Are Terviogons worth the points

[Midge913]

So fellas I am gonna throw another "is the model worth the points" question on you.

As you all know the nids have migrated away from a large horde army, making warriors the coolest thing since sliced bread, new monstrous creatures and the like. Poor guants have kinda gotten the short end of the stick. However, in true GW fashion they have given us a unit, the Tervigon, that has no model, forcing one to go out and by more large models to convert our own if we want to support our poor guants with this lumbering monstrosity.

I have play tested the Tervigon several times now and found that its termaguant spawning special rule is pretty blaise. I found that in all three games I put this guy in I rolled doubles on the first turn of spawning much to my chagrin. I still found the beast's psychic powers useful, and the fact that I can make him a troop choice for those objective based games is cool, but at a 250 point price tag the jury is still out.

Anyone have any thoughts, success stories, or tales of utter failure regarding the Tervigon?

[steelmage99]

I find the Tervigons very good.

From their Scoring-status (when taken as Troops) through their ability to hand out FnP to the option of generating other Scoring units, I find them very much worth their points.

I often use them to support my Gants (with Adrenal Glands and Toxin Sacs), provide cover for my Hive Guard and "spit" Gants into CC from 18" away.

I cannot recognize the 250 point price tag. At most my Tervigons costs 195.
I just take Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst. As my Tervigons aren't supposed to be killers on their own right, but rather a support unit, I find that set-up more than adequate.

[isotope99]

I agree that the termagant spawning ability is not very reliable.

Mathhammer says that you have only about a 56% chance of getting a second batch of termagants, dropping to 31% and 17% of getting a third and fourth batch etc.

Average number in a six turn game is therefore 2.2 spawnings and about 23 termagants.

But I also agree with Steelmage, even without its spawning ability, a scoring, 6 wound monstrous creature that can dish out feel no pain is nice to have. Sounds like you might be dropping too many points on upgrades.

[Tynskel]

195 + 50 points to make them troops = ~250

[Midge913]

Sounds like you might be dropping too many points on upgrades.

That is more than likely the problem. I do have a tendency to drop points into upgrades that are ultimately not needed. Do you find that onslaught is useful?

I also have a question about the Toxin Sacs. With this bad lad you are wounding on typically anything but a 1, why take the sacs so you wound on a 4+ instead. Just to get the re-roll?

[isotope99]

The only essential upgrade for a Tervigon I take is the catalyst power. I'm sure that the others are useful but, as you've said, the unit quickly gets expensive this way and the points could probably be better spent on killy things.

From memory (I don't have the codex to hand), the adrenal glands and toxin sacs benefits are also passed to nearby termagants, which is why they are useful, but if you're tight on points I would consider dropping these too as the termagants are basically just cannon fodder for objective grabbiong IMHO. They're certainly not worth it for just the Tervigon on his own.

[Midge913]

Thanks Isotope I just looked back over the codex and I had forgotten that the Tervigon passed those abilities to units within 6". Looks like I have been paying for those things twice. :rolleyes: Learn something new everyday playing this game.... Thanks guys.

[DarkLink]

Average number in a six turn game is therefore 2.2 spawnings and about 23 termagants.



195 + 50 points to make them troops = ~250

250-23*5=~130.

You're getting a bunch of hormogaunts, and a fairly tough and annoying MC that can score, and isn't horribly expensive usually.

[Splug]

From what I've seen, running one tervigon is an excellent way to generate troops in objective games, NOT generate kill points in KP missions, and provide some surgical survivability to things like genestealers or MC's when they need it most. Additionally, a S5 MC can still wreck shop if it catches a rhino, and I've seen them do damage to land raiders before... so it's one more short-range vehicle-popper.

By contrast, spamming them tends to result in a list that's really lacking in killing power, as well as good targets for catalyst. So for once, it's a unit that works best in small numbers and discourages repetition.

[Tynskel]

250-23*5=~130.

