Tyranids vs Blood Angels 2000

I played a tyranid list last night to see if my latest buld was any good.  I've been struck pretty hard by tyranids lately and I'd really like to get them to a point where I'd feel comfortable bringing them to a GT.

My list was:

HQ
Swarmlord 280
Tyrant Guard- lash whips 65

Elites
10 Ymgarl Stealers 230
3 Hive Guard 150
3 Hive Guard 150

Troops
10 Gaunts 50
Tervigon- adrenal glands toxin sacs catalyst 195
10 Gaunts 50
Tervigon- adrenal glands toxin sacs catalyst 195
8 Genestealers- toxin sacs 136
8 Genestealers- toxin sacs 136

Fast
5 Raveners- rending claws 175
5 Raveners- rending claws 175

1992 I think. 

I played against my friend Tom's blood angels. 

HQ
Mephiston

Elites
5 Termies- 2  LC 3 THSS
Land Raider Redeemer- multi melta
Priest 50

Troops
5 Assualt Marines- melta
Land Raider- multi melta

5 Assualt Marines- melta
Razorback- las plas

5 Assualt Marines- melta
Razorback- las plas

5 Assualt Marines- melta
Razorback- las plas

Heavy
Predator- AC LC
Predator- AC LC
Predator- AC LC

We were testing Nova missions and we got the one that's objectives primary, table quarters secondary, kill points tertiary, and spearhead.

There was a large piece of terrain big enough to give all my monsters cover, and there were 4 large pieces of are terrain in each quarter with some hills thrown in.  I won the roll for first and took it.  I deployed with a gaunt screen of 10 gaunts with the hive guard and raveners right behind it, and the monsters right behind that for a cover save.  Swarmlord was in the middle.  I also left the genestealers to outflank, the ymgarls were asleep in the piece of area terrain in his quarter.

He deployed with the land raider in back on his home objective, the redeemer and meohiston ready to charge at my flank.  The predators close together and away from the table edge.  He put 1 las plas back at the edge of his deployment zone and left eh other 2 in reserve.

My Turn 1
I moved up and ran, I repositioned my gaunts to help cover the side that redeemer and mephiston were on.  My hive guard could only draw range to land raiders and they shook both.

His Turn 1
He pushes his redeemer 12" and fires as assualt cannon somewhere.  his terminaters get out and charge (with the priest) at my hive guard, killing 2.  I left a hole in my wall, becasue I wasn't really worried about him charging me,a nd I didn't actually think he would.  Also if he had multi charged my gaunts too and put the lightning claws on them he could have swept both units with fearless wounds.

He also zoomed his las plas back 12" into another quarter to get teh objective in there.  That razorback is close to the board edge.  The preds and raiders all fire a my hive guard and I pass litterally every cover save. 

My Turn 2
My ymgarls and 1 stealer squad came up.  The ymgarls came out of the area terrain in his deployment zone amd multi charge all 3 preds.  I wrecked one, exploded another, and immobilized the 3rd.  (We both forgot it was immobilized and he started moving it later lol.)  the unit of 8 stealers came in on his side and got within and inch of his razorback.  I tried to shoot hive guard at it, hoping to be able to charge the squad that disembarked, sadlt I only stunned it.  I have my gaunts screen my raveners and my raveners screen my tervigons, trying to keep everything away from mephiston.  The swarmlord charged the termies killling 4 of them and the priest (with the guard) and making the last run off the board.  The stealers on te other side were forced to charge the stunned razorack, and with 24 attacks I only scored 1 hit which did nothing because he moved 12". 

His Turn 2
Mephiston failed his test for wings and decided to turn around,  He charged my ymgarls killing like 6, but taking 2 wounds himself.  The redeemer drove away 12".  Neither of his reserves came in.  The marines got out of the razorback and shot the stealers then charged them.  They killed all my stealers, between shooting and combat, but I redueced them to just a sergant.  His shooting killed a hive guard or 2.

