Bigred
07-01-2013, 01:14 AM
Tau Empire Summary by Darkwynn (posted by Bigred)
I want this series to show case the Tau in full detail and discuss strategies, tactics and even builds that can help the average gamer.
Basic pros and cons of Tau
If you read through a current set of 6th edition books there has been some subtle changes such as reduction of long range fire, limited amount of skyfire options and mobility issues. The Tau addresses some of those issues but at a higher cost. Tau still have their pros and cons that make them what they are. Here is a general high level view.
Strengths
• Lots of Strength 5 shooting
• Large amount of Strength 7 shooting
• Ability to pick up Skyfire
• Large amount of Outflanking opportunities
• Ally potential- so many possibilities
Weakness
• Low/mobility – Can get higher mobility but it defines the build you are taking
• Anti-Tank- yes, you have Strength 7 everywhere but Tau are going to have a problem pushing through AV13 and 14
• Flyer defense is costly and can get out of control
• To much strength 5 shooting- Have to pay attention to the guns you put on the table
• Psyker defense- have to pull an Ally in for Defense
Once you have an understanding of your strengths and weakness, it gives you a solid foundation to build list, strategy concepts and tactics. You understand where you are going to be strong and weak. You have three options from here.
• Build a list that leverages those strengths to the maximum
o In this example you have a lot of strength 5 and strength 7 shooting but you increase the potential risk from your weakness.
• Build a list that shores up that weakness
o In this example you can leverage an ally force for psyker defense or spend so many points on mobility options you don’t have enough guns or firepower to take out the opponent.
• Happy medium or “Balance”
o Then a happy medium you take a build concept and you shore up some of those risk to hedge but you still relay on your key strengths of the list. You basically build tools to handle large problems for your army.
Build Concepts
Infantry build
This is a very basic build with 3 or 4 Firewarrior units. They will typically be in size from 8 to 12 man with 1 or 2 units of Kroot that are 12-20 man in size to bubble wrap/support. You leverage Riptides and multiple crises suits for specialty weapons. While Leveraging an Ethereal to produce a large amount of strength 5 shooting at range .With supporting fire you can keep majority of close combat units away from your lines and protect your group much like a large porcupine. The big downside of this list is taking on mechanized variants and nasty dedicated assault armies. Much like a porcupine the predator is going to find an angle to hit and your defenses will crumble. Units/armies that are quick such as Daemones with multiple flying Monstrous creatures can do this. This army will have large problems in cracking AV13 and 14 at range and will have to rely on Crisis suits to handle this problem. For general principals you play this very much like a Napoleonic gun line or phalanx. Everyone is grouped up tight to leverage Ethereal and supporting fire. Problem with that is your slow moving and not able to reach objectives across the table. Objectives across the table will be harder to take as you have to give up shooting to reach your objectives. Also Durable units that can range with you in 24inches to 30 inches such as Grey Knight Strike squads can be an issue. As you have longer range then Grey knights their shooting is still going to have a higher output then yours. They are also more durable. That being said this type of army would be great for beginners and even strong in an expert player’s hand. You have to understand your weakness and adjust. Kill point objectives and low objective count games will be the boon for you. You win or lose the game in deployment and placing of objectives.
Deep Strike Build/ Suit build
This is a build leveraging Farsight or a commander with signature systems to accomplish a certain objective. I don’t think this build is strong in a large 7 round format but it has potential against certain list. This is a type of build that snowballs certain list and gets snowballed against others. The basic premise is leveraging as much as you can from Farsight/Body guard builds which will allow you to have multiple units with crisis suits, 5 or more is ideal. One being what is usually known as a bomb as when you deep strike they drop down and blow a unit up. Problem with this concept is it is costly. With a Farsight, Crisis Suit bodyguard and configurations the unit cost will be 800+ typically. The other part of the equation is you need to leverage either ahoming beacon from Pathfinders or an Ethereal for other Crisis units. You are creating a small elite army that is surgical in all regards. Maxing out in Ap2 Plasma and Fusion Blaster shots is ideal as you still need to be able to handle other situations. That being said you can easily look at only having 30 models on the table which is comparable to a Dark Angels Terminator amour which has more durability but less fire power. Weakness of this list will be when someone is in that Land Raider and you blow it up only to get assaulted by what is inside. Also Large Horde builds such as Nids, daemons and Orks will be a problem for this list. As you have the ability to Jump Shoot jump they just have more bodies and when you get caught. It is going to be rough. This list has a hard time presenting board control and solidifying that position. You are going to win big or lose big
Fish or Fury
I think this traditional build that people saw back in 4th or 5th edition is viable again and if not one of the better builds. This will typically consist of an Etheral in a Devilfish and 2 to three units in a Devil fish from 10man to 12 man strong. They will have one unit of Kroot maybe two depending on what the purpose is of the Kroot. These type of list will also be supported by Hammerheads and larger models such as riptides while the Crisis suits will either fill a specific role such as Deep striking off one of the devil fish or playing hell in the backfield.
What this build solves for is a lot of the problems that the book has and fits well into 6th edition. You gain mobility at a cost but those points are still durable and allow you to move into key positions. It also protects you mostly from Flyers and making sure you are able to do damage back tokey targets on your terms with the supporting elements. If you can dictate when you get out of your transport and when to commit you will gut units. This will be a strong build against most types such as Chaos, Space Marines, Daemons, Nids and even Grey Knights. You have a fighting match against Necron and Necron Fylers. The problem though with this list is it Is costly point wise to build. This will also be rough for beginner players to start off because you have to have sound tactics and key strategies in place before deploying and what you are going to commit on the board. If you don’t have a plan this list will be unforgiving.
