Tyranids - Mini Review

Hey guys, Learn2Eel here with a first look at the new Tyranid Codex! This series is going to be a long one, and for those that just want to see what has changed with the new book compared to the old one, this article should be everything you need in one spot. This will follow the simple, short format of my Chaos Space Marine and Dark Angel Tacticas, but bear in mind that I will be posting up the full Tactica series with similar formatting to Space Marines in the coming weeks. I hope you find this a useful article!


Tyranids

I'm going to be light on the fat and skip straight to the point with each of these mini-reviews; keep in mind that these are my initial impressions of which units will be useful from a strictly competitive view at first glance. My full Tactica series will be more about making use of each unit and going into further detail about how exactly to accomplish this. I'm going to include a summary at the end of each force organization slot for those that want to see which units are my picks in a simple format. If you guys like the return of the old format to be used as previews for the main Tactica series with each codex and army book, please let us know in the comments section below! I'm going to be bringing back a lot of old article formats and sections - look for example builds in the Tactica series with detailed explanations of why I favour them - as an experiment with the Tyranids, so I'm really keen to hear the feedback!

*A note that the "Competitive" answer will be based on the overall usefulness of a unit, not the usefulness of one specific build. I will not pigeon-hole units into one or two builds for this reason. 

HQ

The Swarmlord - This guy went up in points, gained a psychic mastery level, gained an extra attack, but his melee capabilities were nerfed with enemies no longer re-rolling successful invulnerable saves against him. Being restricted to only Tyranid powers is the death knell for the Swarmlord competitively as, aside from Catalyst, he has no way of getting himself and his mandatory - and expensive - Tyrant Guard across the map anymore. He's a deathstar without much punch or durability.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Old One Eye - The significant points drop for this guy is very handy, but as a HQ choice without Synapse in a codex where Synapse is more important than ever, I'm not sold on him. His durability is not much above a lone Carnifex, which itself is very easily killed in 6th Edition, and he costs almost twice as much. Nasty if he makes combat, but that's about it for Old One Eye - that he can't join Carnifex broods and can be a Warlord without Synapse just isn't worth it. He got better, but eating up a HQ slot is something you can't afford with him.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? No.

Deathleaper - He dropped slightly in points, gives you Victory Points for killing Independent Characters in challenges, and lost Shrouded by can only ever be Snap Fired upon. Like Old One Eye, Deathleaper suffers from being a HQ choice without Synapse, even though he got better in some cases. That he can't disappear again means he lost a lot of his objective denial and baiting potential though. If he had stayed an Elites choice, now that they are less contested, he would have been just fine. Having to Snap Shoot at him makes him more durable against armies like Tau and Eldar that are forced to snap shoot their Ignores Cover weapons.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? No.

Hive Tyrant - Dropped in points slightly in ground variants, and largely in winged variants, gained a psychic Mastery Level, lost access to rulebook powers, and has access to some new toys. The Tyranid psychic discipline is strong, and unlike the Swarmlord, a flying Hive Tyrant can sometimes get away with not having Iron Arm or Invisibility. Gained Ballistic Skill 4, making walking and flying ranged Tyrants significantly better. All around, the best HQ choice in the book, with flying Hive Tyrants being all-stars.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Tyranid Prime - Went up in points by over 50% of his previous base cost, otherwise relatively unchanged save for additional options, and higher cost of previously accessible biomorphs. When you compare them to a Hive Tyrant, the Tyranid Prime loses in every category despite not being that much cheaper - a Hive Tyrant is less than 50 points more expensive despite having two psychic mastery levels over a Tyranid Prime, not to mention being a monstrous creature and all the stat boosts! Tyranid Primes can still join units, and will be seen solely for that reason to spread and save the wounds for Venomthropes, Zoanthropes, Carnifexes and so on.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Tervigon - Went up in points by a significant amount, lost the option for extra psychic powers, no rulebook psychic powers, no longer provides biomorphs to nearby Termagants, provides Counter Attack in a 12" bubble but no longer confers Leadership - making Counter Attack almost pointless on Leadership 6 Termagants - spawned Termagants are more restricted, you have to spend over twice as many points for them to be unlocked as Troops, and the "explosion" radius is doubled to 12". The Tervigon got hit the hardest of any unit in the codex by far, but the amusing truth is that they are still potentially a necessary option for competitive Tyranid lists just to provide another durable Synapse unit, even if they themselves aren't really a great unit. In a silly turn, they aren't characters and thus cannot be your Warlord.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive?(As a HQ) No. (As a Troop) Yes.

