Tyranids 6th Edition Leak Analysis

 

So the leaked images of the codex have started to hit the Internet and early predictions are already spreading across the Internet fast. Overall many people are complaining about the lack of various wish listing but we shall reserve complete judgement until after the codex arrives.

The big list of fixes/hopes I had for this codex:

1) Help out Tyranid Warriors (either Eternal Warrior or T5 W2)
2) Fix the Trygon Tunnel
3) Make all units playable (Pyrovores, Lictors in particular)
4) Reduce costs for overpriced units (Carnifex, Lictors, Tyrannofex)
5) Greater genetic mutation within broods (i.e. +2 save Carnifex armor, toxin sacs and adrenal for Raveners, etc).
6) Anti-air options
7) Increased Force Org chart due to lack of allies
8) Exciting new wargear
9) Bring back horde style of play
10) Make assault a bit more viable

To begin, the leaked images for the Psychic powers and Warlord traits have made me lose faith in the designers at GW. The traits are mostly worthless and the Psychic powers are underwhelming (Catalyst being the only real winner). The big change is that Tyranid psykers (Tyrants, Tervigons, Zoanthropes, Swarmlord) have no access to the rulebook powers!! (facepalm) The commander items again were mostly a disappointment. I will wait on full analysis until point values are released. Already this isn't turning out to be a good start to a codex that I have had such high hopes for...

Units Not in Codex:
Doom of Malanti - (THANK YOU GOD - I hate broken units)
Spore Pod - (GW doesn't release a model, thousands of people make custom made ones. GW's response??  Go **** yourselves!!! HAHAHA!!!!)
Parasite of Mortrex - (didn't care either way)
Ymgarl Genestealers - (No more units that can assault the turn they appear. Just another way of GW saying shooting is king and I should play Tau/Eldar)

So lets begin the initial analysis...

HQ

Hive Tyrant
Stats = same
Points = -5
Upgrades: Wings are 25 pts cheaper, no more +2 upgrade. Mastery level 2. commander upgrades remain although costs decrease. No more access to rulebook psychic powers. 2 sets of Scything talons standard.
Thoughts: No more rulebook powers (a.k.a. Biomancy) hurts a lot. Cheaper wings is nice, with Devourers with B.L. having not changed in stats (lost the Ld modifier.... whoopee!!). Overall meh. The cheaper wing upgrade will help reduce costs but overall the loss of access to Biomancy has hurt the Tyrant in drastic ways.

Swarmlord
Stats = same
Points = +5
Upgrades: Loses re-roll of successful opponent invulnerable saves. Grants 1 ability to brood remains largely the same (removes Night Vision with Monster Hunter). Master level 3. Has the Apex Biomorph that increases synapse to 18".
Thoughts: Still a good beatstick and heavy hitter. Still suffers for speed but overall not much change. Loss of re-roll for opponent sucks but won't stop me from running him.

Tervigon
Stats = +1 I
Points = +30
Upgrades: Mastery Level 1. Need 30 Termagants to access as Troop choice. Just like Tyrant no more Biomancy.  Only spawns Termagants with no upgrades. No longer shares biomorph upgrades (Adrenal Glands & Toxin Saces) with nearby Termagants.
Thoughts: Loss of Biomany again not good. The increase in cost I believed was necessary, and I applaud the increase for the 30 Termagant requirement. I always disliked lists that spammed Tervigons with buffed gaunts running rampant. Still mostly the same.

Tyranid Prime
Stats = same
Points = +45
Upgrades: Mostly the same. The 'nerf' to boneswords was expected (now Str: User, AP: 3, cause ID on wound roll of 6. Lashwhips now add +3 to Initiative). Still buffs warriors.
Thoughts: The increase in cost I am NOT happy with here. Unless there is some rule I am missing here I forsee my Primes not seeing much action.

Deathleaper
Stats =  same
Points = -10
Upgrades: Requires snap shots to hit. Overall the same. Lost a few rules. Still -D3 Ld to one model. Still has most of the abilities of a Lictor (Flesh Hooks no longer rending...).
Thoughts: Interesting that they moved Deathleaper to HQ, but to be honest I think it's a good move.

