My Math-hammer when it comes to Gaunt broods

[MisterDutch]

Even though I don't play Tyranids, I was curious which different broods of Gaunts exell in different situations. Therefore I've done some math-hammer to see how each possible Gaunt would do vs MEQs and Guardsmen (or anything like it, which is basically T3 enemies).

For each possible Gaunt brood I have calculated the probability to score a wound VS MEQ's and Gaurdsmen with one single gaunt during one single round of shooting (assuming it is within range, of course)

Also, I have calculated the Cost Efficiency of each Gaunt brood by deviding the Wound Probabilities (WP) by the point costs. A higher Cost Efficiency means more killiness for your points vs that enemy.

And lastly, I have ordered all broods in order of Cost Efficiency in two tables; one VS MEQs and the other VS Guardsmen.

Note: the only way I could figure how to include the high cost of some broods against the low costs of others, was by making Cost Efficiency. This in turn only shows the efficiency in a shooting situation. It might of course still be better to have a large brood with a low Cost Efficiency simply because it will take the enemy longer to kill them all.

If you have any suggestions or comments I'd be interested to hear them, as it would be nice to somehow link the killiness of the different broods with their resilience vs shooting and combat.

[Hive Fleet Cobra]

i dont think your allowed to show pt costs. so yeah.but still nice

[Zygh]

This alone just inspired my to change my list setup. If you don't mind, im going to be using these Charts as a reference. Well done, and many thanks for you Mathhammer skills.

PS: I beleive Spinegaunts would be most cost efficient when shot at and attacked in CC. They have the same durability at a lower point cost. This is why they're commonly used as a distraction/filler/screen.

[TamCoan]

PS: I beleive Spinegaunts would be most cost efficient when shot at and attacked in CC. They have the same durability at a lower point cost. This is why they're commonly used as a distraction/filler/screen.

Yep, spinegaunts are generally used more for their mass numbers and tie-up ability than anything else. I'm usually pretty indifferent if my spinegaunts cause no wounds in a game. As long as they serve their purpose, they can die in droves.

Nice numerical breakdown!

[Faolain]

The only reason I prefer termagaunts is the ability to threaten AV 10. I tend to face a lot of land speeders, so one point more each to make my opponent rethink his moves is worth it to me.

[psichotykwyrm]

i dont think your allowed to show pt costs. so yeah.but still nice

He didn't. He calculated cost efficiency, without actually putting in the unit costs.

Back to the OP:
Very nice work. Generally those of us who just like our spinegaunt fodder will probably stick with that, but this can be very useful for someone trying to stretch a few extra points around.

[Lost Nemesis]

He didn't. He calculated cost efficiency, without actually putting in the unit costs.

Unfortunately, it seems that the OP's first image shows the individual costs of Gaunts. and by our forum rules, that's not allowed.

Mister Dutch - I'll remove the offending image for now, and if you want to fix it then please feel free to add it back to your post. If you have any questions, please let me know.

[gunslinger107]

Your analysis overlooks a crucial aspect of the gaunt broods, psychological. I can't tell you how many times my opponent will waste their precious ordanance weapons on my purposely bunched up gaunt brood. The 150 point brood they wipe out serves as fodder divert attention away from the teeth of my army.

[TamCoan]

I think he was simply analyzing their shooting. There's tons of factors that come into play when you're talking about how/why you field gaunts. If you're going for mass bodies, plain spinegaunts are best. If you want some light anti-armor, you're going with a bigger gun and +str.

[Commissar Grimsson]

Wow, I thank you for your work as math is mein NEMESIS!!!!!!!!! Greatly appreciated!