Tyrant Guard - Dropped in points in all builds, access to crushing claws, allow Hive Tyrants to leave their "unit" for greater flexibility. Tyrant Guard are still necessary for ground Hive Tyrants and the Swarmlord to survive, and they are costed pretty appropriately for that. They are even nastier in combat than ever potentially, with crushing claws making them the Centurion-sized equivalent of Carnifexes on the charge for just over half the cost. The change to Tyranid melee weapons means that they lose out on benefits from Scything Talons and combining weapons.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Summary!
The most competitive options are definitely Hive Tyrants in either form and Tyrant Guard, though Flying Hive Tyrants are easily the best of the bunch. Deathleaper has his uses as an expensive distraction unit, but reduces the slots available for your important Synapse creatures.


Troops

Tyranid Warriors - Almost identical, save for slightly changed upgrade costs, access to Fleet, the negative changes to melee weapons which basically puts the death knell on already non-viable melee variants, and access to assault grenades through Flesh Hooks. Ultimately, nothing was done to address their main issues; they aren't survivable enough or do enough damage once you factor in the inevitable losses to be anywhere near worth the points. However, with more punishing Instinctive Behaviour, using them as cheap Synapse units of three models actually gives them a role, albeit one based out of necessity rather than being useful themselves.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Genestealers - Almost identical, save for increased cost of many options, as well as having to take five Genestealers and a Broodlord rather than upgrading one of five to a Broodlord. The Broodlord lost the rulebook psychic powers but always knows a very useful psychic power against non-Fearless gunline armies on foot such as Tau. Like Warriors, nothing was done to address them not only being a sub-par melee unit, but one with no survivability whatsoever.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Termagants - Dropped by a point per model, more harmful Instinctive Behaviour, don't benefit from Tervigons nearly as much, cheaper upgrades. Though Tervigons went down in usefulness, the actual Termagants themselves are better than ever, being cheaper and more damaging potentially than before. Now you have a reason to take them in big units, and small units provide cheap scoring units that can hold their own comfortably when in Synapse range.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Hormagaunts - Dropped by a point per model but upgraded models cost the same in total, more harmful Instinctive Behaviour, faster overall, reduced melee capability with Scything Talon change. These are better than they used to be, but once they are outside of Synapse range, there is a 50% chance they will actually eat themselves. Ultimately, I still don't see a point to them when Termagants are cheaper and can shoot, not to mention most of our viable Synapse creatures are ranged-focused. However, they should still prove useful simply because they move an average of 13" a turn.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Ripper Swarms - Increased in points, lost the Mindless special rule but the new Instinctive Behaviour rules mean they can eat themselves anyway. There is no legitimate reason to include Ripper Swarms, as they cannot score and are inferior in both survivability and damage to Hormagaunts and Termagants. The points increase is the last thing they needed.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Summary!
The most competitive options are the cheap hordes themselves, the Termagants and Hormagaunts, with the former being the stand-out. Warriors, Genestealers and Rippers all remain non-viable choices as their core issues in 6th Edition were not addressed.


Elites

Hive Guard - They increased in points slightly, gained a new weapon option, and lost a point of Ballistic Skill. Hive Guard were fine as they were in the old codex with just a cleaning up of their Impaler Cannon rules. That happened, but the points increase and drop to Ballistic Skill 3 are the price. The unit isn't that effective of a tank hunter, with three armed with Impaler Cannons only averaging three Strength 8 hits a turn with Ignores Cover and no line of sight restrictions. The new weapon option is pretty terrible compared to the Impaler Cannon. They will do well against light vehicles and light to medium skimmers, but they won't be that good against anything else. Still, their good durability still gives them a place.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Lictors - Dropped in points by a fair margin, slightly increased melee effectiveness against 5+ armoured units, gained Infiltrate and Fear - the former actually allowing Pheromone Trail to function. They are still expensive, unwieldy units that aren't that great in combat and are very fragile even with three wounds each - they are bolter bait, simply put. They work well in tandem with Mawlocs, though if you had to choose only one unit to take as a distraction unit, always take the Mawloc.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? No.

