Overview
Tyranid Swarm is a counters deck that floods the board with Tyranids. The Swarmlord has Rapid Regeneration, so it enters with two +1/+1 counters on it for each time you have cast your commander from the command zone this game, and Xenos Cunning, so whenever a creature you control with a counter on it dies, you draw a card. A deck that spreads counters around therefore replaces its dead creatures with cards.
The 99 cards are 36 creatures, 6 artifacts, 8 enchantments, 4 instants, 6 sorceries and 39 lands. Every creature is a Tyranid. Many of them have ravenous and {X} in their mana cost, such as Tervigon, Broodlord, Hormagaunt Horde and Mawloc, which enter with X +1/+1 counters and draw you a card if X is 5 or more. The rest of the deck helps with mana, such as Sporocyst, Cultivate and Nexos (which makes your basic lands tap for {C}{C} for costs with X), and with counters, such as Hardened Scales, Clamavus and Death's Presence.
Key Cards
Playing the Deck
The early game is about mana and cheap Tyranids. Biophagus, Nexos and Atalan Jackal are cheap, and Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Rampant Growth, Farseek, Explore and Cultivate speed you up. Sporocyst fetches lands for X, and Shadow in the Warp makes the first creature spell you cast each turn cost {2} less.
The middle of the game is about spreading counters and drawing cards. Magus Lucea Kane puts a counter on a creature at the beginning of combat, Trygon Prime grows itself and another attacker, Tyranid Prime gives your creatures evolve, and Hardened Scales makes every counter bigger. Bred for the Hunt and Inspiring Call draw cards for your countered creatures, and Abundance smooths your draws.
The deck finishes by overwhelming the board and attacking in the air. Deathleaper, Terror Weapon gives creatures that entered this turn double strike, Hierophant Bio-Titan is a massive finisher that gets cheaper when you remove counters, and Bone Sabres puts four +1/+1 counters on an attacker. The First Tyrannic War puts a creature from your hand onto the battlefield and doubles counters, and Starstorm and Exocrine clear the board when needed.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: Almost every creature either uses X to scale with your mana or puts counters on the team, so the deck has a strong plan at every stage of the game. It also has plenty of ways to protect its creatures and punish removal through The Swarmlord's card draw, Tyrant Guard and Inspiring Call.
Weaknesses: The deck has few ways to remove problem permanents other than burning them out or fighting with creatures such as Mawloc, and it has no counterspells. Sweepers can hurt a deck that puts so many counters on its creatures, and several cards have very large costs, such as Hierophant Bio-Titan.
Want to improve it? See the Tyranid Swarm upgrade guide: four swaps with the data behind each one.
Want to see what a fully optimised The Swarmlord build looks like? Try the Oracle.
✦ Build with The OracleFrequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the Tyranid Swarm decklist?
The Tyranid Swarm precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by The Swarmlord. The full Tyranid Swarm decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.
When was Tyranid Swarm released?
Tyranid Swarm was released on October 7, 2022 as part of Warhammer 40,000 Commander.
Who is the commander of Tyranid Swarm?
Tyranid Swarm is led by The Swarmlord, a Temur (U/R/G) legendary creature.
How many creatures are in Tyranid Swarm?
The 99 cards besides The Swarmlord include 36 creatures.
How many lands does Tyranid Swarm have?
Tyranid Swarm has 39 lands in the 99 cards besides The Swarmlord, including basic lands.
Full Decklist
All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Tyranid Swarm precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.