Thursday, November 18, 2010

List of the Week: Competitive

So I learned a lot at DaBoyz GT, my first GT.  I prefer competitive settings for tournaments and was glad to face some really hard lists.  My ultimate personal goal is to take a title at a competitive event such as NOVA or a GT running a similar format.  As such, I've been list bashing to bring in things I learned and new comcepts.

Here's my current brainstorm:

2000pts competitive - Splinter Fleet Colossus

Tyranid Prime - BS/LW/Scytals
Tyranid Prime - BS/BS/rending
Hive Guard x2
Hive Guard x2
Zoanthropes x3
Tervigon - Cat, TS, AG
Tervigon - Cat, TS, AG
Termagants x10 - devourers
Termagants x10 - devourers
20 genestealers
20 genestealers
Tyrannofex - RC, CS, desiccator

Here's my theory hammer.  CC is fun and easy to dominate for nids, but also easy to counter in competitive games via deployment and movement.  Also, two of the most competitive codex's are shooting based (IG, SW).  Based on my experiences at the GT, my list was too heavily weighted towards CC.  Trygons are cool and nasty in CC, but if your opponent runs away, they're useless.  2x2 Hive Guard work great.  They were 100% effective in 3 of my games.  One of the others featured 2 LR's and during my last game I lost 3 during t1 and rolled only 1-2 on damage with the last.

So, this list focuses more on shooting.  My 2x2 HG and Zoans go up front with attached primes.  I like Zoans on foot because they add to targetting priority issues, usually draw heavy weapons, provide cover to Tervigons, and front line psy defense.  I love my Tfex even if he is a bit unreliable, he almost never dies and has great duality.

40 Genestealers provide... yeah disruption/pressure/scout blocking.  Who's going to ignore 40 genestealers?  Cover and FnP on these is a no-brainer.  Against assaulty armies, these are my counter units.  20 devil gaunts provide anti-horde/torrent fire.  IMO, with 40 genestealers and all those shooty elites, devil gaunts will be untargetted and allowed to torrent away. 

I lose Ymgarls and this list struggles to reach long fangs more, but also has less to fear from long fangs without Trygons and their massive size and bad armor.

Thoughts are welcome.  Any locals wanting to play this format hit me up.

5 comments:

  1. A couple of things:

    1) Would you outflank the Genestealers? I could see starting them on the table to draw off fire, but outflanking them seems to strike fear into a lot of people's hearts.

    2) You'll probably have to test it out, but I'd look at podding the Zoans. With the overwhelming amount of Str 8 that's around these days, they probably won't last too long on foot.

    Once I get my harder DE list together, I'd have a go at this. I still have yet to beat you.

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  2. @1 - I would nearly always start them on the table to draw fire. 40 genestealers = 80 wounds in cover or 160 wounds if I get FnP vs small arms fire. Outflanking to strike fear is fine until your opponent deploys dead center and 560pts of the army does nothing until turns 3-4.

    @2 - Same hypothesis as #1. Relying on a pod to come early for anti-armor is too lynchpin. If it looks like they'll draw most of the str8 fire, I'll give them the Primes (t5) and FnP. It also means the HG and Tervigons will take less fire.

    I'm dying to face new DE so whenever you're ready buddy, I can play my comp list too.

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  3. 1) Makes sense. I agree that your Gaunts probably won't get shot at until Stealers are dead.

    2) Yep, forgot that Primes are T5.

    I might be at MG on Saturday, so maybe I'll see you there.

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  4. The only problem I see with the list is the lack of saturation for the big bugs. Heavy AP2-3 weapons have some pretty obvious targets in the Tervigons. You avoid some of those problems by the sheer number of genestealers you've brought but I'd think it could be a problem. Otherwise it's a pretty neat list. You know my thoughts on Zoans so I won't try and change your mind on them :)

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  5. Man, the internet ate my 3000 word response lol.

    Basically, I hope to minimize ap2-3 with mobile cover and range early while the genestealers provide disruption.

    Foot zoans work pretty good in our local meta.

    I'll support the theoryhammer with batreps as soon as my 40 stealers are assembled.

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