Old One Eye
Stats = same
Points = -40
Upgrades: Regen is now on a +4. Gear is the same.
Thoughts: Meh....

Tyrant Guard
Stats = same
Points = -10
Upgrades: Can be upgraded with Crushing Claws now ( S: User +1, AP:2, Unwieldy, Armorbane).
Thoughts: Upgrades are expensive. The point of TG is to absorb fire. Will still use my models. No need to buy new ones with fancy (worthless) upgrades.

Troops

Warriors
Stats = same
Points = same
Upgrades: Flesh hooks are back. No eternal warrior. Adrenal glands are more expensive (grant Furious Charge and Fleet). Toxin sacs cheaper. Boneswords and Lashwhips slight nerf (see above).
Thoughts: No way to stop them from dying to Str 8 fire which is dissapointing but not the end of the world. Loss of spore pod really sucks as now the only real way of delivery for an assault unit might be Hive Commander and outflank a squad.

Termagants
Stats = same
Points = -1
Upgrades: Spinefists/Spikerifles now free. Devourers same stats with only +4 per model. Strangleweb is still worthless. 
Thoughts: Still good and now cheaper... My hand will get tired from painting more...

Hormagaunts
Stats = same
Points = -1
Upgrades: Scything Talons are now S: User, AP: 6. No longer re-roll 1's (SUCK). Toxin sacs more expensive. Adrenal glands same. Adds +3" to run move (similar to Banshees)
Thoughts: Still good and now cheaper. No option to spawn more. Loss of re-rolls with Scything Talons is a big hit and the increase for adrenal glands is weird....

Rippers
Stats = same
Points = +3
Upgrades: Don't care
Thoughts: Garbage. Increased costs, can't score, still slow, but WAIT.... you can buy the ability to Deep Strike again!!! -_-

Genestealers
Stats = same
Points = same
Upgrades: Scything Talons now +4 per model. All tyranids can add +1 attack when model has 2 sets of 'melee' biomorphs hence the increase in cost. Still can't assault when outflanking. No increases to armor saves. Broodlord I believe is 10 points cheaper. Mastery level 1, only knows "the Horror" psychic power. Stats similar.
Thoughts: still fodder for bolters. Mostly shelved.

Elites

Hive Guard
Stats = +1 WS (WTF), -1 BS (REALLY GW WTF!!!)
Points = +5 (saw that coming)
Upgrades: No Skyfire... Impaler Cannon the same. New Shockcannon = 18" S:5, AP:5 Assault 1 Blast, Haywire.
Thoughts: Still decent units but no longer auto includes. New gun option in my opinion is worthless. MC's can tear open heavy armor and blasts can't target flyers so what's the point...

Lictors
Stats = same
Points = -15!!!
Upgrades: Mostly the same. Now can infiltrate and be on board turn 1 which solves the 'Locater Beacon' issues of 5th edition. Loss of rending on Flesh Hooks. No +1 to reserve rolls. No scatter if deep striking. Still no assault on appearance.
Thoughts: Cheaper Lictors is great, but the rules are still not in their favor. Locator beacon issue will help Mawloc's. Might run them now though considering the point reduction.

Zoanthropes
Stats = same
Points = -10
Upgrades: No more access to different Psychic powers. Comes with Warp Blast standard (2 modes again, similar stats for profiles). Can't change powers. Rolls 1 Psychic test for ALL.
Thoughts: The loss of pods make this unit hard to utilize due to their short range. Overall meh.

 Pyrovores
Stats = +1 W, +1 I, +1 A
Points = same
Upgrades: Still same flamer attack. Acid Maw attack is now sacrifice all attacks for 1 S: 5, AP: 2 attack... -_-. No Torrent. Still explode. Still suck.
Thoughts: I hate you Cruddance.

Haruspex
Stats = similar to Tervigon but with 5 W, 3 I. Only 3 attacks.
Points = 160
Upgrades: Has a 'Gulp' gun which sucks. Can't eat units. Gains an attack for each W it is missing. Gains back 1 W for a model killed in melee (max 1 per turn).
Thoughts: Just to make Nidzilla players happy. I hate tentacle porn. Shelved.