My Turn 3
Sadly, this is where I started making mistakes.  I got the last unit of stealers, however they came in on my side even with the re roll.  I was planning on using them to kill the assualt marine and razorback, then to threaten his home objective.  I pushed up with everything and shooting didn't really do anything, but I managed to shake the last preadtor with a lone hive guard.   In combat mephiston killed my last ymgarls, but took 1 more wound.

Now for my major tactical blunder.  Having never used raveners before I wasn't sure what to do with them.  I thought about giving them furious charge then charging into mephison, hoping to trade with him, but I was informed he was I7 and got scared away.  I decided to be aggressive for no reason and give them furious charge and have them charge the regular land raider.  I could only glance, and although I immobilized and weapon destrpoyed it, it didn't matter since he was on an objective.  I essentially jsut wasted 175 points  What I should have done was give the preffered enemy and thrown them a mephiston.  Mephiston would have to choose who he attacked. He was in range of shadows thanks to the swarmlord, so he might have failed some powers.   And, most importantly I would have tied him up, so the swarm lord could have killed him thanks to his lash whip guard.

His Turn 3
Mehiston walked over, out of shadows, and killed all my raveners before the poor guys got to fight back.  His shooting put 2 wounds on swarm lord and 1 on the guard.  He only caused 3 wounds, and I failed every save...  His reserves came on and drove 12" into his back field.  I still don't know why.

My Turn 4
Swarmlord runs over the terrain, still getting a cover save thanks to the guard.  I put FNP on them and hope for the best.  I start to focus on objectives and start fortifying my 2 and the center.

His Turn 4
This is where it really goes down hill.  Mephison flies 12" looking to kill some raveners.  The 2 razorbacks drve 12" up.  He fires like 3 las cannons, 1 twin linked las cannon and a heavy bolter at the swarmlod and guard who have FNP.  He killed the guard and brought the swarm lord to 1 wound. Reassessing the situation he realized mehpiston would be better off using his freaking plasma pistol to finish the swarmlord off.  On the bright side he didn't kill my raveners.

My Turn 5
I'm desperate to kill mephiston so I do something that should have worked, but didn't.  I spawed 27 gaunts (neither tervigon rolled doubles!) and they all shot and charged mephiston.  With 42 attacks (since he killed 6 before I swung) I caused 10 wounds, of which he failed 1.  The raveners jumped accross the field and charged a pair of razorbacks.  Despite needing 6"s to hit I killed both of them!  And a tervigon killed his redeemer and did nothing. 

His Turn 5
Mephiston killed more gaunts and still hasnt died.  The marines fire meltas and pistols at the raveners, and then charge in.  I killed 1 squad of marines, but then died.  A bunch of las cannons shot my tervigon that was nearest all the gaunts, and brought hi to 2 wounds.  The redeemer drove around and flamed some gaunts in my backfield and forced them o run since they were out of synapse.

My Turn 6
I spawn 27 gauntss again and they chagre mephiston,  44 attaks later, he survives, and kills like 20 becasue of fearless wounds.  I move tervigons to hold objectives, and I daisy chain a suad of gaunts between 2 objectives. 

His Turn 6
He shot the tervigon near all my gaunts and killed it.  That allowed mephiston to finish the last of the gaunts.  The lone sergant that finished the stealers on turn 2 got out and charged the squad of gaunts that was daisy chained.  He killed 3, I didn't kill him, and he swept me, claiming another objective.

The game ended here.  1 objective to 2, 1 quarter to 3, and I don't even want to think about kill points. 

Well maybe if swarmlord didn't just roll over and die the minute someone looked at him, or if I had used the first unit of raveners properly, or hadd mpehiston died when he was supposed to I'd have done better.  But that's just how it goes.  I also had some luck, like my spwan rolls were awesome, my hive guard in the begining passed every save, and my raveners wrecked both razors even when they needed 6"s.

I'm going to try tyranids some more and see how that goes.  I'm already liking the way this list is shaping out.