Tyranid: Air Assault


Concept
With the arrival of Mycetic spore pods in the Tyranid Codex it is now possible to field an all reserve army. Every unit has Deep Strike, outflanking or other non-standard methods so that nothing has to join the battlefield from your own table edge.

Tactics
Everything starts the game in reserves. The majority then arrived turn two with the aim of assaulting turn three. Therefore only giving the opponent a single turn of shooting before they are overwhelmed by all the threats.

Core Units
You need a Hive Tyrant with Wings, so he can Deep Strike, and Hive Commander for the bonus to reserves. Originally you wanted a pair however the official FAQ stopped Hive Commander stacking with itself so there is no point to a second Tyrant now. Our main anti-tank comes from Zoanthropes and the Spores they are travelling in. We also need some Gargoyles to act as a screening unit for the Tyrant. Two small units gives us some redundancy should one not arrive on time or die on impact.

For our troops we have Devilgaunts for their massed shooting (they kill an average five marines a turn); A Broodlord Commando team for surgical strikes; The ever popular Mummy to spew forth her babies.

Weakness
Unlike my usual robust Nidzilla army this army is very dice dependent. You now only get 66% not 90% of your army on the second turn and have no control over which elements arrive. While they can not kill themselves on landing Pods and Trygons can still veer off course making them ineffective. That said I think it is going to be fun to play.

Army List: Air Assault @ 1500 Points
310 Hive Tyrant (Old Adversary, Hive Commander, Wings, TL Devs x2)
170 Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter
170 Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter
140 Deathleaper (Ymgarl Stealers or Parasite)
240 Termagants w/ Devourers x19 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter
200 Tervigon (Toxic,Adreanl,Catalysis,Talons) [Outflanking]
150 Broodlord (Toxic,Talons) & 5 Genestealers w/ Toxic
120 Gargoyles 2 Broods x10
12 Kills Points + Spawn. 45 Bugs, 6 Large Bugs, 2 Monsters & 3 Pods

Army List: Air Assault @ 2000 Points
310 Hive Tyrant (Old Adversary, Hive Commander, Wings, TL Devourers x2)
170 Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter
170 Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter
161 Ymgarl Genestealers x7
250 Termagants w/ Devourers x20 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter
225 Tervigon (Toxic,Adreanl,Catalysis,Regeneration) [Outflanking]
150 Broodlord (Toxic,Talons) & 5 Genestealers w/ Toxic
144 Gargoyle Brood w/ AG, TS x18
210 Tyrgon w/ Adrenal
210 Tyrgon w/ Adrenal
14 Kills Points + Spawn. 56 Bugs, 5 Large Bugs, 4 Monsters & 3 Pods



Options: Guns for Mycetic Spore Pods?
Usually I put Cluster Spines as the extra gun on Pods. However since this army is lacking in anti-tank I think the Deathspitter is better. It has the added advantage that, since Pods must fire every turn, it can not scatter back and hit your own troops.

Options: Deathleaper, Ymgarls or Parasite?
This is the spot in the army that I am not really sure about until I have played some games. At low-points Deathleaper helps by dropping Psi Hoods down from 42% to 17% chance of stopping the Zoanthropes shooting. His pheromone trail can also help any unit that did not arrive turn two (assuming he did). His ability to go back into reserves means he can try and contest an objective late game. Ymgarls get to assault the turn they arrive but are limited to area terrain. Which can be a problem depending on the battlefield. The Parasite boosts up a unit of Gargoyles, his claws can kill tanks and creating free units never hurts. Alternatively I could also drop Regeneration and this unit entirely and take a third Trygon...

Options: Trygon, Raveners or Skrikes?
The advantage of Trygons is their ability to tear apart tanks. The weakness is vulnerability to meltas, missiles and power fists. Also since I do not own any Trygons I would have to proxy them with Carnifex or use alternatives. A Trygon for 210 Points cost the same as a unit of six Raveners or five Shrikes. So either could be a good replacement? Both bring more wounds to the table, although at Toughness 4 they are easier to kill and neither has safe Deep Striking.

Hive Tyrant Pictures from www.dakkadakka.com T-Shirt logo from www.hahnssurplus.com.

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