Outflank or I like to call it Kroot from behind
One thing I noticed and I haven’t seen many people talk about this type of list or concept but I am sure it has been brought up. Tau have postinal relays and a lot of outflanking units either from Kroot or Pathfinders. Other types can either Deep strike or be in position quickly for what you need. Another build that stands out that could be strong if anything very annoying is Outflanking 4-5 man kroot squads with Krootox and sniper rifles. You outflank two units of pathfinders and attach Etheral to one of the kroot squads if you want and keep them all in reserve. You have one squad with an Aegis Defense line and Comm Relays to ensure you can get the rerolls of your units on the board. The other thing you start with is two Riptides with Postional relays. On your first two turns you move them into position to hit a board edge and flag that unit to come from that side. With the 2+ save and distance you should have enough durability to weather majority of firepower list. This allows you to bring multiple if not 60+ models on the side which could be devastating against some armies. You leverage 4 to 6 pathfinders just to increase your BS on one or two of your units. The increase puts a large damage potential out of your units. You have to balance keeping your more durable and Anti-tank units on the table for the first turn so you can outflank the rest of your build. It has potential but needs to be focused and redefined, this is a unique build that can and should catch a lot of people off guard.
Tricks/Gimmicks
As I have noticed a lot of tricks and gimmicks in the book I figure I would want to call them out. Some of them could be useful but are expensive. Some won’t bring a strong return for the points you spend for what they do. Fun for Hobby matches but for consistent play they might not work out. On the otherhand they could with specific combo’s.
• Darkstrider with Ethereal and Pathfinders with Rail Rifle or Ion rifle
o -1 Toughness and Rail Rifles/Ion rifles will allow you to Instant Death Toughness 4 models.
• Melee Deathstar Commander – Ally with Pure Tide cheap in either a Space Marine Terminator unit or Eldar Double Lord combo. High points but damage potential is there.
• High amount of Infantry + Anu’va – Snapfire while running could work out but depends on so many factors. This could be solid in round 3 or 4 when you need to start moving and damage can be lower.
Unit Types
Now I will go into basic unit types, thoughts and builds. Hoping in what I think would be the strongest or most ideal configurations for those units. These are not meant to be this is the only way but I want to at least show my thought process behind the army, configurations and what is most ideal in what I do when I build armies. Note there will be a high amount of math involved in the end.
Troops
Firewarriors
The Basic unit of the army that is the backbone of the army. The way I look at these is either you go big. If you want to go small you are better keeping Kroot in Reserve. To make this unit effective you need to bulk them up in the range from either a 10 man or a 12 man squad depending if a IC is attached with them or not. With low leadership and pointing them on the ground they can’t take a lot of damage and stick around. You need to keep them larger or supported by an Etheral. The other basic option is to run them in a Devil Fish. You need to think of the devil fish as close to an 8 to 10 man Firewarrior unit if kitted out correctly. Either way these units are going to be touching people form range or grouping up in schools of Devil fish to unleash fury and gut core troop units.
Kroot
Kroot got a big boost and upgrade in the book I think because of their options. What I consider strong buys are solid configurations would be 15 man squads either used as bubble wrap or out flankers. You can have them supported by two Krootx with the Strength 7 rapid fire gun. I look at them like the Tuskan raiders from Starwars. They are great harassers and can knock light vehicles down. With the help of markerlights on key targets you can hunt down AV10-11 and even 12 depending on the situation. I would look at trying to move these targets to the side but keep them away from any type of assault. They will break down in assault. Now some people are talking about putting Shadowsun in a unit of kroot and I think it is a bad idea. She gives them stealth and shroud but it doesn’t do anything else that can help the unit unless someone is close. You are putting a big egg that is going to get wiped out.
Now that we have discussed the Core, we can go into Elites and our other options while keeping the HQ’s for last to tie in army dynamics.
Elite
Riptide
One of the brand new units that come to the forefront. This unit I think can be pretty strong but just like eating it is only good for you in moderation. There are a couple of builds that should be looked at. For a couple you can look at are infantry killers with the burst cannon and SMS system. You should leverage the precision targeting system if you to do that and early warning override.
The other system is with the Ion cannon which brings your ability to kill light mech and heavy infantry ( Heavy infantry are 2+ or 3+ save in my eyes). You have to make a decision and tradeoff between your other units in your army to decide what is right for you. I also look at the Riptide as being strong as a tie up unit but you need to be careful on what he goes after. He is toughness 6 but with a 2+ save. You have to measure the outcomes but against say a full unit of Khorne dogs without a lord I think he can hold up well. You can look at doing a hit and run vector system but understand with the Initiative 2 he will get out but you have a hard time deciding when he will get out.
The strong Support systems that are useful are the following
Early Warning override – This is great if you combo with the Ion accelerator. It keeps you from having to ally in grey Knight Strike squads for Warp Quake. Instead you make it hard for your opponent to deep strike without taking damage. Either they have to commit or they move away. You are playing games before deployment if your opponent is smart enough to figure this out.
Positional relay- this allows for outflanking at a cheap cost. Allows you to postion your forces where you need to.
Targeting system – Precision shots in high volume can be great esp at strength 6. If you want to key out Dark eldar, Eldar or IG IC’s this is a great way to do it.
