Unit of the week : Tyranid Warriors v2 Synaptic Link

[Spacecow]

Focus in this thread will be on Tyranid Warriors and Tyranid Prime.

I’ve used the Prime recently to fill up as a cheap HQ slot.

Packed with double boneswords.

What’s your preferred equipment option?

Is there space in your list for some warriors?

What do you like pairing them with? Hive fleet preference?

Edited April 12, 2021 by Xenith

[Lemondish]

I really like these models, and with BoB I'm eager to try them out. I like Kraken too much to stray - I enjoy the aggressive focus, but there appears to be great defensive synergy with things like Jorm.

 

But at the same time I think any list can benefit from an anvil that sits in the middle of the board and contributes in multiple ways. That is why I'm looking at a big block of 9 all wielding bone swords with 6 carrying death spitters and the final 3 with venom cannons. Adrenal glands included as well.

 

With Enhanced Resistance and the other defensive Stratagems they end up pretty tough.

 

But I have no experience with them...they look like a great all around board control unit able to contribute against anything in almost any phase. As such, the Prime seems absolutely necessary.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Lemondish

[Spacecow]

I’ve always used them as melee. I’m currently in the process of rethinking certain things. Which will include redoing arms with magnets so it’s more flexible. I like them as they hold their own synapse wise.

 

I’m curious how they do range wise though.

[The Pounder]

I’m still building my Swarm, but I intend on fielding a brood of 9.

I’ll keep them cheap (quantity has a quality of it’s own!) so Scything Talons, 6 Deathspitters and 3 Venom Cannons.

 

I plan on taking 2 detachments, one Kraken, one Kronos. So the Warriors brood will be Kronos.

 

My idea is for them to sit in the midfield and be a hub for synapse to help out my Hive Guard, Exocrines, etc

In my head it seems viable!!!!!

[Xenith]

Dragging this back up, do we see a use for melee only warriors?

 

A while ago I wanted to make a retinue of Swarmlord-lites, with 4x boneswords but GW nerfed that by saying you only ever get +1A no matter how many boneswords you have (in the complete opposite ruling to chainswords) so the plan halted.

 

There's nothing stopping you from getting the bonuses from both swords and talons, though, so bonesword/talon warriors come out at 22pts each in old money, 24 in new, get 5A and 3W each. the 2pt increase is pretty good I think, considering the general increase in stuff in 9th. 

 

I'm thinking there will be a lot more stuff to hurt them at range than in melee, even powerfists now D2 will still only kill one max, allowing potential regeneration. Get them in CC with a prime nearby and they hit on a 2+ with reolls on the talons. 

 

Even talons +LW/BS are decent if you're wanting a roadblock to your backfield.

[WarriorFish]

I've got some rending claw and spinefist Warriors, though this was as much available bits they should be a decent close engagement build. Shooting while approaching and in combat should make them handy at handling enemy infantry without breaking the bank. I think overall build depends on how Warriors are intended to work in your list, if it's more the "traditional" support and synapse approach I reckon going for both shooting and combat works better so you can adapt more.

 

If you have more Warriors or intend to get stuck in generally I think combat Warriors have potential. Maybe not the most killy but they offer durability and customisability in the role, and with an accompanying Prime may surprise people. They're an iconic unit so it'd be good to get results from them

 

One of the things I'm thinking about is mixing the squads up a bit. Have some combat and shooty Warriors so I can pick who eats the bullets depending on what the squad might need to do. All theoretical of course so it could be a bad idea

[Reigart]

I'm intrigued by the new Blood of Baal Stratagem Unyielding Chitin for 1 CP.  I wonder if having a large squad for catalyst would be worth it.  Add a malanthrope and this could be fun.  They could help anchor some midfield and objectives.  If that's the case, there seems to be two options that come to mind:

 

• Jormungandr - This I assume will give them light cover (+1 save) to add to durability.  If you made them dakka, you could have the hive fleet warlord trait on a character nearby to give their guns negate cover.  
• Kronos - When combined with a Prime and the Blood of Baal psychic power - Symbiostorm, these warriors will be getting additional hits on 5s.  This would mean you're not using it on exocrines, which would also get additional hits on 5s if they stood still, but it's an option that could be used.

