Aliens : RG vs Tyranids 1850 pts

Raven Guard:

Shrike

Cypher

Dreadnought with MMelta and HFlamer

- Drop Pod with Deathwind Launcher

10 Tactical with Meltagun and CombiMeltagun

5 Snipers with 1 Heavy Bolter and Camo

5 Snipers with 1 Heavy Bolter and Camo

10 Assault Marines with THammer

10 Assault Marines with PAxe and MBombs

3 Grav Centurions

Storm Raven with TL-MM, TL-LC, Hurricane Bolters

Aegis Defense Line with Quadgun

Tyranids:

Flyrant

3 Zoanthropes

3 Hive Guard

2 Hive Guard

Tervigon

30 Termagants

6 Raveners

6 Raveners

Hive Crone

Biovore

Biovore

2 Carnifex

Mission : Emperor's Will, Night Fighting

Deployment : Hammer & Anvil, Raven Guard deployed first

RG deploy: 

We use preset table so the ADL was deployed after we choose table sides, adjusting the terrain a bit to fit the 3 inches minimum requirement. Then I deployed the 2nd Assault Squad in the middle of my deployment zone. The rest would infiltrate or came in from reserves.

Tyranids deploy: 

Everything deployed on table in a horde. Raveners and Carnifexes lead the way. Tyrants, Crone, and Tervigon at the centre of the horde.

Infiltrators :

1st Sniper squad deployed in a forest, and the other behind the ADL to man the Quadgun. Cypher infiltrated with Grav-Centurions some 18 inches from the Ravener brood 1. They are tasked to take out the Tyrant at all cost. Shrike and 1st Assault Squad infiltrated behind them.

First Turn

Tyranids failed to Seize The Initiative. Cypher left the Grav-Centurions to join Shrike and the First Assault Squad. Grav-Centurions moved 6 inches forward to get in range of the Tyrant and shot it, leaving the Tyrant with only 1 wound. My Dreadnought which had just dropped, finished the job with Multimelta shot to the back and wounded the Hive Crone with Heavy Flamer at the same time. Mission Accomplished! First Blood and Slay The Warlord belongs to my Raven Guard.

Assault Squad 2 moved forward and stop just outside the Mountain of Skulls. Snipers did nothing.

The death of the Tyrant almost has no effect on the Tyranid hordes. They advanced forward. Ravener brood 1 and fleeting Carnifexes destroyed the Grav-Centurions in a devastating assault. The 2nd Ravener brood advanced swiftly atop the Mountain of Skulls to assault my 2nd Assault Squad. The Assault Squad lost about 5 guys but managed to kill a Ravener.

Hive Guards and Zoanthropes failed miserably to harm the Dreadnought, succeeded only one glancing hit to the AV12 machine. So they now had to send the Tervigon to destroy it, which it did, but suffered one wound in the process.

Both Biovore's shots scattered, producing Spore Mines near the 2nd Assault Squad and Sniper unit 1. Hive Crone flew off the board to safely engage my Storm Raven if it turned up in the next turn.

2nd Turn

Storm Raven came in and targeted the Carnifex brood, caused 3 wounds, not enough to down even a single Fex. Sniper unit 1 followed up and took that last wound, leaving only one Fex. Cypher took down 2 wounds with his plasma pistols, and the unit caused another with bolt pistols. They later assaulted the Carnifex, killing it Raven Guard style, with Hammer of Wrath.

The fight between my 2nd Assault Squad and Ravener brood 2 continued. This time, it also ended with our lost but they held their ground.

First Sniper team took out the Spore Mines nearby. Drop Pod killed 7 Termagants with Deathwind Launcher.

Hive Crone entered from Ongoing Reserves and shot the Storm Raven with haywire missiles. It missed, even with rerolls! All 5 Hive Guards did the same, causing 2 penetrating hits. Lucky the result was only Crew Shaken. Phew! I would have lost my 10 man Tactical Squad if the Storm Raven crashed this turn.

Biovore's shot scatter again creating another batch of Spore Mines to threaten my Snipers. Zoanthropes failed their Psychic Check to cast S10 lance.

Ravener brood 2 continued to kill more of my and 2nd Assault Marines, leaving only two guys left to fight. By this time, there's 4 Ravener still in the brood.

Ravener brood 1 assaulted, took 2 wounds from Cypher's overwatch, but easily closed the gap. They caused 7 unsaved wounds, which killed the Veteran Sargent and wounded Shrike once. One Ravener were killed in the fight. My marines passed their break test, but I decided to do Hit and Run 13 inches backwards to allow new tactical arrangement next turn.

Turn 3

Tactical Squad disembarked within Rapid Fire range to the Ravener brood 1. Cypher left the Shrike's team and joined the Tacticals. They shot the Raveners, killed 2. Sniper unit 1 followed through and killed another. Storm Raven skimmed 12 inches and Snap Fired, destroying the brood.

