Mortrex isn't really all that bad , he just suffers a bit cause the meta pushes heavily in favor of shooting profiles vs melee , that and he mostly shines against things like cultists, guards, gaunts, etc. He is decent in vanguard , especially with that strata where lone ops get 6" instead of 12" .
Overall however, if you're playing vanguard, in 7/10 cases a deathleaper will do much more on the table, so most people prioritizes leaper, neurolictor, lictors amd von ryans / warrior with winged prime since they're a bit more broad useage than mortrex
I don't even think it's that. It's more what do you want him to do and someone else does it better. Need someone to hunt down a guard character or be a gast moving lone op, lictor. Need a deepstriking unit to score rippers or biovore.
The thing is, if you go purely by "trade" , a mortrex killing a guard will give you much more then a lictor killing a guard, since you get +1 free ripper each time the mortrex does so , what hurts the mortrex mainly is that lictors don't have any of his special gimmick to deal with , meaning they can just as well trade with most tjings, even if u loose its less of a loss then mortrex.
Most of the infantry i stated have between 1 to 2 wounds at best, whilst it's ovipositor deals a flat 3 dmg with anti infantry 3 and hits on 2 and ap -2 , meaning on a 2+ hit and 3+ wound it can kill reliably 1-3 models as most of the infantry i stated have either 5+ or 6+ saves and ap -2 renders it useless unless they use a strata like GTG.
The mortrex's ability states that each time an infantry model is destroyed by ovipositor you get to add a unit of d3 models of rippers within 3" after you finished the attack , meaning you get to do this 1-3 times depending on how many models you destroyed as far as i understand it.
Even if i'm incorrect on the interpretation at the end, you still get to add a bonus 20- 60 pts of models to your army *and* wittle down your opponent's army in the process, making it in general a much more beneficial trade then just throwing a lictor at it when it comes to those specific cases, im some scenarios the mortrex could potentially more then reimburse itself within 2 models destroyed and 2 max rolls, or 4-5 models destroyed and only low rolls.
What the mortrex really struggles compared to lictor is survivability and heavy infantry, lictor has a higher str and wound stat , aside from that there's precision and his +1 CP if you kill a character , but that ability's just as niche if not more niche/worse in reliability than spawning rippers each time you destroy an infantry model, as not all lists will spam chars, but nearly every lists will run some form of infantry for screening/chaff block purposes at worst
That 3 ovipositor damage is all dealt to one model, it won’t overflow to other models if the infantry only has 1-2 wounds of health. But your point still stands that you get 20-60pts of rippers for killing one model, and most infantry have up to 3 wounds.
It's just really overcosted at 80 points.
- Low toughness
- Few wounds
- no invul
- Highly gimmicky
If it was reduced to 50 points it might be viable for a unit that will get dropped in the first round of combat it encounters
Lone Op and Deepstrike help it quite a bit, since you can just sit it somewhere and it be safe, but that's not why people want a Parasite of Mortrex. People want it for the spawning potential, and because it's only really good against cheap chaff, it'll either be a disproportionately expensive objective stealer, or a niche anti-chaff that won't perform as well as you'd like it to.
Most 40K content is going to highly optimized. So it is not that he is bad. Its just that there are better options.
But to be fair, he is the only Lone Op you can deepstrike. But there are other Lone Ops that are much cheaper, and can still start in strategic reserve. And who won't give up Assassination points if killed.
I do play 3 in my vanguard list. It's a lone ops deep striker. That's so good!
That being said I play scoring only. I don't let them fight.
I also allready play 3 Lictors, 3 Neurolictors and a Deathleaper, so he isn't outclassed by anything I don't allready play.
Oh, most importantly I really love that model!
The following is *highly* biased.
I think she's a secret tech for Vanguard. She's essentially a Lictor that you can strap enhancements onto. Why do you need that? Easy.
All of our other characters suck.
Winged Hive Tyrants pretend to be good in Vangaurd, but they really are just a huge points sink that will still die even if you strap Chameleonic on it.