Stealthsuits
Now everyone is raging over the new stealth suit squads with the added bonus of stealth, shroud and burst cannon upgrade they are a 6 man squad that should have a 2+ save. That is great and all but the cost per point on the stealth suit I view is still high. Yes you have 24 shots in a 6 man squad but they are still vulnerable to key targets. I also don’t like the two Fusion blasters per 3 limit. It sounds good in theory but if you are shooting at tanks you lose the Burst cannon shots. If you shoot at infantry the Fusion blaster actually decrease your output on majority of units because you lose 4 shots to 1 shot at BS 3. Personally I would pass on these units and look at investing in Crisis suits or invest in more Firewarriors for what these guys bring to the table. Don’t forget Homing Beacons also. IT could allow you depending on terrain to deploy or bait certain units to allow others to counter.
Crisis Suits
The Swiss army knife of the book these should be used to fill the spots/slots in the army that you are missing. With the FAQ change to allow them to have multiple weapon systems of the same type it increased their lethality but they are still expensive for 6 marines in what you are looking to accomplish.
For example if you are looking at a Airsupport Crisis unit that is 3 man it is around 200 points. That is the following
3 Missile Twin linked Pods
Velocity Tracker
If you want to add another missile system it is another 45 points and you are looking at 250 points roughly that at the end of the day has the same durability of 6 marines. The point per model gets higher for what they do.
I look at these as a three tiers; High Cost, mid cost, low cost
High Cost 150 points and up
AP2 killers/tank Killers/ Range
• Fusion/Plasma – Terminator/ Tank hunters
o These will be great equipped with target locks going after infantry and tanks.
• Plasma/Missile – Mid to short range engagement
o Classic Fireknife build which I think will go away. It filled an area that you could hit units from long range but with options of having double plasma or double missile I think you will find units fill specialized roles instead of dual roles.
• Plasma/plasma –Terminator killers/ Dreadknight
o 6 or 12 plasma shots you pick and support them as needed. I see these units deep striking to counter certain builds. You can’t start them on the board
• Fusion/Fusion or TL fusion/TL Fusion – Tank busters
o This is a tank buster build that is best used with a homing beacon. They will deep strike and hit Land raiders or large targets that you need to hit. That being said soon as they come down don’t expect them to live.
• Missile pod/Missile pod – Standoff harass units
o These units fight in contention with Broadsides. They can pick up a lot of missiles and go after flyers if you want them to but you are spending a lot of points with a unit like this. These I view as situational and could have value as you throw 12 missiles across the board to certain targets.
Medium Cost 120- 150
Weapon groups that don’t rely on Markerlights, These are the same as above but you are giving up firepower to make other units in your army more functional or increase dmg out put on them. These you are going for the light harassment or light damage. I view these as effective poke units.
• Plasma TL
• Missile TL
• Fusion TL
Low Cost 100-120
I would’nt buy majoirty of these unnless it was a flamer build and I really needed horde control. These are best to go after infantry with multiple burst cannons but you should have points spent else were instead of these combo’s
• Infantry killers
• Flammer/ Burst Cannons
• Flamer/ Fusion
• Flammer/flamer
• Burst Cannons
As for Support Systems you look into very few otherwise they become too expensive
Dip into the following
Velocity tracker to target Skyfire if needed but don’t double up on units otherwise cost is to high
Puretide chip in a Singuatre system is ideal
Targetlock with Marker Drones can be beneeffical especially you have a Drone controller. You are able to spread Marker lights out to the certain groups. That being said be aware that you are only going to get two or three marker lights from a unit like this at the cost of 60-80 points. They are best to support units like hammerheads or units that don’t need a large increase in BS.
Early Warning override with plasma or combo’s above can be beneficial if you want to keep marines or deep strikers away. Problem is you have to ensure that you are in position to have them. Beware and play test it. It might not work for some but it can be deadly.
Fast Attack
Pathfinders
This is a fun unit that I think got upgraded with a couple of options. You can build these in three ways, Tank spotters/Markerlight junkies, Horde Hunters or AP1 Hunters. Their main function is going to be hitting markerlights which they did in the pass. Problem is they can’t take a beating on firepower so a good general will target them first. If you build them in 4 man units you can expect to get one or two markerlights on a unit. This is great for supporting Hammerheads or Skyrays. If you want to build them up more and you need to look at using them in 8 man units that will apply 3-4 Markerlights on a unit. This allows you to either focus more firepower on that key target from multiple units or create no cover scenarios. The Fast attack section is already crowded in so your choices are key. I think a good rule of thumb is per 500 points you need to have one unit that can apply markerlights in some form.
The other build for these is using them as Horde Hunters or AP1 killers. If you look at adding in DarkStrider and an Etheral you can get some mean combo’s Leveraging three ion rifles to clearing out Hordes can give you an added bonus. Same with Railrifles being able to have AP1 is huge but you also are decreasing toughness for the unit. This allows you to instant kill toughness 3 which can be huge. I would look at adding the Accelerator drone to increase range for the Pathfinders. These make them great harass units but the cost is too high. I would put this as a fun type of unit if you want to play with friends.
Drone Squadrons
These got a huge boost being able to become Marker drone squadrons. At 14 points I think they are a steal. The Pathfinders are cheaper alternatives but these give you mobility and allow you to be fluid with your army. Equip them with a Commander and a drone controller and you are able to apply Marker lights in volume on key targets. This is key if you want to counter Deathstars or need to apply lots of volume on key targets. Also being able to Jump shoot jump allows them to dodge or reduce the amount of shooting that comes back to them. Effective when dealing with units that have limited range band such as Grey Knights who dominate the 24inch range band.
You can look at Gun Drone squadrons but I would look at Piranahas if you are going to do that which brings me to the next unit.
Piranahas
Piranahs wow did they get better with a sublte change. At first they look exactly the same. The are a land Speeder like Skimmer with a melta gun. But if you look at Gun drones changes and the need for Fusion blasters these come out as winners. You get 28 points of Gun Drones that when you buy in bulk turn into a large Gun Drone Squadron which fills the needs above. You are paying 22 points for a Melta gun on a AV 11 tank. This is a steal in my mind. You are also able to block and provide fast moving board control if need be for key units. If you are looking to run gun drones in your army then you need to look at having these as the step cost is low.
