For 29 specifically
You cannot go wrong with Minion DHFs in EXO 3C, you'll have sidewall protection, tacky but durable rubber, and good rolling speeds.
Other ideas are Magic Mary Front and Nobby Nic rear, 2.4 with the Trailstar compound for tackiness/traction. The nobby nic does seem to wear quickly if you're riding aggressively (i.e. turn down corners hard).
Maxxis Ardents roll very fast but you have to play with the psi to get traction dialed, however I've found they slip very predictably so you know when you'll need a bit more momentum or how to "slip" through a rock garden at speed.
The Maxxis HRIIs run a bit narrow, so you shouldn't have clearance concerns on any post 2012 forks.
Speshy Butchers are always a good choice as well, stay away from the purgatory, the rubber is a bit too hard durometer for our trails and tends to slip/break traction unpredictably/all the frickin time.
WTB combo of the Trail Boss and Vigilante are good, I think I'd run the Vigilante up front and a narrow trail boss in the back. Very fast rolling, similar to ardent with predictable traction breaking points.
Tires are something that people for some reason try and don't let go of. I think they're like screw drivers, you don't use a philips head on a standard and you don't use a stubby handle big driver for glasses. If you're going to be riding mostly Kingdom Trails you can do a harder durometer and faster less grippy tire, if you're here in CT riding a bit of everything, something like a mininion DHF which is balanced will do great but excel if you go with 3c compound since its softer in the center tread and harder on corner knobs.
They're also something people wear down way too much and then complain they're not getting performance and blame on the tire. Poor form. They should be the part of your bike you're replacing most frequently. That and grips.
