0 Tyranids: The good, the bad

When the new Tyranids codex came out, I quickly rushed to my LGS and picked up a copy.  Every good soldier of the Imperium must understand his enemy before he can defeat them.  Maybe that's why I own almost every codex.. especially those of the xenos and traitors!

After looking through the codex, I quickly noticed that a lot of the issues in the older codex were fixed (I'll just list a couple):

1. You could no longer spam nothing but Carnifexes and Hive Tyrants and win games - A moment of silence for my footslogging Grey Knight army back in the 4th vs. the countless number of Nidzilla lists..
2. Tyranids anti-tank no longer blow ass because Zoanthropes are the now go-to unit for blowing up anything within 18" with their S10 AP1 Lance.  And in a lesser form, the Hive Guard at 50ppm and 2 shots of BS4 S8 shots with no LoS needed.
3. And finally, some new monstrous creatures and better core choices so you didn't see the same Nidzilla cookie-cutter (I swear everyone thought theirs was unique) list in every game that you played.

With those things in mind, I was pretty thrilled that Tyranids were going to be something special, something truly unique in the world of Warhammer 40K.. but this was not the case.


As everyone knows, or everyone should know, Robin Cruddace wrote the Tyranid book.  He also wrote the IG book and by the gods, that was a great book.  Almost everything in the IG book has a use, everything was priced well internally and the entire book paved way to many diverse and interesting competitive lists.  That book was pretty damn good to say the least.  I would even say the book deserved a 5/5 in terms of power, balance and design.  It made IG players weep and Marine players weep harder.

The Tyranid book, on the other hand, gets a 3/5.  Maybe.  The book lacks the internal balance needed to make it truly competitive.  Some bad units are overpriced, some good units are underpriced; further pushing other units out of the scope of viablity, and some units are downright terrible.  Not to mention most of the good choices of the book all belong under Elites in the FOC.. so players are further limited in their unit choice.  The prices for everyone's favorite Hive Tyrant and Carnifex went up immensely, putting them high on the shelves in terms of playability.  Some design arrangements are extremely questionable:  Such as Crushing Claws available on a Carnifex when it has the ability to take Frag grenades.. or the fact that the tankiest of the Tyranid units (the Fex) cannot take a 2+ armor save when a Hive Tyrant can.  These things on top of the internal balance issues sets this codex way back on the awesome scale for me.  After purchasing the book and examining it myself, I looked on other gaming sites such as Warseer and Dakka Dakka and the Tyranid community was in an outrage.  I concur with their tears of shame and death threats to the entire staff of GW.

So, just like any competitive player would do, I quickly set up some games with my good friend Adam who happens to be a really good player.  I've played him before with my Wolves vs. his Eldar and Thousand Sons and all those games were spectacular (I force myself to forget the time he tabled me with IG).  He has been playing with Nids since 3rd and they're arguably his favorite army.  To make a long story short, we played a few games and reached the conclusion that Tyranids were no longer something special.. that a lot of the problems match the concerns I had above and that the changes to the codex was a giant ploy to sell more models.  The last conspiracy theory is really just my theory.. but if you look at how good Tyranid Warriors, Hive Guard, Zoanthropes and Trygons are and how much a list of those units cost, it's not completely out of the question.

I enjoy making lists, not just for my primary armies, but for all armies.  I like to put myself in my enemies' shoes and see first hand what breathing slime and treachery is all about.  The new Tyranid Codex, I view as a challenge for a competitive gamer.  You have to think really hard on what your metagame is and how to successfully build a list around it.  There are several hard matchups for Nids in 5th, and the hardest ones are all on the top of the tourney tree; Space Wolves, IG and Eldar.

