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Hi guys, just getting back into the hobby having last played in 5th ed. This is also my first Tau list, and though I think I've done my homework, people will undoubtedly see things from angles I haven't, so all feedback is welcome.

I particularly want to check legality, as I'm still not convinced, and there's only so many times I can read that formations are a special type of detachment - so can be used separately to a CAD? and brought along individually with the allies rules. (confirmation would be appreciated, in this list, particularly the solo Tau Empires Optimised Stealth Cadre, which isn't available to Enclaves)

Secondly, while I'm fairly confident that the game plan of: "Hide turn one, Deep Strike turn two, kill everything, jump-pack away from the stragglers," is a convincing and rather fun one, any input on whether my war-gear choices are well suited to that would be great. I think I've balanced the mix of strengths/APs and ranges fairly well to make a one-list-takes-all-comers type army, I could be overlooking something... onto the list:

Farsight enclaves
1499pts

Dawn Blade Contingent Detachment
Retaliation Cadre Formation 880pts

Commander 197pts
Iridium armour, Shield generator, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma rifle,
Pure-tide Engram Neurochip, Vectored Retro-thrusters, Shield drone,
Neuroweb System Jammer

3 Crisis Battlesuits 171 pts
6 plasma rifles, Shield drone, BKR

2 Crisis Battlesuits 133 pts
4 x Fusion Blaster, Shas'vre, Target lock, Shield drone, BKR

Crisis Battlesuit 53pts
2 x Fusion Blaster, BKR

Broadside Battlesuit 100pts
TL High-yield Missile Pod, Shas'vre, 2 Missile drones, BKR

Riptide Battlesuit 226pts
Stimulant injector, Ion accelerator, SMS, Early warning override, BKR


Drone-net VX1-0 Formation 224pts

Drone Squadron 56pts
4 markerlight drones

Drone Squadron 56pts
4 markerlight drones

Drone Squadron 56pts
4 markerlight drones

Drone Squadron 56pts
4 markerlight drones


Tau Empire Allies
Optimised Stealth Cadre Formation 395pts

Ghostkeel Battlesuit 165pts
Cyclic Ion Raker, TL Fusion blaster, Early Warning override, Velocity tracker

3 Stealth Battlesuits 120pts
Shas'vre, Target lock + Markerlight, Fusion Blaster, Homing beacon

3 Stealth Battlesuits 110pts
Shas'vre, Target lock + Markerlight, Fusion Blaster

Game plan is infiltrate our two stealth teams, being more a little more cautious with our beacon team. Pop some metal boxes/harass where possible. Ghostkeel at a distance, buried in cover ensures turn 1 survival, and can quite easily rejoin the stealth teams later on in the game to confer the bonuses. Drones hold back, and bring Christmas early on turn two, when the Retaliation Cadre is guaranteed to come in thanks to Low Altitude Deployment, and on target if near our beacon.

The Commander will join the 3 man crisis squad to whip up a monster/tank-hunting plasma storm. (I'm aware of the "redundancy" of PTE chip and Killing blow from the formation, but if there's only one target the whole cadre wants to shoot the turn they come in, those 15 points aren't going to matter anyway. FSE commanders CAN still take the chip, right?)

A possible observation is that the list is fairly fusion heavy, but with the prevalence of tanks and big-nasties, AP 1 and ID marine-equivalents can't go amiss right? Another being that without fire warriors/ many Burst cannons I may be fairly light on volume of fire, though I'd argue that the high quantity of markerlights to the number of powerful guns helps to counterbalance this, unless I'm having a roll 1's for days kind of game, in which case I'm probably doomed already. I already own the assembled models, so preferably no butchering is required, but it's not out of the question. (A suit-only list is a sub-goal here, I do own fire warriors with a 'fish and pathfinder models for larger or alternative lists.)

Thanks for your time, I look forwards to your input.