Review of the New Tyranid Codex -- Fast Attack

Posted by Ranillon on 20. February 2010 00:25

For those who might have been getting a bit depressed over the generally unenthusiastic reviews of Tyranid units so far take heart -- I feel far more positive about the Fast Attack choices.  They are also easier to review as two are just other units with wings and when it comes to Spore Mines how much can you really say about floating gas bags?

If I have any general criticism of these Fast Attack units is that you can't take them as part of a unique flying army.  It's another of those -- to my mind -- "obvious" rules that the codex does not have.

Tyranid Shrike Brood

Rundown:  Tyranid Warriors but with wings their stats are the same as their Earth bound brethren save that they have just 5+ saves and cost a base of 5 additional points.  You can also take them with Boneswords and Lash Whips, but in this case it does require dumping the ranged attack.

Opinion:  What can I say -- speedy, potentially power weapon wielding units (say that ten times fast) are definitely impressive.  They are the sort of units that will give opposing generals fits.  At 45 points for Shrike and paired boneswords they aren't cheap and are still subject to krak missile instant death, but since you probably won't be taking more than a single group anyway you should be able to protect them long enough to get into battle.

The one "weakness" of the unit is that it's hard to come up with a reason to use them any other way.  Leaving them with just regular attacks won't frighten anyone and Rending is a poor substitute for a power attack.  Likewise, don't bother with the upgrade to a heavy weapon -- you aren't picking flying Warriors to take potshots from afar.

Ravener Brood

Rundown:  This is a much improved unit from before.  Not only has the base cost gone from (effectively) 38 to 30, but you even get an extra Wound and Attack in the deal.  They are still Beasts and you can take as many as 9, three better than previously.  Otherwise, they have much the same options -- Rending and/or a built in infantry gun.  Finally, they are now made in (admittedly pricey) plastic, definitely a good thing compared to the old top heavy models.

Opinion:  In the old codex Raveners looked better than they were.  At usually 40 points (for Talons and Claws), a mere 5+ save, and just 2 Wounds they tended to be too fragile to be worth the points.  The new unit is definitely a step in the right direction even if the old weaknesses are basically intact.  With a 4 Toughness they are yet again prime targets for instant kills, but that was often true in the past anyway when you used Deep Strike to bring them in -- and away from Synapse.

Still, you will need to use them carefully.  A smart opponent will pick them out from a horde so just mixing them in with the other bugs isn't likely to prove good protection.  A better choice is to run them through terrain.  They have Move Through Cover and as Beasts are Fleet while having a 12" charge.  You should be able to move through the brush and trees without a problem, popping out when within range of a juicy target.    Since they will make their living slicing and dice in close-combat getting them Rending Claws (just 5 points) is a no-brainer.

In general I wouldn't bother with buying a ranged weapon, although something cheap like a Spine Fist isn't bad if you have a few extra points looking for something to do.  Just understand you'll only be using them right before charging in for the kill.

Sky-Slasher Swarm Brood

Rundown:  Rippers with little bat wings.  Oh, how cute!

Opinion:  For an extra 5 points Rippers become jump infantry.  Nifty I suppose, but I still don't care much about them.  They are otherwise exactly the same as regular Rippers with all the limitations that implies.  They can get into combat faster, but won't be any more effective when they do.

The one role I can see for Sky-Slasher Swarms is as speedy attackers who tie down an enemy unit for a turn or two until your heavy hitters arrive.  Unless going after cannon fodder they won't kill much.  You use them for tactical reasons, not to improve your body count.

Gargoyle Brood

Rundown:  Effectively Termigants with wings, Gargoyles are a good deal cheaper than before.  They aren't quite as effective -- Fleshborers are now wimpy and their Bio-Plasma is gone.  However, they do now automatically wound on hit rolls of 6.  You can buy them in groups as large as 30.  Their only two options are the ubiquitous Adrenal Glands and Toxin Sacks.

The major change is their Leadership.  It dropped from 10 to just 6.  Given that they are Fast Attack and (if you aren't careful) prone to being out by themselves the chance that they will just stop and take in the sights is substantial.

The major bonus is that they are now in plastic.  From a point of price and practicality that's huge.  They were expensive metal monstrosities that were notoriously top-heavy.  Now you can actually afford to get a lot while not having them topple over the moment anyone within ten feet takes a breath.

Opinion:  I find it hard not to like these new Gargoyles if only for the new models.  They are tremendous improvement over before and make the unit actually affordable in terms of $$.

In practice I suspect they will act as fast Termigants meant to tie down enemy troops or grab objectives -- they aren't likely to survive to do both.  At Toughness 3 and a pathetic 6+ save they will die early and often, but at least their speed gives you some hope for getting them into cover between moves.  You certainly don't want to rely on them for firepower.