So, let's take a look at my 2K Nids list.  More or less, I'll talk about why I feel my unit choices are the way to do things with the new book:

1995
13 kp

HQ:
Tyranid Prime (2x BS, Toxin, Regen) = 110
Tyranid Prime (2x BS, Toxin, Regen) = 110

TROOP:
20x Gaunts = 120
20x Gaunts = 120
10x Genestealers = 140
6x Warriors (BS/LW, Toxin, Devo, Venom) = 315

ELITE:
3x Zoan (Pod) = 220
3x Zoan (Pod) = 220
Deathleaper = 140

HEAVY:
Trygon Prime (Regen) = 265
Trygon (Regen) = 225

The first thing you'll notice here is that I went with the cheap HQs.  Hive Tyrants are a thing of the past.. the fact that you have to pay a healthy amount on them, add Guards and give them abilities makes them stupid expensive.  Sure, a MC is good to have, but the fact that you're paying more for him than the 2x Primes I have above is somewhat questionable.  Anyways, the Primes are there to soak up damage (take a S8 missile on him since he's T5), provide synapse across the army and slay things in combat because his stats are pretty damn good.  The fact that LS on the Warriors can make a model strike last means 2x Boneswords will have a chance to ID most ICs.

The next thing you'll notice is my Gaunt wall with Warriors and counter-charging Genestealers.  The gaunts form an impressive front wall for the main Tyranid advance and the Warriors lay down suppressing fire with the Primes to soak up ID damage.  Gaunts act as cover and provide that fodder that Tyranids desperately need.  A lot of people like the killiness of Gaunts with Adrenal Glands and Toxin Sacs.. but that puts them at 10ppm.. something too expensive for Tyranids to afford.  I mean I guess if you drop the points elsewhere, or sub out the stealers, you can go that route.. but if you go for the counter-charging route, Genestealers are better because of higher WS, I and Rending.  Speaking of which, Genestealers have no way to get frag grenades (like most things in the army) so they're used just like Harlequins would be in a Wratihguard army.  You hold the line with Gaunts/Warriors and you go in for the kill with Genestealers.  It's not like the new book made them any worse in combat.. and Rending is serious business when dealing with a MEQ heavy metagame.  The Warriors are 6-strong with Bonesword/Lash Whips.  The BS and LW combo makes them virtually unkillable in assault (both charging and receiving).  They have Power Weapons that re-rolls to wound because of Toxin Sacs and the Lash Whips makes any model in BtB with them strike last.  For anyone who doesn't understand how close combat works (looking at you Tau), this means that when you charge them, you will die before you swing.  It doesn't matter if you're in cover or not; BS/LW makes that point moot.  The Venom Cannon is there because S6 blasts makes Marines out of transports cry and you can always fire on the move anyway.  If there's a time the Tyranid army is not in full advance, it's doing something wrong; like in 4th when all they did was shoot.  From a gameplay vs design perspective, that was completely backwards to how Tyranids were supposed to play.

For my elite choices (and believe me, these are hard), I went with 2x groups of Zoanthropes in Pods and the Deathleaper.  I'll start with Deathleaper and why he's metagame dependent.  In clubs where psykers are many, Deathleaper brings a lovely -D3 leadership to any of your opponents characters at the start of the game.  This makes psychic tests a chore.. which is something a Ld. 10 psyker never does.  It also makes psychic hood attempts extremely frustrating when fighting against a Nid player taking 6x Zoanthropes.  Not to mention the Deathleaper is pretty good in combat (WS9, I7, 4 attacks base with Rending on 5+), makes approaching the Nid army from different angles a rather complicated process (units within 12" rolls a single D6 when moving through terrain), and can't really been seen/shot (special Night Fighting rules and Stealth USR gives him 3++ cover).  Not to mention he can redeploy during the game so he can auto-contest those objectives whenever you please.  Keep in mind that it takes a fairly smart player to use the Deathleaper correctly.  Deploying him in front of Space Marine vehicles with spotlights because you think your night-fighting is really unique is not smart.

