 |
| Hive Fleet Erebus |
It's an Elite Tyranid. Yes, there are more than just Hive Guard. Yes the get the short stick. Yes psychic defenses make them weep. They sure as hell have a use though so let's really look at the unit.
We know what Tyranid's issues are in 5th - they have a hard time breaking down mech walls and infantry hordes both equally. Dealing with infantry at range is something Tyranids are never going to be fantastic at. They excel at munching infantry in combat however but ensuring you can bring enough weight to bear against lots of MEQ or TEQ bodies is hard whilst maintaining any semblance of ability to deal with tanks. And the major issue in being able to deal with those tanks is all your eggs fall into a couple of baskets (i.e. Hive Guard). For this reason Hive Guard are rightfully considered the best Elite. I mean for 50 points you're going to be hard pressed to find two S8 shots at BS4 on a T6/W2/4+ platform which doesn't need LoS and only gives cover in specific circumstances. And I can take three in a squad? Yikes.
Unfortunately this creates two issues. One, everyone knows what to shoot first and this is part and parcel of the Tyranid codex. You need to make target priority issues for your opponent through your army but rare is the day your opponent doesn't look at your Hive Guard and say "they need to die quickly." If they don't, chances are your opponent is bad. And two, most of your anti-tank is monopolised by three units which cannot hurt AV14. Whilst these units are fantastic and there are other options in your army list (i.e. MCs in combat, Raveners/Genestealers in combat, T-Fexes, Heavy Venom Cannons, Brainleech Devs, etc.) to inflict damage upon mech, most of it is very unreliable against heavy armor.
Enter the Zoanthrope. You lessen the target priority only a little as there are still three key units to destroy. But not only do you gain significantly in being able to deal with AV14 but you gain more ranged anti-infantry ability with S5 AP3 blasts. Beyond this, S10 AP1 lance shots are pretty effective against just about everything so let's take a look at the unit in brief.
The Zoanthrope has two major weaknesses: range and psychic defenses. A lot of people complain about Hive Guard only having 24"(+6") and Zoanthropes have it 'worse' with only 18". This can be problematic but there are also two solutions. One is mycetic spores, something which Hive Guard have no access to at all. To be really effective though this option needs a Hive Commander Tyrant, something a lot of people are leaning away from now with armies being more able to deal with MCs in the newer books. It also leaves the Zoanthrope vulnerable to being engaged in combat or simply shot to death quite early on. The second is Onslaught, the forgotten psychic power of the Tervigon. FNP is great but torrent still drags down units with FNP. Being able to shoot a turn earlier though...invaluable. I'm not saying don't take Catalyst but rather consider both, especially if one is bringing Zoanthropes.
Psychic defenses on the other hand...well we can't do anything about that. At least Zoanthropes have the advantage of being Ld10 and having a W2/3++ so are decently safely against Perils and have better than average odds against Hoods. Even without psychic defenses, the loss of 8.33% of your shots from failed psychic tests is annoying. The question becomes: is it worth taking Zoanthropes with this weakness? In Spore lists absolutely, hell they are your only true anti-tank choice if you're going all spore. In 'normal' foot lists? Personally yes. A squad of three is only 30 points more than three Hive Guard and whilst you lose some ability against the lower AVs, you have more reliable popping power with AP1, more reliable anti-heavy armor with S10 lances and increased ability against Marines at range. I'll take it though I am losing some T6 wounds in the process as it shores up some of the weaknesses of the list (ranged anti-infantry, AV14) whilst lessening some of the strengths a little bit (durability, light mech).
Oh and add in Synapse for a bonus.
So let's take a list using them which is a modified version of my 1750 army.
Tyranid Prime w/Lash Whip, Bonesword, Regeneration
Tyranid Prime w/Lash Whip, Bonesword, Regeneration
3x Hive Guard
3x Hive Guard
3x Zoanthrope
Tervigon w/Catalyst, Onslaught, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands
Tervigon w/Catalyst, Onslaught, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands
10x Termagant
10x Termagant
4x Ravener w/Rending Claws
4x Ravener w/Rending Claws
Tyrannofex w/Rupture Cannon
Tyrannofex w/Rupture Cannon
Totals: 2000 points
4 MCs (36 T6 wounds)
39 infantry (8 beasts)
Two Primes with Regen + Catalyst generates a lot of survivability in the Zoans, Hive Guard and Raveners early on whilst the Raveners, Hive Guard and MCs all attract similar firepower (S8+) with the Zoans also being ideal candidates for such firepower (though more vulnerable to small arms firepower as well). The Raveners are able to apply early pressure and can be exchanged for Genestealers (though you less target saturation) but there is still the issue of dealing with Marines in combat reliably outside of the Primes (Genestealers help here obviously).
Is it better than having those extra three Hive Guard? Eh one could say so and one could say not. The Zoans will prove their worth against anyone without psychic defenses and big targets to slag and should still hold their own against armies with and without such. Even with psychic defenses you should be landing at least one S10 AP1 hit a turn and if there are no Land Raiders about, a reliable damage result against a Rhino is a reliable damage result.
