Tyranids are known for their endless swarms and giant monsters, but these are far from their only tools of war. Whispers around the camp tell of murderous assassins that melt into the shadows, spawned to sow terror in the ranks, and unfortunately for tale-tellers… the stories are true.
The Lictors and Deathleaper have both received stunning new miniatures, but the Neurolictor is perhaps the most fascinating new biomorph of all. Created for the battleground of psychological warfare, these Lictor variants combine intense psychic abilities with formidable claws – crippling enemy morale either by subtle suggestion or wanton brutality.
These hidden killers work well with the Tyranids’ Shadow in the Warp army ability, debilitating the combat skills of Battle-shocked units by sheer proximity. Once the enemy is in disarray, the Neurolictor slinks into close combat and assassinates a protected leader with a barrage of Precision melee attacks.
The regular Lictor is also still more than capable of delivering the final blow, with larger talons that sink through armour. As with Deathleaper,* their rules have barely changed since their Index card, but the new Tyranid Detachments provide an interesting twist on their unique role as a stealth assassin.
As you may remember from earlier this week, the Vanguard Onslaught Detachment gives Tyranids the ability to charge during the same turn in which they fell back, ensuring your assassins can pounce onto another unwitting victim before the vengeful bodyguards of the first get their own back. These powerful hit-and-run attacks are aided by the Lictor’s Pheromone Trail ability and the new Invisible Hunter Stratagem, which lets you spirit a valuable unit away from unfavourable confrontations before dropping them back down next to a fresh new target – all for just 1 Command Point.
All of these abilities make a brood of Lictors a deadly proposition for enemy commanders, who can be charged from unexpected quarters before they know what’s happening. Then, when their prize has been reduced to a messy stain, you even get your CP refunded by the Feeder Tendrils ability. When your captain-killers are this self-sufficient, can you afford not to take a few?
We haven’t even talked about how well the three work together – the Leadership-sapping power of Deathleaper’s Fear of the Unseen ability perfectly sets up a Neurolictor’s prey for some failed Battle-shock tests, while the Lictor can appear as if from nowhere to capitalise on a broken foe.
See what a team of vanguard predators can do for your hive fleet when Codex: Tyranids goes up for pre-order this Saturday, alongside all of the awesome miniatures you see here.
* Who, despite only adopting a disturbingly fleshy cloak, has earned a Save upgrade to 3+.