The Zoanthropes in this list is a no brainer.  You pass a psychic test with a Zoan, you roll his BS4 to hit, and whatever vehicle you hit disappears.  Not to mention S5 AP3 blasts at 24" makes Marines want to hide in their vehicles that they no longer have.  The two Pods are there so the Zoans can close the distance faster.. but remember that you don't need to always keep the Zoans in Pods.  You can easily drop one of the Pods out of your list for more points, or across the board so you can footslog your Zoanthropes with the rest of your army.  The 3++ will protect against a lot of threats and those shots directed at them means less is going into your army.  Not to mention they provide a lot of "come near me and die" scenarios; which generates threat in your favor.

Lastly, we have Trygons.  They replaced the mighty Carnfiex ($55 ppm.. lol conspiracy) in terms of cost effectiveness.  With WS5, 6 MC attacks that re-rolls to hit and S6, they tear apart all MEQ and transports in the game.  Not to mention they have 6 wounds which only gets better with the Nids' new and improved regen.  Once again, they don't need to be reserved and can offer an additional threat to your opponents if they're deployed early on the field.  Or they can be DS'd and pose a threat to your opponents rear armor, or if you're a Trygon Prime, Shadows of the Warp on the enemy's psyker.  Note that the Deathleaper also offers them a Phermone Trail to teleport beacon onto and that your CC Nids have the option to come out of the Trygon's tunnel as well.  Trygons have Fleet too, so they can really close that gap if they wanted to.  As you can see.. a lot of possibilities for what to do with them.

Keep in mind that the list above is just something I had floating around.  In terms of competitive army construction, it's all there.  You have a strong HQ base, a large amount of anti-tank options, you have Deathleaper disruption, a strong troop selection, unassailable Tyranid Warriors, 2x Trygons and multiple threats coming from everywhere.  Of course, this is just a list that I whipped up a while back and hasn't been playtested at all.  Through playtesting in your metagame, you might decide to swap out a batch of Zoans for 3x Hive Guard (saves you a bunch of points).  You might decide that killy Gaunts are better than Genestealers, or that you want more Warriors (or even 2 groups of them).  You might even drop the Deathleaper and go with the Doom of Malan'tai in a Pod and have some fun that way.  In the end, as long as you take advantage of what's good (what's left really) in the Nid book and make good use of it, your list will remain competitive.

Detail: Tyranids: The good, the bad

0 The Unholy Union

Team Jacward.

Alright guys, I think I got something going here with 2 of my marine armies.  So as you guys know, I have Space Wolves and Blood Angels.  I took a look at the Allies chart today and noticed both to be Blood Brothers.  Why?  I have no fucking clue.  I guess the whole thing about Werewolves and Vampires hating on eachother isn't true in the 40K universe.  They are, after all, Battle Brothers until death!

Anyways, here's the list I'm thinking about trying for 1750:

1749
14 VP

HQ:
Rune Priest (RA, WTT) = 125
Librarian* (JP) = 125

TROOP:
9x Grey Hunters (Rhino, WG/PF/CbM, Plasma Gun, MotW, WS) = 243
9x Grey Hunters (Rhino, WG/PF/CbM, Plasma Gun, MotW, WS) = 243
8x Grey Hunters (Rhino, WG/PF/CbM, Plasma Gun, MotW, WS) = 228
10x ASM* (PF/Infernus, 2x Meltaguns) = 250

ELITE:
Wolf Guard
Sanguinary Priest* (JP, MB) = 80

HEAVY:
Vindicator (DB) = 120
Vindicator (DB) = 120
Stormraven* (EA, TLLC, TLMM) = 215

The idea behind this list is pretty simple.  You take your generic 3x Grey Hunter squads and you put them in the list along side your Rune Priest who always takes Divination.  The great thing about the Rune Priest is that his Runic Weapon remains unchanged in the new edition.  If a psychic power succeeds anywhere within 24" of you, you have the ability to nullify it on a 4+.  This gives you an insane amount of psychic protection in an addition where everyone and their mother loves psychic abilities.  On top of this, I'm giving my Rune Priest Runic Armor now every chance I get.  The 2+ armor save and the innate psychic defenses that it sports is just too good not to take for the points.