Vespids…
Sigh... the chance to be so good but oh well… moving on.
Heavy Support
Hammerhead
I think the hammerhead is going to be one of those must buys just to deal with AV 13 or AV14 targets at range. Units like Ghost Arks and Land raiders are going to be a problem. Having a hammerhead puts a huge threat to your opponent and they are going have to pay attention to it one way or the other. Now I will like to equip mine with Submination rounds in case playing horde. Disruption pod and Black sun filter. Having two of these is ideal in my mind and I would like to take these over Broadsides even. I know some people are going to scream Broadsides are the melt face and are awesome but they serve another role which I don’t think needs to be serviced.
Skyray
This looks awesome on paper but this is one of those I am unsure about still. It is the added anti air everyone has been looking for. It has plenty of Seeker missiles to bring down enemy units, multiple network marker lights even and SMS. My problem is will it function as good as it does on the board. I see this unit sitting in the corner being still. From there you can hit flyers with marker lights but you have problems with range on those markerlights. If you move you can only fire one Markerlight because it counts as a weapon and the other one is snap fire. I have concerns if it will be work as intended or not .It feels like it is missing something here. Only more play testing and trying different tactics will make this unit work.
Broadsides
Looking at these I see you run them either as a 2 man unit or a 3 man unit. You can have drone support or not but it depends on the role. You either have a Strength 8 rail rifle or a bunch of Strength 7 shooting. With the added game mechanic of hull points I think the missile pod variant will bring more to the table then the strength 8. The Strength 8 is limited on shots and really doesn’t threaten AV13 or 14 the way you need it to. These have taking the role of light tank to infantry killers. They have an ability to pump out an absurd amount of Strength 7 shooting at units with decent range. With an ability to pump out 36 missiles at different strength values you are going to force saves on units and they will fail. My problem is they are costly. You could look at a unit close to 300 points (267) but you can spend those points on cheaper variants in elite sections or spread out those point cost in other areas. You have a strong change of throwing too much firepower at certain units in games of 1500 to 1850. I think a two man squad with shield drones/Missile drones will be a better buy and you can push points into other areas if you want to take these units. Plus the models are redone. They look great and with a 2+ save they are very durable.
Longshot sniper teams
These units got better but with the strength value being X and them having to act like Sniper rifles for their cost, I don’t think it’s worth it. They are a unit that is trying to fill a role that can be filled by others because of how game mechanics work. You are better off using kroot for damage output then the sniper teams. They did get a stronger BS but just if you can put a Hammerhead, Skyray or Broadside in that slot why not? This could be stronger in smaller point games that are more skirmishes in mind though. I would look at these below 1000 points.
So now I leave the best for last...
HQ’s
Commander
Is very much built like the Crisis suits in becoming a Swiss army knife for the army. I would very much build him last when you are building your army. Find a role that needs to be accomplished and make sure he is the one filling that role. Either it be running a squad of marker drones to ensure your whole army gets the benefit or if you need him to build off another crisis suit and jump between unit to unit giving out the Puretide chip. There is a lot of different type of builds that can help your army out.
Your commander is typically going to run between 140 points to 180 when building out your army.
Couple of example builds that come to my mind are the following:
Ion Commander
Cyclnic ion, Missile pod and veloctiry tracker. It gives you a decent amount of strength 5 shooting that you can hit flyers If need be. He also comes with a Jammer and a pure tide chip which allows him to pick up tank hunting. You should be able to bring down a flyer effectively on your own.
Node Junkie
Commander Equipped with the following: Drone Controller,Control node, irdium Battle suit and 2 marker drones.
Now some people will say why the drone controller and the control node? Well it is a cheap way to reroll and you can hit flyers if need be. It allows you to be cross functional between different units. The Iridum battlesuit will allow the unit to stay alive longer as the Commander takes wounds for the squad otherwise the group will fall part too fast
Divine Donkey Punch!
I love this commander because laughter ensues. You run him with Flamers Shield Generator, Jammer, Irdium battle suit and Onager Guantlet. He is going to go straight into battle and Donkey punch a IC in the FACE. Who cares what happens from there but he is going to hit someone and it is going to hurt. He runs great in ally forces such as terminators or Eldar builds.
Those are just some ideas you can leverage but I would wait till the end and have in mind what you are going to take .
Ethereal
Now people are going back and forth saying the Ethereal is bad because you lose a victory point if he dies. Which is oh well it happens. I think he is going to be essential though in armies. With him giving out leadership bubble, Stubborn, FNP or even the Pulse weapon modifier he is great for unit builds. You stick him in a Devilfish and you make it tough for your opponent to go after this unit. He needs to break you out of a Devilfish, then cause enough wounds to kill the Ethereal. It can happen but you can have enough protection around him especially if you are augmenting your forces with him to keep him secure.
As for Special Characters I won’t go into them because I think they will be pretty obvious as they are just derivatives of the units above that bring something else to the table in some other form.
List Building for Tau
First thing I would look at would be the play style and idea and concept you want to form around your army. You need to create structure and have an idea on how you build the list. Go for what you want to accomplish then tweak and change from there. If you throw a bunch of units down you don’t have an idea or ability to measure your progress. You track at least subjective or antidotal on things that work/don’t work for you.
From there apply units that work for that concept. If you are going to look for a mobile army grab units that are able to move quick or have an ability to move across the board. Pick units that mostly match the concept. If you are looking to have a large force outflanking pick up a lot of kroot/pathfinders.
