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O.k. heres the list

Shas'O,cyclic ion blaster, missile pod, shield, multi-tracker, target-lock,stimulant injector, 142
body guard#1-fusion blaster,plasma rifle,shield,multi,92
body guard#2-burst,flamer,shield, multi,lock,77
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3 XV8, 3 fusion, 3 plasma, 3shields,231
3 XV8, 3 burst, 3 flamer, 111
3 XV8, 3 plasma, missile pod, shields, 231
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2x12 fire warriors, 'ui, photon grenades, marker light, 304
12 fire warriors, 'ui, photon grenades, 6 carbines, devilfish,disruption pod, flechette, 237
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4 vespid,1 strain leader,86
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2 broadsides, shields, 180
2xhammerheads, rail gun, burst cannons, disruption pods, 310

total-2001pts. well, there you go!

all the crisis suits deep-strike, vespid held in reserve.

It took me a while to work out you meant shield generators, generally people only abbreviate stuff there can be no confusion about (eg fusion, plasma, relay, multi etc) - with crisis teams its also probably better to list each suit as an individual. List wise the HQ team is very inneficient. The 'El cant hurt tanks with the CIB and missile pods don't really worry terminators/massive ork units which are the prime targets for the CIB (though most aspect warriors suffer). A single burst cannon shooting against a target won't do much at Bs3, and a single flamer won't do a lot more. Its much better to keep command teams with a single theme, though slightly better equipped to be versatile within that role (eg taking the AFP on a helios team with a target lock). Shield generators on Tau are kind of a waste of points - losing them all would buy you a 3-man Firestorm unit with upgrades! Drones are much, much better than generators for several reasons: The extra 6" move and 5th ed cover save rules means that most of the time, you should be getting a cover save against everything that can put the hurt on a team. I find short of a deepstriking unit, they always get a save against the worst threats. Drones add an extra wound, so instead of a lascannon having a 1/2 chance of killing your 50-90 point suit, it has a 1/2 chance of killing a 15 point drone (or 10 point if you're smart with cover saves). Finally if all your squad have invulnerables, theres a much better chance of them actually holding up a turn against power-weapon equipped units. They will almost guaranteed be finished the next turn if this happens, but if you get charged you want that unit to be eaten because that leaves the enemy's close combat unit out in the open. For the command squad I would try something like:

'El, Plasma Rifle, CIB, Targeting Array, HW Multi Tracker, HW Target Lock, Bonding Knife, 2 x Shield Drone - 140
'Vre, Plasma Rifle, Fusion Blaster, Targeting Array, HW Multi-Tracker, 1 x Shield Drone - 97
'Vre, Plasma Rifle, Fusion Blaster, Targeting Array, HW Multi-Tracker

The whole point of a bodyguard team is the Hard-Wired wargear freeing up a twin-link or a targeting array on a hard point. This squad are all different models for wound allocation, and the Helios suits can fire seperately if there is a vehicle shot. A squad I often run replaces the Fusion Blasters with an AFP on one and a Burst Cannon on the other, making them slightly more survivable (18" is a good range to put most of your shots out on, whereas Helios suits are really wasted if they can't get a couple turns of firing at 12" and more general infantry/objective taking.

On the elites, drop the shield generators and pick up multi-trackers otherwise your 25 point firebase is wasting a lot of points. Instead, take the Team Leader upgrade and a couple of shield drones (if you have the points, Hard-Wire the Multi-Tracker and get an Array). On the burst/flamer suits, I would twin-link one of the two (preferably the flamer if you deepstrike).

The troops are there but there really isnt much point in spending on upgrades for them - if you dropped all the upgrades you could buy another devilfish, or take another squad of 9. If they get charged, they'll die, -1 attacks or not because of combat resolution. The problem with the markerlight on the team leader is that the rest of the squad has to shoot at the same target as him, which can be a pain when trying to drop tanks. By the time you add a target lock he costs 15 points short of 4 pathfinders!

