Hey all, Danny from TFG Radio, and today, I am going to start doing a deeper dive on every unit with the MONSTER keyword in the Tyranid codex and Forgeworld compendium. Frankly, there are a lot, but the new Crusher Stampede rules really should make everyone take a second to reevaluate each big bug in the arsenal. Also, be sure to keep up with everything else going on over at Frontline’s Tactics Corner, especially now that we’ve seen what a new Tau railgun looks like (but hey, I am still betting we can take more monsters than they can take those). Let’s dive in!
I am going to go through the HQ, Elites, Fast Attack, and some of the Heavy Support slot in this installment, which is already a huge amount of models. Even just using these choices, you can build a devastating Crusher Stampede list, but hey, in part 2, there are also plenty of other amazing choices. Be sure to check out my full review of Crusher Stampede if you haven’t yet.
Hive Tyrant
The humble Hive Tyrant, once considered the mightiest combatant in the 40K universe, has seen that melee prowess slowly rot away over the editions, but with CrushP, the game has changed. The 5++ benefit is wasted here as Tyrants have a 4++ standard, but the -1 damage is not at all inconsequential. It takes their standard 12W at T7 and makes it more than respectable as high volume Damage 2, 3 or d3 attacks are now far less threatening, especially when you consider that the Tyrant is going to save half of them on average dice.
Tyrants are also relatively inexpensive for their stats, so long as they are walking at least. With the smaller board of 9th edition and Obscuring Terrain, walking Tyrants aren’t as bad as before, and those wings are big, so it is much, much easier to hide a foot-slogger Tyrant than a Flyrant. Even as a Flyrant, spending 230 points is a bit easier to swallow when it is -1 damage, making at least one a great gunboat that can flank around and blast. Going the standard Dakka Flyrant with 4 Devourers and Psychic Scream, you have a resilient shooting threat that is great at moving across the board, one especially well-built to harass objective campers.
With the new Warlord trait for +d3 attacks and the psychic power for +d3 attacks, the Tyrants lackluster 4 base attacks are less of an issue, letting you leverage their WS 2+ and the host of combinations with our melee relics and Murderous Size. Really, the bonus attacks has made the melee Tyrant a legitimate threat as the Slayer Tyrant (Leviathan Tyrant with Synaptic Hive Blades, Murderous Size) is great at killing just about anything that relies on a Invul save, a Reaper Tyrant (Tyrant with Reaper of Obliterax and Murderous Size) now actually has the attacks to mostly guarantee at least 1 D8 hit, or the Thresher Tyrant (Behemoth Tyrant with Scythes of Tyran, Murderous Size) can just put out so much heat, up to 22 attacks if the dice really love you at S8 AP-4 D4.
So yah, the Hive Tyrant stock went way up here and is one of my first HQ choices when list building.
Tervigon
This is an odd one. The problem is that it is unclear whether a Tervigon has any place in Crusher Stampede simply because you don’t have any Termagant squads to reinforce, and if you save the points for Reinforcements, it is not clear if you can spawn a new unit. My initial feeling is that no, you cannot spawn a new squad as that would break the requirements of the army and it seems a bit counter to the intention of the army. That said, I really haven’t found any ironclad language anywhere that says no, and the most relevant FAQs on Mustering your Army does say that this is only checked at the army creation step, not when units are added later in the game. That said, for LVO 2022, it is going to be ruled that yes, you can add Termagants via the Terivgon, but again, we’ll see what GW says later on.
So yah, until there is clarity here, it is hard to really say, which is too bad as the Tervigon with a 5++ and -1 damage is certainly a tasty treat. Getting it +1 to hit from Bio-Weapon Bond with +d3 attacks also makes it a relatively surprising melee threat that can also trigger Breaking Through with shocking efficacy thanks to its base 14W and S7. I could maybe see one as a Psychic Action stick that also can camp an objective pretty well, but a Hive Tyrant can do the same job for considerably cheaper. If you really wanted to surprise someone, or you just love your Tervigon and want it do some work, you can always make it the Warlord and get 3+2d3 attacks in a turn. With Crushing Claws, that’s 5 to 9 S14 AP-3 Dd6 attacks although only hitting on 4s at the very best with no reroll.