Venomthropes
Stats = -1 BS (does it matter? wait... nope)
Points = -10
Upgrades: Now grants 'Shrouded' instead of automatic +5 cover. No more dangerous terrain when enemy assaults. Melee abilities the same (still +2 poison attacks).
Thoughts: Cheaper and better cover saves. Sign me up for 2-3.

Fast Attack

Raveners
Stats: -1 A
Points: same
Upgrades: Mostly the same. Rending claws are now (S: User, AP: 5, Rending). Gun upgrades are slightly cheaper (for spinefists at least!). Still no Toxin or Adrenal upgrades. Can upgrade 1 model to the 'Red Terror.' Stats similar to Alpha Warrior with only a +4 armor save. Can eat a model with 4 melee hits however inv. saves are allowed. Has a tail weapon attack.
Thoughts: Red Terror is nice to be back but not necessary. Still decent but again suffer from problems that Warriors face.

Gargoyles
Stats: same
Points = same
Upgrades: Adrenal and Toxin now more expensive. Blinding Venom is now S: User (Poison +6), AP: -, Blind. Have to sacrifice all melee attacks to use just 1 Blinding Venom attack... suck.

Harpy
Stats: +1 W, +1 A
Points: 135
Upgrades: Shriek is now -5 to enemy I. No more Spore Mine Drops.
Thoughts: Not quite the new hotness but drop in points is nice. Still fodder for almost all guns.

Shrikes
Stats: same
Points: -5
Upgrades: same as Warriors.
Thoughts: Cheaper now. Could be useful for fast Synapse.

Crone
Stats: same as Harpy
Points: 155
Upgrades: Drool Cannon (S:6, AP:4, Template, not Torrent). 4 'Tentaclide' Missiles (S:5, AP:5, Assault 1, One Use, Haywire). Has a S 8 Vector Strike!!
Thoughts: Still vulnerable to guns just like Harpy but might bring some nice abilities to a well rounded Tyranid force.

Sky-Slashers
Stats: These are still here???
Points: Who cares!
Upgrades: Your mom...
Thoughts: I like puppies.

Spore Mines
Don't care here...

Heavy Support

Trygon
Stats: -1 A
Points: -10
Upgrades: Tunnel not fixed. 2x Scything Talons now just grant +1 attack so loss of base attack in profile is a wash I believe. No more re-rolls with them though.
Thoughts: Loss of re-rolls sucks, tunnel still sucks, but still a heavy hitter.

Trygon Prime
Stats: same as Trygon
Points: -10
Upgrades: see Trygon
Thoughts: Synapse is a bit more important now. Glad I built 2 and skipped on the standard Trygon.

Mawloc
Stats: same
Points: -30!!
Upgrades: same as before. Can't burrow turn 1 (forces you to keep in reserve). Terror from the Deep now ignores cover (FINALLY).
Thoughts:  Cheaper, ignores cover. Might make 1 standard now.

Carnifex
Stats: +1 I (strikes before Powerfists!!!... unless you put on Crushing Claws...)
Points -40!!!
Upgrades: Tail weapons are back (2 options for Carnifexi, some for Tyrant, Red Terror and Alpha as well, nothing too special though). No +2 save. Now D3 Hammer of Wrath hits.
Thoughts: Cheaper is better! Still don't know the cost (or possibility) of regeneration. Might see broods of these on the table again.

Biovore
Stats: +1 W
Points: -5
Upgrades: No new Spore mines. Same old, same old.
Thoughts:  Cheaper, slightly more resilient and awesome vs. infantry. Sign me up for 3!

Tyrannofex
Stats: +1 I
Points: -75!!!!
Upgrades: same, except Fleshborer Hive is now 18"!!!
Thoughts:  Much cheaper!!! Hive now longer range!!! Goodbye infantry!!!