I want this series to show case the Tau in full detail and discuss strategies, tactics and even builds that can help the average gamer.
Basic pros and cons of Tau
If you read through a current set of 6th edition books there has been some subtle changes such as reduction of long range fire, limited amount of skyfire options and mobility issues. The Tau addresses some of those issues but at a higher cost. Tau still have their pros and cons that make them what they are. Here is a general high level view.
Strengths
• Lots of Strength 5 shooting
• Large amount of Strength 7 shooting
• Ability to pick up Skyfire
• Large amount of Outflanking opportunities
• Ally potential- so many possibilities
Weakness
• Low/mobility – Can get higher mobility but it defines the build you are taking
• Anti-Tank- yes, you have Strength 7 everywhere but Tau are going to have a problem pushing through AV13 and 14
• Flyer defense is costly and can get out of control
• To much strength 5 shooting- Have to pay attention to the guns you put on the table
• Psyker defense- have to pull an Ally in for Defense
Once you have an understanding of your strengths and weakness, it gives you a solid foundation to build list, strategy concepts and tactics. You understand where you are going to be strong and weak. You have three options from here.
• Build a list that leverages those strengths to the maximum
o In this example you have a lot of strength 5 and strength 7 shooting but you increase the potential risk from your weakness.
• Build a list that shores up that weakness
o In this example you can leverage an ally force for psyker defense or spend so many points on mobility options you don’t have enough guns or firepower to take out the opponent.
• Happy medium or “Balance”
o Then a happy medium you take a build concept and you shore up some of those risk to hedge but you still relay on your key strengths of the list. You basically build tools to handle large problems for your army.
Build Concepts
Infantry build
This is a very basic build with 3 or 4 Firewarrior units. They will typically be in size from 8 to 12 man with 1 or 2 units of Kroot that are 12-20 man in size to bubble wrap/support. You leverage Riptides and multiple crises suits for specialty weapons. While Leveraging an Ethereal to produce a large amount of strength 5 shooting at range .With supporting fire you can keep majority of close combat units away from your lines and protect your group much like a large porcupine. The big downside of this list is taking on mechanized variants and nasty dedicated assault armies. Much like a porcupine the predator is going to find an angle to hit and your defenses will crumble. Units/armies that are quick such as Daemones with multiple flying Monstrous creatures can do this. This army will have large problems in cracking AV13 and 14 at range and will have to rely on Crisis suits to handle this problem. For general principals you play this very much like a Napoleonic gun line or phalanx. Everyone is grouped up tight to leverage Ethereal and supporting fire. Problem with that is your slow moving and not able to reach objectives across the table. Objectives across the table will be harder to take as you have to give up shooting to reach your objectives. Also Durable units that can range with you in 24inches to 30 inches such as Grey Knight Strike squads can be an issue. As you have longer range then Grey knights their shooting is still going to have a higher output then yours. They are also more durable. That being said this type of army would be great for beginners and even strong in an expert player’s hand. You have to understand your weakness and adjust. Kill point objectives and low objective count games will be the boon for you. You win or lose the game in deployment and placing of objectives.
Deep Strike Build/ Suit build
This is a build leveraging Farsight or a commander with signature systems to accomplish a certain objective. I don’t think this build is strong in a large 7 round format but it has potential against certain list. This is a type of build that snowballs certain list and gets snowballed against others. The basic premise is leveraging as much as you can from Farsight/Body guard builds which will allow you to have multiple units with crisis suits, 5 or more is ideal. One being what is usually known as a bomb as when you deep strike they drop down and blow a unit up. Problem with this concept is it is costly. With a Farsight, Crisis Suit bodyguard and configurations the unit cost will be 800+ typically. The other part of the equation is you need to leverage either ahoming beacon from Pathfinders or an Ethereal for other Crisis units. You are creating a small elite army that is surgical in all regards. Maxing out in Ap2 Plasma and Fusion Blaster shots is ideal as you still need to be able to handle other situations. That being said you can easily look at only having 30 models on the table which is comparable to a Dark Angels Terminator amour which has more durability but less fire power. Weakness of this list will be when someone is in that Land Raider and you blow it up only to get assaulted by what is inside. Also Large Horde builds such as Nids, daemons and Orks will be a problem for this list. As you have the ability to Jump Shoot jump they just have more bodies and when you get caught. It is going to be rough. This list has a hard time presenting board control and solidifying that position. You are going to win big or lose big
Fish or Fury
I think this traditional build that people saw back in 4th or 5th edition is viable again and if not one of the better builds. This will typically consist of an Etheral in a Devilfish and 2 to three units in a Devil fish from 10man to 12 man strong. They will have one unit of Kroot maybe two depending on what the purpose is of the Kroot. These type of list will also be supported by Hammerheads and larger models such as riptides while the Crisis suits will either fill a specific role such as Deep striking off one of the devil fish or playing hell in the backfield.
What this build solves for is a lot of the problems that the book has and fits well into 6th edition. You gain mobility at a cost but those points are still durable and allow you to move into key positions. It also protects you mostly from Flyers and making sure you are able to do damage back tokey targets on your terms with the supporting elements. If you can dictate when you get out of your transport and when to commit you will gut units. This will be a strong build against most types such as Chaos, Space Marines, Daemons, Nids and even Grey Knights. You have a fighting match against Necron and Necron Fylers. The problem though with this list is it Is costly point wise to build. This will also be rough for beginner players to start off because you have to have sound tactics and key strategies in place before deploying and what you are going to commit on the board. If you don’t have a plan this list will be unforgiving.
