Second Sphere

Wargames => Warhammer 40k => Topic started by: Waaaghpower on March 05, 2014, 05:47:59 AM

Title: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Waaaghpower on March 05, 2014, 05:47:59 AM
So, I just played my first competitive game against new Nids, (I have played and seen a few before, but this was my first comp. one,) and I have to say I found them to be underwhelming.
It was an 1850 game.
I took Coteaz, a Hereticus Inquisitor, a Rune Priest, 3 Drop Pods (2 with 2x Plasma, one with 2x Melta), 5 Missile Launchers in Long Fangs, 5 Plasma Cannons in fangs, Tigurius, 5 Scouts with Camo Cloaks and Telion, and a Stormraven with an Assault Cannon and Multi-Melta. The Plasma Fangs had Plasma Pistols and Wolf Standards, and I had intentionally splurged elsewhere as well on worthless or mediocre but fun options. (Like Telion.)

He had a Flyrant, a walking CC Tyrant, a Harpy, 2 Exocrines, 2 Carnifaxes in a brood, a Venomthrope, 60 Gants, and 2 Tervigons.

I wiped the floor with him. By endgame, he had killed... My Hereticus inquisitor and the scouts. Most of my Grey Hunter squads were at half strength, true, and I had lost 3 Heavy Weapons and a captain between my Long Fangs, but that's all the damage he caused. His army was completely gone by turn 4. I wouldn't have even lost the Inquisitor if it weren't for really bad dice. In fact, I had mediocre to bad dice all game. (Despite having rerolls, 2 Plasma Cannons got hot and failed to fire in the first 2 turns.) By turn 3 his Synapse was all gone and I just had cleanup to do. This is in spite of my intentionally sloppy list building (I could have gotten 5 more missile launchers with no practical differences to the rest of my list, and with points to spare,) and my fairly silly list as a whole. (Four psykers to buff 2 Heavy Weapons squad is obvious overkill. I had more prescience than I did units to cast it on.)

So, did he just bring a bad list? It wasn't the dice that killed him, for sure, he had good rolls all game. His tactics weren't bad, either. (And he put a bunch of LOS blocking terrain in front of my Aegis Line/All of my guns thanks to friggin' alternating terrain, too. Thank goodness for lots of targets, windows, and Perfect Timing.)
(Lemme tell you, Psycollum is hilarious with 5 Plasma Cannons when you can use it, albeit not that much more usefulthan Prescience.)
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Chris on March 05, 2014, 12:21:29 PM
The enemies list there looks far from strong.
I'm new to Tyranids, but even I know that only taking 4 Synapse Creatures is never going to end well. Especially when they are all big 'shoot me now' units.

I've not really looked much at the exocrine, but they don't seem to be all that useful. There also seems to be no really purpose behind his list, he has various lines of models, but hasn't provided synapse for them...

With your manoeuvrability and highly specialised force, I'm not suprised to blew him away!
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: CoffeeGrunt on March 05, 2014, 12:34:42 PM
The Exocrine is something of an answer to Riptides, but isn't so amazing against much else...
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Brassclaw on March 05, 2014, 03:16:45 PM
Without knowing the details of the game, such as unit placement, rolls, the finer details of his list and possible rule foul ups. Its hard to diagnose the problem he had. By looks of what he brought, his list is decent but not really all that meta.

Playing with these Nids isn't easy, especially in a competitive setting. But it is doable.

