Tyranids Day1

By TheGraveMind

Ok, so the new book is out, and everyone is lamenting over the nut punch that has occurred. You can read that about anywhere. I'm going to try and go through the book, and give you a summary of where the hope is.


Warlord traits: so bad, roll on BRB table.
Instinctive behavior: Roll a D6 1 is horrible, 6 is bad with a bonus. Don't bother risking a roll.
Synapse: same as before, fearless, auto-regroup.
Shadows: -3ld for psy tests

HQ

Hive tyrants
They gained Bs4 as they deserved, dropped five points. The wings upgrade dropped by almost 50%, and their command upgrades got nerfed but also cheaper. Granting one troop an outflank is probably the go to.
Over all they came out ontop. You'll likely see at least one still, with dual twin devourers for 12 reroll S6 shooting. With outflank puts them at 245. They are now ML2, but basically any powers you get should be considered bonus, and not anything reliable. Though with warp lance, they are the best anti air possible.

Swarmlord
He gained ML3, but now can only know Tyranid powers so meh. He increased by 5 points, and his boneswords lost the rerolling invulnerable save rule. Still a beast in combat, still slow, still really only gives support.

Tyrant guard
Dropped by 10 points, but weapon upgrades increase and became less usefull (mostly lash whips). They can now buy toxin sacs and adrenal glands if you for some reason want them killing things in combat. Keep them cheap and bare bones if you take them, but why even when you can have wings for cheaper?

Tervigons will be covered as troops, as they shouldn't be hqs.

Tyranid prime
Alpha warrior now boosts shrikes, though he still cannot buy wings and so really shouldn't ever be with them. He increased by %150 in points for no gain, his upgrades and weapons can still make him a combat beat stick for his cost, but he is basically a Space marine captain without an invulnerable save and doesn't really do anything.

Old one eye.
Can regen a single wound, slightly better and still costs way too much. With the new importance of synapse, no reason to take him.

Death leaper
Basically still the only Lictor worth taking. Only has stealth, no more shrouded, and can only be snap fired at. Still only a 5+ armor save, and still does -D3 Ld to an enemy character. Is not an IC so will be walking alone. He is cool for making a themed vanguard list, and the rumored dataslate could make him even better. Tau will still do terrible things to him with ease, but he isn't full of suck, which is important in this codex.

HQs summary. You'll most likely see flying hive tyrants, and the occasional Swarmlord or Deathleaper for fun. Maybe a prime leading outflanking warriors, which still requires at least one tyrant.

Elites

Hive guard
Bs 3 now, and increased 5 points. Weapon now has full ignores cover which is nice, new gun is 18" haywire blast, so cannot hit fliers and is basically un needed at 5 points more.
Can see use, but not auto include any more.

Zoanthropes
are now Brotherhood ML2 with warp blast. They can roll up a single extra power, but will basically be useless. Brother hood means when you power gets through, you'll hit more, but less likely to get anything through at all. Without a pod, they will not easily get in range for Warp lance, and really arent great for just Warp blast and synapse, though they dropped 10 points a piece.
Can see use, but not auto includes.

Pyrovore,
Still useless, worded to hit every unit on the table until FAQ. lol

Venomthropes
They now grant shrouded, which is basically 5+ in open, but stacks with actual cover now, but lost all other abilities. Still can be singled out first. Won't see much play for the same reason the DA stealth boat doesnt.

Lictors
Can now chose to infiltrate to make their beacon work. No longer gives +1 Reserves. Lost shrouded, only has Stealth and 5+ armor. With out spore pods, what deepstrikes that you care if accurately hits?

Haruspex
Not any better than than a tervigon in combat. May gain some bonus attacks and wounds back occasionally, still not worth 150 points for a slow Ws 3 Monstrous Creature. Only good if you are trying to max MCs in the list.

Uhm... Hive guard or Zoanthropes if you think you'll need them, but I dont think we'll have points for them when the time comes.

Fast attack

Gargoyles
Still as good as before, same stats, same cost. Cheap and in your face. Blinding venom is now worse for wounding, but can cause blind on a hit, so can be usefull. Only make 4 of them use their blinding venom, and the rest normal attacks. Giant tarpit unit, but isn't that most of this book.

Spore mines
5 points a model, moves 3", Runs D3 and assaults D6. So half movement of everything, but now is under control finally. Still explodes S4 AP4 Large blast. If in combat, does a single explosion with a Strength bonus equal to extra mines in the squad. Could be good for a S9 AP4 Large blast.