If you save at least 50 points for one squad of 10 Termagants, you can essentially drop a small squad off in the backfield, and as long as it stays near the Tervigon, you can even replenish their numbers later as they take attrition. That isn’t too bad at all, or if thinking defensively, it gives you at least one unit of bubble wrap to help protect a crucial piece. 1 squad of 10 isn’t hugely impactful, and a lot of armies will be able to pick up 10 Termagants without much trouble, so you probably aren’t replenishing them often. Still, there is something to be said for essentially using the Tervigon as a transport to drop off an objective holder or sacrificial screen. All in all though, that is a lot of points between the Tervigon and the Termagants, points maybe better invested elsewhere.
Stock up, but not high enough for me to consider outside of friendly games.
Old One Eye
Oh yah, OOE loves these rules. Giving OOE a flat 5++ really helps keep the bug in the game, and the -1 damage makes it essentially a melee Contemptor dreadnought. OOE heals 1 damage on its own, so OOE can very much become a surprisingly tough little bug to crack. If you can get Aggressive Surge on it, those extra attacks become tasty, especially if you roll hot and get a few more 5s and 6s to trigger Berserk Rampage. OOE is great at hiding behind another Carnifex or two as it marches up the board, and with 9 wounds when healthy, it can take an objective fairly well. 220 is still a bit of a price tag, but as a linebacker style unit that is there to wait until the scrum has started and come in over the top to do big damage, it definitely works. Still, Old One Eye is probably still a bit too expensive to really be a first consideration, but it definitely has more life in it than before. If you are looking for a bug to help clear infantry but don’t want to do a Thresher Tyrant (likely because Leviathan is the best Hive Fleet at the moment), Old One Eye can fill that role in any Hive Fleet.
A solid increase but perhaps still too expensive.
Malanthrope
Yes, the Malanthrope is a Monster, so it now has a 5++ and -1 damage, making it one of our most resilient HQ choices since it is under 10W, it cannot be targeted as long as it is near a big beastie, and well, you want those big beasties nearby since it hands out that beautiful -1 to hit at range aura to Non-Titanic units. There aren’t too many snipers capable of handling the Malanthrope quickly. As the Malanthrope usually lags behind the main fight, with its 9W, it counts as a decent amount of models in terms of controlling an objective, and if things ever get desperate enough, throwing +d3 attacks on it with +1 to hit means that it will have anywhere from 5-7 S5 AP-1 D2 attacks that reroll to wound. That’s not great, but again, in the very late game, that can matter for cleaning up small units as you fight for objectives.
The Malanthrope is probably the best choice for the Raging Influence warlord trait as it is going to want to stay close to some big threats as they move up the board, and if the fight comes to you, handing out that aura can be a nice boost. Still, I’d rather have more concentrated offense in the +d3 warlord trait, but then maybe I am just fixated on getting a Hive Tyrant to do work.
The Malanthrope is best for a bit more static of list build, especially one leaning heavier on Exocrines, Barbed Hierodules, shooty Carnifexes and the like as it can toss out that -1 to hit aura and with the extra defense of the Crusher Stampede, few armies are going to be able to win a shooting war.
A solid increase and absolutely can make the Malanthrope a top choice depending on your army build.
Swarmlord
Swarmy was already one of our best units and to me, the best HQ choice that we have, but oh lord, here comes that bug. The 5++ is meaningless, but the -1 damage sure isn’t. With our best save in melee, Swarmy becomes even more an Anvil unit that can stop the charge of a heavy threat and survive, holding it place for a few rounds, and this only more true now with the -1 damage, making things like Thunderhammers way less scary. Swarmy’s overall fighting went up with the simple application of +d3 attacks, but it also gets big mileage out of Thunderous Impact and Breaking Through. Thunderous Impact on Swarmlord means that he’ll likely murder most other Monsters or Vehicles as the +1 to hit will cancel out any negatives, the +1 to wound gets around a mostly lackluster strength, and the +1 damage makes those blades D4, which really helps. So Swarmy gets a boost in survivability and killability, all great things.