Let's go over some psychic powers really quick.  Divination, is in my opinion, the best psychic lore in 40K.  If you have armies that can take this lore, you pretty much want to take this lore.  The free spell that they have, Prescience, is basically a pumped-up version of Guide that extends out to 12", and lasts until your next phase.  I don't know what to say except for that's amazing.  Next, you have Misfortune and Forewarning, both extremely strong spells that can be used against the enemy.  Ideally, if you have two psykers who have Divination (which SW and BA can), you can cast Prescience on your unit and Misfortune on the target unit and basically ram it into the ground.  Re-rolling ALL saves is no joke, it's basically a better version of Doom due to the number of raw causalities you can inflict on the enemy.  The best part about this is that it lasts until your next turn as well, so stacking these two abilities is batshit crazy.

This brings up something really clever:  Since BA and SW can both take Divination, why not take both right?  While powerful, we shouldn't discount some of the other psychic powers that the two armies can mix up.  BA have access to Telepathy, something that SW does not.. so with that, you gain Psychic Shriek, Puppet Master, Invisibility and Hallulncination.  The unfortunate thing about Telepathy is that its most powerful powers require you to be a ML2 Psyker.  That's 50 extra points for Epistolary that I simply do not have.  That means you have to look at the cheaper lores; Divination already being a fantastic buy, Biomancy for the chance to get Enfeeble, but most importantly, the BA book lore.  The main things that stand out here is Unleash Rage for the squad the Libby is in, Sanguine Sword to make you S10, Blood Lance so you can throw it at fliers (yes, it auto-hits), and Shield of Sanguinius that gives your Libby and "any unit" within 6" a 5+ cover save.  With a good amount of vehicles in my list, and a Flyer, I can cast Shield to give the Sons of Russ and the Stormraven a happy go lucky 5+ cover.

Now let's think about something really quick.  We all know Divination is good, but I think a mix between Divination and Blood (just calling it this from now on) is the sweet spot.  I can only take 2 skills though, so I think for my first trial, it'll be Sanguine Sword and Blood Lance.  Unleash Rage is not needed with the Rune Priest to cast Prescience, but the S10 and auto-hitting S8 AP1 Lance is always good.  Shield of Sanguinius is incredibly strong if you're running your dudes behind or near the Grey Hunter wall, but I think I'll be placing my Libby, SP and 10x ASM squad in reserve along side the Stormraven.  I want my forces to hit the enemy lines around the same time and with the fury of an angry god.  This first list you see here, will be all about offense (the way I like to play).

Well, I don't think I have anything else here to cover.  The Vindicators are there because I like them, the Grey Hunters are the staple, and the Libby + ASM provides a nice little wild card.  The inclusion of the Stormraven gives me a solid AA platform, and if worst comes to worst, I can throw a Blood Lance at enemy fliers and skewer them out of the sky.

Detail: The Unholy Union

0 My 6th Ed. DE army list

Challenge anyone?

Alright fellas, I got enough 6th Ed. jammed down my throat that it's officially time to revise and update my army list for Dark Eldar.

Needless to say, I kept things very straight forward and maybe even a little boring.  The metagame around me actually looks kinda funny.  There's a couple of CSM players, 3 Necron players (FML), maybe Tyranid player once in a while, another DE player who doesn't really play, a BA/GK player, a few Ork players and some SW players.  There is a single Guard player and a CSM player who's thinking about including traitor IG in his Allies list, but there aren't any serious talks of beard or cheese.

