Genestealers
SWORD: what Genestealers kills
Damage for its points
per 100 pts spent
Its 140 pts kill ~94 pts in one activation.Typical melee unit: 55 per 100
Best against line infantry, weakest against heavy vehicles and monsters
Into each enemy type
Units near it by SWORD
Across the game· melee units
SHIELD: how hard Genestealers is to kill for its points
Toughness for its points
per 100 pts spent
Its 140 pts take ~452 pts of enemy units to kill.Typical melee unit: 307 per 100
Units near it by SHIELD
Across the game· melee units
What reviewers say
4 reviewers- Taken with a Broodlord, a general threat 3 of 4
- Early pressure in the right detachment 1 of 4
- Fast, and can trade up 1 of 4
- Weak into tougher marines without a leader's help 2 of 4
- Only quick enough in one detachment 1 of 4
Compare
| Unit | Letter | SWORD | SHIELD | Lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genestealers140 pts | B | Top 29% | Top 42% | 54of 217 |
| Raveners125 pts | A | Top 25% | Bottom 37% | 88of 217 |
| Neurolictor80 pts | S | Bottom 5% | Top 8% | 123of 217 |
With a leader
| Solo | Led | |
|---|---|---|
| SWORD | 123 | 130 |
| SHIELD | 323 | 359 |
Per 100 pts: on its own, then with the leader joined.
How we got these numbers
What we ran
Genestealers, 10 models, 140 pts, with its datasheet's weapons, in Infestation Swarm. On its own: no leader, no stratagems, no other units' auras. Counted as dice: its own abilities, the army rule and the detachment's rule.
SWORD
Enemy points it kills in one activation, per 100 pts of its own, against a mix of targets weighted like top tournament lists.
140 pts → kills ~94 pts → 67 per 100SHIELD
Enemy points it takes to kill it, per 100 pts of its own: the points of the cheapest units from top lists that kill it 80% of the time. It's per point, so a costly unit has to be much tougher to score the same.
~452 pts → 323 per 100Top and bottom %
Where each number ranks among the game's 572 melee units. How we score.
The letter
The average of 4 reviewers' newest Tyranids tier lists: Auspex Tactics (12 Sep), Into the Hive Mind (12 Oct), HivemindHobbies (18 Oct), Maelstrom Gaming Studios (26 Oct). A reviewer who would rather not be counted: tell us.
Lists
217 public Tyranids tournament lists, September – November 2026, from grimstat-corpus (CC BY 4.0). Also from Listhammer. Organisers and players: ask us and we'll take a list or an event down. Numbers run 2 Nov.