Exocrine
Stats: similar to Haruspex
Points:170
Upgrades: Comes with Bio Cannon (S: 7, AP:2, 24" Assault 6 or 5" Large Blast). +1 BS if remains stationary.
Thoughts:  The new hotness. Not bad for taking out heavy infantry at range and finally some guns better than AP 4 (Warp Blast/Lance excluded)!!!


Conclusion:

Granted I don't have the complete codex in hand but the leaks so far merit a slight boon to the Tyranids.

Pros:
1) Cheaper, Cheaper, Cheaper
2) Most units are viable
3) Hordes are back.

Cons:
1) No more Biomancy/Telekinesis.
2) No more pods
3) Terrible Warlord Trait table
4) Sub-par Psychic Powers
5) No increased Force org chart to compensate for lack of allies


There are still multiple areas and errors that were not addressed (Deathspitters on MC's for instance) but overall I'm somewhat satisfied with the codex. I know I might be in the minority, but I didn't want a codex that had 'Insta-win' written all over.

Om Nom Nom Nom!!

Swarmlord & Tyranids Update

Swarmlord Complete!

So after about 2 years I have finally painted up my Swarmlord conversion, Overall he turned out pretty well. Thus far I have completed 65% of my Tyranid collection. Other recent painted models include:

8 Genestealers

3 Hive Guard

16 Termagants

16 Hormagants

5 Gargoyles

2 Warriors

2 Raveners

Next up to complete:

20 Termagants (Devourers)

10 Termagants

10 Gargoyles

1 Tervigon/Tyrannofex

1 Trygon Prime

1 Warrior Prime

1 Tyrant Guard

1 Harpy

3 Warriors (Lashwhips/Boneswords)

No big deal... Here we go!

New Tyranids available for pre-order!!

First off, my attempts to post in the past year have been nonexistent. So to begin the new year let us get started with one awesome and long awaited post...

Tyranids are back baby!!

New codex, models (mostly) and psychic powers. Overall upon reading multiple rumors and now after seeing the actual models I can honestly say this has been my favorite release for sixth edition thus far. Harpy at long last has a model and the alternate build for the Crone, the new AA flying monstrous creature also looks really nice. The one kit I am not too please with is the new Exocrine/Haruspex combo kit. I feel that the designers fell a bit flat and dry with these sculpts. The Exocrine looks like a Termgant and a Biovore had a kid and pumped it full of steroids. The stance and detail just aren't as dynamic as most for me. The Haruspex looks just... weird... The mouth and multiple tentacles although definitely unique and different, just don't look right. 

The new Hive Guard/Tyrant Guard kit is a welcome addition, with a new gun option for the Hive Guard and all weapon options (as well as the new crushing claws) for the Tyrant Guard. At first glance with the leaked photos I wasn't a fan of either sculpt but the fact they are now in plastic I can't complain. The Warriors look overall to be a nice rehash of the old 3rd edition sculpts that I love so much. Now with options to finally equip the warriors with all weapon biomorphs it looks like my 30+ warriors will look a bit outdated now. 

As for the codex, I have seen some leaked images and rules but so far won't comment on that until I see the codex in its entirety. My hope is that Tyranids will somehow bring assault back into 6th edition and help to curb multiple lists that currently rule the tabletop.

Om nom nom nom!!!!

6th Edition Shennanigans

Hello all,

So it has been a while since any update has been done here. I wanted to reassure everyone that this is not for a lack of work on hobbies but rather time to post. I will try and make a better effort to post in the near future.

To begin with 6th Edition has hit the shelves for 40k in July and the game has again changed in my opinion for the better. There are a few areas that I have been scratching my head over but overall I am impressed and quite entertained with the new rules. It appears that the majority of the armies got a sizeable boost to their competiveness while scaling back some armies which were full of "win" at the end of 5th.

I have managed to play a couple of games so far with 2 victories thus far. As far as my Tyranids are concerned the new rules have helped them compete again. Making tanks more vulnerable, longer assault ranges, stronger monstrous creatures, psychic powers and the removal of fearless wounds have all contributed to the bugs being more effective. Some drawbacks include not being able to assault when outflanking. weaker cover saves, Tyranid lack of allies & fortifications, inability to deal with flyers and the introduction of overwatch.