Shrike jumped over the Tacticals to support the fight against the 2nd Ravener brood. The assault was a success, killed 2 Raveners and reduced the other 2 to one wound each. RG lost only one guy from Assault Squad 2.

Manning the Quadgun, Sniper unit 2 wounded the Hive Crone and the thing suffered another wound when it fell to the ground. Drop Pod again targeted the Termagants, but this time scattered, caused 3 wounds but all was saved with 4+ cover from area terrain and +1 cover due to mysterious objective.

Biovores moved forward and shot towards the Tacticals. Despite major hit with large blast, none of the wounds caused got through the 3+ armour. The Hive Crone flew closer and spit a S5 flamer weapon, hitting 8 but killed only 1 marine. Very good armour saves on my part.

Hive Guard took this chance to take down the Storm Raven. First brood failed to go through the armour, but the second brood penetrated twice. Storm Raven downed.

Zoanthropes destroyed my Drop Pod with S10 lance. Shrike killed the last two Raveners. Spore Mines tried to assault my Snipers, but was destroyed with overwatch.

Tervigon gave birth to 13 Termagants. It rolled a double 6 in the process and lost that ability.

Turn 4

The Raven Guard did good so far, but there were still too many Nids on the table. I need to somehow take care of the enemy objective, and only the jumpacks had any chance to do anything. So despite having only 4 jumpacks left, I sent Shrike and both Assault Squads towards the enemy objective, coming from the other side of the Mountain of Skulls.

Cypher and Tactical squad moved to behind a stone ruin for cover against the Zoanthropes, spread out in anti-template formation,

Shrike and his team killed 2 Spore Mines nearby. Tacticals killed 2-3 Termagants at long range. Quadgun caused another wound to the Hive Crone, it fell down and died. But the best shooting was from the 1st Sniper Squad. They shot at the Tervigon, 4 hits causing 2 rending and 2 normal wounds. The Tervigon failed all saving throws against that and was left with one wound. Wow!

The Tyranids continued to advanced. Biovores began pounding S4 AP4 Large Blast on my back unit, aiming to deny me my objective. 3 Snipers died, but they passed their Pinning and Moral Check. Hive Guards targeted Shrike's team. But all that S8 shots killed only one guy.

Turn 5

Cypher and Tactical started to move backwards, but I rolled 1 & 2 for moving through difficult ground. They shot and killed some more Tarmagants. 2nd Sniper Squad destroyed a Hive Guard unit with Quadgun and Sniper rounds.

The 1st Sniper Squad finished the job they started earlier, killing the Tervigon with well placed sniper shots. That in effect killed some Termagants from both units that happened to be within 12 inches from it..

Shrike and the Assault Marines assaulted the Termagants holding the Tyranid objective. Only Shrike made it to combat and he single-handedly destroyed the whole brood of 13 Termagants. He suffered one wound. My gamble paid off, the Tyranids were denied their home objective.

In Tyranids turn, Biovore succesfully took out my Sniper unit 2, clearing my home objective. Zoanthropes moved back and casted S10 lance towards Shrike, but it was cancelled with Deny The Witch.

Termagants 2 assaulted Shrike but they were easily defeated by the Shadow Captain.

Turn 6

Cypher and the Tacticals moved as fast as they could towards the home objective. But failed short by a few inches. I need another turn.

The lone Veteran Sargent made it into combat, but failed to wound the Biovore. Shrike wiped out the remaining Termagants fighting him.

The Hive Guards killed 2 Snipers. Zoanthropes attempted to cast another S10 Lance towards Shrike, and again it was denied! The Veteran Sargent wounded the Biovore.

Turn 7

Cypher and his team reached the home objective and held their ground. Shrike assaulted the last Biovore, but it stayed alive with one wound. The other combatants striked the air.

Hive Guards shot at Cypher's team, killed 3 (!!) and forced a Morale Check. It was about 7-8 inches from the board, so I can't afford to have them fled of table. Rolled the dice.. and they passed.

With that the Tyranid player conceded.

Result : Raven Guard WON!

Post Game Assessment :
That was my first experience against the new Tyranids. I kept reading all the bad things about them on the internet, but I don't think they are that bad. It was a bloody fight, one that I was lucky to win.

The Ravener broods are superbly good being a beast with rending. Without support from Shrike's team (thanks to Cypher's Hit and Run), one of the unit would probably had broken through my center and took out my Snipers.

The Carnifexes are scary, and fast too with fleet. My opponent did a mistake when he sent the Hive Crone off table. That allow the Storm Raven, Cypher and Snipers to focus on the big monsters. Things might have been different otherwise.

The Biovores are really dangerous against my Snipers. Need to be more careful the next time I see them across the table.

All in all, it was a really good and fun match. Thanks to my opponent for the game ...
... and thanks to you all for reading my batrep.

Have a nice day :-)