Week to 7 October - LVO and other happenings of the Hive!

Highlights from the Hive Mind (TLDR)

• We’re still awaiting refreshed data from the guys at StatCheck on LVO and the rest of the weekend, so I don’t have any general stat updates on our faction as yet, but the Hive Mind is watching closely, and we’ll update as soon as we get some fresh numbers!
• Unless you were living under a rock (and even if you were, you’re not safe from our burrowers!), then you’ll know that the legendary LVO was the big event of the weekend, with 548 players descending on the Nevada dessert. Unfortunately there were no podium placements for the Hive this year, but two strong finishes to draw attention to:
  • Daniel Espinoza put in our top performance, closing out in 18th place with a brilliant 5-1 result with his classic Invasion Fleet list.
  • Sandeep Dey similarly managed a stellar 5-1 result (after an early game one set back against T’au) to finish just outside the top 10% with his Subterranean Assault Hive Fleet.
• At the 133 player Michigan GT Manik Gudimani delivered a notable Vanguard Onslaught run with triple Broodlords and mass Genestealers, going 4-1 and finishing in 15th spot.
• Subterranean Assault shone through again in teams in the 112 player Risky Rollers event, with Rhys Cunnigham dropping just 3 points and finishing up second overall in the player placings, and Sam Chamberlain placing 17th with a 4-1 finish.
• At the Edmonton Wargaming Open Scott Fox also piloted a Vanguard Onslaught to success with a heavy melee pressure build, finishing 15th out of 100 with a 4-1 record.
• On the teams stage, at the 50 player Ammonite Games event Ben Gould impressed using a Synaptic Nexus boasting double Norn Emissaries. Ben went 4-1 to finish in 12th.
• Last but by no means least, we turn to Aaron Wall. Aaron finished up second in the player placings at the modest 40 player Roll the Initiative: Atlantic Teams Championship, with an undefeated 5-0 record with his Invasion Fleet list.

Predatory Pulse

The Hive expanded into the season’s second-largest singles event as the Las Vegas Open drew 548 commanders. While the swarm missed the podium, resilient tendrils still punched through with multiple 5–1 / 4-1 finishes.

In teams, Subterranean Assault continues to thrive — its redeploys, deep-strikes and tunnelling angles let captains skew pairings and force favourable engagements. Meanwhile, singles success leaned toward Invasion Fleet and Vanguard Onslaught pressure lists, with the Vanguard detachment no doubt benefitting from and seeing a resurgence following the eradication of the challenger card mechanic.

Hive Fleet Hostilities

This week the Hive Mind spread its tendrils across North America and Australia, with the legendary LVO headlining a packed slate. From ambush predators to towering bio-cannons, our broods adapted to every theatre — and a few commanders stood out for special mention below.

Las Vegas Open — Las Vegas, USA (548 players, singles)

The Las Vegas Open – better known simply as LVO – remains one of the grand stages of the Warhammer 40K calendar, and this year’s twelfth iteration was no exception. With 548 players battling under the blinding lights of the Nevada desert, the Hive Mind faced one of its toughest challenges yet.

While Tyranids didn’t manage to breach the podium this time, Daniel “WTFChicken” Espinoza led the swarm with a formidable 5-1 finish, placing 18th overall. His performance once again showcased the enduring resilience of the Invasion Fleet, proving that classic hive strategies can still carve through even the densest field of competition.

Sandeep Dey also put in a brilliant 5-1 performance with his Subterranean Assault list to finish just outside the top 10% in 56th place.

Noteworthy Performers

Daniel Espinoza (Invasion Fleet, 18/548)

OG Tyranid Mommy (2000pts)

Neuropathic Readings

A classic Invasion core — layered synapse, mass gaunts, and heavy guns to crack armour. Espinoza leveraged Perfectly Adapted on the Hive Tyrant for improved reliability and Adaptive Biology on the Tervigon for enhanced durability through the addition of the Feel No Pain, while Exocrines and double Rupture Cannon Tyrannofexes punished vehicles from range.

Hive Fleet composition

• 1 x Broodlord
• 1 x Hive Tyrant (Perfectly Adapted)
• 1 x Neurotyrant (Warlord)
• 1 x Tervigon (Adaptive Biology)
• 3 x 20 Termagants (Spinefists)
• 1 x Biovores
• 1 x 10 Genestealers
• 2 x Lictors
• 1 x 3 Venomthropes
• 2 x Exocrines
• 2 x Tyrannofex (Rupture cannon)

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Chaos Knights — 87–71 (W)
• R2: vs Adeptus Mechanicus — 94–40 (W)
• R3: vs Imperial Knights — 64–72 (L)
• R4: vs Necrons — 81–76 (W)
• R5: vs Death Guard — 67–65 (W)
• R6: vs Adeptus Custodes — 90–60 (W)

Sandeep Dey (Subterranean Assault, 56/548)

How? The "Tunnel Effect." (2000pts)

Neuropathic Readings

Emerging from an early setback against T’au, Sandeep’s performance embodied the resilience of the Hive Mind. His mid-tournament adaptations demonstrated the flexibility of the detachment — pivoting from ambush play to pressure and objective dominance. With five consecutive wins, he delivered one of the faction’s top global performances of the week.