I'm the type of DE player who barely took Blasterborn last edition and even less Venoms.  I love myself some Trueborn, but I was never a fan of Venomspam and thus didn't bother building any!  OK, that's a lie because I actually built one, but I have 2 more NIB that I haven't touched yet.  In fact, I only proxy'd and Vassal'd with the Flyers last edition and didn't really find them enjoyable or worth their points compared to the Ravager.  With this edition, things might change because I can definitely see the use of a Flyer; both as a counter-flyer and as a straight up damage tool that can apply damage without fear of retaliation.

Another thing about me as a player is that I love Kabal Dark Eldar.  I don't like the fluff, mechanics and playstyle of the Haemonculi and thus, I keep all of my units Kabal-themed.  In a way, most of my units are not the typical MSU Venom heavy lists that you'll find elsewhere.  My lists are designed to be specialized over target saturation, built for quality and not for quantity.  This caters to my playstyle and I must say, it's been working out quite well for me.  Most of my wins with Dark Eldar depends on precision tactics where I use terrain to my advantage as I pick off high priority targets.  I place my models in a way that LoS is difficult and retaliation is even harder without a handsome cover save.  I'm a Dark Lance heavy player and I view precision and firepower as the hallmark of my playstyle.

Without further ado, here's what my current list looks like:

1745 - Duo Hellcats
17 VP

HQ:
Succubus (Agonizer, BP, Haywires) = 105
Succubus (Agonizer, BP, Haywires) = 105

TROOP:
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
10x Warriors (Raider, NS, SR, Blaster, SC) = 195
10x Warriors (Raider, NS, SR, Blaster, SC) = 195
9x Wyches (Raider NS, Hekatrix/Agonizer/BP, Haywires) = 225
9x Wyches (Raider NS, Hekatrix/Agonizer/BP, Haywires) = 225

HEAVY:
Ravager (NS) = 115
Ravager (NS) = 115
Voidraven (NS/FF, 4x SF) = 205

As you see here, I've adapted to 6th Ed. in the most brutal way possible:  Relying on our long-ranged firepower and pure arrogance to negotiate our enemies.  I believe I am a very strong general, and I show it by relying on a precision-based playstyle rather than spamming the battlefield.  For that, you'll see that I have fewer vehicles than some other Archons.

Do not fear, for I am cunning.  My HQ is led by a duo of hellcats who are very cost effective for what they can do.  Aside from carrying Agonizers, they also have a Blast Pistol which they can fire before they jump into the fray.  Haywire Grenades are a must have on these badass bitches, but keep in mind that you have a BS6 S4 AP4 Blast Plasma Grenade that you can throw before combat too.  One of the biggest changes 6th Ed. to our assault units was to shorten their threat range.  Threat range got decreased, yes, but we can now shoot and charge with the Fleet bonus where we couldn't before.  This means we actually gained some damage running into the enemy where before, we had to sacrifice shooting to run.

As troops, I chose to max all my slots out with Raiders with Night Shields.  I've always preferred having Night Shields on my vehicles all the way since 3rd, and now they only get better because we can pre-measure.  Pre-measuring allows us to stay exactly where we want to be once we figure out the enemies' threat range.  You should know that transports can only move 6" if the player wishes to disembark his dudes, so 12" threat from the door of the Rhino (factor in your opponent walking his marines) + 9" of Rapid Fire from Night Shields means you should play >21" away.  Analyzing threat range is really important for DE players because your vehicles, units and playstyle is not catered for making mistakes.

Let me explain the purpose of the 5x Warriors w/ Blasters inside the 2 Raiders.  Their purpose is a simple one and that's to apply Dark Lance pressure.  The two Raiders give me 2 Dark Lances in the opening volley whereas the 2x Blasters gives me two more Lances should my opponents advance.  The threat from the Blasters can kick in from 24" away and you get to use your Raider's Lance as well, so for 130 points, that's a really good bargain.  What you want to do is stay a healthy distance, maybe float around the 24-36" mark and pick off high priority targets when the notion presents itself.  Keep in mind that Focus Fire is a huge part of the game and faster armies like Eldar benefit from it a lot.  Faster vehicles, especially those with high-powered weaponry can draw LoS on extreme angles and offer you targets of opportunities that other races can only dream about.  This is why the way of the Lance is powerful in this edition - speed and supremacy.

