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Hello everyone. I used to do relatively well in the first months of sixth Edition, but I find that with every passing month my tau get more terrible. Playing for a win became playing for a draw - and now I'm happy if I can just not loose for once.

I'd like to avoid doing the "broadsides and deathrains/fireknives" spam if at all possible and my biggest troubles are:

1.) I can't seem to handle big hordes quick enough anymore - high value targets are fine though.

2.) I don't seem to be able to stay out of close combat anymore for some reason. (Trukk spam orks with flamer-waggons and KFF / outflanking nids are especially troublesome)


My list at 1.5k points is:

Shas'el, ABFGL, XV-84, multitracker, posrelay, blacksun filter 108


2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94
2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94
2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94

6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70
Devilfish, d-pod 85
6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70
6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70


broadside with advanced stabilisation systems, team leader w/ blacksun filter and 2x shielddrones 120
broadside with advanced stabilisation systems, team leader w/ blacksun filter and 2x shielddrones 120
Hammerhead, railgun, burstcanon, multi tracker, target lock, blacksun filter, d-pod 175

2x XV9 w/ dual fusion cascade, 1 shield drone each 290
Tetra, targetting array 55
Tetra, targetting array 55

It seems your list is a little deathrain/broadside spam as they do make up a bulk of your army.

Personally I don't have experience with forgeworld XV suits soo I'll suggest just codex related changes.

Your Shas'El might benefit from just AFP, CIB, MT, HW-DC and 2 shield drones.

Maybe take out both broadsides and replace them with another Railhead and a kroot screen.

Seems that maybe thats what you're missing, a nice screen of kroot just to tie up those hordes and flanking troops.

Also drop the target lock from your Hammerhead and the 'Ui's from your fire warriors, if your 6 man squad is getting shot by something that wants it dead it'll usually happen or be mangled so badly it's not worth regrouping.

You might try running the XV9s with Pulsed Submunition Rifles instead - you've got plenty of railguns and missile pods from what I can see. That'd solve your anti-horde problem.

I'd stay away from Kroot, personally - they're frighteningly fragile.

@Robinson: You've got a point, I guess I'm a little bit of a hipocrite :-(

@veskrashen: Good idea with the PSR - they will definetly kill a blob a turn. I thought about using O'Ralai as well, but he's just so expensive it's hard to justify taking him.

I modified the list a little with those thoughts. My only remaining worry is that, now, I won't be taking out a unit of teq/tmc a turn as easily as I used to.

1500


Shas'el, ABFGL, XV-84, multitracker, blacksun filter 98


2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94
2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94
2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94


6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70
Devilfish, d-pod 85
12 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 130


broadside with advanced stabilisation systems, team leader w/ blacksun filter and 2x shielddrones 120
broadside with advanced stabilisation systems, team leader w/ blacksun filter and 2x shielddrones 120
Hammerhead, railgun, burstcanon, multi tracker, target lock, blacksun filter, d-pod 175

2x XV9 w/ dual pulse submunition rifles, 2 shield drone each 310
Tetra, targetting array 55
Tetra, targetting array 55

(Dropped the posRelay since I wont ds the xv9 anymore and invested the points saved in a shas'ui for the fish-squad)

Personally, I'd drop the Devilfish, put both drop the ASS and put the Broadsides in 1 squad (points saved dropping 1 team leader and BSF should cover giving the existing team leader target lock.)

Not entirely sure where or how to free up the extra points for it, but using the the now free HS slot, you can now take a second Hammerhead (Identical to the one you have there) 2 hammerheads can drop large blasts on hordes and smush them all day long.

My list at 1500 these days has 6 battlesuits (deathrain shas'el, 2x deathrain+, 3x fireknife) 3-6 Stealth suits (with 2 gun drones each), 6x6 Firewarriors, 2 Hammerheads and 2-3 Broadsides and I tend not to have much problem with Elite or Horde armies.

 Ovion wrote:
Personally, I'd drop the Devilfish, put both drop the ASS and put the Broadsides in 1 squad (points saved dropping 1 team leader and BSF should cover giving the existing team leader target lock.)

Not entirely sure where or how to free up the extra points for it, but using the the now free HS slot, you can now take a second Hammerhead (Identical to the one you have there) 2 hammerheads can drop large blasts on hordes and smush them all day long.

My list at 1500 these days has 6 battlesuits (deathrain shas'el, 2x deathrain+, 3x fireknife) 3-6 Stealth suits (with 2 gun drones each), 6x6 Firewarriors, 2 Hammerheads and 2-3 Broadsides and I tend not to have much problem with Elite or Horde armies.

Thats an excelent point you're making about the railheads - I shuffled some stuff around again and this is what I came up with:

Shas'el, ABFGL, burst cannon, multitracker, blacksun filter, pos relay 101


2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94
2x crisis, twinlinked missile pods, Flamer 94
4x XV15, 2x Grundrones each 200


6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70
6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70
6 Firewarriors, Shas'ui 70


Hammerhead, railgun, burstcanon, multi tracker, target lock, blacksun filter, d-pod 175
broadside w/ targetlock, team leader w/ blacksun filter and 2x shielddrones 183
Hammerhead, railgun, burstcanon, multi tracker, target lock, blacksun filter, d-pod 175

XV9 w/ dual fusion cascades 2 shield drone each 145
Tetra, targetting array, decoy launchers 60
Tetra, targetting array, decoy launchers 60