[1500] Tyranid Assault

[Eugee]

After checking with the local game shop, 1500 is in fact their standard force size, and the size they use for 95% of their tournament games. (The owner is big on following the UK scene, he said.) So that means my Tyranid Assault force I planned at the 2000 point level is going to be too big for most of the battles they have. So I rearranged the FOC a little and changed some of my priorities around (also kind of went more towards the models I'm going to get first):

HQ
Hive Tyrant [181]
Hive Tyrant x1 (Scything Talons x2, Adrenal Glands (I), Winged, Synapse Creature, The Horror, Warp Field)

Tyranid Warrior Brood [108]
Tyranid Warrior x3 (Adrenal Glands (I), Leaping, Symbiote Rippers, Rending Claws, Scything Talons)

ELITES
Lictors [80]
Lictor x1 (Rending Claws, Scything Talons, Feeder Tendrils, Flesh Hooks)

TROOPS
Genestealer Brood [256]
Genestealer x16 (Rending Claws)

Hormagaunt Brood [264]
Hormagaunt x24 (Scything Talons, Leaping, Adrenal Gland (I))

Gaunt Brood [120]
Gaunt x24 (Spinefists)

FAST ATTACK
Ravener Brood [120]
Ravener x3 (Rending Claws, Scything Talons)

FAST ATTACK
Zoanthropes [65]
Zoanthrope x1 (Toxic Miasma, Synapse Creature, Warp Blast, Warp Field)

Carnifex [306]
Carnifex x2 (Barbed Strangler, Venom Canon, Enhanced Senses, Spine Banks)

1500 points. I've listed just the models used, where needed the models will be broken up into smaller units--likely 2x8 genestealers, 2x12 hormagaunts, 2x12 spinegaunts, 3x1 raveners, and the carnifexes are individual squads, obviously. This army will see play in 5E, so spinegaunts make a terrific fleshwall. Basic tactica:

The primary assault force is comprised of the hormagaunts and raveners--both capable of assault from 19-24" out, and sporting high initiatives. Escorting those forces in (when cover isn't working out) I have a wall of spinegaunts, which will try to lock up the most dangerous close combatant the enemy has with a pile of cheap wounds he has to kill off. The second rank will be the tyrant and warriors keeping synapse coverage, along with the genestealers--this group will be acting as the clean-up hitters able to more selectively strike the engaged targets. Ready to spring into the battle and wreack havoc wherever I need it I'll have the Lictor, which I find best for suddenly switching the tide in a close combat. The bank ranks of the force will be the two carnifexes (sniperfexes) and a zoanthrope, providing some late-game synapse as well as covering fire or anti-armor fire, as needed. It's a clean design with a simple purpose, but I think it's going to be excellent at this. I'm playtesting it over a virtual tabletop tonight against space marines, so I'll post later how it turned out.