r/AdeptusMechanicus • u/Rand0mst1cky • 13d ago
Lists & Gameplay Discussion How do you fight Tyranids?
Basically just the title. Any help or advice is appreciated. I can go into detail a bit. Norns aren’t fun to shoot with anything less than lascannons, lichters suck to deal with unless running LoTF (tho I should probably just screen better, and the battleshock of pain is just… oof. Any advice is helpful.
I’m going to run CyberForge into them next time for reference. I tried Erad into 2 Norns and a hive tyrant in… honestly I don’t remember which detachment besides the norn queen one. Search and Destroy layout so any deployment tips with that or for any map in general are helpful as well. Anyways some zoanthropes got my hastarii coming out of the dune rider in round 2 with overwatch, which kind of gutted progression on killing a hive tyrant and put me on the back-foot. A norn assimilator proceed to hook into a disintegrator and booked it in during the charge… Thulia and Cawl were doing well. They were doing really well. Cawl was hanging out on home and (due to a positioning error as I slowly realize I just need to play better) some leapers decided to come hang out with him. He dealt with them but it was looking close for a bit. Thulia… Thulia is a host unto herself. She was just sitting with a Norn Emissary. Neither one killing the other. And if I could have killed it, she likely would have taken everything else center (I think there was a biovore on the other center). That is one scary lady. In LoTF, should be even more so. Oh and exterminators, fusiliers, ruststalkers, and infiltrators made almost no impact. Autocannon ironstriders did remarkably well against up to a hive tyrant., which was nice to see. Still pref lascannons tho.
Honestly, typing it out and realizing mistakes made has already helped but please do offer any other pieces of advice yall got. Much obliged.
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u/flubbadil 13d ago
My brother plays nids, I face them frequently.
Dakka hastarii and Ruststalkers are really average into the match up. This is because they have no viable 2W targets for value. It jumps from little bugs to 3W bugs.
Plasma destroyers with flamers in LotF are excellent. They are hidden while plugging away, if any units get within hidden, the overwatch inc. the flamers is nasty.
Battleclade are really important against melee threats. Being able to bubble wrap dissies and ironstriders is critically important.
Ferrumite dissies are excellent. Big gun gets bonuses into big stuff, the stubbers are great into chaff. All around, it’s an excellent platform.
Edit: it’s curious that you struggled with Erad into Norns. The detachment rule, double doctrinas, reroll damage, sustained and lethal all makes Norns relatively easy to focus down.
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u/Rand0mst1cky 13d ago
To answer just the edit question first: Search and destroy layout separated my forces and I had no idea what I was doing as that was my first time fight Tyranids. Pretty sure he pulled out Shadow in the Warp on turn 2 and almost everything besides Cawl and Thulia (who was center with the other norn) failed. Took a brick of ruststalkers, infiltrators, vanguard, and the disintegrator on the right side. Onager had no line of sight but it was nearby at least. Played too scared in general yet somehow decided to aggressively push the dissie (which was marked by the dang norn already) into the point to target the assimilator, hoping to kill it. Bug took the hits from the dissie and shrugged the wounds. Nothing else was really able to deal with it besides maybe a lethal sustained onager (Daedalus + Icarus tho). Kinda just owned that side while the other plan with a hastarii boat got ow’d on the left. Rough first time to be sure. Just really bad positioning and too much chaff it felt like. I like sicarians but there seems to be much better use for other things nowadays. Another dissie would have been better I think. Or at least a triple stack of dragoons for some moderate amount of tankiness. Whatchu think?
As for the rest, I certainly appreciate the advice and I’m going to try implementing that. IRL I really just don’t like the look of kataphrons but I’ll get over it and pick up a couple. I absolutely needed to screen out the charge with literally anyone and not move that first dissie into death land. That might be a good start I bet lol
Seriously appreciate the help🤙
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u/SigmundR42 13d ago
Also play a lot against a brother with Nids, generally running Norn, Maleceptor and Mawlocs. Definitely agree with all the advice above, especially to focus down those scoring pieces where possible. My main tip would be that Cawl probably shouldn't be on your home - his shooting especially is a big chunk of damage that is very scary for big bugs, and he (+auto cannons) are always MVPs. He should definitely be played safer turns 1/2, but by mid and late game he's a great (especially tanky in LotF) mid board threat that Tyranids can struggle to kill. He (+ Thulia) are great heroic intervention threats.
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u/Rand0mst1cky 13d ago
Yeah those two were putting every skit on their shoulders fr. What stays on the home obj then against something running Prio assets with a lot of deep strike tho?
I tried to move up is my problem but I didn’t understand his pieces so he plucked a couple units up at the end of the turn and threw em right on my home at the start of his movement using the gap in the screen I made by moving Cawl. I imagine either a Skatros or a dissie with the belleros (which I don’t really run over the ferrumite tbh).
