Tau Musings!

[Chicop76]

Just got back from being out of town due to drill weekend, joy. During the weekend I been looking over various list, reading other boards, and been talking to other gamers. I would like to bring up points that hav't been brought up or I have over looked here.

On a side note I discovered the Fateweavers ability works twice a game turn. Have to remember a turn is the players turn and not the game turn.

1. First I want to cover the commander. It's like a dead horse to say it can make units ignore cover, re roll, give tank and monster hunter, etc. However some points I realised, before, but blew it off. It helps to talk to other people.

Give him skyfire and intercepter. I for one do not like doing this since it limits his slots. I want to mention he has 4 slots for ranged and support and this takes up both anyway if you chosed to go this route taking a missile pod is probably the way to go.

The problem here is now you only have one slot which in my opinion would be good for a controller.

Now the obvious points here is he can now shot at incoming flyers and have over watch shots and a few anti deep striking options.

Let's go into the good stuff that hasn't been mentoned here and go back to re rolling and denying cover. If he is re rolling and denying cover what is the point on taking weapons on him if he obviously is not going to shoot during the shooting phase. How ever which I call a 45 point bundle investment you have strength 7 shots that will more than likely hit units coming in. They key is he can still fire if units move on the board and over watch with out losing the bonuses he is giving the unit he has joined.

The problem I see if no one deepstrikes or enters via reseves you now wasted almost 50 points you may only be able to use during assault, which is bad. How ever if that 50 point investment downs a 100 point flyer than you have easily made up for your points. I am not sold, but in tournament play where anything can happen. I would say it is worth it.

2. I want to try to clear up some early warning confusion which is rather important. If used it can't be used in the next turn.

A. Necrons ds during your turn you use early warning. You can still fire in your shooting phase. Enemy's turn come around, you will not be able to overwatch with that weapon. After enemy turn is over you are green to go. Besides losing over watch in this case not a big thing.

B. Rune Priest and company deep stikes. You blast them with pie plate via early warning. Assault phase comes around you can still overwatch. Your turn comes up due to using early warning your weapon system will be down. Enemy turn comes up you can use early warning again.

3. The skyshield platform is really good vs Tau or Helldrakes. With the shielding up you are getting a 4+ invulnerable save. Which means if you are taking drones for example you are getting cost effiecent drones that now act as shield drones and act as marker/ missile drones.

Another big point is pathfinders have a +5 cover save. While on top they will benefit from a +4 invulnerable and not worry so much about whirlwind attacks, skullcannons, etc.

Looking in the book you place the skyshield before terrain is placed which means you can put it where ever you like. Another point is that you can use the bottom part as cover for a skyray if you decide to take one.

Some mentioned taking an aegis defense line at the bottom to protect your other assests. Pathfiders and sides on top and firewarriors at the bottom.

4. At first I thought the firewarriors was better than the kroot. Not going into a huge debate I just going to say both can triple tap and usemarker lights and get all kinds of bonuses.

A. The firewarriors benefit adding to overwatch. That is really their only true benefit over kroot. The ap 5 is another. The strength is not due to kroot's weight of fire and switching to sniper rounds on a few targets. The ability to call shots is big since 3of 20 shots can go on a selected target 3 look out sirs on on target. Also they get a +4 save.

B. Kroot are cheaper and can always be in range to shoot something thanks to infiltrate. Can melee better, have sniper shots, and can be taken in larger squads.

Are the kroot better. I wouldn't say yes, but the more I look they have more options than the fire warriors. For example vs wraithguard the higher toughness is nothing to the kroot while fire warriors will have a harder time wounding the model.

If your commander attaches to a 20 sniper kroot squad, that can be 20 re rollable denying cover saves sniper rifles. For example you wanted to try to kill a character you can boost them to bs 5 with 20 shots that's 3 6s and if you re roll all the dice, but the 6s that hit you can get about 7 call shots which should kill any normal chracter and at least on hit getting through look out sir rolls.

5. High yield missiles on broadsides is the way to go, but the big question is what support system?

Do I take skyfire, or interceptor? Personally I like target lock which gives me more options. Do I take shields which if I take a skyshied becomes silly to take since they both cost the same for three suits. Some even say do the skyshield and give them fnp.

It's really a hard choice. If any interceptor or target lock is the better choices. Skyfire is very expensive on 3 suits and only see the light of day if you vs flyers. If you did the 50 points of wate of your commander, you now wasted almost 120 points if the other player decides not to field flyers. If yu take interceptor it gives you alpha striking capability on all models that are entering the board. If they are deep striking, coming via reserves, etc. You can fire at them. The cool thing is you can fire smart missiles, or you high yield leaving the other to be used the following turn. Stupid rune priest is a problem, I doubt he will survive 12 twin strength 7 shots, 2 str 7 bs 5 shots, and two pie plates at strength 8 or 9. Vs a flyer you can get about 4 hits which is good enough to get 11 armour for sure and if you lucky armour 12, if your commander happens to be with them than with tank hunter you should be able to still down a flyer with re rollong. You have enough weight of fire to not get skyfire, also interceptor easily gives you more utility.