Zoanthropes - Dropped in points, lost Mycetic Spore to make up for short-ranged focus, Psychic Brotherhood rule is both a buff and a nerf, lost one power for every Zoanthrope beyond the first, no rulebook psychic powers. Zoanthropes aren't as good as they used to be, with less powers in a unit of more than one, a severe degradation in flexbility with no rulebook powers, and the Brotherhood of Psykers special rule meaning their entire shooting can be denied with one dice roll. The points cost doesn't really make up for it, but Zoanthropes are still a very useful unit regardless. They are cheap psykers with decent durability, and are crucial Synapse creatures that are arguably the best value generators in the codex.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? Yes.

Venomthropes - Dropped in points, lost the defensive grenades and charging through dangerous terrain cloud, but now confer Shrouding to units within 6" instead of a flat 5+ cover save. Shrouded gives units in the open a 5+ cover save, and gives a +2 bonus to any cover save a unit already had, making Venomthropes significantly more useful when paired up with units hiding behind Termagant and Hormagaunt screens. Allows for cheesy usage of buildings to generate a large Shrouded bubble. They are still fragile themselves, but can be more easily hidden and kept safe if moving from cover to cover.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Haruspex (new unit) - The Haruspex has interesting special rules, but the cost, durability and mobility don't match up to them. It's not that much more survivable than a Carnifex with only one extra wound, meaning it is unlikely to see combat as it only moves a maximum of 12" a turn including a Run move without Fleet. Its shooting attack is nothing special, and its actual melee capabilities really aren't that great, being outclassed by a Trygon against most enemies. If it makes it into combat, it can survive for a long time, but if it matches up against a Wraithknight or a Dreadknight it may as well pack up and leave. It's sole saving grace is that it is an Elites choice and thus is the only monstrous creature in that slot, with far less competition than it would in another slot.
Competitive? No.

Pyrovores - Dropped in points slightly, gained a hefty stat boost with a notable extra wound, lost Mycetic Spore transport option, Volatile rule is subject to FAQ but currently is the equivalent of a nuclear explosion by the rules as written. Pyrovores may have gotten a stat boost and a points drop, but that doesn't change the fact that they aren't that durable, are slow, have no long ranged shooting to speak of, and are an active threat to nearby friendly units (assuming an FAQ for Volatile). Losing out on Mycetic Spores means these expensive heavy flamers have no reliable way of ever getting close enough to do anything.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Summary!
The most competitive units are Zoanthropes and Venomthropes, with the latter being the only unit that both became/remained competitive without getting weaker in the process. Hive Guard will still see some game time, though they are outclassed by Exocrines as light to medium vehicle hunters. Haruspexes aren't terrible, but nor are they really that good.


Fast Attack

Shrikes - Dropped in points by a small margin, reduced melee capabilities due to Tyranid melee weapon changes, access to assault grenades. Shrikes suffer from most of the same issues as Warriors; they are too fragile - and especially so with a 5+ armour save! - and don't do enough damage to really warrant an inclusion. However, their mobility alone may be a reason to include them in a threat overload army list. I just don't see a unit with much value still, especially as their melee capabilities were nerfed. In a Gargoyle or Hormagaunt heavy list, they may be useful again as cheap Synapse providers, but as with Warriors, this is less a reflection on Shrikes themselves and more on the punishing Instinctive Behaviour tables.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Raveners - Identical points costs with slightly rejiggered upgrade costs, reduced melee capabilities due to Tyranid melee weapon changes, potentially very bad Instinctive Behaviour results. Raveners could be used as incredibly fast assault units that didn't require support in the previous codex to quickly tie up enemy ranged units, but now the potential of killing themselves through Instinctive Behaviour puts a dent in that tactic. Their melee capabilities dropped significantly, with the big nerf coming from the Scything Talon change. The option to add the Red Terror is nice, but it doesn't really save this unit; they may as well be Shrikes without Synapse, and thus are not really worth the time.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