That there is the Gargoyles main weakness -- their low leadership and therefore tendency to just lurk if Synapse isn't around.  With the new Fleshborers which are as short ranged as before, but without Living Ammunition you don't want Gargoyles shooting any more often than necessary.  If this reason you'll want to be as clever as possible when it comes to keeping them within range of a Synapse Creature.  Since their advantage is being fast that may not always be possible, but don't run them off alone without good reason.

Normally I tend toward not giving schmuck units any bio-morphs to keep costs down and numbers up, but since Gargoyles will tend to be single purchases and you want them to be effective in close-combat getting Adrenal Glands and/or Toxin Sacks is a good option.  It will at least give your opponent a reason to not casual dismiss them.

Likewise, I suggest taking full sized units (top size is 30) whenever possible to give them lasting power and some resistance to moral checks from shooting.  While they may be numerous and cheap Gargoyles are also fragile and can fall apart faster than you think.

Harpy

Rundown:  Imagine a Trygon with wings and that's more or less a Harpy.  It's a flying monstrous creature with a bunch of special abilities and the power to once a game drop a d3 barrage of Spore Mines as it passes overhead.  It otherwise carries a twin-linked Stranglethorn Cannon, some Stinger Spines, and counts as having grenades when charging.  It has 4 Wounds and a 5 Toughness, but oddly only has 2 Attacks.

Opinion:  This is yet another unit that sounds better than it is, although not as badly as some previous examples.  If I had to make a single criticism it is that the Harpy doesn't do anything particularly well, yet costs 160 points.

With just a 5 Toughness it is susceptible to one-shot kills, although strength 10 weapons are far less common than strength 8 or 9.  Still, when facing some armies such as Tau (who tend to bring along big guns like Broadsides) a Harpy could easily be an embarrassing disappointment. 

I have a winged Hive Tyrant in my collection and even with T6 and Warp Field (which is no longer available for a Tyrant) I've learned the hard way that you can't just run it up the middle of the board.  Since a Harpy has only a 5 Toughness and a 4+ save it faces the same situation only worse.  You'll need to be moving it from cover to cover to keep it alive long enough to be successful.

Twin-Linked Stranglethorn Cannons are respectable, but actually a bit wimpy if you ask me when mounted on a Monstrous Creature.  You can upgrade these to dual Heavy Venom Cannons for anti-vehicle firepower, an option that I find appealing.  With the ability to move fast and gain good firing positions using it as an anti-tank sniper is a natural choice, better than having the Harpy pick off infantry.  For that you have your Spore Mines.  While you could end up dropping a lot of the exploding gas bags the limitation is that you actually have to fly over your target, a requirement that is apt to open the Harpy to a lot of fire.  Even if your opponent has no strength 10 cannons just a single turn of fire from a few heavy weapons is likely enough to ruin the Harpy's day.

In close combat it has the obvious advantage of being a Monstrous Creature, but its surprisingly low dual attacks mean it won't be able to use its ability to squish heads all that much.  Thus, you'll need to go after high value targets or objectives to make the charge worth the risk.  For these reasons giving it Adrenal Glands (it will almost always get the charge rather than be charged) is probably a good idea even if it does cost 10 points.  Anything to raise the kill total.

I wish the Harpy had 4 Attacks or was a Synapse Creature -- in that case I could enthusiastically recommend the unit.  As it is I find the monster a tad disappointing.  Cool idea and certainly with the potential to be effective in combat, I fear the Harpy will too often be a letdown, falling, say, to a strength 10 cannon or accomplishing little in close combat (it only takes a few bad rolls). 

Still, it does make for a great model (take a Trygon, just add wings and sculpt some egg sacks on the bottle side) so I plan on constructing at least one regardless.

Spore Mine

Rundown:  It is a floating bag of gas that meanders around and goes boom when a non-bug gets close.  'Nuff said.

Opinion:  Not that they were game winning units to begin with, but the new rules actually reduce their effectiveness even more.  You can now only take what amount to frag spores which in turn cost 2 points extra.  Otherwise, they are pretty much the same as the old codex.

Spore Mines strike me as too random to be particularly interesting.  If they don't hit the target the first time they float around in random directions while being easy targets to shoot.  I suppose you could use them for area denial -- drop them in front of an enemy in an attempt to close choke points or generally slow them down -- but I am not optimistic about their chances of doing so effectively. 

It's worth noting that the rules for Spore Mines (as a Fast Attack unit, not shot out by Biovores) say nothing about them being exceptions to the rules for Deep Strike (except for the worse).  That means you can't just drop them directly on to a target enemy unit without rolling on the Mishap table!  Instead, you have to place them by themselves and hope they end up within 2" of the enemy sometime during the game.

One Last Pet Peeve:  What are the rules for the Red Terror?  All the other old unique Tyranids have their own listing except for Red -- and of course that's the model I own.  Grumble.

Next Time:  Heavy Support