The June release of the new Leviathan box brings a lot of excitement for Warhammer 40,000 players particularly fans of the Tyranids faction… Nom!
It’s never too early to start planning your next Arc40k Army. If you have a mate that is convinced Space Marines are the best, then taking all the awesome new Tyranids will put you on a path to an exciting new force for Arc40k next year.
The new models and rules have a lot to offer, and it's time to dive deeper into how to build a Tyranid army that takes advantage of all its exciting new features.
Tyranids are known for being a faction that specializes in consumption. They are a swarm of ravening monsters that devour worlds in a chitinous tide. The Tyranids' main directive is to consume, and they are good at it.
The new rules and abilities that come with the Leviathan box should allow units within a Tyranids army to work together as a single, all-consuming mass, guided by the Synapse network that emanates from the Hive Mind’s node beasts.
One of the most notable abilities that Tyranids armies can take advantage of is the Synapse rule. This ability compensates for the low Leadership characteristics common to all the lesser Tyranids.
Smaller bioforms who stay close to their betters get to roll an extra dice when making Battle-shock tests! Within their Synapse Range, Tyranids are a swarm of singular and unrelenting purpose.
Synapse creatures also now act as nodes to call the Shadow in the Warp down onto the battlefield.
This ability forces an immediate Battle-shock test on every unit in the opponent’s army.
You can trigger this ability once per game, in either player’s Command phase.
The Shadow in the Warp ability allows Tyranids to flood the battlefield with the psychic signature of the hive fleet, an icy, alien dread that gnaws at the minds of their prey and smothers even the most stalwart courage.
Taken together, these abilities allow you to control the morale game and ensure your units snag objectives. A failed Battle-shock test imparts some pretty serious penalties, and it’ll only take a few opposing units bottling it to swing the game in your favour.
Tyranids are not just your typical hordes of mindless monsters. They are a strategic force to be reckoned with, led by the apex bioform Swarmlord, a military genius capable of cunning manoeuvres that rival the galaxy's best generals.
The Swarmlord cements your mastery over the Command phase with two key abilities. Hive Commander effectively doubles the Command points you generate in your own turn, allowing you to employ more juicy Stratagems.
Malign Presence, on the other hand, is a nasty way to shut out your opponent’s most reliable Stratagems, allowing you to increase the CP cost of one specific Stratagem for the rest of the battle.
When it comes to units, Genestealers are still one of the most exciting models in the Tyranid army. They have helped shape the galaxy of Warhammer 40,000 from the early days of Space Hulk, lurking in the nightmares of Terminators ever since.
They’re now twice as hard to put down, with one extra Wound each, while the Scouts 8″ core ability gives them a free move of 8″ after deployment. They’re perfect for scuttling over to a key objective, where their rending claws get full Wound re-rolls thanks to the Vanguard Predator ability.
Tyranids are also known for their close combat monsters, but they pack some serious ranged firepower as well.
In terms of firepower, the Tyranids are not limited to just close combat. Their rupture cannon, a two-stage bioweapon mounted on the Tyrannofex, can launch acid-filled ticks and chemically unstable seeds the size of cars. The weapon has been upgraded in the new edition to deal with tougher vehicles and is more accurate with the Heavy weapon ability.
So, Tyranids are characterized by endless swarms of chittering creatures, and the Endless Swarm Stratagem allows you to bring back up to six fallen critters with just one Command point.
This applies to all creatures marked by the ENDLESS MULTITUDE keyword, including the new Neurogaunts in the Leviathan boxed set.
They are looking likely to be terrifying foes, causing battlefield-wide panic and disruption with their Shadow in the Warp ability.
However, creatures within Synapse Range remain single-minded and lethal, especially in close combat. Their Detachment rules allow them to adapt at the start of battle to overcome their prey.
So, if you're looking for an army that is not only terrifying but also strategically versatile, the Tyranids are the way to go. Whether you're crushing your enemies with the Swarmlord's tactical prowess or overwhelming them with your endless swarms, the Tyranids are a force to be reckoned with.
Join the swarm and dominate the battlefield with the Tyranids. Will you answer the call of the Hive Mind?
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