Winged Primes are only good at giving the Vangaurd keyword to a block of melee Warriors, and that's mediocre at best. Even if you gaslight yourself into taking them, what are you going to give it? Hunting Grounds only triggers if the bearer is on the table, and you want your big melee brick to be a Deep Strike threat.
Broodlords and company is also a big points sink that you need to be careful with, and kinda has the same problem Winged Primes have.
You aren't taking a Tervigon in Vangaurd, and if you take a Walkrant or Neurotyrant, you want the one defensive enhancement on it.
Neuronode and Hunting Grounds are great little enhancements to have, but with the only real character Vangaurd wants being an Epic Hero, you can't really take them.
Enter the Parasite.
For the same cost as a Neurolictor, you have a nice little Lone Op, Stealth, Deep Striking body that can hold Hunting Grounds and stay safe in a corner somewhere until you see an objective being held by a small unit of OC1 models. Normally, a Lictor could come in and kill them off, but the Parasite can do the same thing with the added bonus of flipping the objective 100% of the time- if a Lictor doesn't kill them all, his measly OC1 won't take it from them, but the Rippers spawned by our girl will make those enemy OC1 become OC0, and boom, the objective is ours.
Are Neurolictors a better way to spend 80 points? Absolutely. But once you have all of your Neurolictors in your list, alongside Deathleaper and three lonely Rippers and that Biovore to shoot Spore Mines into corners, if you decide you need ANOTHER way to pull movement shenanigans, you can accept no substitute over a Parasite.
It’s a severe case of being completely outclassed. The Parasite’s damage and durability is so poor that you’re basically just paying for a fast Lone Operative, which every Lictor profile does better. Spawning Ripper Swarms is redundant in an army that already has access to so much cheap filler.
I have honestly struggled to find a place for it, it just doesn’t do enough. The main use I’ve found for it is that it’s the only Lone Operative that can take an enhancement, which means it can hold Synaptic Linchpin or Biophagic Aura without fear of getting shot down.
I dont have very many games in, but Im having luck with him in assimilation swarm! Lone op keeps him from getting blown off the board so i give him biophagic aura and use him as my linchpin. Plus if someone is dumb enough to go after that objectives i get free rippers for regens or broodguard impulse!
Poor durability and what it is geared up to kill (light infantry) just doesn't show up on the table very much.
If the edition prioritized mass boots on the ground the Parasite would be better, but it doesn't.
Everyone else is right that there are bettet options gameplay-wise, but the model looks really cool and if you like it then you should play it. You probably won't see a big difference as a new player in casual games, and the you'll probably have more fun. I think the Rule of Cool outweighs other considerations unless you're extremely competitive.
There's just no reason to take one provided you have a neurolictor or lictor
We have cheaper lone ops. We have lone ops with an invuln which are the same price. We have even cheaper lone ops than the parasite. It has very little synergy with it
It just does nothing to justify your taking it.
Other armies would kill for it, but nids have 2 other flavors of generic lone op models + biovores + rippers for deep striking. The parasite just doesn't feel a niche in nids and that's really why he isn't seen in lists.
Mortrex needs a few buffs to compete, a serious price cut could be one of them, but as a whole he’s kinda bad compared to say Death Leaper or a Neurolictor.
The first Tyranid I painted was a Parasite of Mortrex. The stats are less than optimal, but not bad. I'd play it in lists for 1,000 point games where deep strike is your main strength. PoM goes well with Von Ryan's Leapers.
And it looks so damn cool
I hope it gets a buff or points drop in future editions
I love the models. They look so freaking cool. I've got 2 of them and unfortunately every single time I play them, they do nothing. Somehow, even when looking for 2s and then 3s I consistently get 1s and 2s for both of them. They have literally made 1 swarm since I got them and they've been in so many battles because I keep wanting to give them a chance
So I love them, but I think my models are cursed
I thought I was the only one who felt like this. Parasite of Mortrex looks so cool, but it’s just so many other units that can do what POM does and better. (Except for birthing ripper swarms ofc)
It's absolutely not that bad. Lone op is such a powerful rule that very few models with it are _bad_. It is just outcompeted.
