Before we start though a note on infestation. Some cards can infest planets putting a token on them. And some cards get bonuses at infested planets. An opponeny can re move the infest token's by winning a battle. A thing with this box is cards either support an infest theme or a token support theme and I doubt you have space to do both. I don't think either work if you go half hearted into both.
Ripper swarm
A 1 cost 1/1/1 but limited. An important note about nids is they have no access to void pirates or rogue traders or any other factions cool command dudes This is an auto 3x in every tyranid deck for the forseeable future. 5/5
Strangler Brood
A bad unit in stats. but they give all your termagants +1 atk which is amazing. If you are running a token swarm these are a must. Also have mind stacks. So two of these mean your gaunts get +2 attack, yup. 3/5
Termagant sentry
It's a 1 cost 1 hammer unit with 2 hp which is pretty good. The reaction of standing when a token dies is mostly irrelevant. It is a termagant and has the trait and whilst I understand it's for balance reasons, what makes these army unit gaunts so different that the hive mind speculation can't effect them? 4/5
Hunter Gargoyles
It's sort of like having a single khymera and the den in one card. You can move him to an infested planet as a combat action. Useful for moving in at the end of a round and getting a 2 free damage in. Only good of you added a decent amount of infestation to your deck. 3/5
Virulent spore sacs
A 2 cost 1 hammer unit with 0 attack is obviously bad. But you can sacrifice it to do one damage to all enemy at a planet and as a bonus you infest that planet. It's a useful card and really good way of turning on infest bonuses. 4/5
Scything Hormagaunts
A very basic 1/2/2 unit. They infest the planet they deploy at. Very basic but the infest is worth it prob no space if you have gone with token spam though. 3/5
Toxic Venomthrope
The first tyranid command unit. It has two command and no combat ability. But if you win the command it either infests the planet or if already infested you get 1 card or a resource. So it's sort of like your replacement for the missing neutrals. It's card/resource bonus can't be turned of by Archons palace which is a nice bonus. Worth including even if it running infest but it gains a slight boon in infest decks. 4/5
Termagant Horde
Remember how bad zogwort sig unit was? These are the same in function. But with the difference that these guys spit out a token every combat round rather than when they take damage. This means a new gaunt everyone everyone stands up and goes for a new round of fighting. Much better than zogworts runtherders. 2/5
Volatile pyovore
A v good cost to stats ratio, that have the cool ability to do their damage to whoever killed them, but only if it is by an attack. Auto include in Nid decks for me. 5/5
Termagants spikes
Yet another hive mind unit this one costs 3, has ranged and gives your tokens ranged. The lack of command hurts and why I think only the Swarmlord with his sig squad can afford to do hive mind. Half of the hive mind units have no command icons, so without the Swarmlord added command icons on tokens I think you will struggle with resources. 3/5
Tyranids warrior.
A nazdreg flash git of stats, trading the amazing action for a command icon. Now if you have ever played nazdreg you may have found the flash gitz are slightly lacking without brutal. And so it is here. They look good on paper but just don't quite cut it. Still 2 command is worth a look. 3/5
Swarm Guard
Another hive mind units, with bad stats bit a command icon! This one gives the gaunts +2 hp which makes them actually quite scary. Note though it only works at planets. After winning a first planet, any tokens with damage on them will die when they go to hq. 2/5
Adamant hive guard
A bodyguard unit for your tokens and hive mind units. It's a lot to invest a 0/2/5 unit but if you have infested a buffed super token army of doom it may be worth it. 2/5
Ymgarl genestealer.
5 cost 4/4 with 2 command. But has the potential to be 6/6 if present with a warlord or synapse present. Note they don't have to be YOUR warlord or synapse to get the bonuses. Hilarity ensues in mirror matches. Has anti-synergy with the warrior prime. 3/5
Ravenous Haruspex
Average stats but if they kill something you get that units printed cost in resources. If they kill a dreadnought or a helldrake for example that's 8 resources. Oh my. Are also eligible for a heavy venom cannon for some 5 attack armor bane goodness. 4/5
Biovore spore launcher
I don't think I need to tell you how good giving your tokens area effect is do I? It's a massive investment to do so, but oh the destruction. 3/5
Shrieking harpy
You sort of look at this cards abilty and just sort of go whaaaaa?! If they get to attack at an infested planet they exhaust all non elite enemies, but not warlords or synapse. That's huge. And it flies! 5/5
Burrowing Trygon
The Nid big guy, it's a 7/7 with 3 command
A reasonable 4 or 5 resource discount shouldn't be too hard to pull off in a Swarmlord deck. The hard part will be getting the tokens in the same place honestly. Note you don't have to deploy it where your tokens are, and why oh why does a Trygon not have ambush!? 4/5
Honestly the tyranid units are fairly mediocre. Hive mind is crazy when they start stacking, but it's honestly not that hard to keep unit numbers in check for most decks. Everything else just about meets the bar for good. The warlord groupies from the warlord cycle are a staple in most decks, and the nids have no equivalent. A lot of Nid stuff is very combo centric, the Venomthrope is good for example, but it needs to win command and the planet needs to be infested. In the meantime it is vulnerable to the same sniping measures as survivalists et all.