For B, the Craftworld Eldar got some boosts and hits as well and considering they are using a 4th edition codex it is rumored their update could be in early 2013 after Chaos & Dark Angels.

For Eldar Dire Avengers, Guardians, Rangers, and 10 man Wraithguard squads are your best bet as I have seen Eldar players play 2-3 Dire Avenger squads with 2-3 Guardian squads for troops with the occasional Ranger unit. Since most missions are objective based having lots of scoring units is a must.

Eldar with their psychic powers are king as they have access to the Divination discipline which is arguably the best out of the five available disciplines (only Imp. Guard, Dark Angels and Grey Knights also have access here). Eldar psychic defense is unrivaled even by Space Puppies or Bugz (3D6 on Ld tests board wide = win). Seer Councils will now become much more common and Eldrad is just insane.

With shooting being king in this addition some assault units have been shelved. Banshees are fairly ineffective now (AP 3 power weapons, can't assault out of a Wave Serpent on the same turn when they disembark and fairly weak) but Harlequins (insane cover saves, wound allocation and ally rules) and Striking Scorpions (improved cover saves, fleet not as necessary, lots of attacks, better armor, infiltrate) are pretty nice. Warp Spiders (AP - weapons don't suffer vs. Vehicles) and even Shining Spears (Hit and Run = awesome, Jetbikes are op with 36" turbo-boost and assault turn move of 2D6", +4 'jink' save from shooting which is improved to 3+ with Skilled Rider) are up but Swooping Hawks are still worthless (aside from having Haywire Gernades which are much better in 6th).

I foresee Support Weapon Platforms making a comeback as Artillery are now considering T:7 W:2 Sv:3+ units each. Stick them in cover and they will be hard to remove. Wraithlords will be nice as effective gun platforms rather than assault beasts while Wraithguard in my opinion are best as a 10 man squad Troop choice outfitted with a Warlock and a Farseer nearby.

The vehicles in 6th have become both weaker due to the introduction of hull points (similar to wounds) but have also become stronger by being able to shoot more often (Snap shots even when moving fast). All Eldar vehicles gain a 4+ jink save if they move 6" or more and benefit from a less scary damage table. Falcons have reemerged in 6th as the go to tank with weight of fire, transport capacity, and less need for vehicle upgrades (more later). Fire Prisms/Nightspinners are in my opinion better than 5th as it is more difficult to destroy their primary weapon and therefore make them ineffective. Glancing hits no longer just stun or shake the vehicle so they can fire at full effectiveness in your turn. However if a penetrating hit is scored watch out, as AP 1&2 weapons get +2&+1 respectively to the damage roll. Holofields and spirit stones are no longer a must buy but are still worth considering. Vypers despite having only 2 hull points each have become a bit better under 6th in squads of 2-3. Wave Serpents are no longer super amazing but are a decent transport/fire support tank. The inability to contest objectives on the last turn and loss of same turn assaults after disembarking have hurt this tank considerably.

Overall Eldar are slightly better off and have some nice allies (Tau & Dark Eldar) which they can use to supplement their current weaknesses until a codex is released.

As for J and his Necrons... I am just disgusted. Necrons were the final 5th edition codex and were definately written with 6th edition in mind. Necrons are all about shooting and their gauss and tesla weapons are terrifying to behold.

Necrons might not be able to access psychic powers but that is a minor drawback considering their boosts in 6th. As one of the only armies which have access to the new "flyer" units, Necrons have a current strength in being able to field an all flyer list.

Doom Scythes and Night Scythes are just amazing in 6th until other armies are able to counter flyers through the use of fortifications, other flyers, and skyfire weapons.

The lowly warrior can cause glancing hits against all armor types on a penetrating roll of 6 and therefore can easily dispatch any vehicle to come into range. Not too mention rapid fire weapons (Bolters, Gauss Rifles, Tau Pulse Rifles) now can move and still double tap (fire twice up to half the gun's max range) resulting in 40 shots for a maxed out warrior squad if their target is 12" away. This makes assaulting this unit very scary due to the overwatch rules.