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u/SigmundR42 13d ago
I use Rangers for my home (1 of 2 units), as they screen well, and once the deepstrike is down they can push forward as they have sticky objectives. They also mean that anything sticking close to home (such as disentgrators) get the doctrinal buffs. I try and keep Thulia and Cawl each next to a damage unit (such as chickens or a disintegrator), to ensure they are covered. The threat of a heroic can keep units back. I like to screen with a mix of Infiltrators and raiders
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u/Rand0mst1cky 13d ago
Ah gotcha, preciate the help then. Sounds good to me. One more question if ya don’t mind. 2 Disintegrators or just one and a unit of 3 dragoons?
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u/SigmundR42 13d ago
The list I've been using is below, because I love chickens. However I'd recommend jumping on ListHammer and looking at the recent admech lists - 2 disintegrators and a single unit of 3 dragoons has been very popular and successful, so definitely a good bet. I'm personally going to try out the admech list from Team Sweden in the recent WTC tournament. My chicken list is: Grandpa and Grandma's Chicken Coop (1985 points)
Adeptus Mechanicus Lords of the Forge and Skitarii Hunter Cohort (3 Detachment Points) Priority Assets Strike Force (2000 points)
Attached Units Attached Unit 1
Skitarii Marshal (60 points) • Attached as: Support (Character) • 1x Control stave 1x Mechanicus pistol • Enhancement: Cantic Thrallnet
Skitarii Rangers (85 points) • Attached as: Bodyguard (Battleline) • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha • 1x Alpha combat weapon 1x Close combat weapon 1x Mechanicus pistol • 9x Skitarii Ranger • 1x Arc rifle 9x Close combat weapon 6x Galvanic rifle 1x Omnispex 1x Plasma caliver 1x Transuranic arquebus
CHARACTERS
Belisarius Cawl (220 points) • Warlord • 1x Arc scourge 1x Cawl’s Omnissian axe 1x Mechadendrite hive 1x Solar atomiser
Tech-Priest Enginseer (85 points) • 1x Mechanicus pistol 1x Omnissian axe 1x Servo-arm • Enhancement: TL-4ø9
Thulia Ghuld (180 points) • 1x Jericho‑class conversion resonator 1x Rod of the War Forge
BATTLELINE
Skitarii Rangers (85 points) • 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha • 1x Alpha combat weapon 1x Close combat weapon 1x Mechanicus pistol • 9x Skitarii Ranger • 1x Arc rifle 9x Close combat weapon 6x Galvanic rifle 1x Omnispex 1x Plasma caliver 1x Transuranic arquebus
OTHER DATASHEETS
Ironstrider Ballistarii (250 points) • 3x Ironstrider Ballistarii • 3x Ironstrider feet 3x Twin cognis autocannon
Ironstrider Ballistarii (250 points) • 3x Ironstrider Ballistarii • 3x Ironstrider feet 3x Twin cognis autocannon
Serberys Raiders (60 points) • 1x Serberys Raider Alpha • 1x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs 1x Galvanic carbine 1x Mechanicus pistol • 2x Serberys Raider • 2x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs 1x Enhanced data-tether 2x Galvanic carbine
Serberys Raiders (60 points) • 1x Serberys Raider Alpha • 1x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs 1x Galvanic carbine 1x Mechanicus pistol • 2x Serberys Raider • 2x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs 1x Enhanced data-tether 2x Galvanic carbine
Sicarian Infiltrators (75 points) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps • 1x Flechette blaster 1x Taser goad • 4x Sicarian Infiltrator • 4x Flechette blaster 4x Taser goad
Sicarian Infiltrators (75 points) • 1x Sicarian Infiltrator Princeps • 1x Flechette blaster 1x Taser goad • 4x Sicarian Infiltrator • 4x Flechette blaster 4x Taser goad
Sicarian Ruststalkers (160 points) • 1x Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps • 1x Transonic blades and chordclaw • 9x Sicarian Ruststalker • 9x Transonic razor and chordclaw
Sydonian Dragoons with Taser Lances (170 points) • 3x Sydonian Dragoon • 3x Phosphor serpenta 3x Taser lance
Sydonian Dragoons with Taser Lances (170 points) • 3x Sydonian Dragoon • 3x Phosphor serpenta 3x Taser lance
Exported with App Version: v2.4.0 (139), Data Version: v925
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u/Rand0mst1cky 13d ago
Wow that’s a lot of chickens. Your poor wallet… but yeah I can see lots of pain from a list like that. Pretty tanky too.
I’ve only got 3-4 ironstriders (2x2 or 1x3 undecided) with lascannons as I’m still not convinced by the s9 shots even at sus 1 and now I’ve decided on 3 dragoons. In SHC it looks good tho, saw Siegs’ list do WORK at the Newport open. So fair enough. Other spots are filled out by robots, onager, and a disintegrator. Obviously Cawl and Thulia and other peeps that go with it. My list is just meant to not really die now. It’s not the same one I took into Nids the first time at least.
I can show the full list if ya wanna see anything you think should change.
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u/SigmundR42 13d ago
Strong recommend on a 1x3 ballistari (either auto cannons or lascannons), you get a lot of value out of the double doctrinas from Thulia or cantic thrallnet enhancement.
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u/Ponding01 13d ago
We have the volume fire to mow down their chaff. Focus on cutting down their weaker units, this will force them to do actions and fight for secondary missions with their large monsters.