[Extartius]

Hi folks, I’m new to ‘Nids but I’ve been lurking on these boards for a while, taking note of everyone’s comments on how ‘Nids will fit into 5e. My army list is below. It’s pretty much already bought and built, but I thought I’d post it up for some expert commentary anyway. This is a 2000 point list (as close as I can remember it):

HQ
Hive Tyrant w/ 2x Twin Devourers, Toxin Sacs, Enhanced Senses and
2 Tyrant Guards
Broodlord w/ Feeder Tendrils, Flesh Hooks, and
8 Genestealers w/ Flesh Hooks
[hr]
Elites
3 Warriors w/ Barbed Strangler, 2 Deathspitters, Enhanced Senses
3 Warriors w/ Scything Talons, Rending Claws, Leaping, Flesh Hooks
2 Lictors
[hr]
Troops
8 Genestealers w/ Scything Talons, Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
20 Hormagaunts w/ Flesh Hooks
16 Spinegaunts w/ Spinefists, Without Number
8 Termagants w/ Fleshborers
8 Termagants w/ Fleshborers
8 Devilguants w/ Devourers, Toxin Sacs
[hr]
Heavy Support
Carnifex w/ Scything Talons, Crushing Claws, Tusked, Scythe-Tail, Reinforced Chitin, Adrenal Glands (both +1 I and +1 WS)
Carnifex w/ Scything Talons, Crushing Claws, Tusked, Scythe-Tail, Reinforced Chitin, Adrenal Glands (both +1 I and +1 WS)
Carnifex w/ Scything Talons, Crushing Claws, Tusked, Scythe-Tail, Reinforced Chitin, Adrenal Glands (both +1 I and +1 WS)

I’m especially interested in how you think I should use this army. My plan so far is thus:

The spinegaunts are 1st wave meatshield. Designed to grant cover saves for as long as they are needed (or they survive) and then go to ground on any nearby objectives. They'll respawn if they’re wiped out, in which case their job will be to go-to-ground on any objectives lurking in my own deployment zone (not literally, I will have Warriors back here to ensure they are viable scoring units). I'll be doing my best to ensure the unit only dies once maximum.

The Termagants will either make up my second wave of cover save granting meat-shields (when facing scary shooty armies) or as objective grabbers. They’re smaller units, so more likely to get wiped out, so care will be required. Although they are similar in role to the Spinegaunts, they are a bit more tactically flexible.

My second/third wave (dependant upon circumstances) is made up of Warriors, Hormagaunts and CrusherFexes, designed to clear out enemy held objectives or generate kill points. The fexes will strike before powerfists due to their I2.

Supporting the wave attacks will be two units of outflanking Genestealers with the Broodlord and a pair of Lictors to ensure they turn up when I want them to. Not the most surviveable units so I'll have to make sure I'm careful with them. The Devilguants will lurk with the shooty Warriors, guarding them and/or objectives from opposing Outflankers and deep strikers, closely supported by the Tyrant, who will find a comfy spot somewhere in the centre of the field ready to sweep up any fleeing units in his synapse catchment zone.

I *think* this list has enough punch to work quite well in the new scenarios, but more importantly I think it has the variety for it to at least be fun to play. Let me know what you think and hopefully I’ll be posting here with updates on my findings.

[Extartius]

Progress update 1:

Vs Eldar, consisting of:
~Avatar
~Eldrad
~Wraithguard x10
~3 Guardian squads x10ish
~Pathfinders x10
~Wraithlords x2
~Vibrocannons x2
~Dark Reapers x5

Mission - Secure and Control, Spearhead Deployment
Result - Wipeout in my favour!

I think my opponent suffered a bout of severe misjudgement. He knew I had Lictors and Stealers in reserve and outflank respectively, but he failed to deploy well enough to limit their effectiveness. I now have a healthy respect for my Deathspitter/Strangler Warriors who succeeded in killing all but three guardians in a squad in one round of shooting. Loving the new template rules.

By far and away the most effective units in the early stages of the game were the Stealers, who both arrived in the same turn (thanks to the Lictors) and both luckily ended up coming in on the right flank, where they both got charges in. Eldrad was reduced to a wound, his accompanying Guardians were slaughtered, the Vibrocannons were taken out and the Pathfinders were eviscerated to a man! I think this did a lot to reduce my opponent's overall morale, and it didn't help that Eldrad failed his Perils of the Warp test in the next turn and died.

My Hormagaunts and Spinegaunts were in close combat with his Wraithguard in turn 2 and managed to hold them in place until my Carni's turn up. I learnt the value of Synapse when my 10 remaining Hormagaunts lost combat and had to take a leadership test only to be caught in the sweeping advance, but they did the job.

I thought my devilgaunts were an atrocious points sink when I put them in, considering how many spinegaunts you can get for the same cost, but they single handedly killed four of the Dark Reapers in one round of shooting. Living Ammunition rocks!

All thought of objectives was forgotten by turn 5 when my Carnifexes finished off the last of the Wraithguard. Didn't even need to roll to see if there would be a turn 6.

All in all, I think I got lucky in that my opponent was underprepared for this army. Next time it'll be a much tougher fight.