You're getting a bunch of hormogaunts, and a fairly tough and annoying MC that can score, and isn't horribly expensive usually.

Abstractly, the maths work that way---- however, that's not how one calculates their army list.

What you have to look at is the 'opportunity' cost. It cost 250 points to field the Tervigon as an effective Troop Choice. You do not subtract the spawned gaunts from the total before you field your list.

It does cost 250 points.

[DarkLink]

Abstractly, the maths work that way---- however, that's not how one calculates their army list.

What you have to look at is the 'opportunity' cost. It cost 250 points to field the Tervigon as an effective Troop Choice. You do not subtract the spawned gaunts from the total before you field your list.

It does cost 250 points.

Er, yes, I know that. My point is, for that 250pts you get ~100 points of Gaunts as well as the Tervigon, depending on how well you roll.






Another thing to point out is that it isn't necessarily the best idea to spawn Gaunts in the first few turns. As pointed out before, you only get 1-2 turns of spawning normally. Save those for the end game, so you have have a scoring unit pop out of nowhere to grab an objective or act as a speedbump or whatever.

[steelmage99]

That is more than likely the problem. I do have a tendency to drop points into upgrades that are ultimately not needed. Do you find that onslaught is useful?

I also have a question about the Toxin Sacs. With this bad lad you are wounding on typically anything but a 1, why take the sacs so you wound on a 4+ instead. Just to get the re-roll?

I take Toxin Sacs on my Tervigons so my (nearby) Termagants get them too.

[steelmage99]

I never spawn Termagants just because I can.

I only do it when I need a screening unit in place quickly, a scoring unit placed 13-18 inches away or a CC support unit to end a combat faster/more decisively.

While your Tervigon are able to do those things, your opponent have to take it into consideration. I often find that the threat of these things are more valuable than the act of actually doing them.

And it is not like a Tervigon becomes completely useless because it "burns out".
Just like the initial 10 Termagants required to make the Tervigon Troops aren't completely useless on their own.

[Ferro]

I love the Tervigon. For me, it is now the defacto Tyranid must-have unit in any list. I always run one, and when I'm feeling crazy I run two or three. I agree with most of the sentiments so far that it should cost 195-215 for most uses. It can be fun to kit one out with Claws and extra biomorphs, even though it's very expensive.

Remember that the gaunts you purchase to make a Tervigon a Troop choice can be equipped with devourers too (instead of just fleshborers). Just something to keep in mind. Of course, all newly spawned gaunts will emerge with fleshborers.

[Cyberscape7]

Last time I fought Bryss he gave his tervigon regen. Every turn I knocked a wound off. Every turn it got it bak. Tervigons are evil! Unless you use them... Definitley worth the points.

[Midge913]

Thanks for all the imput folks! I have toned down the bio-moprh add ons, and got that points cost down to the 195 range. I seem to always think that more is better, but this is not always the case. Works much better in my low points lists.

[Xas]

mine are 205 points. catalyst and regeneration.

but then I do not field any gaunts "just" for the tervi to scout. I like my 16bug squad for mobile cover and shooting down stuff that ignores them!

I see a 6wound MC that is synapse and scoring worth the price tag even without spawning gaunts or catalyst. those two things make the unit realy worth it IMO.

[YourMomsBox]

The ability alone to cast FNP on one of your more important units I find is extremely useful. Foot sloggin' Tyrant's with Guards are all that more survivable with a Tervi behind them.

If you want to take Raveners, I find them a must have. Raveners will tear anything up with them hitting on 3+, re-rolling 1's and Rending if you give that to them.

To really add survivability to a unit, drop some spores to block LOS, give FNP from the Tervi to your foot sloggin' units, then throw in a Venomthrope behind them. Now you have a 4+ cover, with FNP. Should your Spores be taken out, you still have the 5+ from the Venomthrope.

Need help once in range? Spawn some Tervi's and contest some objectives. Works great with @ least two Tervigons.