Editing DISTRACTION CARNIFEX (section)

==DISTRACTION TACTICS==
First, choose your DISTRACTION model. A DISTRACTION model must have the following properties:
*Physical size. Remember, you ''want'' the DISTRACTION to get shot. You still want it to stay alive so, by all means, chase after cover saves as best you can, but if there's ever a ranged threat on the table that can't see the DISTRACTION, then you're doing it wrong.
*Toughness. DISTRACTIONS don't necessarily need offensive punch -- they're actually fairly likely to die before they hit melee -- but you need them to grip the table for as long as possible.
*Scariness. Remember that DISTRACTION is a psychological tactic; the bigger and scarier your model ''looks'', the better your chances are of it pulling enemy gunfire.
*Low(ish) points cost. The DISTRACTION is a ''support'' model (indirectly) -- it should not be hogging your army points. By all means, give it all the toughness-boosting wargear you can get, and maybe one really scary-looking melee weapon wouldn't go amiss, but you want the rest of your army to be able to compensate for the loss of the DISTRACTION in the early game.

Second, choose the rest of your army. Anything that can boost the DISTRACTION's toughness without being too vulnerable itself is a must. Aside from that, try to build your army with a focus on smaller models and glass cannons -- if the DISTRACTION is taking fire, you don't need to worry so much about the little guys.

When you're deploying your army on the table, put the DISTRACTION down first, and put it right in the middle of the board (unless there's an obstacle in the middle, in which case you should put it in the longest unobstructed lane from front to back). Alternatively, you can deploy the DISTRACTION model through [[Deep Strike]], but only if you have a [[Drop Pod]] or some other method for guaranteeing that it'll enter from reserve by Turn 2 at the latest.
*As of 8th Edition rules, deep strike rules and all their mishaps and issues (e.g. scattering and delays) no longer apply, but you can only deep strike units outside of your own deployment zone starting on Turn 2, and even then the deep striking has to be at least 9" away from enemy models. As a result, it's best suited for things which either have a way to reroll charges or have something to shoot with in case they don't make the charge. 
*You could also plonk your DISTRACTION down last, after building an intentionally-there hole in the middle of your army. Make it nice and memorable, and the other guy won't even remember you put the rest of the army there to begin with.

During the battle, move the DISTRACTION either first or last in your turn order, and keep it in front of the rest of your force to keep its alleged threat fresh in your opponents' minds.

If the DISTRACTION pays off, the battle will go something like this:
*'''Guard turn 1:''' Everything shoots the DISTRACTION CARNIFEX.
*'''Tyranids turn 1:''' Tyranids advance.
*'''Guard turn 2:''' Everything shoots the DISTRACTION CARNIFEX.
*'''Tyranids turn 2:''' Tyranids advance.
*'''Guard turn 3:''' Everything shoots the DISTRACTION CARNIFEX. DISTRACTION CARNIFEX finally dies.
*'''Tyranids turn 3:''' Remaining Tyranids eat everyone else's face.

===How to counter a DISTRACTION===
To be honest, if you can recognize a DISTRACTION play, you already know how to counter it; ''don't dedicate your entire army just to killing the DISTRACTION.'' If you spread your firepower in a vaguely sensible way, then you can weaken the DISTRACTION and the rest of the opponent's army. For example, if you have some weapon which only hurts the DISTRACTION on a 6+ and doesn't break its armor, maybe don't shoot the DISTRACTION with it.

*In 8th Edition, many larger single-model DISTRACTIONS now have degrading statlines that significantly weaken their offensive presence if they drop a tier or two on that. If ignoring the DISTRACTION isn't fully an option, simply slapping it down a peg to gimp its stats is enough to safely prioritize more important aspects of your enemy's army.

*9th Edition has set a new standard in power creep that further reduces the viability of DISTRACTIONS. While monsters/vehicles can now fire their (non-Blast) ranged weapons while in melee at the target's they're ''in'' combat with (at a -1 to hit penalty if said weapons are Heavy), many weapons received not insubstantial buffs that make taking down single-entity targets like monsters and vehicles significantly easier (looking at you, Multi-meltas). New units like the Space Marine Eradicators can turn a DISTRACTION CARNIFEX inside out with a single shooting phase and in the (unlikely event) the DISTRACTION survives, it still likely has to deal with dramatically reduced stats thanks to the damage table mechanics introduced last edition.

===Is it really a DISTRACTION model?===
People often confuse DISTRACTION units with Death Star units. To alleviate these misconceptions, we'll give a brief run-down of each role:

*DISTRACTION - a DISTRACTION unit, is large, menacing, and most importantly ''expendable''. It needs to serve as its namesake suggests: as a DISTRACTION. It's not meant to be a line-breaker (although it can certainly act as one if given the chance), it's an assistant to your line-breakers, by re-directing damage from them that would otherwise gimp your front line. A DISTRACTION unit doesn't have to be heavily armed or be an avatar of destruction, it just has to be cost-effective enough that it seems menacing that your opponent can't leave it alone for too long (as it can still do a number to their units if it got close enough to be effective), but at the same time: cheap enough that losing it doesn't cripple your chances of victory.

*Death Star - like the Star Wars superweapon it's named after, Death Star unit(s) are typically large (in body or bodies), destructive and ''expensive''. They will typically (not necessarily always) encompass a significant portion of your army list, if your list wasn't already just tailor-made to support the Death Star unit(s) you're bringing. Where a DISTRACTION doing any real damage to your opponent's forces is simply taken as a bonus, a Death Star's entire purpose is to decimate your opponent's armies with impunity. Because of this, Death Stars ''aren't'' expendable and losing them early on can irrevocably cripple your army for the rest of the game (if you don't just lose shortly afterwards). As such, this is where your cost efficient DISTRACTION units come into play; DISTRACTIONS advance and tie up your opponent's army and attention while your Death Star gets into position and burns through their forces. 

It should be noted that there are cases where the line between a DS and a DISTRACTION starts to get blurry, either because the unit is far more powerful than its cost would suggest or because the rest of your units are almost as expensive as the unit in question. While very rare, such hybrids are by far the most effective DISTRACTIONS of all since if they're not killed immediately, they place an opponent in a no-win situation where ignoring the DISTRACTION is as likely to make them lose as falling for the DISTRACTION.  Primarchs stand out in particular, as they are always lethal and usually tanky enough to make their points back against anything other than another Primarch (if not table the opponent entirely given enough time and a particularly bad matchup).