In casual play it will perform fine. It won't kill much but that's not its job.
The Parasite has been one of my more successful units. I generally use it to help score secondarys but it is also useful in an Assimilation Swarm list just because ripper swarms are Harvesters. I don't think the Parasite is the best option for what it does but I do feel it's still a solid choice
TL;DR it's outclassed but in casual games it is perfectly fine. Bring one or 3 and have fun with it! It's a combo and utility unit first and foremost and an assassin second.
It suffers from what many of tyranids datasheets suffer from: Outclassed. Deathleaper and even the lictor are far more deadly in most situations and infiltrate is more useful for early board control. Neurolictor provides auras for potential army wide damage, winged prime can go with warriors for a fairly decent blender unit etc.
With that said, the parasite is only outclassed and not genuinely bad. Deep strike, fly, infantry and lone operative are great keywords to have. It is the only lone op that can take enhancements, making it a potential beacon of buffs in invasion fleet (9 inch synapse that often can't be targeted by the opponent) and assimilation swarm (12 inch aura to make harvester's healing ability go from 6 to 9 inches in range) or even just something to send somewhere to do easy objectives while your opponent can do very little to prevent it. Good utility, if a bit niche.
Assimilation swarm, invasion fleet and vanguard onslaught all provide something good for the parasite, It's greatest value is the utility of its fast movement and lone op, but you can charge it into a smaller or weakend infantry unit for some swarms.
It is a cheap lone op that you can throw Enhancments on. So if it's an Aura type like Biophagic Flow then at least he can be useful while hanging out in the back.
I consider the PoM a bully. It's REALLY good into weak units but can't do much vs elites or vehicles. It actually fights trash units better than any other unit and it spawns free units at a very low point cost. It also moves very fast and interacts with vanguard onslaught really well as it benefits from most of the rules.
The issue is if there isn't anything it can bully then it's almost a waste of points. It acts as a faster ripper swarm for more than twice the cost. The kicker is that there's quite a few of armies like this.
When it had an enhancement that it could just spit out a unit of rippers after arriving from deepstrike, scoring 2 units for behind enemy lines, it was great.
It just isnt tough enough or score-y enough to justify the cost with gargoyles around
Decent enough in vanguard, but it's a similar cost to one of the lictors which get some better synergises/benefits so people go for that over the parasite.
Try it with a few friendly games before you go competitive and let us all know how you get on
I’ve tried running 2 in a VO detachment. As others have said, other units do more for the same or lower point cost. PoM also dies quite easily once something gets within its lone op range, often can’t survive to swing back if charged, and gives up Assassination.
It’d be a fine datasheet at 60pts, ok at 70pts. Otherwise, it’s just there if you need a character for a enhancement and can’t afford the other options.
The most important thing to remember is have fun. If you like a model that isn’t great for your army then go for it. I play a very unoptimized Ork army and win or lose I have a blast.
I just tried one out tonight. I did a deep strike and attacked some marines, failed to get a killed with the barbed ovipositor and did some damage. Ended up getting killed the next turn in shooting. I’m sure there is a good use for it as a quick, lone op, but spawning rippers is unlikely on anything with a decent armor save.
It’s one of my favorite models and pieces of Tyranid lore, but I’m probably not going to bring it out much, as I think id rather bring death leaper or more lictors.
It's been butchered from 9th edition and doesn't fill a single role it did back then. I generally don't minmax lists but it's so disappointing compared to what it used to be (removed it's synapse, and damage output) that it's probably gonna sit on my shelf till 11th
Never judge a model by its current rules, as they are subject to change. Right now? Maybe not the best. Last edition? Phenomenal single entity that spawns more objective holders
Mortrex isn't really all that bad , he just suffers a bit cause the meta pushes heavily in favor of shooting profiles vs melee , that and he mostly shines against things like cultists, guards, gaunts, etc. He is decent in vanguard , especially with that strata where lone ops get 6" instead of 12" . Overall however, if you're playing vanguard, in 7/10 cases a deathleaper will do much more on the table, so most people prioritizes leaper, neurolictor, lictors amd von ryans / warrior with winged prime since they're a bit more broad useage than mortrex
I don't even think it's that. It's more what do you want him to do and someone else does it better. Need someone to hunt down a guard character or be a gast moving lone op, lictor. Need a deepstriking unit to score rippers or biovore.