Outflank or I like to call it Kroot from behind
One thing I noticed and I haven’t seen many people talk about this type of list or concept but I am sure it has been brought up. Tau have postinal relays and a lot of outflanking units either from Kroot or Pathfinders. Other types can either Deep strike or be in position quickly for what you need. Another build that stands out that could be strong if anything very annoying is Outflanking 4-5 man kroot squads with Krootox and sniper rifles. You outflank two units of pathfinders and attach Etheral to one of the kroot squads if you want and keep them all in reserve. You have one squad with an Aegis Defense line and Comm Relays to ensure you can get the rerolls of your units on the board. The other thing you start with is two Riptides with Postional relays. On your first two turns you move them into position to hit a board edge and flag that unit to come from that side. With the 2+ save and distance you should have enough durability to weather majority of firepower list. This allows you to bring multiple if not 60+ models on the side which could be devastating against some armies. You leverage 4 to 6 pathfinders just to increase your BS on one or two of your units. The increase puts a large damage potential out of your units. You have to balance keeping your more durable and Anti-tank units on the table for the first turn so you can outflank the rest of your build. It has potential but needs to be focused and redefined, this is a unique build that can and should catch a lot of people off guard.
Tricks/Gimmicks
As I have noticed a lot of tricks and gimmicks in the book I figure I would want to call them out. Some of them could be useful but are expensive. Some won’t bring a strong return for the points you spend for what they do. Fun for Hobby matches but for consistent play they might not work out. On the otherhand they could with specific combo’s.
• Darkstrider with Ethereal and Pathfinders with Rail Rifle or Ion rifle
o -1 Toughness and Rail Rifles/Ion rifles will allow you to Instant Death Toughness 4 models.
• Melee Deathstar Commander – Ally with Pure Tide cheap in either a Space Marine Terminator unit or Eldar Double Lord combo. High points but damage potential is there.
• High amount of Infantry + Anu’va – Snapfire while running could work out but depends on so many factors. This could be solid in round 3 or 4 when you need to start moving and damage can be lower.
Unit Types
Now I will go into basic unit types, thoughts and builds. Hoping in what I think would be the strongest or most ideal configurations for those units. These are not meant to be this is the only way but I want to at least show my thought process behind the army, configurations and what is most ideal in what I do when I build armies. Note there will be a high amount of math involved in the end.
Troops
Firewarriors
The Basic unit of the army that is the backbone of the army. The way I look at these is either you go big. If you want to go small you are better keeping Kroot in Reserve. To make this unit effective you need to bulk them up in the range from either a 10 man or a 12 man squad depending if a IC is attached with them or not. With low leadership and pointing them on the ground they can’t take a lot of damage and stick around. You need to keep them larger or supported by an Etheral. The other basic option is to run them in a Devil Fish. You need to think of the devil fish as close to an 8 to 10 man Firewarrior unit if kitted out correctly. Either way these units are going to be touching people form range or grouping up in schools of Devil fish to unleash fury and gut core troop units.
Kroot
Kroot got a big boost and upgrade in the book I think because of their options. What I consider strong buys are solid configurations would be 15 man squads either used as bubble wrap or out flankers. You can have them supported by two Krootx with the Strength 7 rapid fire gun. I look at them like the Tuskan raiders from Starwars. They are great harassers and can knock light vehicles down. With the help of markerlights on key targets you can hunt down AV10-11 and even 12 depending on the situation. I would look at trying to move these targets to the side but keep them away from any type of assault. They will break down in assault. Now some people are talking about putting Shadowsun in a unit of kroot and I think it is a bad idea. She gives them stealth and shroud but it doesn’t do anything else that can help the unit unless someone is close. You are putting a big egg that is going to get wiped out.
Now that we have discussed the Core, we can go into Elites and our other options while keeping the HQ’s for last to tie in army dynamics.
Elite
Riptide
One of the brand new units that come to the forefront. This unit I think can be pretty strong but just like eating it is only good for you in moderation. There are a couple of builds that should be looked at. For a couple you can look at are infantry killers with the burst cannon and SMS system. You should leverage the precision targeting system if you to do that and early warning override.
The other system is with the Ion cannon which brings your ability to kill light mech and heavy infantry ( Heavy infantry are 2+ or 3+ save in my eyes). You have to make a decision and tradeoff between your other units in your army to decide what is right for you. I also look at the Riptide as being strong as a tie up unit but you need to be careful on what he goes after. He is toughness 6 but with a 2+ save. You have to measure the outcomes but against say a full unit of Khorne dogs without a lord I think he can hold up well. You can look at doing a hit and run vector system but understand with the Initiative 2 he will get out but you have a hard time deciding when he will get out.
The strong Support systems that are useful are the following
Early Warning override – This is great if you combo with the Ion accelerator. It keeps you from having to ally in grey Knight Strike squads for Warp Quake. Instead you make it hard for your opponent to deep strike without taking damage. Either they have to commit or they move away. You are playing games before deployment if your opponent is smart enough to figure this out.
Positional relay- this allows for outflanking at a cheap cost. Allows you to postion your forces where you need to.
Targeting system – Precision shots in high volume can be great esp at strength 6. If you want to key out Dark eldar, Eldar or IG IC’s this is a great way to do it.
Stealthsuits
Now everyone is raging over the new stealth suit squads with the added bonus of stealth, shroud and burst cannon upgrade they are a 6 man squad that should have a 2+ save. That is great and all but the cost per point on the stealth suit I view is still high. Yes you have 24 shots in a 6 man squad but they are still vulnerable to key targets. I also don’t like the two Fusion blasters per 3 limit. It sounds good in theory but if you are shooting at tanks you lose the Burst cannon shots. If you shoot at infantry the Fusion blaster actually decrease your output on majority of units because you lose 4 shots to 1 shot at BS 3. Personally I would pass on these units and look at investing in Crisis suits or invest in more Firewarriors for what these guys bring to the table. Don’t forget Homing Beacons also. IT could allow you depending on terrain to deploy or bait certain units to allow others to counter.
