List Building - Come the Apocalypse Shenanigans for SpikeyCon

With the 7th Edition shakeup of the Allies matrix and levels of alliance, combined with whispers that many tournaments will limit lists to a single combined arms detachment plus an allied detachment, I thought I would play around with some Come the Apocalypse allied lists. Strictly speaking, with Tyranids, a limitation to a single Combined Arms detachment leaves my only choice for supplementing my army with a Come the Apocalypse ally.

This could become a thing - way to predict the future Mike Brandt

Now, you could complain that allowing allies with Tyranids is an abomination to the fluff. That said, we are encouraged in the new book to forge a narrative, and I can definitely do that with any ally I choose to add to my Tyranids. For example, were I to add some Eldar to my list, I have this narrative to fall back on:

A tendril of Hive Fleet Draconis approaches the Imperial World of Bergman's Hope. Warned by fortunate chance, the planet is as well defended as a frontier mining world could expect to be. According to Farseer Aola'than's scrying, the populous will survive the attack and destroy the tendril, but in so doing, turn to darker powers for salvation. While normally this would be of no concern, allowed to fester, the world would become a locus for the Chaos powers and threaten the very existence of Craftworld Alaitoc in a few short centuries. The only solution is to infiltrate the Bergman's Hope and contribute the the Hive Fleet's efforts with pinpoint attacks. Aola'than and her small coterie are unlikely to escape the planet as they help its fall, but the price, steep as it is, is small when compared to the consequences of inaction. 

Narrative Forged. Leading me to this list:

Hive Fleet Draconis Splinter:

• Hive Tyrant: Wings, Electroshock Grubs, 2 TL Devourers
• Hive Tyrant: Wings, Electroshock Grubs, 2 TL Devourers
• Zoanthrope
• Zoanthrope
• 5 Genestealers: Broodlord
• 5 Genestealers
• Hive Crone
• Hive Crone

Aola'than's Strikeforce:

• Farseer Aola'than
• 5 Dire Avengers
• Wave Serpent: Holo-fields, TL Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon
• 5 Dire Avengers
• Wave Serpent: Holo-fields, TL Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon
• Wraithknight Vardeer: Heavy Wraithcannons

While I chose Alaitoc and thus Rangers would make the most sense, I could similarly justify taking my Wave Serpents and Wraithknight by expanding the Narrative to include that 1.) the strike force must rely on fast transport to pinpoint their assaults, and while scouted out by Rangers, they are too valuable to include in most of the conflicts this force represents; and 2.) The Wraithknight Vardeer volunteered for the mission to avenge the loss of it's partner, killed by human forces in the neighboring system while defending a Maiden World.

Outside of the fluff, the list choices are pretty simple. The only one I'm not sure about is the Genestealers. That said, with the deployment restrictions with Come the Apocalypse allies, I can't afford to have giant blobs of termagants eating up my real estate. Genestealers keep my footprint small by avoiding the deployment zone entirely with either Infiltrate or Outflank. This leaves my deployment to at most 9 models on the table (6 and 3) which is much easier to keep 12" apart. The mobility of these units as well alleviates any inconvenience CtA ally deployment would present.

The other ally I am considering for my 1,850 point list is Necrons to go with my Tyranids. This list is easier to deploy (since most of the Necrons are in Night Scythes and so, in reserve), however the fluff is a bit harder to come up with for me. First off, the list:

Hive Fleet Draconis Splinter:

• Hive Tyrant: Wings, Electroshock Grubs, 2 TL Devourers
• Hive Tyrant: Wings, Electroshock Grubs, 2 TL Devourers
• Zoanthrope
• Zoanthrope
• Tervigon
• 30 Termagants: 20 Devourers
• Hive Crone
• Hive Crone

Imhotep Dynasty Disruption Force:

• Overlord: Resurrection Orb
• Harbinger of the Storm
• 5 Necron Warriors
• Night Scythe
• 5 Necron Warriors
• Night Scythe
• Annihilation Barge: Tesla Cannon

As mentioned, the Necron contingent is primarily in the two night scythes. The combination of the Strom-tek and Gauss should help my Tyranids a bit with glancing vehicles to death, while the Annihilation Barge is just flat out awesome for its 90 point price tag. Two Night Scythes plus four FMCs should give me air dominance in most games. Finally, the devourers in the termagants make them a dangerous unit with some bite should anyone escape the flyers and wander too close. 

Now, for the fluff, as I said, it's a bit tougher for me in part just because I'm not as immersed in Necron fluff and justification. That said, there are two simple reasons why the Necrons are aiding the Tyranids. 

First, they need something on the planet, and need the Tyranids destroyed. They are patient for both results and are switching from side-to-side to prolong the conflict in order to make the eventual destruction of either force all the easier once the war ends. They just happen to be supporting the Tyranids in this battle. 

The second reason is similar: A valuable Necron artifact is buried deep in the planet. The newly awoken Imhotep Dynasty does not yet have the strength of arms to take the planet from the Imperial forces holding it. When a tendril of Hive Fleet Draconis was discovered in the area, the clever Overlord Rikokhannum lures the Hive Fleet to the desired planet. His forces then assist the Tyranids in scouring the planet of organic life, leaving once human resistance has been quelled to wait patiently in outer orbit for the Tyranids to scour the planet of resources and move on. 

So while both of these lists are gaming the system a little bit, I can certainly come up with Fluff background reasons for why my particular force is fighting any particular opponent with relative ease. In fact, when I take a single codex army I am likely to simply take what I want with no justification of a story; however, when jamming two Come the Apocalypse allies together, I feel more motivated to dive into the deep, rich lore of Warhammer 40,000 to draw out reasons for why the odd couple I've presented on the table top go together. 

What about you? What crazy alliances have you come up with and justifed with fluff - is that even a concern? What do you think about Come the Apocalypse allies as they stand?