1850 Rackem Up Tau all comers list!

[chicop76]

I think this is the list I was always meant to write. This list deals with flyers, big ugly monsters, heavy armour, swarms you name it it dies.

I may at a latter date drop my pathfinders for another bomber, or get a transport and add more troops. For now I love denying those pesy cover saves, I always hated models with +2 cover saves.

I think this list is as solid as it gets.

HQ
Ethereal
Commander: Warlord, Purtide Chip, CC node, Multi

Elites:
Riptide: Fusion, Early Warning
Riptide: Fusion, Early Warning

Troops
9 Fire Warriors
10 Fire Warriors
10 Fire Warriors
12 Sniper Kroot
12 Sniper Kroot

Fast
6 pathfinders
6 pathfinders
Sunshark

Heavy
6 sniper drones, 1 spotter
3 Broadsides, 6 missile drones: 3 x target
Hammerhead: Longshot railgun w/ submunition

After taking a break and looking at the book I figure I'll drop the skyray. Reason being the skyray didn't do what I really wanted it to do.

That being said I decided to add more range to my army. Necrons should no longer be a problem hopefully. I think this list will be able to tackle most things out there. If a wraithknight pops up it will have to deal with 42 sniper shots that's probably will be at bs 5.

I will give longshot another chance. The reason being is I still need a good ranged anti tank weapon in my army. I can get good strength 9 weapons, but they are unreliable.

I will stick with target lock rail sides since they.
1. Kill other broadsides rather easy.
2. Insantkill t4 models
3. Have a much longer range, and more helpful killing riptides.
4. With the missile drones they put out a lot of fire power and I can shoot at 4 differant targets.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

crazy idea but would dropping the snipers be an option and making 2 units of 2 broadsides instead? they are the only unit that i look at and scratch my head just because maybe i'm missing their role in the army?

[Bob821]

My little brother runs a very similer list against my poor old Blood Angels... Kicks my arse every time. He does not bother with Sun Shark any more though. Never seems to do much good.

I think it would be worth dropping the sniper drones and Sun Shark for a secound secound Hammer Head and another Etheral. Then if one is taken out by a sucide squad of Stern Guard Vets at least you have back up for your infantry buffs and your high AV tank killing.

Having said that you may be accussed of running a list thats not much fun to play against if your gaming group is like mine and more about getting drunk and having a laugh then actually winning!

[chicop76]

For starters this is meant for tournament play nd not meant to be nice.

The snipers with Ethereal is putting out 18 bs 5 sniping shoots. If I had all 9 they would be doing 27 bs 5 sniping shots.

Honestly this isn't the first time some one said I should use more broadsides, but let's keep in mind cost. Grant it my Ethereal is allowing the unit to shoot more than normal. If I don't count the Ethereal th unit comes around 100 points puting out 18. Shoots. Compared to sniper kroot which puts out 14 sniping shots at 24". Without the Ethereal aid the unit is putting out 12 shots instead at the same range.

If you factor in the drones can move and shoot which can turn 24" range to 30" range. They without an Ethereal would be slightly better within 24" range. Factor in the bs though you have 7 kroot sniper hits compared to 10 drones hits. Bs 3 compared to bs 5.

Let's puy surviaveability in question. The spotter is the unit's strength and liability. The unit due to it's small size and range can hide behind cover blocking line of sight and jsj all day. Only real lost is a marker shot at bs 5 which can't benefit the unit anyway.

I have thought about adding a commander to the sniper team which will work on giving him stealth while he ups the bs. I don't need twin linked since they will be bs 5. However ignoring cover is still nice and tank and mc hunter will be nasty. For example a tervigon I want to kill get shot with 9 snipers with Ethereal aid. For arguments sake I will give them twin shooting. That's 27 shots being fired, 25 or 26 will hit due to twin compared to 18 without. Saying with 26 hits you will get 4 rending and 9 saves the model wil have to make. Due to MC hunter that would be a total of 7 rends and 15 saves which I believe would kill any MC out there unless it have a +2 or 3 invulnerable save.

If I compared the drones to broadsides with the squad I am running that's easily the same as one broadside with 2 missile drones. Outside of 36" I can fire 6 sniper shots, while that would be out of range for a missile side and a rail side can fire only 1 shot, which the drones can put out more anti infantry shooting.

The bs skill is another huge factor. Which means this unit need lights to deny cover more than anything else. Let's compare without Ethereal buffs vs marines. I fire at marines with 6 drones and get 12 shots due to rapid fire range. 10 will hit, which will cause 5 wounds. In turn they will kill roughly 3 marines due to rending. Missile side wonder fires smart missles wich will wound once, high yield will wound 3 times, and two drones will be lucky if they even hit. The missile side unit will cough up 5 wounds as well. The differance being the drones have 1 rend and 5 wounds which is slightly better than 5 wounds.

Now if we add in marker lights for the sides and an ethereal for the drones. Since an ethereal is only 50 points and 4 pathfinders are very close to that I will give the unit +2 bs for bs of 5.

Drones now dish out 18 shots, 3 rends and 6 wounds. The bs 5 broadside unit will put out 8 wounds. Now if they was shooing marines I have 5 dead marines vs 3 dead marines, aginst higher tougness models the higher the toughness the better the drones will perform. Now aginst tau for example the sides will kill 9 compared to the 6 from the snipers. However once you hit orcs the drones do slightly better and against +5 saving units they will do the same out put.

Basically if I faced toughness 3 and armour 4 models a lot in the open the side would out perform the drones.

Now if I ignored points and went fully loaded on sides than the sides would be better, but sitting at 100 points the drones are better.

Now duraility is questionable due to one uni tcan be postioned to where you can't see them at all. However the low leadership and lower save can desimate the drones, like a barrage weapon or nor cover blocking line of sight. That is why I have an Ethereal near by for leadership 10.

Going back to the sides, just taking 3 sides hit me almost at 200 points. Which means I have to drop 100 points somewhere. I did think about adding some missile sides or more rail guns. Without my commander railguns have a tough time dealling with armour 13 which means I will go missile. However that side team really wouldn't need the drones as much as the other team.
If the snipers don't work out than I might go to using 3 high yield sides. If I do I may have to drop the bomber, which in turn takes away from my shooting over all.

I don't know about the bomber yet. I doesn't seem hard to kill and may not work the way I want it too.

I need some skyfire support, some decent anti-tank, etc.

If I drop the snipers and the bomber I will have 300 points floating out there. If I take a high yiels missile side team that would help vs flyers. Which leaves 100 points roughly out there.

[chicop76]

After sme thought I decided to add a lot of seeker missiles, skyray, and a devilfish.

I am thinking of running guard allies w/ melta love as well. I can free up about 200 points which I plan for 350 points of guard as a possibility which means I might drop some pathfinders t squeeze in the unit.

I'll try my list in New Orleans and see how it does.