Tyranid FAQ

The Tyranid FAQ came out last week. I didn't plan on specifically posting about it (I mention it in some upcoming posts scheduled for next week). But this article by Danny Internets, from Bald & Screaming, sums up the thoughts of me and others on the interwebz in a rational manner (something I have come to appreciate with anything published by Danny Internets). Hopefully he doesn't mind that I have copied the entire article...

Does anyone really think the Tyranids codex is too strong? Apparently, someone at GW does.

Last week, the FAQ for the 5th edition Tyranids codex was finally released after five and a half months of waiting with bated breath. Credit should be given to whomever was responsible for selecting the questions in this FAQ because they touch on all of the contentious issues that gamers have been arguing over for almost half a year now. However, as usual, we have a large number of rules changes disguised as clarifications, many of which harm existing army builds and limit effective combinations in an already decidedly gimped codex.

It’s not that Tyranids armies are bad, but the codex is written in such a way that it puts severe limitations on the types of armies people can take if they wish to remain even remotely competitive. By paging through the book it becomes immediately clear that most of the premiere (and interesting) selections are crammed into the Elites section of the Force Organization Chart, a poor decision compounded by the poor options available in the Fast Attack section (Gargoyles being the notable exception). The competition over these three coveted spots is made all the more intense by simultaneously concentrating all effective firepower options (Hive Guard and Zoanthropes) here (except the Tyrannofex). This ultimately serves to undermine the greatest strength of the codex, which is the emphasis on synergy and lack of spammable units. Unfortunately, this synergy does not come without making painful sacrifices, many of which doom armies to failure. [NOTE: although I agree that the Codex does put some restrictions on Tyranid's shooting capabilities the Harpy is not always a poor choice as Stelek shows here with deployment guide here.]

Because of the difficulty of devising an effective Tyranid list in 5th edition I have yet to face an army that can go toe-to-toe with my Imperial Guard. Certainly the strength of the IG codex is a factor, but every book (with the exception of Necrons) can churn out at least all-comers list that can overcome Guard with a little luck. Not so with Tyranids, at least from what I’ve seen so far. While it’s possible to refer to one of Shep’s super shooty, which have been extensively play-tested and documented on Dakka, these are ultimately impractical experiments in list-tailoring; a Tyranid army designed to out-shoot IG will be capable of little else. Assault armies will wreck it any day of the week and twice on Sunday. [NOTE: I think this may come more down to the competency of the general than the strength of the codex. A look at Stelek's army ranking puts Mechanised Imperial Guard at fourth place with Tyranids in at second. Although this is before the FAQ came out I don't see it dragging them so far down.]

The Good

- Mawlocs can now, without any doubt, attempt to deep strike directly on top of enemy units. (If you argued that they couldn’t before the FAQ you deserve a dragon uppercut to the testicles.)

- The effects of Tyranid Close Combat Weapons stack. This is a big deal for monstrous creatures, all of which have the option to take multiple types of TCCs with different effects (ex, scything talons + rending claws).

- Hive Tyrants and Swarmlords with Tyrant Guard cannot be targeted like Independent Characters in shooting or close combat. Most people played it like this already with regards to shooting, but the assault ruling is an unexpected bonus.

The Bad

- Hive Tyrants and Swarmlord who have joined with Tyrand Guard cannot leave them of their own free will at any point in the game. Giving Tyrants Wings and detaching from its bodyguards after getting within 18″ charge range was a common tactic, but no more. Tyranids are squadmates for life it seems.

You can no longer attach Independent Characters to units arriving via Mycetic Spore.Allowing a Tyranid Alpha to attack to a unit of Genestealers, Zoanthropes, or Tyranid Warriors arriving via pod was a useful tactic that granted the codex a small amount of flexibility without being that powerful, and it has been removed from existence without even a justification provided. This tidbit of errata disguised as a clarification is beyond my comprehension.

- In another rules change, the Doom of Malantai can no longer affect units embarked in transports. Furthermore, his psychic ability has been changed to a shooting attack, which allows cover saves to be made against it. Strike one more viable option from the codex; you will now never see this unit fielded in a competitive army.

The Ugly

- The Hive Commander bonus does not stack, so even if you take two Hive Tyrants with this upgrade you will still only receive +1 to your reserves. While this is consistent with the Officer of the Fleet and Astropath rulings from the IG codex FAQ, it flies in the face of both math and the English language. Worse, this is a major kick in the teeth to Tyranid reserve-based armies (ie, all dual deep striking Tyranid builds). More unnecessary nerfs to something that wasn’t even that good to begin with.

- Shadow in the Warp no longer affects psykers embarked in transports. This is what the French call “a big fucking deal.” Tyranid psychic defense just went from mediocre to crap and going mechanized just got slightly more mandatory. Even with their new tools, Nids still struggle badly against armor-centric builds and this makes the uphill battle twice as painful.

To sum it up, the Tyranids were given a weak codex. To make matters worse, their FAQ weakens them further. But it’s not all bad (just mostly).

- Danny Internets in Clawing Them When They're Down: The Tyranids Codex FAQ