A further option could involve giving a large unit of warriors the adaptation to ignore -1 and -2 AP.  I don't know how this would perform, but I'm interested to see the potential firepower it would take.

 

Otherwise, I do see a role of a mass of units - warriors with just talons or swords as wounds that need to be chewed through.  I wonder if some scything talon fexes would also form a nice scrum line.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Reigart

[WarriorFish]

I think the adaptation to ignore two points of AP needs to go on a large unit, aside from getting more from it you want to make it harder for your opponent. For a smaller squad he could easily target with heavier weaponry to remove them quickly or resort to small arms to negate the buff. A large unit would make this a decision with more consequences.

 

Cheap and cheerful always works too, I have plans to include a couple of Screamer-Killers so with a decent contingent of Warriors this could form a potent spearhead

[WarriorFish]

I've been thinking about Primes lately, I plan to magnetise one as it makes sense given the choices but that said what sort of choices are good? I don't think anyone is pretending it's not mostly a budget HQ choice (though running a Warrior heavy list is still my plan one day) so is it more a case of keeping costs down with more modest upgrades? Then you could use it as a support and bully unit with your other Warriors for a reasonable price.

[Brother Nathan]

so i brought warriors out to play this weekend and tested out the new links rule with them, mostly throwing it onto the hiveguard but also was using it on themselves and have to say i found it quite handy and worth the points  making a fairly effective unit just that bit better in supporting other units in the army. form my army planning ive been somewhat worried about using more multiwound models in the multi wound weapon meta but the fact they had something else to do in turns where they had not viable targets and kept them selves useful i found very worthwhile. infact fofr the points it was probably very cheap and nice that it was flexible what they could boost, im sure it would have been useful even on the termagaunts had they survived to recieve it and made them an increased threat without having to spend points on them... (thinking termagaunts viability over hormagaunts has increased due to this never mind some of our other dakka units...)

 

also figure with the new rules and how these affect units its worth adding the new thoughts on these units to these existing discussiions rather than starting new topics. any issues admin let me know. 

[Xenith]

Time to bring the Tyranid Warriors up again!

 

With the latest supplement to Codex Tyranids, Warriors gained the Synaptic Link Ability Bioweapon Bond, where the chosen unit gains +1 to hit on all attacks (ranged and melee). 

 

How do we feel about this upgrade? What units are best to use it on, is it worth bringing a prime for, or will you even be using it at all?

[Xenith]

I think this is maybe the strongest synaptic link. +1 to hit is just great, on absolutey anything you want to put it on, and 3 warriors is hardly a tax for a nid army. This is probably best on things like TFex, Hive Guard (hit on 2+!) , Exocrines, or anything that procs on a 6+, which will now proc on a roll of 5+. 

[Brother Nathan]

Not just that but its also great on things thst are multirole... care to shoot then charge then and fight in your opponents turn too with that +1? The use and flexability of them all is great. Only non viable target is pyhsic units. Question is for especially crusher lists is how many units of warriors to take and after the 1st do you take this power multiple times...

[Xenith]

I've seen a couple of tournament crusher stampede lists online, and they seemed to take 3x3 warriors all with this, for scoring, to make a synaptic web, and for redundancy to keep the +1 if one unit is killed. 

[WarriorFish]

I agree, this is quite nice as for a supposed combat army a lot of nid units have WS4+ - working on both shooting and combat means you can get good work from it on the right units :)

[Arson Fire]

I think this is maybe the strongest synaptic link. +1 to hit is just great, on absolutey anything you want to put it on, and 3 warriors is hardly a tax for a nid army. This is probably best on things like TFex, Hive Guard (hit on 2+!) , Exocrines, or anything that procs on a 6+, which will now proc on a roll of 5+.

Since you mentioned them, I'd add that it doesn't actually do much for Exocrines. They already get a +1 to hit from their Symbiotic Targeting ability, so due to the cap on hit modifiers an additional source of +1 to hit doesn't usually help.

The rest I agree with though. This is a very powerful synaptic link.

[Xenith]

Oh yes, I forgot that, good catch!