The purpose of this article is to touch upon some of the units that people might not use, but they're actually really good in their own right. I advise everyone to think outside the box every now and then.
Have any of you guys try the Swarmlord yet? I have and I think he's amazing. For 280 points, I think that's perfectly acceptable for a T6 5W 3+ and 4++ in close combat. When the close combat invul combine with the WS9, the Swarmlord becomes an absolute menace in close combat. Throw on the fact that he's I6 with 4 Bonesabres that cause Instant Death, I think we got ourselves a real winner.
My favorite thing about the Swarmlord is his 18" synapse and the ability to give a unit Furious Charge or Preferred Enemy. This happens every turn and there's nothing your opponent can do about it. Throw in the fact that he can make units WS/BS1 for 1 entire turn with Paroxysm, I see no reason not to take him when the Hive Tyrant I want is about the same amount of points.
If I was to take a Hive Tyrant, he would have..
Hive Tyrant, Stranglethorn Cannon, Hive Commander, Old Adversary = 240
So for 40 points more, I get a 2 psychic powers a turn, WS9, 4++ in CC, awesome special rules and a cooler looking model. I think there's just no comparison imo.
Let's say I didn't want to take a Hive Tyrant at all, to save points I'd probably just take a Tyranid Prime w/ Toxin Sacs and Lash Whip/Bonesword. He's 120 points and is perfect for taking Warriors w/ the same load out. He's perfect for allocating S8 missile shots (especially with cover) and he's just a very solid buffer. I don't know about you guys, but 5x Warriors with BS/LW makes every assault unit in the game think twice about assaulting your lines. No one, not even assault-heavy armies wants a piece of WS5/6 Warriors that strike first with power weapons that always wounds on 4s and re-rolls vs. T4 and under.
Next, I want to talk about the Deathleaper. For 140 points, he's pretty expensive for a simple Lictor model. The key notes is that he reduces a IC's leadership by D3 at the start of the game. This is mainly cast on enemy psykers because it makes his spells harder to cast and his hood less effective. For armies like BA, GK, SM and other armies that rely on psychic hoods to dispel your dreaded Paraoxysm, a nerfed leadership is a huge blow to assault-based armies.
Deathleaper is a very fragile unit, but can reap great rewards when used well. A 12" bubble of 1d6 less when moving through difficult terrain is extremely frustrating once enemy vehicles have been destroyed. Just make sure you deploy him out of LoS or far away enough to take advantage of his super Night Fighting rules. To make matters a little worse for your opponents, he can disappear T4 and re-appear T5 to contest any objective, anywhere. This can be great for opponents rushing for objectives at the end of the game because their positions are getting overrun by your mans.
Now, I want to talk about Venomthropes. No other unit frustrates assault-based armies as much as these dudes. Dangerous Terrain tests + defensive grenades on every unit within 6" of the Venomthrope makes your army unassailable by assault. It's just SO frustrating running hnto Nids and having the strength of your charge robbed from you. Take in the fact that 2 Venoms can cover the entirety of most Tyranid armies and still keep their 4+ cover makes them attractive yet frustrating units to shoot at. Do you want to shoot missiles at these things or do you want to shoot them at the BS/LW Warriors, Carnifexes or Hive Tyrants? I think that's the key for a successful Tyranid lists: Load the board with so many dangerous targets that your opponents sweat thinking about what he's shooting at.
Oh yes, the Carnifex. More so, the Dakkafex. A lot of you guys have turned your Fexes into Trevigons and I feel your pain. GW made them almost twice as expensive in an attempt to sell a bigger and more expensive model (the Tyrgon). Fear not, for I am here to tell you that the Dakkafex is still one of the most dangerous units in the game. First, they can be covered by 4+ cover from your Warriors of Hive Guard. Second, 3 Dakkafexes in a unit is 12 T6 3+ wounds with FNP thanks to your Trevigon. Third, they can shoot 36 Twin-linked BS3 S6 shots at 24" of threat range (6+18"). Forth, you can't get in combat with one without getting in combat with all of them. Do you like taking 12 S9 attacks? I don't. Fifth, they are much dangerous than Trygons because of their range and they're much harder to kill because they can be covered. Three of these guys in a unit is 570 points, about the same as a unit of whatever in a Land Raider, which is perfectly acceptable. Pop a Rhino with your Hive Guard and shoot at its contents. I promise you, full squad or not, those Marines are going to get murdered.
Many of you have seen lists out there with a lot of Genestealers. I don't know about you guys, Genestealers are really good. They've always been good, and even without Flesh Hoods, they're still stupid amazing. WS6 I6, Rending Claws and the ability to take Toxin Sacs makes them extreme killers. They can also Infiltrate, which means they can Outflank and thus can apply pressure from the very start of the game or later in the game. With the Swarmlord, I have greater control over where and how I want to apply pressure so GS are always a must for me. To keep things even more effective, a small unit of GS hanging out by your backlines makes you near invulnerable to assault. Unless the GS are getting shot to death by Marines coming out of a Drop Pod (and which case you should Outflank them), no one is going to be able to get near you without risking getting fisted by Genes. Tie units up with your cheap ass Gaunts and then run Genes in to clean house. My preferred loadout is 20 strong for 280 points in an Infiltrated position. Move your Trevigon first, get up there and give them FNP for some Move Through Cover, Fleeting, highly resilient shock troops. Believe me when I tell you: Anyone who underestimates Genestealers is a noob. Genes have been ripping Marines a new asshole since as long as I can remember.
That's all I got right now, more to follow later.
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