A quintessential Sub-Assault list including the pimped Trygon (Trygon Prime), Swarmlord, Zoanthropes and double Rupture Tyrannofex to anchor, while triple Ravener squads and utility Lictors/Neurolictors applied multi-angle pressure and charged from unexpected vectors.

Hive Fleet composition

• 1× Hyperadapted Raveners
• 1× Neurotyrant (Tremor Senses, Warlord)
• 1× The Swarmlord
• 1× Trygon Prime
• 1× Maleceptor
• 2× Tyrannofexes (Rupture Cannons)
• 2× Lictors
• 1× Neurolictor
• 2× 5 Raveners
• 1× 3 Von Ryan’s Leapers
• 1× 6 Zoanthropes
• 1× Biovore

Synapse Report

• R1: vs T’au Empire — 59–81 (L)
• R2: vs Blood Angels — 54–49 (W)
• R3: vs Drukhari — 100–34 (W)
• R4: vs Necrons — 73–39 (W)
• R5: vs Necrons — 79–75 (W)
• R6: vs Chaos Knights — 71–53 (W)

Michigan GT — Michigan, USA (133 players, singles)

A deep singles field where stealth and speed paid dividends. Vanguard Onslaught made waves with melee threat saturation and objective tempo plays.

Noteworthy Performer

Manik Gudimani (Vanguard Onslaught, 15/133)

Ladies call me Mr. Balls Deep 😏 (2000pts)

Neuropathic Readings

I can see Manik is a melee connoisseur… and a man of my own heart with a Vanguard Onslaught list very similar to my own. With three maxed out squads of genestealers (led by broodlords for devastating wounds) and two units of hyper-adapted raveners, Manik’s Vanguard list sure packs a speedy punch, whilst the detachment rules bring lots of speed, movement flexibility and general jankiness to control the board.

For me, the interesting addition in Manik’s list is the Swarmlord. Now, Vanguard is a very CP-heavy detachment - particularly with the incredibly valuable Hypersensory Scillia stratagem (which gives you the ability to reactive move two units a flat 6” when an enemy unit finishes a move within 9”) costing a punchy 2 CP. The inclusion of the Swarmlord for the CP farm therefore makes a lot of sense. However, I personally lean towards the Winged Hive Tyrant in Vanguard as he has the keyword that gives him all the detachment buffs, and critically can keep up with the rest of the army. However, he’s not always in the right pace to make the most of his 12” CP reduction, and so I can see the added value you potentially get from the Swarmlord. The CP vect aura is also always a nice benefit, that can cause your opponent some headaches. Whilst I’m not sure I could personally justify the extra 50 points, I will certainly give it a test run… and it clearly worked well for Manik as went 4-1 (with some very big score), securing 16th place.

Hive Fleet composition

• 3 x Broodlords
• 1 x Deathleaper (Warlord)
• 2 x 5 Hyperadapted Raveners (each with Ravener Prime)
• 1 x Swarmlord
• 3 x 10 Genestealers
• 2 x 5 Raveners
• 1 x 6 Von Ryan’s Leapers
• 1 x Lictor
• 2 x Neurolictors
• 1 x Biovores

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Adeptus Custodes — 100–25 (W)
• R2: vs Imperial Knights — 100–10 (W)
• R3: vs World Eaters — 56–100 (L)
• R4: vs Chaos Daemons — 88–42 (W)
• R5: vs Grey Knights — 100–97 (W)

Risky Rollers Team Tournament 2025 — Coburg North, Australia (112 players, 8-man Teams Event)

The Risky Rollers Team Tournament saw the Hive Mind burrow deep beneath The Gaming Arena in Victoria, where 14 8-player teams (112 players) clashed in an intense two-day contest.

Team events like this offer unique opportunities for the Hive Mind to employ specialised “skew” lists, designed to exploit favourable pairings and avoid natural predators. In these environments, detachments with movement flexibility and reactive threat projection thrive — and none exemplify this more than Subterranean Assault.

While Invasion Fleet continues to dominate the singles scene, Subterranean Assault has become the detachment of choice for elite teams — enabling deep strikes, redeploys, and devastating ambushes that let its commanders dictate engagements rather than react to them.

