Tyranids - Combat Patrol - 500 pts (instead of 400)

[The Dave]

I know, Combat Patrol is only 400 points. However, I'm running an Escalation League (painted minis required) at my FLGS and I thought making our 500 point level use the Combat Patrol rules would be kind of cool. We're going to increase the points-level by 500 every month until we're at 2k, then we'll have a tournament (and at 1,000 points and on, we'll use normal missions and normal Force Organization).

The stipulations to our 500 points level are:

• No Forge World units (though the use of FW models is ok)
• Models must be WYSIWYG
• Models must be painted to MORE than the "three color standard", and bases cannot stay black!
• 5th Edition Rules will be used
• Relevant FAQ's will be used
• You must have one Troops choice
• You may have one HQ choice, but no more than one
• Armies are not required to take mandatory choices, but 0-1 still apply
• You can spend remaining points from anywhere in the Codex (following normal Force Org otherwise)
• No model can have more than 2 wounds (except for models with the swarm universal special rule)
• No model can have a 2+ save of any kind
• No Special/Unique/Named characters allowed
• Psykers may be used, but they may not use powers
• No vehicles with a total armor value of greater than 33 (add the front, the side once, and rear together)

You might find this eerily similar to the Adepticon Combat Patrol rules (and sure, a few of you may not think this would be fun or fair or whatever), but either way we've gotten a lot of positive feedback, and there are a ton of people at my FLGS that are dying to participate! Furthermore, instead of the mission being Victory Points, we decided to go with d3 Objectives to prevent someone from building a gun-line army and not bothering to move, ever. We are also disregarding silly rules like Instinctive Behavior and Phase-Out, and are allowing Thousand Son units to ignore Slow and Purposeful (but keep the inferred Relentless special rule) in place of not being able to cast. We have a Thousand Sons player who is not a power-gamer and really wants to participate in the League and as a group (him included) we decided this was the best option.

Anyways, here's what I'm going to run:

2x Hive Guard
2x Hive Guard
8x Genestealers
10x Termagaunts
10x Termagaunts
12x Gargoyles (Adrenal Glands)

Some of the other lists I've heard of (off the top of my head, and not exact) are:

SW:
Whirlwind
2x Speeders
10x Grey Hunters in a Rhino

DE:
2x Wych Units (with Raiders)
Disintigrator Ravager

BA:
3x Las/Plas Razorbacks (5x assault marines in each)

BT:
14x Crusaders
5x Crusaders (Razorback)
Speeder

SM:
10x Tacticals (Multi-Melta, Melta, Power Fist, Rhino)
5x Tacticals (TL-Assault Cannon Razorback)
Chaplain (goes wth 5 Tacticals)


So, for all those Tyranid players out there, if you were going to play in our Escalation League, what 500 point list would you run? I like my list (it's doing VERY well in playtesting) but I'd be interested in seeing what else people could come up with.

Looking forward to your guys' lists!

[Wolfshade]

This thread [url]http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=15067[/url] (actually about army starter box sedts) has quite a few ideas for smaller points based forces from 250 - 500 pts so that might give you some thoughts, but may not follow all of your stipulations.

[Tynskel]

you probably need some synapse in there. Because of the wound rules, you cannot take warriors, so I guess Zoans are the way to go.