Now I prefer target lock cause I rather shot at 4 differant targets. 3 sides at 3 and missle/ gun drones at another target. If you take marker drones than I think target locks is the way to go. However if the meta have everyone and their grandma coming from reserve I may switch it out. The way my suits and drones run I don't over shoot my targets. 24 strength 7 shots with 12 strength 5 shots is over kill in a lot of situations. Thanks to maker lights it's save to say all that is bs 5 re rollabe ignoring cover saves. With re rolling you would hit 35 times wiping out 29 t3 models with poor saves. Against marines that's 10 dead rather easy. The problem I see here with everything else you have like strength 8 ap 2 pie plates of death I don't see the need for soo much focused fire.

Going the marker light way gives you 6 bs 5 lights to enhance your army. Also with your commander providing re rolling hits that's 2 skyfire hits which I can use else where. It gives me more options that's all.


6. Ion Head Hammer Head. Going back and forth I think an Ion head is a good choice. In my case adding one will give me 3 strength 8 pieplates. What's interesting is Tau old codex can only use 4 large pie plates max. The new dex gives you 10 max, with 7 that can be barrage, besides the need to assinate characters it's a bit over kill with sniper rifles from kroot. Anyway one strength 10 shot is not going to make a differance anyway. With bs 4 do you really need longshot. Besides the fact longshot is a tank hunter. The amount of points is not worth it. Also thinking about it more. I think it's a joke to pay 5 more points for a worst pie plate.

7. Last and not least adding drones to riptides. After some debate and looking at the cost I think it's worth taking. For me I am taking marker drones on my sides now I can take my missile drones. You can attach your commander to this unit as well. The shadowsun possiblities have been explored, but not so much a commander's. I doubt I would add him to this unit, but it does give you options. Now if you added skyfire to your tides it's not a huge point hit. However if you do so it makes sence to have skyfire on this guy. If your are facing daemons for example. If you stick your commander to a rip tide with plasma. If you overcharge your plasma shots with skyfire you will shot at normal bs. If you take a skyray and get 2 hits than you can hit the thirster at bs 5/ 4 with all your hits. Your commander with re rolling will greatly enhance the shots that will hit, so now with 4 plasma shots, 3 strength 7 shots, an 4 strength 7 missles it's a good chance to hit with everything. Thanks to your commander's MC killing ability 3 plasma and 3 of the strength 7 shots will go through with 6 wounds and with a 5+ he should have one would left. With the 4 missle shots he will fail his last wound and die on average.

Also what's great is the the commander will allow the riptide to re roll it's pie plates of death.

Another point I wanted to make is the 50 point potential waste of points can instead take a real cheap upgrade on your commander and give him hit and run. The hit and run will give you a chance to leave combat if you can survive the Thirster's attacks.   

Hopefully I helped make somene's Tau's list a bit stronger.

I seen good points on fnp and irudium armour on the commander. My opinion is it's not easy to killhim out of a riptide or broadsides which is where he will mostly be at. Unless I am fighing a herald alluress I can always deny the challenge and use hit and run to get out of combat.

8. Another point is how many markerlights to take and pathfinder squads. This is something I am still have problems with and is still working out.

A. You got to remember the more marker lights the more bs 5 and ignore cover love. At the same time too many marker lights takes away from your fire power. My suggestion deploy enough where your whole army is able to shoot like marines. A commander giving twin linked and ignore cover kills the need of that squad needing marker lights. I think it's best to marker priority targets, than to try to light an entire army. I would take pathfinders, marker drones, or the skyray as marker sources. The fireblade and sun shark are possible marker ligh avenues.

B. If you take a bunch of small squads of pathfinders it gives you the ability to spread out your lights and forces the enemy to split his fire killing your men. However larger squads benefit from enhance marker shooting. Example is skyfire skrray marks a thirster, you can fire 2 seeker missiles at it or have a squad of 8-10 pathfinders follow up and put 4-5 markerlights. 4 lights at least will give a unit skyfire at bs 5, if said unit has MC hunter and ignore saves the better, it saves you from using seeker missiles.

I suggest large unit of markerlighters to deal with death stars. For example I hit twice with skyray for two lights. My 8 pathfinders use 2 lights and put 7 lights on desired squad. If not enough than use another squad of eight to put a total of 12 lights after you use two to make bs 5, or you could make each squad shoot like marines which may get you 13 lights on the death star squads. Smaller squads have a harder time with marker light satuation.

9. Last and not least is the Commander with marker drones. It is an option, but after several debates it is not ideal to do. You're putting a force multiplier that ignore's cover and a MC/ tank killer in a squad of drones to make the squad bs 5. It would be actually more helpful to take a crisis team or sides and take 8 marker drones, which is 16 points less than taking 8 as a squad. Now you can have the same thing via target locks, and take advantage of the commander's cover denial and twin linking capablities.

A good example is 3 crisis with 6 missile pods which with a commander can be twin linked. However broadsides at 10 points more a piece get an extra weapon system, better save, missile drones, and already have twin linked weapons. That's where O'Shova 7 suit goodness comes into play. That's 16 possible marker drones. However that is putting all your eggs into one basket and does cut down on your options.