At the heart of this synaptic surge was Rhys Cunningham, representing the Barbarian–Hipster Alliance, who delivered a flawless performance to finish undefeated (5-0) and 2nd overall in individual placings, dropping just three points.

Sam Chamberlain also deserves worthy recognition for his burrower brood, which after a set-back to Eldar in round one landed him 17th place in the player placings with a strong 4-1 result.

Podium Placer

Rhys Cunnigham (Subterranean Assault, 2/112)

who remembers that time dean sucked Solis toe? no, because jez ate toast without his shirt on. (2000pts)

Neuropathic Readings

Rhys’s Subterranean Assault force was a textbook execution of the detachment’s design — the enhancements bringing access to the 3-unit redeploy and the option for turn one deep strike. 3 units of raveners bring the innate “downy-uppy” to open up tunnels all over the board from which the zoanthropes and hive guard can emerge to release fury. The hyper-adapted raveners also pack a mean punch!

I also like the inclusion of the Swarmlord in Subterranean Assault. The detachment is naturally CP hungry, so getting the extra boost each round is definitely helpful. Additionally, his vect aura can be great as disrupting enemy responses when dropped out of a tunnel. His force combined The Swarmlord’s strategic foresight with Ravener-led sub-synaptic infiltration, enabling early board dominance that few opponents could recover from.

Hive Fleet composition

• 1 x Deathleaper
• 2 x 5 Hyperadapted Raveners (Vanguard Intellect / Tremor Senses)
• 1 x Neurotyrant (Warlord)
• 1 x Swarmlord
• 1 x Trygon (Trygon Prime)
• 2 x 10 Hormagaunts
• 1 x Biovores
• 1 x 6 Hive Guard (Shockcannons)
• 3 x 5 Raveners
• 1 x 5 Genestealers
• 1 x Lictor
• 1 x 6 Zoanthropes

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Adeptus Sororitas — 20–0 (W)
• R2: vs Drukhari — 17–3 (W)
• R3: vs Adeptus Custodes — 20–0 (W)
• R4: vs Aeldari — 20–0 (W)
• R5: vs Chaos Space Marines — 20–0 (W)

Noteworthy Performer

Sam Chamberlain (Subterranean Assault, 17/112)

Tunnel Snakes Rule (2000pts)

Neuropathic Readings

Sam brought a well-rounded Subterranean Assault list. The tyranids came in two-by-two (hurrah!) with double trygons, double exos, double haruspex, double hormagaunts and double lictors. He also squeeed in a mawloc for some mortal wounds on the deep strike, making the most of the recent points drop.Sam took an early loss to Eldar, but bounced back strong to finish 17th with a 4-1 record.

Hive Fleet composition

• 1 x Swarmlord (Warlord)
• 1 x Winged Hive Tyrant (Tremor Senses)
• 1 x Trygon (Vanguard Intellect)
• 1 x Trygon (Trygon Prime)
• 2 x 10 Hormagaunts
• 1 x Biovores
• 2 x Exocrines
• 2 x Haruspex
• 2 x Lictors
• 1 x Mawloc
• 1 x Psychophage
• 1 x Tyrannofex (Rupture cannon)

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Aeldari — 5–15 (L)
• R2: vs Aeldari — 18–2 (W)
• R3: vs T’au Empire — 20–0 (W)
• R4: vs T’au Empire — 18–2 (W)
• R5: vs Grey Knights — 18–2 (W)

Edmonton Wargaming Open — Edmonton, Canada (singles)

A brisk singles field where stealth lists rose. Best Tyranid placing went to Scott Fox, piloting Your Emperor Sucks And You Know It, a Vanguard Onslaught list that leaned heavily into hyper-mobile, precision strikes through layered infiltration units. His performance marked another strong showing for the Tyranid vanguard detachments, following Manik Gudimani’s success in Michigan.

Noteworthy Performer

Scott Fox (Vanguard Onslaught, 15/100)

“Your Emperor Sucks And You Know It” (2000 points)

Neuropathic Readings

Scott took 15th place overall at the Edmonton Wargaming Open 2025. He leaned hard into Vanguard Onslaught’s speed and melee-rush threat with three squads of genestealers, two units of hyper-adapated raveners and a suite of lictors/neurolictors. I’ve no doubt that volume of lone ops gave Scott’s opponents some headaches!

