Editing Genestealer (section)

== On the Tabletop ==
[[Image:Genestealers-in-the-grass.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[Fist of the North Star|You're already dead]].]]Both Ymgarl and Purestrain Genestealers are ridiculously deadly in melee, both in fluff and crunch. On the tabletop, when a brood of Genestealers charges something, it's very unlikely to survive to the next turn unless it's a [[Land Raider]] due to their massive number of good strength attacks, rending, and high weapon skill that means they hit most things on 3s (seriously, these guys have higher weapons skill than a lot things made out to be close-combat experts), not to mention that they are fast little fuckers. A Zerg rush has ''nothing'' on these guys. In the fluff, their [[Tyranid_Bio-Weapons#Rending Claws|claws]] are so damned sharp that they might as well be power weapons (back in 2nd Edition and pre-codex 3rd Edition they WERE power weapons), slicing through armor and walls like a chainsaw going through rice paper. Their hypnotic eye powers show up irregularly in the fluff, showing up in the Dark Disciples Novel but not Ciaphas Cain; Hero of the Imperium for example. The fact they are '''[[derp|faster than Eldar]]''' lets them laugh at any unit they charge/charging them, and they are usually deployed a-la Kroot Carnivores (parking them behind a windowless wall 12-18" from the enemy). Unlike Kroots though, they are not there to slow the enemy, they provide a hazardous area for the first turns and then, when the main force has reached their position, they jump out to help OMNOMMing.

In some editions Genestealer broods could upgrade one of the members to a [[Broodlord]], which formerly had a major role due to the biomorphs it could use and psyker powers, but being reduced to a sergeant basically made it just add an extra punch, though it still had a better statline than any non Special-Character Space Marine HQs (except the CSM's daemon prince). Sixth Edition turned Broodlords into rape machines in challenges, as they are able to bring down almost any independent character in the game without eternal warrior, while costing much, MUCH less.

In 8th Edition, Genestealers are still great, but other armies have some melee options that are pretty on-par with them. A horde of Ork Boyz, for example, can pump out 30 more melee attacks in a turn, and cost 110 points less. Granted, they don't have the 5++ invuln, but they still will wreck a horde of Genestealers' shit if they get the first attack. On the other hand, the Genestealers are also very speedy and can rocket to the other side of the board with the right Stratagems. They can also charge after advancing (or lose that ability in exchange for a better armor save that can go up to MEQ-tier if in cover or under the benefits of Jormungandr's Hive Fleet Attribute) and can take [[Tyranid_Bio-Weapons#Acid Maw|Acid Maws]] for a few extra MEQ-killing attacks. Oh, and they also get a Deep Strike similar to a Terminator's teleport homers. They're especially potent with Hive Fleet Kraken since they'll have better advances as well as the ability to charge after falling back, which not only saves them from running the risk of being trapped in melee with something too tough for them to deal with but also improves their already impressive maneuverability and ensures that they'll always get the first swing in.