The Red Terror (new unit) - As an upgrade character for Raveners, the Red Terror will always have a unit to join and gives them Leadership 8 to make Instinctive Behaviour tests less frightening. Its boosted stat-line, 4+ armour save and Toughness 5 can allow it to soak up wounds, while its 'swallow' rule will statistically activate on average on the charge against a Weapon Skill 5 or lower opponent. The swallow rule is pretty nasty, especially against characters typically bereft of invulnerable saves such Librarians, but it isn't anything special. The Red Terror itself isn't that nasty in combat overall, and while it can soak up wounds for Raveners and decreases their chances of failing Instinctive Behaviour tests, it isn't really worth the points.
Competitive? No.

Sky-Slashers - Increased in points, lost the Mindless special rule but the new Instinctive Behaviour rules mean they can eat themselves anyway. Sky Slashers might be twice as fast as Rippers, but they also pay quite a bit for that. Like Rippers, they are a unit that will likely never see use in any kind of competitive army list; they are fragile, sub-par melee or ranged units that will either eat themselves or be an easily neutered points sink.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Gargoyles - Identical points cost albeit upgrades doubled in points, new Instinctive Behaviour results are less forgiving, Blinding Venom changed to do less wounds but cause massed Blind tests. Gargoyles require Synapse support more than before with the Instinctive Behaviour changes, and while their usefulness as a strict combat unit decreased in terms of their damage output, causing massed Blind tests with Blinding Venom makes them much more useful as a combo-charge unit. With support, they are better, but without support, they are weaker than before.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Harpy - Dropped in points by a decent amount, gained an extra wound, spore mine cysts are much more useful and accurate than before, Sonic Screech has combat-wide effect. Harpies are tougher to kill, do more damage due to their highly accurate bombing runs and new Spore Mine rules, and - particularly when paired with Gargoyles - are a very useful combo-charge unit for valuable melee units such as Carnifexes and Haruspexes. Unfortunately, the meta has changed since the start of 6th Edition, with anti-air weapons now easily accessed by every army now. They are still too fragile against such weapons to be stick around in a competitive environment. Their main trait is the low cost for a flying monstrous creature that destroys light to medium infantry very well. Still, the fragility is just too much for it to do much against any kind of competitive opponent or army list.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? No.

Hive Crone (new unit) - This is the more expensive alternative to the Harpy as another flying monstrous creature. It is much more flexible than the Harpy, coming with a crazy Strength 8 Vector Strike, a Strength 6 AP4 template weapon, and four Strength 5 AP5 Haywire missiles that re-roll to hit against flyers and flying monsters. However, it has a lot of limitations, just like the Harpy. It is fragile as heck with five wounds at Toughness 5 with a 4+ armour save, the same as the Harpy. It's maximum movement distance is 24", so its Vector Strike won't see too much use on a 6x4 standard gaming table. Its' Tentaclids are good anti-air weapons with Haywire, but Ballistic Skill 3 - even with re-rolls to hit - and the limit on shooting two weapons a turn means they aren't anything special. Besides, the chances of a Crone surviving a volley from an enemy flyer is slim, so keeping it in reserve may be necessary. The template weapon is good against Tau and Eldar, obviously, but without Torrent and noting the Crone's fragility, it really isn't a good weapon. The Crone is probably the more useful out of itself and the Harpy, but it is still too fragile to be anything more than a glass cannon as part of a flying-spam list.
Competitive? No.