But wait, there’s more. Swarmy also is a huge force multiplier with the ability to rocket monsters forward as we all know, but when you are building an army of all big bugs, being able to rocket a Haruspex, Dimachaeron, Tyrant, or Hierodule into the fight on the first turn lets you control tempo. If taking a big screen of Warriors, getting them right into the center of the board from the start is awesome. Even the lowly Toxicrene loves Swarmy as it wants to get into the action right away to help lock down units and control the board.
Swarmy makes other bugs better, so why not take one of our most survivable units that now also has really impressive killing power that also makes other bugs shine bright? Yes.take Swarmlord, even in a gunline as a linebacker.
Haruspex
I do love the Haruspex model, and I’ve always tried to make it work, but it was often too resource intensive. Between the new Synaptic Link abilities, namely Bio-Weapon Bond from Warriors, and now CrushP, I am glad that I have several of these big chonkers ready to go. Like most Tyranids, they are loving the 5++, which pairs ever so well with their native T8, but the -1 damage also just amps things up to 11. With 13 wounds, the ability to heal up to 2 wounds per turn, and all this for 170 points in the Elite slot, they are suddenly quite attractive in a CrushP list as a heavy hitter that can also soak a lot of attention. Aggressive Surge gives them even more offense, and getting them up to 6 or 7 attacks makes that Ravenous Maw a great horde clearer, and that’s helpful as outside of Devourer armed units, the Crusher Stampede can stumble against a lot of chaff. The Haruspex has great anti-horde abilities, but it also can bring some really heavy hands (or rather, claws) with S14 AP-3 Dd6 attacks that again, love +d3 attacks. Especially if you can line up a charge to tag both a hard target and a soft target, the Haruspex can get a ton of value out of a single combat activation.
Throw in that the Haruspex has its own stratagem for reroll hits but as a non-synapse monster, it can also benefit from Infused Energies for the reroll hits in melee, and with the +1 from Bio-Weapon Bond, you have an accurate beatstick that can also tank a ton of damage. With a built-in Acid Blood, it also makes a great early game tank that you can Swarmlord into the fight. Anything killing it melee is going to take 2 mortal wounds on average, but you can always spike, and hey, every bit helps, especially since you can use Death Surge to get it to fight one more time before it drops or if Leviathan, make it explode for a quick 3 Mortal Wounds to everything within 3, all on top of the possible Acid Blood wounds.
So yah, probably the biggest improvement here, and the Haruspex really provides a ton of utility because it is an Elite slot, has solid crowd control and hard target power, and it has some shocking durability, all for 170 points.
Maleceptor
The other Elite big Bug, the Maleceptor already had a place inside a CrushP list thanks to Encephalic Diffusion. That aura of -1 Strength makes cracking through an army wide 5++ and -1 damage even harder, especially if you are already stacking up on our T8 bugs like Haruspexes, Hierodules, and Tyrannofexes/Exocrines. Even if going for T7 bugs, getting meltas to start wounding on 4s is always nice. So yah, the Maleceptor already has plays, but when you throw in that -1 damage on top of its 4++, it is not the easiest bug to kill. With 2 casts and 2 denies, plus it has a native +1 to cast, it makes for a great buff bug, perfect for Aggressive Surge as it only knows one power, but casting it on a 5+ is much more palatable than a 6+, and well, since you can’t mix and match powers from Hive Mind and Mass Convergence, you open up another psyker to have Catalyst/Onslaught up while also having room for another monster with Mass Convergence. Its Synaptic Link is also pretty solid if you are rocking a lot of monsters with variable damage or even if bringing a unit of Hive Guard.
In terms of offense, the Maleceptor isn’t going to do much outside of a single strong smite. Then again, if things get desperate, with Bio-Weapon and Aggressive Surge, you are hitting on 3s, rerolling 1s, with 4-6 attacks that are S7 AP-3 D3 plus with a decent strength to trigger Breaking Through, in the late game, the Maleceptor can get in there and do some surprising work if you don’t have much else. Defensively, well it is T7 with 13W, a 4++ and -1 damage, and for 2 CP, as discussed, you can lower the strength of any incoming ranged attacks by 1, so this isn’t the easiest bug to kill from afar. Plus, the Maleceptor becomes sort of a catch-22 for your opponent: do they try to fire down the buff machine in the center, wasting resources that could go into your more immediate threats, or do they let it linger? In the late game, it isn’t the easiest bug to put down, and all the while, it is making other monsters better.