Raveners
Exact same, lost rerolls of talons, still no toxin sacs or adrenal glands. Red terror is an upgrade, basically +1 stat, so could be nice with his 4+ save. Still dies to bolter fire, and over watch. Sadly pass.

Shrikes
dropped by 5 points, so same cost as warriors, give up 4+ armor and scoring but gain wings. If you want combat warriors, this is the way. Toxin sacs, scything talons, lashwhip sword, flesh hooks will run you around 56 points a model, but each one will have 5 attacks at Init 7 with rerolls to wound T4 with AP3. WS5

Harpy
Drops blasts on infantry, -5 to enemy Init when he charges. Large drop in price, but still not needed.

Crone
Arguably the best anti air in the book, which is sad. It has 4 haywire missles that reroll to hit against filers. which is nice, as it is only Bs3. Vector strike is boosted to S8, and its mouth weapon is S6 AP4 Flame template. It still can only fire two weapons a turn, and Vector strike counts as one. Most likely you will run two of these if you want to kill air. Both come in, fire two missiles, 3 hit, and wreck one flier, then they die on the return fire.

Heavy

Carnifex
Dropped to 120 base, I2 base now, does D3 hammer of wrath. With crushing claws does S10 armourbane attacks. Good at dropping Super heavies, if they could make it to combat. Now that they dropped in price, it is more reasonable to take twin linked devourers again. Dakka fex runs at 150 now. could be decent.

Tyrannofex
Dropped to 175, same as before. Rupture cannon still a hefty point cost for 2 BS3 shots. Lost ability to fire three templates a turn, but still great for anti-ifantry, if the book needed help with that. Only 2+ armor in the book.

Exocrine
Bs4 if you didn't move, bs3 normal. 6 shots or large blast, both S7 AP2. Could be good for lobbing AP2 large blast. If you are in range, the 6 shots isnt bad at Bs4, but I doubt people are going to let you stay in range. At 170, not really amazing, still not the best answer to a riptide.

Trygon
dropped by 10 points, attacks end up the same, loses rerolls to hit which is a huge suck. Tunnel rule still isn't fixed. Electro shots still the same. Beat stick and distraction, will be as common as before.

Biovores
Dropped 5 points, and gained a wound to mach Warrior statline better. They were already good before, and are better now. Expect to see more of them in use.

Mawlocs
S6 AP2 large blast now ignores cover, and triggers a second time if anyone lives. But instead of moving models, now mishaps if something is there. Dont hit a tank. Not horrible for 140 points, but mishap is risky still, and they still do a full scatter. You could combo with lictors, but that is stacking points for a couple blasts.

Troops

Tervigons

Oh boy. So jumped to 195 base. ML1, with no good powers reliably, no longer gives bonus to gaunts near by, death feedback range extended to 12", crushing claws don't give bonus attacks, so arguably worse there. Requires 30 gaunts to unlock as troops now. Now spawns after moving, and gaunts count as disembarking from a vehicle basically. Sadly still the only viable troop choice in the book, and way worse. Could be cute outflanking.

Warriors
Exact same, bonesword load out got even more expensive and worse.

Gaunts
dropped by 1 point, until you realize you don't get bonuses from tervigon any more, and need upgrades. Can mix match weapons in squad, so 15 devourers in the back screened by cheap gaunts in the front.

Hormagaunts
dropped by 1 point, gains +3" run move is nice, Talons only give AP6 instead of rerolling 1s. A decent tarpit unit that wont actually do anything. Still rather take Gargoyles.

Rippers
increase in points, pass

Genestealers
Stayed the exact same. Broodlord dropped by 10 points and fixed psy power. Could be good in large numbers, but so would most other units. Pass

The end

So what list will you see? I'm thinking two Flying hive tyrants, 1-2 tervigons, gargoyles/crone, carnifex/exocrine biovore support. People willing to pay will run two crones for some AA, exocrine could be cool and people will give him a try. Mostly just the exact same as before, some units got cheaper, some got more expensive, you'll see more tarpit units than before because its narrative and its the best we can do.

It wasn't uncommon for Two tervigons to be killed easily enough, even with a chance at iron arm, and now, there is little hope for any good troops to live. The best now is to mass gaunts and hope they all live, and try and keep some synapse alive.

I'll wait to see if anyone finds some hidden gems that I've missed. I know the nid forums are in an uproar. They are organizing petitions, people are saying this is worse than the 5th edition book. Even said this is worse than sisters.