Crisis Suits
The Swiss army knife of the book these should be used to fill the spots/slots in the army that you are missing. With the FAQ change to allow them to have multiple weapon systems of the same type it increased their lethality but they are still expensive for 6 marines in what you are looking to accomplish.
For example if you are looking at a Airsupport Crisis unit that is 3 man it is around 200 points. That is the following
3 Missile Twin linked Pods
Velocity Tracker
If you want to add another missile system it is another 45 points and you are looking at 250 points roughly that at the end of the day has the same durability of 6 marines. The point per model gets higher for what they do.
I look at these as a three tiers; High Cost, mid cost, low cost
High Cost 150 points and up
AP2 killers/tank Killers/ Range
• Fusion/Plasma – Terminator/ Tank hunters
o These will be great equipped with target locks going after infantry and tanks.
• Plasma/Missile – Mid to short range engagement
o Classic Fireknife build which I think will go away. It filled an area that you could hit units from long range but with options of having double plasma or double missile I think you will find units fill specialized roles instead of dual roles.
• Plasma/plasma –Terminator killers/ Dreadknight
o 6 or 12 plasma shots you pick and support them as needed. I see these units deep striking to counter certain builds. You can’t start them on the board
• Fusion/Fusion or TL fusion/TL Fusion – Tank busters
o This is a tank buster build that is best used with a homing beacon. They will deep strike and hit Land raiders or large targets that you need to hit. That being said soon as they come down don’t expect them to live.
• Missile pod/Missile pod – Standoff harass units
o These units fight in contention with Broadsides. They can pick up a lot of missiles and go after flyers if you want them to but you are spending a lot of points with a unit like this. These I view as situational and could have value as you throw 12 missiles across the board to certain targets.
Medium Cost 120- 150
Weapon groups that don’t rely on Markerlights, These are the same as above but you are giving up firepower to make other units in your army more functional or increase dmg out put on them. These you are going for the light harassment or light damage. I view these as effective poke units.
• Plasma TL
• Missile TL
• Fusion TL
Low Cost 100-120
I would’nt buy majoirty of these unnless it was a flamer build and I really needed horde control. These are best to go after infantry with multiple burst cannons but you should have points spent else were instead of these combo’s
• Infantry killers
• Flammer/ Burst Cannons
• Flamer/ Fusion
• Flammer/flamer
• Burst Cannons
As for Support Systems you look into very few otherwise they become too expensive
Dip into the following
Velocity tracker to target Skyfire if needed but don’t double up on units otherwise cost is to high
Puretide chip in a Singuatre system is ideal
Targetlock with Marker Drones can be beneeffical especially you have a Drone controller. You are able to spread Marker lights out to the certain groups. That being said be aware that you are only going to get two or three marker lights from a unit like this at the cost of 60-80 points. They are best to support units like hammerheads or units that don’t need a large increase in BS.
Early Warning override with plasma or combo’s above can be beneficial if you want to keep marines or deep strikers away. Problem is you have to ensure that you are in position to have them. Beware and play test it. It might not work for some but it can be deadly.
Fast Attack
Pathfinders
This is a fun unit that I think got upgraded with a couple of options. You can build these in three ways, Tank spotters/Markerlight junkies, Horde Hunters or AP1 Hunters. Their main function is going to be hitting markerlights which they did in the pass. Problem is they can’t take a beating on firepower so a good general will target them first. If you build them in 4 man units you can expect to get one or two markerlights on a unit. This is great for supporting Hammerheads or Skyrays. If you want to build them up more and you need to look at using them in 8 man units that will apply 3-4 Markerlights on a unit. This allows you to either focus more firepower on that key target from multiple units or create no cover scenarios. The Fast attack section is already crowded in so your choices are key. I think a good rule of thumb is per 500 points you need to have one unit that can apply markerlights in some form.
The other build for these is using them as Horde Hunters or AP1 killers. If you look at adding in DarkStrider and an Etheral you can get some mean combo’s Leveraging three ion rifles to clearing out Hordes can give you an added bonus. Same with Railrifles being able to have AP1 is huge but you also are decreasing toughness for the unit. This allows you to instant kill toughness 3 which can be huge. I would look at adding the Accelerator drone to increase range for the Pathfinders. These make them great harass units but the cost is too high. I would put this as a fun type of unit if you want to play with friends.
Drone Squadrons
These got a huge boost being able to become Marker drone squadrons. At 14 points I think they are a steal. The Pathfinders are cheaper alternatives but these give you mobility and allow you to be fluid with your army. Equip them with a Commander and a drone controller and you are able to apply Marker lights in volume on key targets. This is key if you want to counter Deathstars or need to apply lots of volume on key targets. Also being able to Jump shoot jump allows them to dodge or reduce the amount of shooting that comes back to them. Effective when dealing with units that have limited range band such as Grey Knights who dominate the 24inch range band.
You can look at Gun Drone squadrons but I would look at Piranahas if you are going to do that which brings me to the next unit.
Piranahas
Piranahs wow did they get better with a sublte change. At first they look exactly the same. The are a land Speeder like Skimmer with a melta gun. But if you look at Gun drones changes and the need for Fusion blasters these come out as winners. You get 28 points of Gun Drones that when you buy in bulk turn into a large Gun Drone Squadron which fills the needs above. You are paying 22 points for a Melta gun on a AV 11 tank. This is a steal in my mind. You are also able to block and provide fast moving board control if need be for key units. If you are looking to run gun drones in your army then you need to look at having these as the step cost is low.
