List Building: 1,850 Points Tyranids - Shenanigans

This list I am about to share started mostly as a lark, goofing around with what you could do with the Deathleaper formation that can be seen in the previews of the Tyranid Vanguard Supplement.

What came out was something that was a little bare bones in order to fit the formation in at 1,850 points. However, I realized that what I had created might be able to be translated to something without the formation and simply use 3 single Lictors instead, saving 230 points.

Namely, the original idea was to take advantage of having so many homing beacons on the field to not so much direct Mawlocs (which is pretty much impossible unless your opponent forgot his brain at home), but to direct Deep Striking FMCs. The beauty of this idea is that since your choice of flying bad bug has a selection of ranged weapons, your homing lictor isn't required to be on top of the target.

So, without further ado, here's the list, with more plans to follow:

Hive Tyrant: Wings, Electroshock Grubs, 2 TL Devourers
Hive Tyrant: Wings, Electroshock Grubs, 2 TL Devourers
Lictor
Lictor
Lictor
5 Genestealers: Broodlord
5 Genestealers: Scything Talons
5 Genestealers
5 Genestealers
10 Termagants
Harpy
Crone
Crone
Mawloc
Mawloc
Bastion: Comms Relay

So, this list is intended mostly for fun, but it could present some problems for just about any opponent. The idea is to more or less negate Alpha strikes by having few, scattered, hard to see units on the board for the first two turns. With 15 units in the list, 8 can be held in reserve, with only 7 beginning on the table, 3 of whom should be Lictors.

Depending on the opponent and preferred tactics, the game plan begins with placing of the Bastion. Deploying it near center, a Genestealer unit can use it to infiltrate and emerge for a charge without having suffered through much fire. Alternatively, keeping it back, it may be more effective as a LOS blocker to hide some of the flyers and Termagants behind.

The idea with the termagants is quite simply, to man the Comms relay. This could be done with an aegis, but the Bastion can also hide your flyrants at minimum, so I think is justified. It also allows you to put the termagants into the Bastion, making them fearless while they man the Comms Relay.

Generally, I believe you want to go second in this setup, leaving only a couple models on the table at the start, and as much as possible, none visible. This minimizes your opponent's ability to get a return on his investment for models intended to get an alpha strike at range, giving them little to shoot for two turns. With the help of the Comms Relay and any surviving Lictors, the Flyers can drop into key areas with pinpoint precision, while the Mawlocs take their chances and sow a little chaos. Finally, the pincer closes with 2-4 Genestealer squads outflanking and laying in wait. Alternatively, you can use the Comms to try to keep the genestealers off the board until turn 4 to keep them safer.

There is definitely a degree of gimmickry here, and with any gimmick, it can be spoiled and then your left trying to salvage a bad situation. That said, I think this list presents some interesting opportunities, primary of which is that the list largely ignores Instinctive Behavior and reduces the need for Synaptic linchpins.