Finally, Broadsides really should have a Targeting Array or the A.S.S.. You're gonna deploy them in cover for a free 4+ anyway, and Shield Drones on broadsides are incredible - 2+/4+ so well worth it. The Hammerheads would probably benefit from a Multi-Tracker so you can move <12 and shoot, to keep enemies hitting on 6s and out of melta range.

Overall, generally a good list just need to swap a few upgrades. I'd really, really recommend getting some pathfinders, I found out the hard way that firing 6 plasma shots at Bs3 is no guarantee that any of them will hit and they make everything else much more efficient + donate the 'fish to a Firewarrior squad. If you want an example list PM me, sorry for the essay!

Guy

*EDIT* Totally forgot about the Vespid! I don't like to dictate, but drop them. They're terrible - expensive, innacurate, an absurd range for a unit with almost no defensive ability whatever (that doesnt cost 5-7 points), low leadership, fleet but also crap in combat, and a small squad will get ignored, fail to kill something and be mullered by it. Vespid really need fixing in the next codex - its just every other unit is so much more killy than them (and its a terrible economic strategy for GW to - make a cash-expensive unit terrible!). I'd swap this out for the Devilfish for the pathfinders (also remember the free ability pathfinder fish have - line of sight grants a re-roll to deepstriking units), drop all the troop upgrades (including flachettes) to buy a 3rd one, and see if you can find the points when all the shield generators are gone to buy the pathfinder team.

I'd say it was a total mess.

Photon grenades? Why pay points to make your FWs worse?

Your Crisis suits are a mess.

FWs out of devilfish are dead.

Vespids are worse at shooting marines (the thing they are best against) from 12" than the same points of FWs, so have no place in any list.

No MLs is just fail, they are the best thing in the Tau codex. No I don't count having 2 on FW shas'ui.

Broadsides and Hammerheads are likewise a mess.

Just drop all the shield generators and ensure you are in cover. Then look up some standard Tau battlesuit configs. Like Fireknife, Deathrain, Helios, Gyroside and Scopeside. Stick to them.

Don't take any carbines ever or photon grenades. Markerlights should be on stealth teams or pathfinders exclusively.

Hammerheads need multitrakers.

Suit squads should be configured to do the same job otherwise your wasting fire power.

Shas'Os are never worth the points stick to Shas'el and keep them fairly light on equipement. The bodyguards are rarely worth it.

Right, i do need to get some pathfinders, but the problem is that where i am, guard are big and they pretty much all have the one vehicle that is like AP2, negates cover and fires indirectly, so being in cover helps very little. the big thing is, with no devilfish FW, how am i supposed to win capture and control? i shall see about getting the shield drones, the shas'O's BS5 helps killing stuff, and the WS 4, amazingly enough, wins me quite a few CC. he has beaten up a squad of guardsmen with commissar in CC. the thing that is confusing me here is that my squads are all(except the HQ) configured to do the same job, so not sure what you mean, unless you mean them. the broadsides need the saves because of the indirect firing vehicle mentioned above.
The main problem that i see is when making a list i go from HQ down, so there are less free-floating points as i get down on the list. i do need to find a way to squeeze the multi-trackers in. and on a side note, how do photon grenades make them worse? thanks for the info so far.

That gun is a pain in the ass, but the solution is buy a positional relay and keep the pfinders off turn 1, arrive turn 2 and dismount giving you 2 turns of fire to weapon destroyed/destroy it. Alternatively a stealth marker team can be a good option. Photon grenades make them worse because the squad does the same thing and dies in the same, quick manner, but cost more (so in this case worse=less efficient). If you are having trouble list writing, write your ideal list (probs coming out at about 2-3000) within reason, and then get rid of what is least important until you have a 2k list. I meant the HQ squad was upgraded to fight 3 different types of enemy, at different ranges, potentially shooting 3 targets, rather than all wanting to shoot at the same target (eg high str low ap weapons, anti-tank, anti-light infantry, and the slight multipurpose a commander can serve (eg AFP to allow anti-horde/light infantry on an anti-heavy infantry squad). Its definately true that the Shas'O can win a combat after shooting a unit. In some cases its quite likely. The problem is, every turn of yours he is in combat, he isnt shooting his expensive weaponry, and if he comes out of combat on the wrong turn, you will have had your movement tied up and will likely be assaulted/templated, its just not worth the risk or the benefit except in exceptional circumstances (eg your 4 suit team assaults 2 basic marines/4 crappy guardsmen on an objective, and even that can go wrong (one duff turn of attacks, not that unlikely, means other enemy units will pile in and powerfist you to death. I can think of rare times that suits have shined in combat (taking out a khorne lord who got 9 attacks and was on 2 wounds + 2 retinue) but usually where the enemy is actually standin is not where you want a crisis suit to be.

