Tyranids: Blogs You Need to Read!

Are you a Tyranid player or prospective Tyranid player, but noticed that there really isn't very many places to go on the web to read solid tyranid advice? Where do you go? Forum Army list boards? No, don't sink to that level ... let the forums have fluff and Project Logs, they are good at that, but let the bloggers have tactics and army list discussion. I have prepared a list of great places in the blogosphere I read frequently (and sometimes many times over) when I am trying to up my game ...

First up is 3++ is the New Black. The great thing about 3++ is that they post often and it is always high quality. I like to bounce around Abuse Puppy's Codex Review when considering units I have never run before. Kirby and the boys regularly push out Tyranid lists as well like their recent dakkafex article or classics like T6'R'US. This is a blog I frequent everyday as there is usually something worthwhile to read regarding armies I play against (or with) regularly. Follow the links and the their Linkedwithin widgets and you will lose track of time in the tactics.

Next up is HulkSmash's Homeplace. I found this blog and started following it when he began writing a series called Can Tyranids Compete? The link takes you to the first article in the series, but as you read his other articles, you get a dose of HulkSmash's methods for building tyranid armies. It is a little different from the straight "walking guns or dropping assualt" we see so much elsewhere. I read his blog whenever he posts and aside from making tourney lists led by the Parasite of Mortex, he also has content covering Daemons and Dark Eldar.

Another blog I check out for a different perspective on Nids is Fritz 40k. I have to admit that when I first saw Fritz's lists either in photos from battle reports or in the PDF, I wondered what he was up to. As time went on, I practiced his principles and tweeked the lists to fit my own playstyle and really enjoy his approach to the "Hypernids" or "All-Reserves" army. It's fun and tricky and if you want to see a different slant on Nids, check out his Nid articles or buy his PDF.

Yes The Truth Hurts is another good resource for Tyranid players. If you take time to dig through his Tyranid Label (from the older form of YTTH), you'll find some very useful perspectives on building various nid lists as well as reviews on most of the units in the codex. There is also another place I have been checking out more frequently at YTTH and it is the Tyranid forum in his new WH40k forums (i know, I know, I bashed forums in the first paragraph). The great thing about the forum is that so far, there has been a lot of good conversation and list tweaking. Between Purgatus, the contributors and Stelek, you can see a lot of good (and different) perspectives on units and army composition - providing some shelter from the Nids are monobuild" talk going around.

Imperial Life also has a lot of Tyranid articles dealing specifically with tactics, unit v unit articles comparing creatures like the Tyrannofex and the Zoanthrope and the best part is, that he links everything. For some very thorough reading, check out Messanger of Death's blog.

Searching The Back 40k's Tyranid label leads to some great articles and discussion from Sandwyrm and Grave Mind. I frequently come back to the articles about "stepping out of the T6 box."

Mercer at Imperius Dominatus has a ton of great Tyranid articles. One of the things I really like is that he will talk about a unit, then discuss a list it can work in and then tell you how it did. I think there is a lot that can be learned in the experiences and ideas he works into his articles.

Now, if your focus is more on the hobby side of things, here are some links to some folks who really have their Tyranid Converting game down:

Warhammer 39,999 is a blog I check nearly daily (whenever he posts) for Not just great conversions and paint (though he does have some nice nids and two Hierophants!), but also to see what he is running and to check out his unit reviews.
Eldar Addict - his Nids. Some solid tactics here, if a little infrequent. His Nids look great and there are some great conversions (some of the first I saw on the web when the codex dropped).
Hephesto's Forge did this prime and thensome, but you'll have to dig around - Worth it if you have the time, they are nice!
Legio Minimus has some tactics along with some sweet looking Nids. He doesn't post frequently on Nids, but it is worth a look.
Men With Toy Soldiers is a block with lots of painting tips, WIPs and interactive army list building. It's a newer blog and pretty fun to read so far.
Musings of a Metal Mind is the home of a very unique group of Tyranid conversions. To see what happens when you mix Tyranids with Necrons, check out this eye candy!
Ricalope has some great Nid eye candy!
More eye candy from Spikybitz and Rob's slithernids
Hive Fleet Erebus has a lot of links to great Nid Galleries and Tyranid resources from around the net.
Let's also not forget Concepts to Reality, where Meph has a very nice guide to adding the notion of movement to the Lictor.
Muffin also has some great Tyranid eye candy with a unique color scheme and one very nice Tervigon so far!

Now, I hate to self-promote a ton, but since it came up in the comments after I posted this article I might as well edit in my own Tyranid articles. Here at DFG, we have Batreps, Conversions, Unit Reviews and some great stuff I pulled around the web regarding Nids and more articles are added every week.

Alright, hopefully I included everyone with some serious Nid chops. As for the top group, I got all the blogs that I read as frequently as they have articles. If you are a Tyranid player, there is plenty of great stuff out there for you and if you are on the front end of the learning curve for the new codex, check out the first six blogs and step your game up. The fact that all of these folks can be successful with so many varying opinions I hope stands as a proof source against "mono-build" talk and shows the diversity of tactics available to the Hive Mind and of course, that there is no "guru" with all the answers or the "magic list."

 If you need some inspiration, the last group of blogs is a great start. Other places I check out are coolminiornot and the various project logs at Warpshadow and the other forums out there. Enjoy the links and as always, feedback is welcome!

I really hope this article helps some folks find the blogs that speak to them. If there are any you feel I totally missed, please let me know and I will check them out.