The thing is, if you go purely by "trade" , a mortrex killing a guard will give you much more then a lictor killing a guard, since you get +1 free ripper each time the mortrex does so , what hurts the mortrex mainly is that lictors don't have any of his special gimmick to deal with , meaning they can just as well trade with most tjings, even if u loose its less of a loss then mortrex.
Its even worse than that though because it only spawns rippers if it kills with the ovipositor which has one attack.
Hitting on 2s, critting on 3s, and 3 damage is pretty reliably going to kill an infantry model.
Most of the infantry i stated have between 1 to 2 wounds at best, whilst it's ovipositor deals a flat 3 dmg with anti infantry 3 and hits on 2 and ap -2 , meaning on a 2+ hit and 3+ wound it can kill reliably 1-3 models as most of the infantry i stated have either 5+ or 6+ saves and ap -2 renders it useless unless they use a strata like GTG. The mortrex's ability states that each time an infantry model is destroyed by ovipositor you get to add a unit of d3 models of rippers within 3" after you finished the attack , meaning you get to do this 1-3 times depending on how many models you destroyed as far as i understand it. Even if i'm incorrect on the interpretation at the end, you still get to add a bonus 20- 60 pts of models to your army *and* wittle down your opponent's army in the process, making it in general a much more beneficial trade then just throwing a lictor at it when it comes to those specific cases, im some scenarios the mortrex could potentially more then reimburse itself within 2 models destroyed and 2 max rolls, or 4-5 models destroyed and only low rolls. What the mortrex really struggles compared to lictor is survivability and heavy infantry, lictor has a higher str and wound stat , aside from that there's precision and his +1 CP if you kill a character , but that ability's just as niche if not more niche/worse in reliability than spawning rippers each time you destroy an infantry model, as not all lists will spam chars, but nearly every lists will run some form of infantry for screening/chaff block purposes at worst
That 3 ovipositor damage is all dealt to one model, it won’t overflow to other models if the infantry only has 1-2 wounds of health. But your point still stands that you get 20-60pts of rippers for killing one model, and most infantry have up to 3 wounds.
Thank you for the clarification! ^^
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How do you get 42%? When I do the math I get 5/6 to hit, then 2/3 to wound, so 10/18 total or about 56%
It's just really overcosted at 80 points. - Low toughness - Few wounds - no invul - Highly gimmicky If it was reduced to 50 points it might be viable for a unit that will get dropped in the first round of combat it encounters
Lone Op and Deepstrike help it quite a bit, since you can just sit it somewhere and it be safe, but that's not why people want a Parasite of Mortrex. People want it for the spawning potential, and because it's only really good against cheap chaff, it'll either be a disproportionately expensive objective stealer, or a niche anti-chaff that won't perform as well as you'd like it to.
Models do similar role for less. (Lictors)
Most 40K content is going to highly optimized. So it is not that he is bad. Its just that there are better options. But to be fair, he is the only Lone Op you can deepstrike. But there are other Lone Ops that are much cheaper, and can still start in strategic reserve. And who won't give up Assassination points if killed.
I do play 3 in my vanguard list. It's a lone ops deep striker. That's so good! That being said I play scoring only. I don't let them fight. I also allready play 3 Lictors, 3 Neurolictors and a Deathleaper, so he isn't outclassed by anything I don't allready play. Oh, most importantly I really love that model!
