Scythed Hierodule Underwhelming?

[Philosophy Pigeon]

Anyone thinks the tyranid superunit, the scythed hierodule, is a little underwhelming for its cost compared to the super heavy of other factions?

For instance the Scorpion, the Baneblade or the Tessarect Vault...

The scythed hierodule is only range 1, and still has about the same damage as other super heavies. It has poor health at 80 and only 8 base armor. The only upside I see is that its faster compared to other super heavies. But other than that, it seems a bit of a waste for 320 resources.

What do you guys think?

[LuciusRex (KRALJ)]

It's meant to be built in pairs (or more), like the chaos defiler.

[Philosophy Pigeon]

Originally posted by LuciusRex (KRALJ):

It's meant to be built in pairs (or more), like the chaos defiler.

Does it get a buff in pairs or something like the predator?

[Jey]

Originally posted by Philosophy Pigeon:

Does it get a buff in pairs or something like the predator?

No.
The argument isn't valid anyway, considering the Hierodule is a 320 unit (like Scorpion or Baneblade). if you can afford to have two Hierodule, your enemy can afford two Scorpions/Baneblades.

Everything is worse than the Scorpion, it's straight up overpowered.
However, if you think the Hierodule is worse than Tesseract/Baneblade, you're wrong. Their 2 move makes both pretty unwieldy, and anyone sensible will bog them down with trash and just go around them (or you know, just straight up kill them. What are they going to do, retreat 2 tiles per turn?)

The Hierodule is incredibly deadly against anything not super-heavy (the Stomp will crush infantry AND tanks all the same) and while it "only" has 72 HP, it has 33% FnP reduction, which can be increased to 50% with a Hive Tyrant ultimate skill.

While the Hierodule might not be the best super-heavy hunter (its Stomp is almost 50% of its strength, and Stomp cannot be used against super-heavy), its damage cannot be straight up ignored and it's tanky enough to absorb a lot of punishment, allowing units like the Tfex to shoot down the blasted super-heavies from the safety of range 3
The high mobility of the Hierodule also allow you to retreat more easily. Good luck saving a heavily damaged Baneblade. Meanwhile, good luck finding a 5 move Hierodule that went into his own lines.
Of course, it also allows you to attack from further away. (Ambush by Hierodules, anyone?)

I would also say that Tyranids have a lot of way to make the Hierodule deadlier and tankier.
The Hive Tyrant can give it +3 move, +17% dmg/FnP, the Venomthrope can give it 17% ranged damage reduction.
A few zoanthropes can easily cripple your super-heavies (One zoanthrope means -50% damage for two turns on your super-heavy.) forcing you to either split fire to kill the Zoanthrope (with your damage still halved the next turn, and a Zoanthrope costing a mere 80 biomass), or have to face a Hierodule with your damage permanently halved (and let's be honest, even without Stomp, a Hierodule definitely beats a Baneblade with half accuracy).

Baneblades can also be buffed a lot (Tank Commander, enginseer, Void Shield...), but since they are already on the weaker side, it doesn't really matter overall.

Meanwhile, the Tesseract Vault has basically no support. Sure you can have a cryptek giving it 60% invul resistance!... But it's one unit, and either the other tesseract vaults will get killed, or the rest of your army will, or you know, the cryptek itself will get killed by the WAY higher mobility of Tyranids unit.
The Triach Stalker can buff a little the Tesseract Vault, but it's not hard to kill it and it reduces your ability to produce Obelisk to turn into Tesseracts.

So yeah. The Hierodule is not inferior to the Baneblade or the Tesseract.

[SmellyTerror]

Fine answer.