The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: Tyranids in 6e

No really - I'm not dead yet.  Life intervened and the best laid plans were knocked a bit askew, everything from blogging to volunteer support for the NOVA Open.  Not my proudest, shiniest moments of late in terms of service to those who follow and read my maundering drivel.  So without further ado, here goes with an on-mission post to the hive-interested.  What is the state of the Tyranid meta a year after 6th drops and new hotness in the form of several new codexes are out?  Answer after the jump...

Frankly - and surprisingly - the bugs are back and meaner than ever.  With faster codex updates and allies, 6th is almost kaleidoscopic in its top tiers, with just about every codex doing well somewhere.  Paper, scissors, rock exists for almost every army, and finding a truly balanced all-comers list remains a constantly moving target that no one seems to have hit yet.  Fortunately, with a balanced list and smart play, Tyranids can do well against every common list archetype that's out there - with the top finishes to prove it.  It has the tools to be ultra-agressive, or slow and controlling - it depends on your style and list, and more importantly, how you read your opponent, their list, and the mission.  I'll reprise a bit of Nikephoros' excellent Who is the gun line? post here to illustrate:

In Magic the Gathering theory, one of the fundamental articles is "Who Is The Beatdown" by Mike Flores. Without getting too deep into Magic theory, the idea is that in any match up of two decks, one of them will have to take an aggressive role to win, the other a controlling role.  Even in a match up of two highly aggressive decks, one of them will be more aggressive than the other.  If the less aggressive one tries to play aggressively, chances are it will lose.   If you are playing a mid-tempo deck, when you play against a fast beatdown deck, you have to play a controlling playstyle, because you can't beat the beatdown deck in a race.  When the same mid-tempo deck plays against a true control deck, it has to switch to a more aggressive style since the longer the game goes the more likely the control deck will have the chance to assert control and win.

On any given Sunday, a well-played Tyranid list can out-aggressive just about any codex out there, and depending on what you bring, has many different ways to mitigate or control other aggressive lists.  Blobs, gun-lines, and last-turn-seize lists are still tough - but there's tools in the box for each.  Let's take a look at a few lists to get an idea of what's out there, generally following this form:

1-2 Flyrants with dual Devourers
2-3 Tervigons
Doom in a sPod (Mycetic Spore)
1-2 units of Hive Guard
1-2 units of Biovores
Gargoyles to taste
Possibly Zoenthropes

(1750)
1 Swarmlord, 1 Tyrant Guard
1 Tyranid Prime, Lash Whip/Bonesword
1 Doom of Malan'tai, Mycetic Spore
5 Ymgarl Genestealers
5 Ymgarl Genestealers
2 Tervigons, Cluster, Catalyst, Toxin, Adrenal, Talons
1 Tervigon, Cluster, Catalyst, Toxin, Adrenal
17 Termagants, Devourers, Mycetic Spore
10 Termagants
10 Termagants
1 Aegis Line

(1750)
The Swarmlord: 1 Tyrant Guard
Tyranid Prime: Pair of bone swords, rending claws, toxin sacs
3 Zoanthropes: in Mycetic Spore
3 Zoanthropes
The Doom of Malan’tai: in Mycetic Spore
10 Termagants
10 Termagants
10 Termagants
Tervigon: catalyst, cluster spines, adrenal glands, toxin sacs
Trygon: toxin sacs
Trygon: toxin sacs
Biovore

(1850) 

Hive Tyrant w 2x TL Devourers w Brainleech worms and Wings
8x Ymarl Genestealers
Doom of Malantai in a Mycetic Spore
3x Hive Guard
3x10 Termagants
3x10 Tervigons with all Psyker abilities, Toxin Sacs, and Adrenal glands
15 Gargoyles with toxin sacs and adrenal glands
Trygon Prime

(1850)

Flyrant Dual Devourers
Flyrant Dual Devourers
Tervigon+2 Powers, Adrenal, Poison
Tervigon+2 Powers, Adrenal, Poison
Tevigon, Catalyst, Onslaught
10 Termies
10 Termies
10 Termies
3 DakkaFexes

That's a good smattering of lists, some more 'competitive' than others perhaps, but all worth a look.  I still think it would be fun to base a list on this:

3x3 hive guard
3x tervigons
3x10 termies
3x3 biovores

Good luck out there, and hope to see you at the NOVA Open.  I'll be volunteering there again this year, 4th year in a row!