Overall, the Maleceptor was already in some lists thanks to its awesome Synaptic Link, but now with the -1 damage and some offensive buffs, it’s stock goes way up as an Elite choice that also has a native +1 to cast for those Mass Convergence buffs. It might not make every list, but it is certainly worth a look.
Dimachaeron
The Dima was already the best monster that Tyranids had, but CrushP only makes them rise even higher. Why is the Dima so damn good? Well, it has insane offensive output between inherently rerolling to hit attacks that do big, consistent damage and the chance to do mortal wounds to any target within engagement range, perfect for killing a unit and then sniping out a tougher character. It has the best mobility of any big monster outside of one with Fly, able to move 12″ and ignore terrain and enemy models, so it doesn’t suffer from terrain like most other Tyranids. It also has solid defense with 18 Wounds and T7 with an inherent 5++ and the chance to earn a permanent 5+++ Feel No Pain. CrushP’s invul save doesn’t matter, but the -1 damage certainly does. Oh wow, does it matter. The Dimachaeron is just a good factor harder to kill now that it doesn’t have to worry about Damage 2 or 3 weapons as much, and well, its offense goes way up with access to +d3 attacks. Most importantly for me, the Dima is a king at snaking objectives as it counts as 18 when healthy, and oh yah, if Leviathan, you can also make it Obsec. With its speed, it can easily get into the center or with Swarmlord, your opponent’s deployment zone, and then boom, snake a critical objective away from them. Don’t forget the simple fact that a Dima is a Fast Attack choice, so if leaning into them, you have plenty of room for Heavy Support choices, and since CrushP has a lot of awesome stratagems, you can build a pretty stacked list with a single battalion for lots of CP.
With a base S7 that never degrades, it makes great use of Breaking Through, and swinging in at S8, Thunderous Impact is also choice for taking on hard targets, getting the Dima to hitting on a 4+, rerolling hits, at worst and 2+ rerolling at best, but the +1 to wound (and Voracious Appetite for a reroll to wound) means that it is pinging T8 on 3s, rerolling, and with AP-3 and one of our best damage profiles of d3+3 (or rather, d3+4 with Thunderous Impact), the Dima is going to do big, big damage. With 6 base attacks, getting it up to potentially 9 attacks make it a perfect hard target killer, and even against a larger unit with lower Strength, the combination of Spine Maw and Break Through means that a single Dima can actually take a big chunk out of a larger unit in a single combat action.
In conclusion, Dimas were already great, and now they are just top tier.
Barbed Hierodule
If you like some decent shooting and some big punch melee, the Barbie is here for you. With an inherent 2+ save, the 5++ is just gravy to make sure that AP-4 weaponry isn’t the total bane of your existence, and the -1 damage? Wonderful. The Barbie was already one of our most resilient bugs, but giving it an invul save for those really heavy hits and a flat -1 damage just makes it tanky as hell. With a Strength of 8 and 18 wounds when full, it is pretty much guaranteed to get you 6 mortal wounds as even against something T9 or higher with Breaking Through, if it is at full health, by the math, you should still get the max 6 mortal wounds on the charge. It packs 16 S8 AP-2 D2 shots, which isn’t too bad, great for killing Primaris bodies, but with Pathogenic Slime, you can get them to D3, which is a nice way to answer targets that have an inherent -1 damage. The Barbie also has some hard hitting melee, but with only 4 attacks, they aren’t too consistent, but oh that’s right, Aggressive Surge exists, so getting 5-7 is certainly a lot better. You can also really turn up the defense here by throwing on Synaptic Barrier for the 4++ and of course, Catalyst for a 5++. If you go first and can get those buffs up, your opponent is going to have a tough time taking it down or will have to just ignore it and let the Barbie do what it does for another turn.