Plus judging a army on what play through is silly   
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Waaaghpower on March 05, 2014, 04:38:54 PM
For a more in-depth review of the game, here's how it went down. 
I got turn one, and between BS10 Ignores Cover Plasma, sone stray Missile Launchers and Scouts, and both Plasma Grey Hunters squads I was able to down the walking Tyrant, 1 Tervigon, and 1 Carnifax. With all of his return fire, he killed the Plasma Cannon captain, 1 Plasma Cannon, the Hereticus Inquisitor (My Warlord), and like 3 Grey Hunters between the two squads. He then assaulted 1 squad with his Carnifax, and the other with one bubble of Gants. Carnifax killed 4 Grey Hunters and they failed leadership, escaping, Grey Hubters started cutting down Gants (despite failing counter-attack.) Both Wolf Standards were activated... And didn't do a damned thing. Not a single re-rolled one passed. 
Turn two, I brought in the Stormraven, (Drop Pod rolled a 1,) killed the Flyrant, hurt an Exocrine, finished off the last Carnifax, killed some Gants. One Exocrine was then out of Synapse and had to shoot at a Drop Pod (It caused 2 Hull Points!) The other killed a Missile Launcher. Harpy hurt and then assaulted my scouts. Kiled all but one, who remained locked in combat. His Tervigon spawned 9 Gants. 
Turn 3, my last Drop Pod came in. Between it,my Plasma Cannons, the not-locked-in-combat Grey Hunters, and my Missile Launchers I killed the last Tervigon and both Exocrines. With no Synapse, it was all downhill for him from there. His Harpy whiffed all three attacks on my turn in CC,so we were stuck in combat until the end of his turn. I finished the close combat with the first gant squad that assaulted me, too. 
After that, it was just a mop-up. I killed his harpy pretty easily (5 Twin-Linked Ignores cover Missile Launchers, a Lascannon with the same buffs, and 5 Plasma Cannons.) Cleanup on the Gants was easy peasy.

Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Arguleon-veq on March 05, 2014, 06:37:20 PM
I don't think Nids are very competitive at all, I do think you can make some fun builds with them though and I really like the Excorine. I know pretty much every competitive Nid player on the tourney scene dropped them the second the book come out and were even asking if they could use the old book.

What blows my mind is how your list is legal Waaaaghpower, ive no doubt at all it is with all the recent nonsense GW have released in the last few months. I have just not been able to keep up, for my sanity could you just give me a quick run down on how a list like that is legal[4 armies in there right?]? so that next time I play a pick up game im not there thinking 'surely that's not right'  :P
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Waaaghpower on March 05, 2014, 07:09:46 PM
Fortification, Space Wolves primary, Space Wolf allies, and an Inquisitorial Detachment. If I wanted too, I could include a Legion of the Damned supplement too.
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Waaaghpower on March 05, 2014, 08:44:54 PM
I'm personally a fan of the FOC shenanagins, if only because it fits my Honebrew Chapter fluff. (The Dragon's Claws.) They're a 13th Founding chapter who got sucked into the warp until the early 40th millenium, still at full chapter strength, but lacking a Codex: Astartes and decades outside of Imperial space. They've been fighting their way back ever since, using only vaguely codex-compliant tactics from what information was saved.
Each 'Company' has it's own specific role. 11th Company uses Ultramarine allies for rules, functioning as their scout/Recon team. (Tigurius leads them, rolling only on Divination seeing as he is a prescient Psyker, I only take scouts as their troops, and they take only aircraft for vehicles to speed ahead of the rest of the army.) 7th Company is the air force/Speed attack, using Iron Hands ally rules. (Stormravens and Bikers from here.) 1st and 2nd companies are the two heavy assault companies, using Thunderwolf Cavalry and Wolf Lords in Second Company, and Logan Grimnar/Wolf Guard Terminators in first.
Etc.
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: CoffeeGrunt on March 05, 2014, 09:46:21 PM
QuoteSpace Wolves primary, Space Wolf allies

I'm going to assume you meant Space Marine allies?
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Waaaghpower on March 05, 2014, 10:37:03 PM
Quote from: CoffeeGrunt on March 05, 2014, 09:46:21 PM
QuoteSpace Wolves primary, Space Wolf allies

I'm going to assume you meant Space Marine allies?
Right. Duh, that's what I meant.
Title: Re: Not Impressed by New Nids
Post by: Brassclaw on March 06, 2014, 08:02:33 AM
Although I don't have it in my hands right now, the newest dataslate has some interesting formations. The one that stand out in my mind makes Gargoyles scoring and have endless swarm. Expect to see that.