The second pair of units in my troop choice is the 2 gunboats.  These give me 2 Lances in my initial volley, but they also give me some credible anti-infantry firepower.  Not only do both squads also come packing with a Blaster, but the boats are have Splinter Racks and a full compartment of Kabal Warriors.  The Splinter Cannon allows you to be pick off stragglers from extreme distances, playing all the way from 36" away with Lance included.  Keep in mind that Splinter Cannons are also Assault weapons and can be used if the vehicle has moved.  Splinter Racks really keeps the gunboat's purpose true because re-rolling hits is just fantastic.  There are three things that improved with gunboats in 6th Ed and these are it:  Rapid Fire is now viable at longer ranges, you can Snap Fire and Overwatch with Splinter Rack bonuses, and you didn't really pay for Splinter Racks because you just replaced the Flickerfield.  You can always advance your boats 6", get the full benefits from the racks and weapons inside, as well as giving your Raider a 5+ cover save.  This is golden, and should be exploited as much as you can.  If you find a juicy target with his underbelly exposed, feel free to either do a drive-by or even disembark your dudes for a better shot.  Target priority and directional damage is very important, so make sure you unload your Poisoned shots first before you tell your opponent to take that juicy Blaster wound.  I can't stress this enough:  40K is now a directional game and as Dark Eldar, you must utilize this to your advantage.

Last from the troop choice is the 2x Wych squads.  These girls should need no introduction as they've preformed admirably for me for a very long time.  Sure, Overwatch is a problem now and the fact that our assaults are shorter range doesn't help with that.  Shit, even our Agonizers and Huskblades are not what they used to be now being AP3, but that's not a problem.  As Dark Eldar, you must learn to adapt rapidly or fail utterly.  We are a relatively extreme race and there is no in-between.  Wyches were never meant to take on overwhelming odds and win.  What they can do is tie up things that can hit really hard and with fewer attacks.  Things like MCs, TH/SS Terminators and a measly squad of marines is not a problem.  If you're running a squad of Wyches into a full unit of Shootas and wonder why you lost, you might need to re-think your strategy.  Before I express my opinion that Wyches never fight fair, I want to explain the fact that Haywire grenades are utter death to vehicles and walkers.  The reason why is because you now hit vehicles on WS4 vs. WS1 max.  It doesn't matter if it's a Eldar Fast Skimmer going to hell and back because of Star Engines, you will still hit the damn thing on a 3+.  I have no idea why GW made it like this, but once you hit a vehicle in assault, it's pretty much going down.  With the Haywire doing a Hull Point's damage for every 2+, a full squad of Wyches will shit on a Monolith without a problem.  What makes this funnier is the fact that you can throw a Haywire before you go charging in.

Now, onto fighting fair.. or rather, not fighting fair.  If you guys haven't noticed, these Wyches are at 9 for a reason.  That reason is so the two Succubi can join each squad and all hell can break loose.  On the charge, you're looking at 6 attacks at WS8 I8 from the Succubus herself, and 4 from the I6 Hekatrix.  All of these are Agonizer attacks and if you roll some happy drugs, you'll find yourself in a really good place (WS9 anyone?).  Both the Succubus and the Hekatrix come packing with Blast Pistols, so make sure you understand how Fleet, charging and directional combat works in the new edition.  Move, shoot, and then charge with the Fleet bonus to re-roll a Charge die.  Make sure you allocate the Splinter wounds first before you put on your BS4 and BS6 Blast Pistol shot.  Who knows, since the Hekatrix and Succubus are both characters, you might get a lucky shot on someone's Sergeant.  Don't forget that these Precision Shots also apply in close combat so you can allocate to other juicy targets.  On that note, the Succubus and Hekatrix are both excellent in challenges vs. non 2+ AS units.  Simply walk into a combat, issue a challenge and take their heads for a spin.  If they decline, you nominate a model to stand there and do nothing and if they accept, you fucking take their heads off.  Depending on the meta, you might find Venom Blades to be better suit, but for now I'll roll with my Agonizers and see how they do.

