Beating Armoured Companies

[HiveMind]

My friend is collecting an basilisk heavy AC army. I don't know exactly what's in it (will get that info ASAP), but I do know it has at least 4 bassies and 2 chimeras. He's considering adding Kroot Mercs to it. So, how do you beat a bassie heavy army with this list?

HQ: Hive Tyrant with scything talons, barbed strangler, enhanced senses, toxin sacs, extended carapace, toxic miasma – 156pts
Hive Tyrant with two scything talons, toxin sacs, wings, toxic miasma, adrenal glands initiative, warp field – 199pts
Sub-Total: 343 points

Elites: 3 Tyranid Warriors with scything talons, rending claws, extended carapaces, adrenal glands (both), leaping, toxin sacs – 129pts
3 Tyranid Warriors, one with venom cannon, scything talons, one with deathspitter, scything talons, one with two devourers, extended carapace, enhanced senses, toxin sacs, symbiote rippers – 123pts
2 Lictors – 160pts
Sub-Total: 412 points

Troops: 29 Gaunts with fleshborers – 174pts
24 Hormagants with adrenal glands initiative – 264pts
29 Gaunts with fleshborers – 174pts
24 Hormagants with adrenal glands initiative – 264pts
10 Genestealers with extended carapaces– 200pts
10 Genestealers with extended carapaces– 200pts
Sub-Total: 1120 points

Fast Attack: 2 Raveners with scything talons, rending claws – 80pts
2 Raveners with scything talons, rending claws – 80pts
2 Raveners with scything talons, rending claws – 80pts
Sub-Total: 240 points

Heavy Support: Carnifex with gigantic crushing claws, scything talons, toxin sacs, reinforced chitin, extended carapace, adrenal glands initiative – 160pts
Carnifex with gigantic crushing claws, scything talons, toxin sacs, reinforced chitin, extended carapace, adrenal glands initiative – 160pts
Carnifex with gigantic crushing claws, scything talons, toxin sacs, reinforced chitin, extended carapace, adrenal glands initiative – 160pts
Sub-Total: 480 points

Total: 2501 points
Model Count: 129

By the way, don't say 'assault fexes suck' or anything like that, I've chosen to go for a fluffy horde. Also, I will NOT tailor my army, I'm a firm believer in using the same army, no matter who I fight.

[Sheep]

Frst of all he can only have a max of 3 basilisks if he's using the guardsmen codex, and therefore he can't add kroot to my knowledge. Basilisks are easy to blow up as well, a venom cannon should do the trick, but perhaps deep strike the raveners and give him something to waste his shots on while your guys get closer.

Perhaps them get spend less points on your heavy guys, and get more fast moving troops, carnifexs are slow, and will get shot down after your troops are dead. Thats if he is smart enough to get rid of your troops first instead of wasting shots from the basilisk on the carnifexs. Thats if you were willing to change you army list, but your best chance is to hope his basilisk shots scatter off, and spread out your guys making sure that they are 2" apart.

[HiveMind]

He's not using Codex: Imperial Guard, he's using the Armoured Companies army. In the armoured compaines army, there is a doctrine that lets him use bassies as troops. He has taken Crush and Grind and Evasive Driving. I think he also has Ace Sponson Gunners.

[Popsumpot]

Get some Dakka-fex in there, and reduce you Genestealer costs. Use all those Rending you got. I suggest drop some warriors for Fex.

Tyranids are good against bassys, they are in therory should be in their minimum range in like 2/3 turns.

If you know you are up against AC, why take Gaunts? your carnis are sitting ducks to bassy and lascannon fire, i suggest 3 dakka fex and 3 walking around with a barbed strangler. your warriors will be cut down by demolisher/heavy bolter fire.

[joboscribe]

Let me start by saying i think this should be in the Strat and Lists section, since this post deals entirely with both of those.

So you will be using this army? No matter what? Exactly how it is written here? Period?

If so then your gaunts, as you probably already know, are just about useless unless your opponent actually starts disembarking his troops out of those Chimeras, which he might... he might.

If you guys end up playing for a lower points value, then i would ditch some of those gaunts, in fact i would only take the genestealers to fulfil the troop requirement. Keep the Lictors and Raveners; the combination of Deep Striking and Rending is just too good to pass up and if they pop up close to his Basilisks there's a chance he won't risk Ordnance fire on them. Could blow up in your face, too, though, if they all end up deploying on different turns then he could possibly just take them down one by one. Still, i'd keep them.

The Carnifexes, i think, could be made to work. Keep them out of line of sight and far away from each other, that way your opponent is forced to either split his firing and pray to the Lord of the Scatter Dice or try to pound just one of them and pray just a bit less to the Lord of the Scatter Dice.

As for the Tyrants and the Warriors, it doesn't seem to me like the ranged brood stands a chance of doing much of anything and so i would probably ditch them. As for the Tyrants... meh. Neither of them has much armor shredding capacity, but if i had to pick one i'd go with the winged chap. His added mobility seems like a major asset in my opinion.

And now for the disclaimer. The only time i played Tyranids was once, with a ridiculously small force, back in the 2nd Ed. days. Otherwise i have only observed them or been fighting against them, and even then it's not been a lot. So, in conclusion, i doubt my advice is really worth much.

Either way, good luck ol' chap.

[Brother Wolf]

Moving to Strat & Army Lists

NON-MOD POST
If he's playing Siege Doctrines, then he will be severely limited on other tanks. Sure, 4-6 Bassies are just plain rude, but the fact is instead of facing off against 8-10 Leman Rss w/ FA14, (which should make you shudder), you're facing off against a stack of Open Topped FA12 and maybe some other Enclosed FA12 for backup. You basic S6 weapon will be a huge benefit here whereas against a conventional AC they'd be next to worthless. Deep Strikers w/ S4 can effectively eliminate this force wholesale.

I wouldn't be that worried unless he gets first turn and is an excellent scatter die roller.

[General Nuke Em]

Take a godzilla army, give them all the upgrade that makes them have 2+ armor saves (though presumably you can't do that with the elite fexes), and watch him cry.

[NickBlasta]

Artillery company is the gimp version of the AC. He will have a terrible time of dealing with 2+ saves and monstrous creatures. Also since bassies are open topped, they are vulnerable to templates, so use some barbed strangers and stuff.

[General Nuke Em]

Artillery company can be effective. When playing on a 10 foot board with no reserves, infiltration, or deep striking.

[Brother Wolf]

Mmmmm, true. But then we should be playing multiple detachments too on a board that big, with a conventional Armored or Infantry company to provide the ground gaining units which advance under cover of the mammoth barrage. I still very much miss the original Armored Company rules where each org slot was a squadron and 3 Bassy's could be taken as a squadron with Battery Fire. Now THAT was utter sickness.

[Popsumpot]

I've played on campaigns where you can shoot across sections with artillery, and believe me, Artillery companies caused me a life time of pain.