Vanguard Onslaught: The 11th-Edition Tyranids Vanguard Detachment
How to play Vanguard Onslaught in 11th edition — the 2-DP fast-infiltrator detachment that advances-and-charges and hunts characters with Lictors and Genestealers.
SprueSentry strategy commentary for 11th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly — always confirm against the current official rules and your latest dataslate before a game.
Vanguard Onslaught is the Tyranids fast-infiltrator detachment: a 2-Detachment-Point package for an aggressive, mobile alpha strike built around Lictors, Genestealers, Raveners and other vanguard bioforms. It reflects Warhammer 40,000 11th edition (Tyranids Faction Pack, June 2026).
This is SprueSentry strategy commentary, not official rules. The mechanics come from community rules databases; points weren't cleanly confirmed, so verify against the current Faction Pack and the Warhammer 40,000 app before a game.
What the Questing Tendrils detachment rule does
Your units can charge in a turn they Fell Back, and your Vanguard Invader units (Lictors, Deathleaper, Neurolictor, Genestealers, Von Ryan's Leapers, Raveners, Mawloc, Trygon and winged bioforms) can also charge in a turn they Advanced. That gives your fast bioforms enormous, reliable charge threat and lets them disengage and re-commit at will. A secondary rule lets Deathleaper become your Warlord. It's a hit-and-run skirmish detachment that dictates where combat happens.
Stratagems and when to use them
- Surprise Assault (Shooting/Fight) — force a Battle-shock test on the target; your unit gets +1 to Hit, and +1 to Wound if the test failed.
- Assassin Beasts (Fight) — a Vanguard Invader Infantry unit's melee gains Precision, to snipe attached characters.
- Seeded Broods — treat the battle round as one higher for a unit arriving from Reserves, getting key units in earlier.
- Hypersensory Scillia (opponent's Movement) — a reactive 6" move.
- Unseen Lurkers (defensive) — a unit can only be shot by enemies within 18".
- Invisible Hunter — pull a unit into Strategic Reserves to redeploy and strike later.
Enhancements worth taking
- Neuronode — after deployment, redeploy up to three Vanguard Invader units (bypassing Reserves limits). Elite counter-deployment.
- Stalker — +1 to Hit and Wound against a chosen enemy unit, for a reliable character kill.
- Chameleonic — Stealth and Benefit of Cover for the bearer's unit.
- Hunting Grounds — enemy units arriving from Reserves must take a Battle-shock test.
Key units
- Lictors / Deathleaper — core Vanguard Invader infiltrators; deep-strike and precision melee, and Deathleaper can be your Warlord.
- Neurolictor — debuffs the enemy and loves the advance-and-charge mobility.
- Von Ryan's Leapers / Genestealers — fast infiltrating melee that exploits advance-and-charge.
- Raveners / Trygon / Mawloc — burrowing bioforms that arrive from reserves and slam home charges (great with Seeded Broods).
When to pick Vanguard Onslaught
Take it for an aggressive, mobile, melee-forward alpha-strike list built around fast infiltrating bioforms. It maximises Lictor, Genestealer and Ravener hit-and-run play and reserve manipulation. Avoid it if your list leans on shooting — it does little for ranged output. At 2 DP it leaves 1 DP for a support like Ambush Predators.
Sample gameplan: deploy a light footprint, holding Vanguard Invaders in reserves and infiltrating positions. Use Neuronode and Seeded Broods to control arrival timing, then advance-and-charge with Questing Tendrils to strike key targets turn two. Stack Surprise Assault or Stalker on a priority kill, use Unseen Lurkers and Hypersensory Scillia to dodge return fire and reposition, and Invisible Hunter to pull a unit out and re-commit it later.
Common questions
How many Detachment Points is Vanguard Onslaught?
2 DP, leaving 1 DP at a 2,000-point game for a support detachment. (It's a Reconnaissance-role detachment carried over from the codex.)
What is the Vanguard Onslaught detachment rule?
Questing Tendrils: your units can charge in a turn they Fell Back, and your Vanguard Invader units (Lictors, Genestealers, Raveners and more) can also charge in a turn they Advanced — giving your fast bioforms huge charge threat ranges. Deathleaper can also become your Warlord.
What units are best in Vanguard Onslaught?
Vanguard Invaders: Lictors and Deathleaper, Genestealers and Von Ryan's Leapers, and burrowing Raveners, Trygons and Mawlocs that arrive from reserves and charge in. It's an all-melee, hit-and-run detachment.
Is Vanguard Onslaught a shooting detachment?
No — it's almost entirely melee and mobility focused, with little to offer ranged output. Take it for an aggressive infiltrating alpha strike, not a gunline.
Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.