On the subject of my heavy choices, this should be a no-brainer.  The Ravagers need no introduction, but I will voice a remainder on how to use them.  Remember the directional damage is in, and how you apply your damage is more important than ever.  Shooting a squad from the left might not be the same as from the right. This is why you have to use your speed and mobility to get the best angled shots, and this includes Focus Fire as well.  If you see high-priority models out of cover, you damn well focus fire them until they go down. Imagine being able to pick off 2 Paladins because they're out of cover and you have a clear shot, this is huge for you.  The same kind of precision gameplay should come with your use of the Voidraven.  You have uniquely strong Lances and you can Alpha Strike something the turn you come in.  The biggest thing about the Voidraven is that it always has a 5+ Invul save from Flickerfields.  You never need to Jink, so you never need to sac your BS in subsequent turns.  Once you delivered your payload on the target of your choice, and from the direction that'll do the most damage, you think of a way to 1. get your ass out of there, or 2. how to hit another target from a good angle.  You can either come in short and tight, going 18" and Z-flying around the battlefield while shooting at sharp angles, or you can go for a longer mission, go up to 36", do your damage (maybe even drop a bomb), and then fly off the board next round.  In the last game I played, if I flew my Voidraven off the grid before his Stormraven came in, I could of countered his Flyer the following turn.  I didn't do so because I'm a dipshit.  This is a aerial game now ladies and gentlemen, so hold on tight.

Damn, I wrote an epic ass long post.  Hopefully, this knowledge can pass onto you and get you guys better prepared for 6th.  I'll try to get a game in this weekend, but if I don't then you just gotta wait until next Tuesday.

Detail: My 6th Ed. DE army list

0 DEcisions, decisions

First, my army list at 2K.

1998
20 kp

HQ:
Asdrubael Vect = 240

TROOP:
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
9x Wyches (Raider NS/FF, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 215
10x Wyches (Raider NS/AS, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 220
10x Wyches (Raider NS/AS, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 220

ELITE:
3x Trueborn (Venom NS/SC, 3x Blaster) = 156
3x Trueborn (Venom NS/SC, 3x Blaster) = 156
3x Trueborn (Venom NS/SC, 3x Blaster) = 156

HEAVY:
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125

This list is really effective in all-comers list vs. all scenario based missions except for kill points.

However, I want that to change.  Even though the Warrior Raiders put down a lance shot from the back while providing a solid scoring option, I feel like there might be better options.  Here are some of them.

9x Reaver Jetbikes (Champion, 3x Heat Lances) = 244
10x Scourges (Solarite, 4x Splinter Cannons) = 260
2x 5x Warriors (Venom NS/CC, Blaster) = 135x2 = 270

The Reaver Jetbikes offer solid damage vs. any infantry unit they pass over as well as armor-threatening Heat Lances once they get to the back field.  Scourges, as fragile as they are being Jump Infantry who's often times exposed, provide a ridiculous amount of firepower from far away.  At full strength, they can jump 12" and shoot 18" with their Carbines/Splinter Cannons.  This adds up to 30 Splinter shots with a 30" threat on the move.  They can also stay in the back and offer a solid shooting solution with 24 shots from 36".  Next, we have the 2x Warriors in Venoms that sit in the back, score and shoot.  They're relatively safe because of the low profile of the Venom, the Night Shield and Flicker Fields.  The difference between these three units is that one shoots really well, one contests really well and one scores really well.

Which unit do you think fits better in the list?  I'm all ears.

Detail: DEcisions, decisions