Hive Fleet composition

• 1 x Broodlord (1 with Stalker)
• 1 x Deathleaper (Warlord)
• 2 x 5 Hyperadapted Raveners (1 with Chameleonic)
• 1 x Winged Tyranid Prime
• 1 x 10 Gargoyles
• 2 x 10 Hormagaunts
• 1 x Biovores
• 2 x 10 Genestealers
• 1 x 5 Genestealers
• 3 x Lictors
• 2 x Neurolictors
• 2 x 5 Raveners
• 1 x 6 Tyranid Warriors (melee)

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Grey Knights — 100–37 (W)
• R2: vs Astra Militarum — 76–89 (L)
• R3: vs Necrons — 100–20 (W)
• R4: vs T’au Empire — 100–47 (W)
• R5: vs Dark Angels — 77–63 (W)

Ammonite Teams — (50 players, 10-team Teams Event)

A smaller teams engagement where Synaptic Nexus tech rose to the fore. Ben Gould showcased control-oriented play with double Norn Emissary and a layered psychic core.

Noteworthy Performer

Ben Gould (Synaptic Nexus, 12/50)

I’m Norny (2000pts)

Neuropathic Readings

Ben brought some creativity to the table with the less prominent Synaptic Nexus detachment. Ben’s list harboured lots of tankiness, with dual norns and double maleceptors. Board control came in the form of 3 units of gargoyles (which I personally can never get enough of!) and a unit of hormagaunts.

Hive Fleet composition

• 1 x Hive Tyrant (Heavy venom cannon; Synaptic Control)
• 1 x Neurotyrant (Warlord; Psychostatic Disruption)
• 3 x 10 Gargoyles
• 1 x 10 Hormagaunts
• 1 x Biovores
• 2 x Exocrines
• 2 x Maleceptors
• 2 x Neurolictors
• 2 x Norn Emissaries

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Necrons — 12–8 (W)
• R2: vs Space Wolves — 6–14 (L)
• R3: vs Imperial Knights — 12–8 (W)
• R4: vs World Eaters — 15–5 (W)
• R5: vs Drukhari — 16–4 (W)

Roll the Initiative: Atlantic Team Championship

An Invasion Fleet “big bugs + utility” list made waves with adaptive trading and midfield dominance at the Atlantic Team Championship.

Podium Placer

Aaron Wall (Invasion Fleet, 2/40)

Nids 1 (1990pts)

Neuropathic Readings

This is an unconventional list again, showcasing some less scene units such as the much-loved Old One Eye with his carnifex brood.

Hive Fleet composition

• 1 x Deathleaper
• 1 x Hive Tyrant (Heavy venom cannon; Adaptive Biology)
• 1 x Neurotyrant
• 1 x Old One Eye
• 1 x Swarmlord (Warlord)
• 1 x 10 Hormagaunts
• 1 x Biovores
• 1 x 2 Carnifexes (Deathspitters; Spine banks; Bio-plasma)
• 1 x Lictor
• 1 x Maleceptor
• 1 x Neurolictor
• 1 x Norn Emissary
• 1 x Psychophage
• 1 x 6 Zoanthropes

Synapse Report

• R1: vs Imperial Knights — 20–0 (W)
• R2: vs Thousand Sons — 15–5 (W)
• R3: vs Imperial Knights — 17–3 (W)
• R4: vs Aeldari — 20–0 (W)
• R5: vs Death Guard — 15–5 (W)

Closing Thoughts of the Hive Mind

The Hive did not podium at LVO, but it adapted — 5–1 records at a 548-player major speak to the faction’s ceiling in expert hands. Across the globe, Subterranean Assault continues to be the teams terror, while singles results point to a healthy split between Invasion’s guns-and-gaunts and Vanguard’s ambush predation.

I’m personally really excited to see Vanguard rising back to success as it’s the play-style I most vibe with – melee pressure, board control and lots of jankiness (with a redeployment enhancements, reactive moves, uppy downy and lone ops strats to name but a few all giving your opponent lots to think about).

I think we can attribute this to two key factors. Firstly, the shifting meta and the decline of the CK/IK dominance, that we have seen in recent months - which I just don’t think our faction generally dealt that well with. However, the most important factor I believe is the (much-welcomed!) abolition of challenger cards. Vanguard is a detachment that applies a lot of early game pressure and racks up the points in the first few rounds, often leaving you with little on the table heading into the end-game. The challenger card mechanic really punished this game pacing.

Whilst we’re seeing some limited success in the hands of skilled pilots, I think we still need a bit of love from G-Dubz. My fellow Art of War Down Under fans may have heard that Anthony Vanella and Adam Camilleri recently called our faction out as the only one currently needing rules changes… and I can’t say I disagree with this.

But remember, our time will come…

The Hive Mind adapts.
The Hive Mind evolves.
And above all — the Hive Mind devours.

Adapt to the Meta | Evolve your Gameplay | Devour the Competition