Kraken Genestealer Battalion Detachment Composition
I, like many of you, have a big pile of genestealers from untold numbers of sources. They arrived in Space Hulk, Tyranid armies of the past, stowed aboard cargo containers on a space freighter... So, what to do when you have 20, 40, or even 60+ genestealers? Purestrain in GSC as elites with a point premium makes them not very appealing to take in bulk for a pure mono-cult. I'm looking to use those genestealers in bulk as an efficient way to jumpstart a GSC. Which leads me to the obvious alternative.
How do you compose a Hive Fleet Kraken detachment to support a GSC army based around genestealers?
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Is there a GSC Cult Creed or GSC unit/character that particularly complements a Kraken stealer detachment?
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How many Genestealer units to use (1-3)?
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Which troop do you finish the balance of battalion requirements with if you don't take 3 units of stealers: Termagaunts, Hormagaunts, Ripper Swarms, Warriors...? Ripper Swarms are very points efficient and appealing as filler, but there are options.
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What two HQ units do you pick to lead your pack(s) of genestealers? A Tyrant, The Swarmlord (expensive, Hive Commander), Broodlord (switch-hitter as Patriarch, Brood Telepathy), and Neurothrope (cheap, The Horror) all seem appealing.
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Do you prefer to go for a cheap and efficient genestealer delivery minimum battalion, or an all-out maximum battalion putting points in units for more than just genestealers in composition?
Cheers!
Posted Mar 28, 2019, 12:08 AM UTC
4AE seems like a good match for Kraken, since they're both about moving as quickly as possible via advance / charge. At least if you move your GSC / Nid units as a group.
Use one of the efficient psychers as an HQ, either Winged Hive Tyrant, Swarmlord, or Neurothrope.
I personally see flyrants as the way to go as they are just monstrously overpowered in general, and crazy efficient, but if your goal is JUST to support genestealers, a neurothrope is a much cheaper psycher and can do the job.
Broodlord is probably my last pick. Just not efficient enough. And this from a guy who has too many of them too. I don't think there's necessarily a bad number of genestealer units to field as they are the best thing in the codex. Two full units feels like a solid number though if points aren't an issue.
I would concur with much stated here.
on board with the two unit mindset. One might get focused down and obliterated, two makes people have to choose and helps guarantee at least one decent sized blob makes it where you want, three has too big of a footprint and points cost (600+ points if going for 3) on the list and will only have so much actual table space to get where they want to go and not trip over each other as to actually engage models.
I would fill other slots with rippers for deep strike value. GSC screens similar if a bit Better for shooting while camping an objective and will need to have troop slot filled as well in a double battalion setup.
Swarmlord slingshot very strong
flyrant independently very strong
Neuro as cheap alternative that can do its job from midfield and doesnt have to melee to get its value back.
Broodlord melee about as strong as tyrant for way less, is a character that can't be targeted in a mob, but not as strong of a psyker and no ranged (and if vs flyrant less mobile). Genestealers really like hitting on 2, rending on 5 but often I see or use double tyrant (fly/swarm)
Prime/tervigon/malanthrope can't keep up or provide sufficient synergy to work with cracked out genestealers that scurry across the field 3xtheir speed.
Just be careful genestealers dont get over zealous and scoot themselves out of synapse and melt on morale (after getting shot twice in a round and opportunistic advance/hive commander + charge/pile in/consolidate they can easily get out of 12 or 18 of their boss if he doesnt also make the charge)
It just so happens that I have 42 Genestealers, so two units is perfect for me. Seems like a natural sweet spot after reading your guys' reasoning. If going down the 'nid Genestealer road anyways, might as well make it worth it with two units. Three is overkill and one is underkill. There are still GSC units to spend points on, after all.
Swarmlord sounds very nice. Slingshotting a blob of Genestealers sounds so fun. A huge investment, but I'm leaning towards getting this beast as first pick for HQ. It has synergy with taking two Genestealer units as well. Can only cast Hive Commander on one, giving one to spare if the other gets annihilated. Natural fit.
You seem higher on the Broodlord than Casualcryptic. It is a much cheaper choice than Flyrant and Swarmlord and gives points room to build the GSC side of things. Already have the model so won't hurt to try him out as the second HQ to complement a Swarmlord before buying something else.
4AE seems like a great fit with Kraken. One more way to get a CQC specialized unit into the mix consistently and quickly. If Alpha is the name of the game for GSC, and 4AE focuses on making that consistent, it seems like Kraken could only help.
Flyrant and Swarmlord seem to be very popular choices. One worry I have is that devoting 450+ points to two big HQ units and at least another 500+ in mostly Genestealers and a few Ripper Swarms is a very steep cost. Also; people seem to feel like Flyrants will get nerfed at some point. Hive Commander is a very compelling ability to have access too, though...
An observation; Broodlords seem underwhelming in Tyranid armies, and Purestrain Genestealers seem underwhelming in GSC armies, while Patriarchs and 'nid Genestealers are strong. In terms of fluff, once a Hive Fleet arrives they bring all Patriarchs and Purestrains back into the fold as Broodlords and standard Genestealers, leaving the Cult without their Messiah. Doesn't matter to a player not concerned with fluff but an interesting tidbit I've picked up on as someone interested in both fluff cohesion and efficiency. Going purely by points efficiency and effectiveness players seem encouraged to take those two units in a GSC/Nid army separately, while in the fluff taking them separately is a contradiction.
Thanks!
Flyrant already did get nerfed a couple of times. Experienced a points hike once (still good), and a limit on how many they could field per army (completely irrelevant to us).
Broodlords are underwhelming. They are less good than more genestealers generally. Patriarchs are MUCH stronger. Personally, I think they should he stronger since they have much more responsibility. They have to manage an entire world. A broodlord only manages maybe 20 genestealers. The Patriarch doesnt revert to a standard broodlord until very late in the process. He has a specific role in the early stages which is to keep the other tyranids from eating their human allies while they're still useful. Which means they are very powerful synapse creatures as they are simultaneously controlling their entire cult and broadcasting that the cult is tyranids to the entire hive fleet.
The issue with genestealers and their role in the new codex is certainly a frustration for many players. Acolytes are a very effective replacement for purestrains but it still feels a little bad since fluff-wise we should be running them and we should be running them with our Patriarch.
Good point about the Patriarch staying with the Cult until late in the process of absorbing the Cult into the Hive Fleet. I need to read the fluff in the Codex again. Also that their scope in the fluff is monumentally different-- one rules a planet potentially spreading their genes across the galaxy, the other a blob of 'stealers.
If I were to only take one of Patriarch or Broodlord, it would of course be the Patriarch. Otherwise why play the GSC, y'know? They're the sire of the whole Cult. A dual Patriarch/Broodlord dual Battalion army seems like a strong possibility for me to at least try and kind of an odd setup fluff-wise.
I like building a background up that makes sense and the Purestrain/'nid Genestealer and Patriarch/Broodlord situation is a conundrum.