Email: 2500pt List

From Guillermo:

Hello!  Love your blog!!!  It's hard to find someone dedicated to Nids and your take on them very refreshing!  With that said how would you build a 2500 point list for yourself?  I'm interested because not many nid players use genestealers or yealers for that matter.  Would you keep them?  What would your list be?  Thanks for any insight!

Thanks for the compliments Guillermo!  I've been pondering this also as Ardboyz is one of my favorite tournaments.  Last year I placed 3rd out of 16 at our LGS and qualified for the semifinals.  When I called to reserve a spot at the semifinal store, the owner told me he was full so I didn't go.  After the semi's, I spoke to Jay who took first locally and he told me only 5 of 16 showed up to the semi's.  Needless to say I was very upset that I didn't go, let alone the fact that I would have had a 50% chance to make the finals.

So here's a list concept using similar units to the ones you've mentioned and the lists I've been using recently.

Tyranid Prime + whip/sword
Tyranid Prime + whip/sword

Hive Guard x3
Hive Guard x3
Ymgarl Genestealers x7

Genestealers x15 + Broodlord
Genestealers x15 + Broodlord
Termagants x15 + Devourers
Termagants x15 + Devourers
Tervigon + toxins, adrenals, catalyst
Tervigon + toxins, adrenals, catalyst

Tyrannofex + rupture cannon
Carnifex + twin linked devourers x2
Carnifex + twin linked devourers x2


Here's how I would play it.  Against full mech lists like guard, the primes join hive guard and help distribute wounds.  They also have the option of each joining one carnifex.  This has several benefits.  One prime plus one carnifex means 50% of the unit is behind cover with a gaunt screen giving the whole unit a cover save.  It more than doubles the survivability of carnifexes, and the prime wounds are cheaper at 32pts per wound compared to 48pts per wound on the dakkafex.  Also, the whip on the prime makes the carnifex more deadly in close combat as the carnifex assaults at initiate 3 and the prime puts models down to initiative 1.

So the list puts 30 genestealers in front of your force which will draw lots of fire.  Make sure they're in cover and give them catalyst if you can.  With them deploying during the infilration phase, you cam actually place the hive guard on the very front edge of your deployment zone maximizing their initial threat range and posing as a juicy ambush target.  When you infiltrate the genestealers, string a few in front of the hive guard for cover.

Hive guard are your transport poppers.  Genestealers and ymgarls later strike units of opportunity, namely units that have jumped out of transports and long fangs/devestators.  I've found 7 ymgarls is the perfect number for the unit.  With 7, you can assault 5 long fangs in cover, morph for toughness, and only suffer 1 wound even if they make their counterattack.  You'll win combat but hopefully by a small enough margin that the wolves hold and you don't get shot to pieces.  Next phase, the wolf player either commits more forces to take out the ymgarls or lets the long fangs die and you'll be open to assault again during your turn.  Either way, ymgarls will strike first and hopefully finish the fangs.

Tyrannofex is there to suppress av14.  It's not the most reliable thing, but you have a 50% chance each turn to score a damage result on a land raider, battlewagon, or monolith.  More importantly, it can do this from turn 1 whereas hive guard are often out of range.  Move it up as you play to template infantry mid game.

Dakkafexes are a swiss army knife of sorts.  12 twin linked str6 shots will yeild an average of 9 hits and 7-8 wounds a turn.  Also, they're good for a glance and a pen against rhinos each turn if you need more anti-armor.  They're good in close combat also, instakilling nobs and flipping tanks.

Lastly you have devilgaunts which mop up scoring units.  45 dakka dice from each unit is real nice, and hopefully your genestealers and hive guard are drawing fire away from the gants.  Tervigons do what the do best, supporting with synapse and catalyst and spawning gants when needed.

Hope you like the list!