Spore Mine Cluster - Cheaper, changes to the detonation rules. Spore Mines are actually really cheap and effective now, especially as you can actually control them. However, as they can't be dropped before deployment and are still the Toughness 1, save-less models of old that only detonate in combat now, you probably won't use them. The other big reason you won't use them in units is because the ones generated by Biovores and Harpies fulfill the role of a full unit far better! While I'm going to list them as not competitive, keep in mind that this is only for the unit itself because it is incredibly unlikely they will actually get to do anything when not created as a result of a missed template. Still, for how cheap they are, why not give them a try?
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? No.

Summary!
Gargoyles remain the best unit in the Fast Attack slot because of how well they combo up in an assault with all other Tyranid dedicated melee units, as well as being points-efficient themselves. The two flying monstrous creatures are decent, and can be very effective against an opponent lacking anti-air tools in their army list, but against balanced and competitive army lists they will be without a safe haven.


Heavy Support

Carnifexes - Significant points reduction, reduced combat effectiveness due to loss of attack and general Tyranid melee weapon nerf, frighteningly punishing Instinctive Behaviour results when taken in broods, slight increase to Initiative value, change to Living Battering Ram. Carnifexes might not compare too well for a Wraithlord for roughly the same base cost on a per model basis, but Carnifexes also have the potential to be taken in broods. Their Living Battering Ram rules are nice for destroying vehicles and lightly armoured infantry, though their actual melee potential dropped mostly due to Scything Talon nerfs. They are less fearful of Jaws of the World Wolf now, though they need to be kept in Synapse range as much as possible to avoid them eating each other. As broods, Carnifexes give Tyranids what no other army has; cheap, spammable monstrous creatures in an edition favouring monstrous creatures. You can take nine of these for just over 1000 points, and while they have their hard counters, such a list would be very difficult to stop. Basically, Carnifexes saw a reduction in combat effectiveness, stayed about the same in ranged effectiveness, stayed the same in durability, and go hugely less expensive. This alone makes them very, very worthwhile.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Biovores - Slightly cheaper, gained a cool but unnecessary stat boost, Instinctive Behaviour is more punishing, Spore Mine Launcher improved due to created Spore Mines having (limited) sentience. Biovores were already a stand-out choice in 6th Edition for Tyranids with many armies leaping out of their transports, and now they are better than ever with an extra wound on top of other stat boosts. That any Spore Mines they create can actually charge on the turn they appear and explode is really nasty, particularly in a Tau and Eldar dominated meta - light infantry fear Biovores above all else! Add to that a slight points drop and Biovores are stronger than ever.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Trygon - Slight points reduction, reduced melee effectiveness due to Scything Talon nerf. Trygons were never that great of a choice before, taken more so because of their speed and superiority when compared to the horrendously over-costed Carnifex. While they gained an extra Smash attack, losing out on the re-rolls to hit is a big dent in their combat effectiveness. It wouldn't be such an issue if Carnifexes, Mawlocs and Tyrannofexes hadn't of dropped so much, but they did and the Trygon - who also needed a decent points drop of probably at least 25 points - only dropped a small amount and is a lot worse in combat. The Trygon Tunnel is still broken and as such I don't really see a point to these monsters anymore.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? No.

Trygon Prime - Slight points reduction, can purchase Tyranid Relics, reduced melee effectiveness due to Scything Talon nerf. Under the old codex, Trygon Primes were more a luxury choice taken for their enhanced shooting from Deep Strike, as the extra Synapse really wasn't necessary with easily spammable Tervigons and simple Instinctive Behaviour rules. With the changes to Instinctive Behaviour and Tervigons seeing a huge decrease in viability, Trygon Primes may as well have a new lease on life. Like the regular Trygon, its combat efficiency was reduced by a sizable chunk, though some of the expensive artefacts are interesting. Realistically, you are paying significantly more than a base Trygon for a monster that is above average in combat, mediocre in shooting, above average in durability, above average on speed and is a Synapse creature. I think the cost really needed to be a bit lower, but as it is, the Trygon Prime is actually a pretty decent Synapse creature for your Heavy Support slot. If you lose your other Synapse creatures early on, having a Prime pop up from Deep Strike could save your bacon. Again, like the Tervigon, it will likely be fielded mostly because Synapse is more important than ever, though the Trygon Prime is actually a decent generalist.
Change: Weaker.
Competitive? Yes.