With 18 wounds, the Barbie counts for a big unit on an objective, making only Obsec its bane, but then again, as Leviathan, you can keep those pesky DE from snaking your backfield objective. As Leviathan, it also loves Relentless Fury for getting 2 or 3 extra hits on its guns. A lot of CrushP lists can be very melee focused, so having a big, big gun bug helps clear pesky units out of the way, but more importantly, opening up transports to allow your melee threats to get to the sweet treats inside. The Barbie provides a lot of early game pressure, and since a lot of other bugs want to get close and personal, having some ranged threat helps shift focus as your opponent has to decide whether or not to focus down the bug that is killing them from afar or try to stop the bugs getting to them up close. With its defense, the Barbie isn’t exactly easy to get rid of, so your opponent might waste a turn of shooting to bring it down (or even not bring it down) while your other bugs get all the closer.
If you are looking for an exceedingly resilient shooting platform that also has some decent melee prowess, then yes, the Barbie. 275 is pricey, but it certainly feels worth it with these buffs.
Carnifex/Screamer-Killers/Stone-Crushers/Thornbacks
We are going to talk about these all together in a single clump because well, they all share the same bonuses and buffs. The Carnifex chassis has a bit of patina on it from its age as a kit. At T7 with 8 wounds, they aren’t exactly tanky, but throw in a 5++ and -1 damage, and well, now you have something that can actually take a few hits. They are our cheapest monsters for the most part, so they really do bring the bodies to the table, something that the others do not. If you have 300 points, you can either take a single Barbie or you can take 3 melee oriented Carnifexes, and hey, that’s 3 separate units that can move around the board, camp objectives, or be piece-trading units that want to get souped up and thrown into the fight with no regard for their safety.
In terms of melee, having +d3 attacks can make a single carnifex much more of a threat, and really, who loves this the most are Stone-Crushers with bio-flails. Getting up to 14 attacks out of them is pretty stellar, and since Stone-Crushers are inherently S7, they can make a little better use of Breaking Through. Between Infused Energies and Aggressive Surge, a single bio-flail Stone-Crusher can actually cause some real havoc against a Primaris squad. Still, most Carnifex builds just aren’t all that scary, and since our buffs really work best making one monster really shine, it can be a bit of a waste to use it on a Carnifex.
In terms of shooting, Carnifexes do bring something unique to the CrushP, namely really high volume fire that can be scary accurate. The classic Dakkafex, that’s 2x double-devourers, is a healthy 24 shots, but with Enhanced Senses and Bio-Weapon bond, that’s hitting on 2s, perfect for clearing out chaff or even very light vehicles. If you’re building a list that seems lacking in crowd control, Dakka-Fexes certainly fit that bill. You can think of them as cheaper Contemptor Dreads, and with their lower point cost, you can generally fit one or two in without too much trouble.
Carnifexes are definitely better, and they can have a place as either cheapish bodies for the objective game or some crowd control, there are plenty of other monsters that are still just a better option.
Exocrine
The budget version of the Barbed Hierodule, the Exocrine is loving the new rules. With a standard 12W at T8, it is already a tough body, but when you throw in the 5++ and -1 damage, you have a little gunbug fortification that sit in the open and trade shots far better than it ever could. With up to 12 shots at S7 AP-3 and D2, it provides some nice AP that Tyranids lack at range, and with Pathogenic Slime, you can get it up to D3, which is always tasty. Since it can get its own +1 to hit bonus, the Exocrine also doesn’t take up a Bio-Weapon bond, meaning the Exocrine can be left to its own devices on a backfield objective and be 100% combat effective. That is really its biggest strength: it is a self-sufficient piece that really doesn’t need support from elsewhere.
The Exocrine certainly does love a 4++ invul from Synaptic Barrier, and since the Exocrine generally wants to stay put, it helps to have that extra defense to make sure it stays there. The melee bonuses don’t really help out the Exocrine, but again, Breaking Through is such a clutch stratagem that it can really surprise people when a shooty bug suddenly charges in and does 6 mortal wounds, and with 12 Wounds when healthy and Strength 7, it has good odds to maximize its mortal wounds against most targets.
The Exocrine (or two) is a solid firebase for a Crusher Stampede list, especially since they hum along just fine without any other support, and while their firepower isn’t the best at cracking the heaviest of armor, they do make fine can-openers for transports or softening up a hard target before a melee bug goes into them.