I'm sure they will cope fine but it just seems to be a snowball army and like all snowballs you just have to stop it forming.
Hunter Gargoyles
It's sort of like having a single khymera and the den in one card. You can move him to an infested planet as a combat action. Useful for moving in at the end of a round and getting a 2 free damage in. Only good of you added a decent amount of infestation to your deck. 3/5
Virulent spore sacs
A 2 cost 1 hammer unit with 0 attack is obviously bad. But you can sacrifice it to do one damage to all enemy at a planet and as a bonus you infest that planet. It's a useful card and really good way of turning on infest bonuses. 4/5
Scything Hormagaunts
A very basic 1/2/2 unit. They infest the planet they deploy at. Very basic but the infest is worth it prob no space if you have gone with token spam though. 3/5
Toxic Venomthrope
The first tyranid command unit. It has two command and no combat ability. But if you win the command it either infests the planet or if already infested you get 1 card or a resource. So it's sort of like your replacement for the missing neutrals. It's card/resource bonus can't be turned of by Archons palace which is a nice bonus. Worth including even if it running infest but it gains a slight boon in infest decks. 4/5
Termagant Horde
Remember how bad zogwort sig unit was? These are the same in function. But with the difference that these guys spit out a token every combat round rather than when they take damage. This means a new gaunt everyone everyone stands up and goes for a new round of fighting. Much better than zogworts runtherders. 2/5
Volatile pyovore
A v good cost to stats ratio, that have the cool ability to do their damage to whoever killed them, but only if it is by an attack. Auto include in Nid decks for me. 5/5
Termagants spikes
Yet another hive mind unit this one costs 3, has ranged and gives your tokens ranged. The lack of command hurts and why I think only the Swarmlord with his sig squad can afford to do hive mind. Half of the hive mind units have no command icons, so without the Swarmlord added command icons on tokens I think you will struggle with resources. 3/5
Tyranids warrior.
A nazdreg flash git of stats, trading the amazing action for a command icon. Now if you have ever played nazdreg you may have found the flash gitz are slightly lacking without brutal. And so it is here. They look good on paper but just don't quite cut it. Still 2 command is worth a look. 3/5
Swarm Guard
Another hive mind units, with bad stats bit a command icon! This one gives the gaunts +2 hp which makes them actually quite scary. Note though it only works at planets. After winning a first planet, any tokens with damage on them will die when they go to hq. 2/5
Adamant hive guard
A bodyguard unit for your tokens and hive mind units. It's a lot to invest a 0/2/5 unit but if you have infested a buffed super token army of doom it may be worth it. 2/5
Ymgarl genestealer.
5 cost 4/4 with 2 command. But has the potential to be 6/6 if present with a warlord or synapse present. Note they don't have to be YOUR warlord or synapse to get the bonuses. Hilarity ensues in mirror matches. Has anti-synergy with the warrior prime. 3/5
Ravenous Haruspex
Average stats but if they kill something you get that units printed cost in resources. If they kill a dreadnought or a helldrake for example that's 8 resources. Oh my. Are also eligible for a heavy venom cannon for some 5 attack armor bane goodness. 4/5
Biovore spore launcher
I don't think I need to tell you how good giving your tokens area effect is do I? It's a massive investment to do so, but oh the destruction. 3/5
Shrieking harpy
You sort of look at this cards abilty and just sort of go whaaaaa?! If they get to attack at an infested planet they exhaust all non elite enemies, but not warlords or synapse. That's huge. And it flies! 5/5
Burrowing Trygon
The Nid big guy, it's a 7/7 with 3 command
A reasonable 4 or 5 resource discount shouldn't be too hard to pull off in a Swarmlord deck. The hard part will be getting the tokens in the same place honestly. Note you don't have to deploy it where your tokens are, and why oh why does a Trygon not have ambush!? 4/5
Honestly the tyranid units are fairly mediocre. Hive mind is crazy when they start stacking, but it's honestly not that hard to keep unit numbers in check for most decks. Everything else just about meets the bar for good. The warlord groupies from the warlord cycle are a staple in most decks, and the nids have no equivalent. A lot of Nid stuff is very combo centric, the Venomthrope is good for example, but it needs to win command and the planet needs to be infested. In the meantime it is vulnerable to the same sniping measures as survivalists et all.
I'm sure they will cope fine but it just seems to be a snowball army and like all snowballs you just have to stop it forming.
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