Pyrovores - WHY?

[MaltonNecromancer]

I've been re-reading the Tyranid codex, and I like it. There's lots of stuff in there that's good, and you can build a number of highly competetive armies, as long as you remember unit synergy.

Then there's the Pyrovore. Coming in at £21, and taking up a precious Elite slot, this model has stats worse than a single Space Marine: he's got lower BS, lower WS, lower Initiative, lower Save, lower Ld...

So what are his strengths? He's got Acid Blood, which means you don't dare assault him, especially since he blows up and sprays acid everywhere when he does, courtesy of the "Volatile" rule. He's also got a power weapon (with one attack at stength 4? He might as well have nothing at all), and a heavy flamer.

Now, I've heard people bash this absolute turkey of a threat ad nauseum. As I've pointed out about, he costs as much as three Marines, and is about as effective as a Scout with a flamer.

Is there anyway at all that this thing could remotely be used in a competitive list? Can anyone on BoLS justify this appallingly useless creature's inclusion in the codex, it's ludicrous real-world price tag, and the fact that it's been released in Finecast, when the infinitely more useful Venomthrope hasn't?

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The only thing I can think is to put it in a Mycetic Spore, and drop it on top of some Devastators; let them kill it and hope it's death takes them out. But that's it. Anyone else got an idea?

[isotope99]

The only reason I can think of is with everyone saying it's so rubbish it may get ignored in favour of higher priority targets allowing it to get in range for flaming and assaulting, at which point it may earn its points back.

The model is OK, if way too expensive to field in squads.

I think eldargal posted a list of the next wave of finecast releases that had the venomthrope on it.

[Stubber]

All the current metal minis are being converted to finecast I believe so the venomthrope will be along soon enough.
As for the Pyrovore, I can't see any use for it, other than as a toy for people with more money than sense.

[eldargal]

Don't underestimate the psychological power of telling your teenage boy opponent that your pyrovore is ejac-ulating on his Space Marines.

[MaltonNecromancer]

Don't underestimate the psychological power of telling your teenage boy opponent that your pyrovore is ejac-ulating on his Space Marines.

It's like moisturiser!

I hadn't considered that. It's like the "Adebisi Special" strategy I occasionally use: a single Space Marine Captain with Terminator Armour, THSS. You loudly and openly declare that this guy is going to do nothing except walk across the battlefield and "do a Simon Adebisi" to your opponent's favourite unit/commander; even better if you loudly declare that this is the only thing you care about, that it matters to you even more than winning (it doesn't). You deep strike him out of LOS and then just move him forwards. The amount of firepower wasted trying to defeat a single model imeans you can often maneuver your whole army around without worrying about anything except attacks of opportunity until it's too late for them.

[Mike X]

Honestly it sounds like a great kamikaze unit. Sure its stats suck, but anything that assaults it is pretty much doomed. You said it has a heavy flamer, so does it have to stay stationary to use it or do Tyranids have a special move-and-shoot rule (like Relentless)?

[thecactusman17]

Heavy flamers are assault weapons, just like all flamers.

[Velium]

the pyro has some serious design flaws, specifically that he only pops 50pct of the time. the amusing prospect of mycetic sporing one in front of th/ss terminators and killing them all is one of those cool things. its hard to bait people into wasting terminators on one, but if you can get either pfist of th/ss terminators to assault him acid blood gets all super cool because hes taking something like 20 wounds at I 1, so theres quite a few initiative check or wounds happening.

he's just too situational and hard to use in an all comers list or against MEQ, because its not like a single heavy flamer kills a whole lot of spess mehreens.

[Tynskel]

The Pyrovore is great in conjunction with Lash Whips. An entire unit taking Initiative tests at Initiative 1 is not fun for your opponent!

Treat them as they are: a support suicide unit. You must have them supported, or they are worthless. They should be hanging near a tyrant, or something with lash whips--- preferably enough to knock an entire unit to Initiative 1 (like a tyrant with tyrant guard).

[MaltonNecromancer]

It does have good synergy with lash whips, although I'd be very worried about him popping near said creatures.