Stomping Tau Battlesuits

[Lykum]

What tactics do you guys use to deal with Tau battlesuits? I run a Chaos army, but my tactic would be applicable to other SMs. Basically I take one chaos lord with twin lightning claws and a jetpack/wings. I keep him as a quick reaction force to tie up the suits in close combat... ideally to allow the berzerkers a chance to a take a swing.
My main goal is to take away their shootyness so my troops can do their thing. Killing them is an added bonus.

[Nabterayl]

As an ork, fast assault vehicles and biker gangs have traditionally worked well for me.

[slxiii]

I play Tau, and if there's one thing I love, it's when people waste their lascannons/missiles/etc on my tanks and don't shoot the suits. The suits are really just 2 wound marines, send a few lascannons at them and they'll die/run off the board easily.

[therealjohnny5]

aaaaand that's exactly what i do. I tend to pop them with Missles, Las, and snipers, rarely will i worry about getting into H2H with them and just focus on firewarriors and other troops for my assault units.

[afeinman]

Krak missiles are custom-built for killing suits. Penetrates armor, instakills, long range. Curse you. If you're running Chaos without a ML/Havoc squad, well, why?

Rolling a guy on wings toward my suits is asking for trouble. I will target him pretty early, and possibly move in other fast units to engage him. It will distract my army though, which might be what you want. The other problem is that guys on wings tend to be expensive, and whatever wrecks my suit is going to be in my "pocket" and take a lot of firepower the next turn.

[Chumbalaya]

Any high RoF weapons from S6 and up for me since they wound on a 2+. Suits tend to have cover, so I'll just force saves. Typhoons and cyclones are right in the sweet spot, lots of shots that insta-pop each suit.

Combat is trickier to do because of their mobility and all the junk you have to get past (kroot, Piranhas, vehicles).

[Unlighted]

I play Tyranids and what I usually do is swamp them with my numbers.

I have a moat of little critters around my expensive stuff forcing the suits to stick with killing little stuff which is a waste of their points or risk getting to close and getting assaulted by my gaunts. Once the suits are locked in combat with the little guys I can send in my bigger stuff to crush them.

The suits don't have much range so they either have to be content taking potshots at max range or have a turn of maximum firepower on me. I'm content with either one since it means they aren't gonna earn their points back. :D

[Evil-Termite]

Running 2 land raiders filled to capacity with troops against Tau is a great way to get into assault and there by kill battle suits. Yes, Rail Guns CAN take out land raiders, but land raiders aren't easy to penetrate even with rail guns. The rest of your army needs to be fast and threatening too to kill maximum blue skin.

Mech Eldar work very nice against tau as the rail guns are only strength 8 against those energy shields. You can get up close to those blasted battle suits and shoot or assault them, and of course, tank shock them.

[Lykum]

Krak missiles are custom-built for killing suits. Penetrates armor, instakills, long range. Curse you. If you're running Chaos without a ML/Havoc squad, well, why?


I haven't found a way to justify a Havoc squad yet. I think 2-3 Oblits will do the same job with more versatility. You get fewer shots, but better saves, deep strike, S&P, and a power fist. The Havocs are slightly cheaper though.

[Fellend]

Tank shock them with Rhinos.

[Tynskel]

Terminators--- nothing gets rid of battlesuits faster than 12 Powerfist attacks on the charge!

[JxKxR]

Terminators--- nothing gets rid of battlesuits faster than 12 Powerfist attacks on the charge!

Now Im assuming that you have done this and all I can ask is HOW!?!?!?!? How did the tau player let you get that close???

[AbusePuppy]

Now Im assuming that you have done this and all I can ask is HOW!?!?!?!? How did the tau player let you get that close???

Super-lucky deep strike? Confining terrain? Poor play on the Tau's fault?

Personally, my Tau are pretty much Bestest Friends Forever with Termies on account of their Plasma Rifles, but some folks seem to have a weird aversion to one of the best guns in that codex.

As far as the more general question goes: weight of fire or strength of fire. You usually can't get the former into range with them easily due to JSJ, so relying on the latter is required. Good Tau lists will abuse this by presenting you with armored targets that also require the same shots to bring down and by always keeping the suits out of LOS, or at least in cover.