Overall, stonks go up for the Exocrine.
Mawloc
Oh, sneaky snake, it has been so long since Lictor-Shame was a thing, but hey, the Mawloc has some moves in CrushP. At 12W at T6, the Mawloc isn’t that tough, but adding a 5++ and -1 damage makes it far more annoying to handle than before. Seeing as how the Mawloc really wants to pop up and be annoying, the harder it is to kill, the more annoying it is. Really, what gives the biggest benefit to the Mawloc is that it counts as 12 models when it pops up, and it can pop up super close, so if someone is leaving a small non-Obsec squad behind to defend an objective, the Mawloc can absolutely pop in and take it from them without much they can do about it. That really is where they shine, as disruption pieces that excel at messing your opponent’s objectives. If you pop their custom strat, they are going to do some mortal wounds on their way up, and well, if Leviathan, if they are shot to death, you can make them pop for another d3 mortal wounds, and well, that could be enough to end up wiping the squad that was camping the objective.
Really, Mawlocs work best as Leviathan for auto-explode and obsec. If one survives the turn it pops up, you can pop Hive Mind Imperative for it to gain Obsec in your Command Phase, before scoring certain missions. That can be a really fun way to surprise the hell out of your opponent. Offensively, Mawlocs don’t have a ton of heat to them, and really, much like Carnifexes, you can load them up, but those buffs are better spent on other targets that are going to get more value out of it. The Mawlow is really a disruption piece, and with the 5++ and -1 damage, it is far better at its job for the fact that it isn’t as trivial to kill as before.
Stocks are up, but mostly in Leviathan for some sneaky objective play.
Scythed Hierodule
The choppy boi of the wonder twins, the Scythe Hierodule loves Crusher Stampede even more than its other half. With only a 3+ armor save, the 5++ invul is even more important, and the -1 damage on 18W at T8? Beautiful. The Scythed is pretty tough to begin with, but now, it can be a nightmare for a lot of units to handle. So defensively, it gets a big bonus to an already health statline, but when you throw in the extra offense, well, this bug is ready to get busy.
With 6 attacks base that reroll 1s, that +d3 from Aggressive Surge can go a long way, and you want every one of those d3+3 Damage attacks to land. Thunderous Impact makes this big bug incredibly likely to kill just about any major threat that doesn’t have a strong invulnerable save, and with 18W and base strength 8, it is going to get those 6 mortal wounds from Breaking Through. As a fighty beast, it wants to be up close and personal, which means it will likely die, and you can make it fight one more at full health, which again gets more value out of its price tag, or if Leviathan, you can make it explode for 3 mortal wounds to everyone within 3.
As I pointed out in another article, there is absolutely play in just loading this bug up with every buff and sending it right into the enemy. With Synaptic Barrier, Catalyst, Bio-Weapon Bond, Aggressive Surge, and Swarmlord, you have a bug that is moving 24″ before charges, hits on 2s, rerolling 1s, has 7-9 attacks, and to kill it, you have to chew through 18W of T8, 3+/4++/5+++ and -1 damage, and if you do kill it, it will either fight again or simply do 3 mortal wounds to everyone near it. That’s a great first turn problem to force on your opponent as they either have to dump everything into killing it, allowing your other threats to move up the board, or they have to just try and contain it, which isn’t an easy proposition. Plus, it counts as up to 18 models for objectives, and if Leviathan and you make it Obsec, all of a sudden, your opponent can’t control their own backfield objective, so they have to try to kill it. If you charge it, it still has 3d6 autohitting shots, and no matter how hurt it is, that flamer is always ready. The Scythed is 235 points, but you get a lot of bug for 235, and really, it is only outshined by the Dimachaeron because of the Dima’s movement abilities.
Get you one, maybe 2.
Well, that’s it for part 1, but hey, in part 2, we have plenty of other things to look at, especially choices that are not often seen like Harpies, Sporocysts, and of course, the chonkiest of bugs. Thanks as always for reading, and hey, LVO 2022 is just a few short weeks away, and I do hope to see plenty of Crusher Stampede lists on the tables.
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