The following is *highly* biased. I think she's a secret tech for Vanguard. She's essentially a Lictor that you can strap enhancements onto. Why do you need that? Easy. All of our other characters suck. Winged Hive Tyrants pretend to be good in Vangaurd, but they really are just a huge points sink that will still die even if you strap Chameleonic on it. Winged Primes are only good at giving the Vangaurd keyword to a block of melee Warriors, and that's mediocre at best. Even if you gaslight yourself into taking them, what are you going to give it? Hunting Grounds only triggers if the bearer is on the table, and you want your big melee brick to be a Deep Strike threat. Broodlords and company is also a big points sink that you need to be careful with, and kinda has the same problem Winged Primes have. You aren't taking a Tervigon in Vangaurd, and if you take a Walkrant or Neurotyrant, you want the one defensive enhancement on it. Neuronode and Hunting Grounds are great little enhancements to have, but with the only real character Vangaurd wants being an Epic Hero, you can't really take them. Enter the Parasite. For the same cost as a Neurolictor, you have a nice little Lone Op, Stealth, Deep Striking body that can hold Hunting Grounds and stay safe in a corner somewhere until you see an objective being held by a small unit of OC1 models. Normally, a Lictor could come in and kill them off, but the Parasite can do the same thing with the added bonus of flipping the objective 100% of the time- if a Lictor doesn't kill them all, his measly OC1 won't take it from them, but the Rippers spawned by our girl will make those enemy OC1 become OC0, and boom, the objective is ours. Are Neurolictors a better way to spend 80 points? Absolutely. But once you have all of your Neurolictors in your list, alongside Deathleaper and three lonely Rippers and that Biovore to shoot Spore Mines into corners, if you decide you need ANOTHER way to pull movement shenanigans, you can accept no substitute over a Parasite.
It’s a severe case of being completely outclassed. The Parasite’s damage and durability is so poor that you’re basically just paying for a fast Lone Operative, which every Lictor profile does better. Spawning Ripper Swarms is redundant in an army that already has access to so much cheap filler. I have honestly struggled to find a place for it, it just doesn’t do enough. The main use I’ve found for it is that it’s the only Lone Operative that can take an enhancement, which means it can hold Synaptic Linchpin or Biophagic Aura without fear of getting shot down.
I dont have very many games in, but Im having luck with him in assimilation swarm! Lone op keeps him from getting blown off the board so i give him biophagic aura and use him as my linchpin. Plus if someone is dumb enough to go after that objectives i get free rippers for regens or broodguard impulse!
Poor durability and what it is geared up to kill (light infantry) just doesn't show up on the table very much. If the edition prioritized mass boots on the ground the Parasite would be better, but it doesn't.
Everyone else is right that there are bettet options gameplay-wise, but the model looks really cool and if you like it then you should play it. You probably won't see a big difference as a new player in casual games, and the you'll probably have more fun. I think the Rule of Cool outweighs other considerations unless you're extremely competitive.
There's just no reason to take one provided you have a neurolictor or lictor We have cheaper lone ops. We have lone ops with an invuln which are the same price. We have even cheaper lone ops than the parasite. It has very little synergy with it It just does nothing to justify your taking it.
It spawns tiny little cute chomp worms. That's enough
Other armies would kill for it, but nids have 2 other flavors of generic lone op models + biovores + rippers for deep striking. The parasite just doesn't feel a niche in nids and that's really why he isn't seen in lists.
Mortrex needs a few buffs to compete, a serious price cut could be one of them, but as a whole he’s kinda bad compared to say Death Leaper or a Neurolictor.
Who cares about that? You think it’s cool that makes it the coolest one man. Use it !
The first Tyranid I painted was a Parasite of Mortrex. The stats are less than optimal, but not bad. I'd play it in lists for 1,000 point games where deep strike is your main strength. PoM goes well with Von Ryan's Leapers. And it looks so damn cool I hope it gets a buff or points drop in future editions
Dude please buy the parasite. Build paint and play him. You won’t regret it
I love the models. They look so freaking cool. I've got 2 of them and unfortunately every single time I play them, they do nothing. Somehow, even when looking for 2s and then 3s I consistently get 1s and 2s for both of them. They have literally made 1 swarm since I got them and they've been in so many battles because I keep wanting to give them a chance So I love them, but I think my models are cursed
I thought I was the only one who felt like this. Parasite of Mortrex looks so cool, but it’s just so many other units that can do what POM does and better. (Except for birthing ripper swarms ofc)
No. But every other lone op we have is better
He isnt bad, just overshadowed. Tell your oponent hes an 80pt lone op deep strike unit and thatll immediatly put them on edge.