Mawloc - Significant points reduction, restriction on Burrowing, significantly stronger but riskier deep strike attack. Mawlocs dropped near to the new Carnifex limit, a pretty amazing feat when you compare the base stats of each monster. Mawlocs aren't that great of a melee monster, being inferior to Carnifexes, and they have no traditional shooting attacks to speak of. However, their Terror from the Deep attack is stronger than before, Ignoring Cover as it always should have and thus becoming legitimately frightening for an infantry-heavy army list. It now inflicts a second hit on any surviving models, but it also mishaps if there are still models in its way after the second hit. However, unless you roll a 1, the mishap table isn't even really a bad thing for the Mawloc. If your opponent gets to place it, you can just Burrow it on its next turn. If it goes back into reserve, it gets to do its Terror from the Deep again on its next turn. Overall, it does far more damage than before and is significantly cheaper to boot. This one is a keeper.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Exocrine (new unit) - The kit-sibling to the Haruspex and definitely the more viable of the two. The Exocrine gives Tyranids medium-ranged AP2 shooting on a durable platform, something that wasn't possible before. It is flexible with either six Strength 7 AP2 shots or one Strength 7 AP2 large blast, and is decently tough with only one less wound than a Trygon. Unlike the Haruspex, the Exocrine can happily sit in cover as it doesn't need to worry about making it to combat as quickly as possible, nor does it need to get to combat in the first place. It gains a point of Ballistic Skill when it doesn't move, meaning it will shoot decently on the first turn or two, then shoot pretty darn well afterwards. It's one of the few units in the codex that doesn't actively require support or target saturation, able to defend itself decently in combat and fine to sit at range. It's not too worried about Instinctive Behaviour as many other units, as it is merely forced to shoot at the nearest target and, with the gun it has, this generally won't be too much of a bad thing. Obviously though, you want to keep it in Synapse range so you can pick its targets. Keep in mind that it will be a high priority target for most opponents simply because of that AP2, though it is cheap enough for this not to be an issue.
Competitive? Yes.

Tyrannofex - Incredible points reduction, boost to Initiative, can no longer fire all three of its ranged weapons. This monster dropped three quarters of a century in points, immediately making it one of the top units you can find. As the only unit in the codex with a proper 2+ armour save, sporting Toughness 6 and 6 wounds additionally, the Tyrannofex is easily the toughest single model in the book and doesn't pay as much for that as you would think. Its Acid Spray is a Strength 6 AP4 Torrent Template, giving it an effective 20" range. Even Space Marines hate the Acid Spray because it wounds them on 2s and can get a crazy amount of hits; it is just pure murder to anything with a weaker armour save, like Dire Avengers or Necron Warriors. The upgrade guns, on the other hand, range from pointless to over-costed, with the Fleshborer Hive being a paid-for downgrade on the Acid Spray, and the Rupture Cannon remaining too expensive to compete in an anti-tank role against units such as Exocrines. The Tyrannofex is hilariously cheap for what it does, and with good Leadership and an Instinctive Behaviour result that shouldn't worry it too much, this thing is my pick for the biggest winner of the codex.
Change: Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.

Summary!
Nearly all of the Heavy Support choices can be considered viable in a standard tournament setting, with the sole exception being the Trygon simply because the Prime is far more useful with Synapse and better shooting. The Tyrannofex is my pick for the best monster, while Biovores are probably the best unit overall.

And that's that folks! This article was intentionally harsher than usual to be used more as a quick guideline to which units are more likely to be seen in a competitive environment. Remember that this will not reflect on the Tactica series, as after publishing this article, I can focus solely on the Tactics themselves, something I have been guilty of "fluffing up" in my recent Tacticas. The plan is for it to be less of a review series than has been the case; I can only hope this approach is likable to you guys! Thanks again for reading this article; if you have any thoughts on Tyranids, post a comment here, or head on over to +Bell of Lost Souls for more discussion with myself and other fans of the army! Cheers! Eel out.