Originally Posted by
Learn2Eel
No offense taken good sir! Basically I'm looking at getting a semi-competitive core for an army so that I can quickly get into the army without losing out too much at first, then going from there and expanding on all the different options the codex presents. For example, I do like the look of Venomthropes and Ymgarls, but I always tend to find I need the anti-tank firepower of the Hive Guard and Zoanthropes more. However, not every army I play requires the touch of Zoanthropes. Being perfectly honest, very few play Tyranids in my local area (which is sad). I watch lots of games of them and read many battle reports, but I rarely get to face them. In that sense, also basing off what my opponents play, the army I have above actually would be a surprise for my opponents at first - none of them really play against Tyranids :(. Of course, as they work out and react to my army, that is when I start adapting them and moving on to other elements.
I really like Ymgarls, they are a very serious threat for any opponent, that and being able to charge when they arrive from reserves is very nasty. However, they aren't an easy unit to use - picking which piece of terrain alone can be a difficult decision, as you have to weigh up the risks of whether your opponent will inhabit it, whether it is worth charging from there, etc. I just find that Hive Guard and Zoanthropes would be the more useful and reliable unit for the army I'm going for, but I certainly wouldn't mind chucking in a unit of them. It would require a bit of a list re-design though as Ymgarls work better in an army with more reserves. My problem with that Zoanthrope build is that they are really paying for the one thing and losing their ability to threaten vehicles - an expensive unit, though mind you I'm talking from where I play, where small game-boards are the norm and hence mycetic spores are unnecessary. That's mostly my issue though - if I'm taking Zoanthropes, it is for their utility but also mostly for their Warp Lance.
I really like Harpies, the two issues that deter me from using them are; a) the model (or lack thereof), and; b) what to equip them with. I don't see Harpies as a flier defence, as S5 on the Stinger Salvo and Vector Strike simply wouldn't do as much as I would hope against most fliers. They can take a heavy venom cannon which gives you a tasty S9 blast, but the rest of their gear kind of seems to defeat the purpose of hunting vehicles (except for Smash obviously). My favoured build would be a focus on anti-infantry - as you say, they can dish out the pain. They are also a very big threat for any opponent, particularly backfield units such as Devastators or Predators. They can, in a pinch, charge into smaller units and rip them apart or at least draw fire away from the rest of your army. However, the anti-tank build seems to be popular so I am not really sure there.
Oh I know that for sure, the problem is whenever I try to include other elements I always struggle with how to properly implement them - i.e. the Raveners, Harpies, Gargoyles and what not. The help from you guys is thus very much appreciated :)