Tyranid Tactica: The Beginning - Synergy!

I picked up the Tyranids as a second army when the new codex came out and since then, they have been on the table top more than any other army I field. I have fallen for the vast amount of tactical opportunities and challenges available in the codex, which is why I get so disappointed when the forums and some of the Internet pundits say that the codex is garbage or is a "faildex". .
In my experience with them so far, I think the problems folks have with playing Nids breaks into two categories - 1) the old Nid players who claim that the codex has been nerfed and are having a hard time adjusting to the changes (It really is a completely different style of play) - or 2) guys who are new to Nids try to run them the way their Marine Army(or select random traditional Codex) runs, which is not the way this codex is meant to operate. Let's face it, they made it a much more finesse and skill-oriented codex that it used to be and it takes a new mind-set to play it competitively.
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With that in mind, I am opening a series of tactical articles geared toward Tyranids. I plan to cover them with unit reviews complimented by army lists that use the principles from each review. As the series goes deeper, articles and lists will advance.
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With that all being said, let's talk about the single most important theme that makes the difference between a terrible Nid army and a terrifying one - Synergy.
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Aside from being a horrid business cliche, Synergy refers to a group's ability to compliment and amplify the skills of all of its members to create a powerful, singular focus. In the old days, Eldar were the only army overly concerned with this concept, but now, synergy is the concept that Tyranids live or die by.
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The first consideration people can find synergy at work in is synapse. Synapse creates fields of control for the lesser creatures in your army, benefits their LD through Fearlessness (and vice verse by moving away) and allows you to control what they do rather than the dice.
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While Synapse is built into a creatures profile, there are elements of synergy needed for a successful Nid army that are less obvious:
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Movement: "Can Support Unit A keep up with Combat Element B?" If yes, then there is synergy, but if say - your Hormagaunts outpace you venomthropes - then there is no synergy and you need to consider better support options.
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Combat: We have a ton of great creatures for CC, but what if they are out-initiatived? What if they have to swing simultaneously? Are they still that good. What options can you add through biomorphs and support units to make them function better and meet their CC objectives?
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Deployment: Nids can deploy in more ways that any other army: From the ground, the board edge, from the sky and even via the Ninja Smoke Bomb (Lictors), so think about how you can use that to add options to how you fight. Do you build a Hivefleet just to sit and shoot or run across the board - or do you build one that can do that or outflank or dig and drop in. An army that can be successful while offering enough options to give your opponent uncertainty is also an army that wins many battles before they take the field. Now the question becomes "How do your units work together in different styles of deployment and CAN you deploy in multiple styles with the same list?"
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For a basic rundown of how I build a list in general, check out this post. This is a practical guide to how I developed my current competitive 1850 list with full optional deployment and a mindset toward Support and Combat roles.
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As we move through the Tactica articles, I will identify units as Support or Combat, biomorph options that can change that status and then give options for how best to synergize those units into an army. Throughout the process of writing these article, I would really appreciate feedback as one man cannot surely think of every possible arrangement or situation.
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The next article will be on the Hive Tyrant!