Scarbs, Wraiths, Warriors, Barges, Scythes all got substantial boosts with the rest of the army still getting help.

I hope to be able to play some more games and get the most out of this edition. Until then good luck out there!

New Nid Models Confirmed!... and Space Puppies too...

So it has finally arrived! The models that tyranid players needed when the codex originally dropped. (facepalm) If only GW had the wisdom to release the models in with a well written codex they might have seen a wider range in armies used at tournaments besides MEQ or IG.

Enough ranting... Overall I am pleased with the models look and feel. Thank god the Tervigon and Tyrannofex are a dual kit. If they had released a separate kit for that I would be dissapointed. It's too bad that my conversions now finally have been replaced by licensed GW products.

The Plastic Flyrant is a great addition and a welcome one too. Sad that my Flyrant (pewter) is still in construction and is a project for the ages. With the release of the plastic kit, I am unsure whether or not my time converting a new one will be time well spent.

BONESWORD/LASHWHIP KITS! These are so late in arriving it's not even funny. I instead had to purchase an extra Venomthrope to salvage enough lashwhips for my Warriors, and the boneswords I snagged from an independent sculptor.

Lastly the plastic Swarmlord/Tyrant kit is a long time coming. That being said I am a bit disappointed with the Swarmlord model. I think that my conversion or similar conversions using the classic boneswords are better.

Anyways... anyone else have some thoughts??

Hobby Update

Alas the past year many things have happened in our lives. Weddings, deployments, new puppies, etc. That being said I thought it would be smart to bring back a quick update on my hobby frivolities.

1) Tyranids - I have done some painting on the bugs over the past few months. I finished base coating all the models I have assembled, as well as completing my Tervigon, Tyrannofex, a group of Raveners, a Mawloc, and now I'm finishing up my Swarmlord. Next up will be to finish some Termagants and Hormagaunts.

2) Rohirrim - I have almost completely finished painting all my LOTR figs. I have about 20 figs left mostly characters that I will rarely use (Boromir, Gandalf, etc.) That means in the past year I have painted roughly 80 figs.

3) Wood Elves - I have started putting the finishing touches on my converted Treekin unit. I have 3 finished now with a plan for 3 more. I also pulled out my converted Treeman which is in the early stages of construction.

4) Eldar - I pulled out my casting gear and have begun to setup for my first casting of the custom bases that I constructed.

Cheers!

Custom Table

We're still working on the table. It will likely not be ready for the NOVA open (maybe next year?) BUT at the end of the day (or whenever we finish it) we'll have a badass table to use.

Workbench: cutting planks for the ship and molding tiles for the table.



Table Construction

Stairs

Part of the board has a retraining wall that will have a road and stairs leading up to it. I made a foam base for the stairs.


Then added tiles.


Foam core and tiles comparrison.


Tiles completed. A decorative railing will be added later.


Retaining wall

Tim had a brilliant idea to break the retaining wall up using grates. I'm going to add some paperclip bars for the grate and then maybe hollow the board in a little to make it look like there is a passage into the back.

The wires will connect to the lanterns (also Tim's idea). There is a small pvc pipe under the tiles that houses the wires.

Scale: Satyxis Raider fits nicely into the alcove.



Ship building

Blue insulation foam measured thrice. Given my lack of any sort of woodshop skills I was nervous about cutting this: especially using the wire cutting tool by hand. I made a 90 degree edge using the corner of a 'For Sale' sign and then I took the metal edge off the measuring tape so I could lay it flat on the board. Something tells me I should get actual appropriate tools in the future.


Cut 1: removing the body from the foam. I used the wire rod (not the cheese slicer looking one).


Many cuts later: the two small holes will be masts. The large square cut towards the bow (front) will have a metal mesh that will function like an open hold. The two side squares carved out will have cannons. The aft (rear) will house the engine and steering. Deathjack and Satyxis Raider for comparrison.


That's all for now. I'll add better pictures of the planks I put on the ship as well as my progress on my Cryx army (need to finish that and start painting!).