the tyrant just wasn't survivable enough with the 2 powers from biomancy. So I settled on the swarm lord although he is slower he is a lot more survivable and can take almost anything in combat and he still gave the plus to reserves that I was looking for. Plus better synapse, abilities are an added boast as well and he came in cheaper.

Doom is the doom!! whst more can i say. He can win a game on his own, or can do nothing, but for only 130 points, it's a worthwhile risk any day.

Warriors are a much under used unit in my opinion. But I can see why, people are scared of the strength 8 everywhere it seems, and there no getting around it they are vulnerable to it. My answer to this, 8 warriors in a spore. Main reason for this is I get to do what I want first and deploy where I want as well... Ill try to neutralise the main dangers to my warriors first or simple come down away from the threat. Let's quickly look at the main warrior strengths the 8 warriors are coming down and shooting 24 shots at strength 5. 24 wounds with a 4+ save too. If I can get to rear armour, only land raiders can survive the shooting, coupled with 6 strength 6 shots from the spores, I can kill quite a few things. In combat they are even better 3 attacks each rerolling 1s to hit and poison 4+ to wound they can effectively damage any infantry and monstrous creatures in the game, to top it all off they are all synapse creatures too.

The Gaunts are there simple to be used as a screen in the deployment phase, especially if I'm facing drop pods.

The mycetic spores I found are useful for getting rid of the problem I was having at the start of 6th edition, how to get across the board and in the lines of the enemy army. Simple drop on them instead. Problem solved.

Trygon prime is there to kill light transports, tanks, take the strength 8 shots, and general be a nuisance, he kills land raider, other monstrous creatures and monoliths with ease as well.

The mawloc is my favourite, all Tyranid players need to look at this guy, he's has hard as a Trygon but offers so much potential in the game itself. it can hit and run out a combat, burying under ground late game and going for an enemy held objective, I have lost count the amount of times this guy has won me games.

So there it is, my list, the thing I find about this list is I have real fun playing it, it all really works well together and can be really flexible I can change my tactics depending on the mission I'm playing and the army I'm facing.

I usually start with just swarmlord, 20 Gaunts and mawloc on the table with rest in reserve. Mawloc buries under turn 1 and comes in with everything on turn 2 and with a 2+ reserve roll most of the time I get everything in, so that's 16 warriors with 48 strength 5 shots Trygon with 12 strength 5 shots, a mawloc with a strength 6 ap 2 blast, and the doom in your face turn 2. This gives the opponent decisions to make about what they shoot or assault.


So looking at everything I have talked about here I think the best thing to think about is your play style if your not having fun your not going to be playing your best. Look at things that will fit your play style and work around it to suit you. But most importantly practice with a list and change things every so often, this list I have fine tuned for me personally and it took me about 5 months to do.

Even more importantly play the army you want and think outside the box, especially in this edition of 40k, try to take advantage of all the new special rules to your advantage. But have fun whilst you do it!!!

Zak