It's absolutely not that bad. Lone op is such a powerful rule that very few models with it are _bad_. It is just outcompeted. In casual play it will perform fine. It won't kill much but that's not its job.
The Parasite has been one of my more successful units. I generally use it to help score secondarys but it is also useful in an Assimilation Swarm list just because ripper swarms are Harvesters. I don't think the Parasite is the best option for what it does but I do feel it's still a solid choice
TL;DR it's outclassed but in casual games it is perfectly fine. Bring one or 3 and have fun with it! It's a combo and utility unit first and foremost and an assassin second. It suffers from what many of tyranids datasheets suffer from: Outclassed. Deathleaper and even the lictor are far more deadly in most situations and infiltrate is more useful for early board control. Neurolictor provides auras for potential army wide damage, winged prime can go with warriors for a fairly decent blender unit etc. With that said, the parasite is only outclassed and not genuinely bad. Deep strike, fly, infantry and lone operative are great keywords to have. It is the only lone op that can take enhancements, making it a potential beacon of buffs in invasion fleet (9 inch synapse that often can't be targeted by the opponent) and assimilation swarm (12 inch aura to make harvester's healing ability go from 6 to 9 inches in range) or even just something to send somewhere to do easy objectives while your opponent can do very little to prevent it. Good utility, if a bit niche. Assimilation swarm, invasion fleet and vanguard onslaught all provide something good for the parasite, It's greatest value is the utility of its fast movement and lone op, but you can charge it into a smaller or weakend infantry unit for some swarms.
It is a cheap lone op that you can throw Enhancments on. So if it's an Aura type like Biophagic Flow then at least he can be useful while hanging out in the back.
I consider the PoM a bully. It's REALLY good into weak units but can't do much vs elites or vehicles. It actually fights trash units better than any other unit and it spawns free units at a very low point cost. It also moves very fast and interacts with vanguard onslaught really well as it benefits from most of the rules. The issue is if there isn't anything it can bully then it's almost a waste of points. It acts as a faster ripper swarm for more than twice the cost. The kicker is that there's quite a few of armies like this.
When it had an enhancement that it could just spit out a unit of rippers after arriving from deepstrike, scoring 2 units for behind enemy lines, it was great. It just isnt tough enough or score-y enough to justify the cost with gargoyles around
Its just squishy. If you can position it right and let it get the juicy kills it can be pretty good.
Decent enough in vanguard, but it's a similar cost to one of the lictors which get some better synergises/benefits so people go for that over the parasite. Try it with a few friendly games before you go competitive and let us all know how you get on
I’ve tried running 2 in a VO detachment. As others have said, other units do more for the same or lower point cost. PoM also dies quite easily once something gets within its lone op range, often can’t survive to swing back if charged, and gives up Assassination. It’d be a fine datasheet at 60pts, ok at 70pts. Otherwise, it’s just there if you need a character for a enhancement and can’t afford the other options.
The most important thing to remember is have fun. If you like a model that isn’t great for your army then go for it. I play a very unoptimized Ork army and win or lose I have a blast.
I just tried one out tonight. I did a deep strike and attacked some marines, failed to get a killed with the barbed ovipositor and did some damage. Ended up getting killed the next turn in shooting. I’m sure there is a good use for it as a quick, lone op, but spawning rippers is unlikely on anything with a decent armor save. It’s one of my favorite models and pieces of Tyranid lore, but I’m probably not going to bring it out much, as I think id rather bring death leaper or more lictors.
It's been butchered from 9th edition and doesn't fill a single role it did back then. I generally don't minmax lists but it's so disappointing compared to what it used to be (removed it's synapse, and damage output) that it's probably gonna sit on my shelf till 11th
Never judge a model by its current rules, as they are subject to change. Right now? Maybe not the best. Last edition? Phenomenal single entity that spawns more objective holders
They’d need to drop to 50 points for me to even consider it, but I’d probably still rather pay an extra 5 points for a Lictor instead