Vespids…
Sigh... the chance to be so good but oh well… moving on.
Heavy Support
Hammerhead
I think the hammerhead is going to be one of those must buys just to deal with AV 13 or AV14 targets at range. Units like Ghost Arks and Land raiders are going to be a problem. Having a hammerhead puts a huge threat to your opponent and they are going have to pay attention to it one way or the other. Now I will like to equip mine with Submination rounds in case playing horde. Disruption pod and Black sun filter. Having two of these is ideal in my mind and I would like to take these over Broadsides even. I know some people are going to scream Broadsides are the melt face and are awesome but they serve another role which I don’t think needs to be serviced.
Skyray
This looks awesome on paper but this is one of those I am unsure about still. It is the added anti air everyone has been looking for. It has plenty of Seeker missiles to bring down enemy units, multiple network marker lights even and SMS. My problem is will it function as good as it does on the board. I see this unit sitting in the corner being still. From there you can hit flyers with marker lights but you have problems with range on those markerlights. If you move you can only fire one Markerlight because it counts as a weapon and the other one is snap fire. I have concerns if it will be work as intended or not .It feels like it is missing something here. Only more play testing and trying different tactics will make this unit work.
Broadsides
Looking at these I see you run them either as a 2 man unit or a 3 man unit. You can have drone support or not but it depends on the role. You either have a Strength 8 rail rifle or a bunch of Strength 7 shooting. With the added game mechanic of hull points I think the missile pod variant will bring more to the table then the strength 8. The Strength 8 is limited on shots and really doesn’t threaten AV13 or 14 the way you need it to. These have taking the role of light tank to infantry killers. They have an ability to pump out an absurd amount of Strength 7 shooting at units with decent range. With an ability to pump out 36 missiles at different strength values you are going to force saves on units and they will fail. My problem is they are costly. You could look at a unit close to 300 points (267) but you can spend those points on cheaper variants in elite sections or spread out those point cost in other areas. You have a strong change of throwing too much firepower at certain units in games of 1500 to 1850. I think a two man squad with shield drones/Missile drones will be a better buy and you can push points into other areas if you want to take these units. Plus the models are redone. They look great and with a 2+ save they are very durable.
Longshot sniper teams
These units got better but with the strength value being X and them having to act like Sniper rifles for their cost, I don’t think it’s worth it. They are a unit that is trying to fill a role that can be filled by others because of how game mechanics work. You are better off using kroot for damage output then the sniper teams. They did get a stronger BS but just if you can put a Hammerhead, Skyray or Broadside in that slot why not? This could be stronger in smaller point games that are more skirmishes in mind though. I would look at these below 1000 points.
So now I leave the best for last...
HQ’s
Commander
Is very much built like the Crisis suits in becoming a Swiss army knife for the army. I would very much build him last when you are building your army. Find a role that needs to be accomplished and make sure he is the one filling that role. Either it be running a squad of marker drones to ensure your whole army gets the benefit or if you need him to build off another crisis suit and jump between unit to unit giving out the Puretide chip. There is a lot of different type of builds that can help your army out.
Your commander is typically going to run between 140 points to 180 when building out your army.
Couple of example builds that come to my mind are the following:
Ion Commander
Cyclnic ion, Missile pod and veloctiry tracker. It gives you a decent amount of strength 5 shooting that you can hit flyers If need be. He also comes with a Jammer and a pure tide chip which allows him to pick up tank hunting. You should be able to bring down a flyer effectively on your own.
Node Junkie
Commander Equipped with the following: Drone Controller,Control node, irdium Battle suit and 2 marker drones.
Now some people will say why the drone controller and the control node? Well it is a cheap way to reroll and you can hit flyers if need be. It allows you to be cross functional between different units. The Iridum battlesuit will allow the unit to stay alive longer as the Commander takes wounds for the squad otherwise the group will fall part too fast
Divine Donkey Punch!
I love this commander because laughter ensues. You run him with Flamers Shield Generator, Jammer, Irdium battle suit and Onager Guantlet. He is going to go straight into battle and Donkey punch a IC in the FACE. Who cares what happens from there but he is going to hit someone and it is going to hurt. He runs great in ally forces such as terminators or Eldar builds.
Those are just some ideas you can leverage but I would wait till the end and have in mind what you are going to take .
Ethereal
Now people are going back and forth saying the Ethereal is bad because you lose a victory point if he dies. Which is oh well it happens. I think he is going to be essential though in armies. With him giving out leadership bubble, Stubborn, FNP or even the Pulse weapon modifier he is great for unit builds. You stick him in a Devilfish and you make it tough for your opponent to go after this unit. He needs to break you out of a Devilfish, then cause enough wounds to kill the Ethereal. It can happen but you can have enough protection around him especially if you are augmenting your forces with him to keep him secure.
As for Special Characters I won’t go into them because I think they will be pretty obvious as they are just derivatives of the units above that bring something else to the table in some other form.
List Building for Tau
First thing I would look at would be the play style and idea and concept you want to form around your army. You need to create structure and have an idea on how you build the list. Go for what you want to accomplish then tweak and change from there. If you throw a bunch of units down you don’t have an idea or ability to measure your progress. You track at least subjective or antidotal on things that work/don’t work for you.
From there apply units that work for that concept. If you are going to look for a mobile army grab units that are able to move quick or have an ability to move across the board. Pick units that mostly match the concept. If you are looking to have a large force outflanking pick up a lot of kroot/pathfinders.