The indirect fire vehicle is a real pain. Apart from the aformentioned reserves solution, there are a few things you can do for broadsides. The drones will help soak it up a bit, and it is str6 I think, so your Broadsides will have a single wound left apiece, which still isn't a great place to be. You could equip your broadsides with ASS, have them arrive turn 2 (keeping the pathfinders in their tank til turn 2, but on the board) and get a free turn of firing, plus railgun shots. Leaving crisis suits to deal with light armour, they could get a combined 5 shots off before the tank could shoot back at them. Pirahnas would be a good solution to this problem, especially if he hides the tanks a lot, or you could consider a team of TL Flamer, Fusion + TL Fusion, Flamer with potentially a third TL Fusion, Flamer for added reliability, to deepstrike in. A Fusion + Missile Pod combination is excellent to deep strike against tank rush armies as the back armour is exposed. You could deepstrike a missile pod team, its back AV10 I think.

I'll temper FlingItNow's advice, in that, perhaps you're particular to what you've got, but his is still worthwhile.

maxpower3579 wrote:Shas'O,cyclic ion blaster, missile pod, shield, multi-tracker, target-lock,stimulant injector, 142
body guard#1-fusion blaster,plasma rifle,shield,multi,92
body guard#2-burst,flamer,shield, multi,lock,

*If* you were to keep this, get all the guns the same. All FireKnives or Helios or FireStorms, no Shield Gens, just MTs.

maxpower3579 wrote:
3 XV8, 3 fusion, 3 plasma, 3shields,231
3 XV8, 3 burst, 3 flamer, 111
3 XV8, 3 plasma, missile pod, shields,

The reason why you're going to toss the Shield Gens is that they're likely to be in Cover when they get hit with LAsCans, Krak Missiles or such. The Cover Save is free and the result is the same for either a Save or Fail: Live suit or dead due to Instant Death. And if they get caught in h2h, they're dead anyway.

Unit #1 Helios FB/PR/MT - good
Unit #2 change to FireStorms BC/MP/MT
Unit #3 FKs - good
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maxpower3579 wrote:2x12 fire warriors, 'ui, photon grenades, marker light, 304
12 fire warriors, 'ui, photon grenades, 6 carbines, devilfish,disruption pod, flechette,

Like FiN said: no grenades or carbines.

maxpower3579 wrote:4 vespid,1 strain leader,

The few times I used these universally condemned bugs, is with 9 or 10 of them. Don't Deep Strike 'em. They have the speed to get to a hurt unit of SM (they can't take on a full 10). They need to shoot SM and then assault what's left. Deep Striking doesn't allow for both. They're likely to be too crippled afterward to be of much use, thus most players not using 'em.

maxpower3579 wrote:2 broadsides, shields, 180

Add Shield Drones instead, and A.s.s.
2xhammerheads, rail gun, burst cannons, disruption pods,

ok, i will see about changing the HQ, the one XV8, see about the changes to the heavy, but like i said, the one imperial guard vehicle that is like a bassi, but not, keeps one shoting my broadsides to death. might add the drones, but need to upgrade to a leader but need the suits invul. to live when hit by the pseudo-basilisk.

maxpower3579 wrote:Right, i do need to get some pathfinders, but the problem is that where i am, guard are big and they pretty much all have the one vehicle that is like AP2, negates cover and fires indirectly, so being in cover helps very little. the big thing is, with no devilfish FW, how am i supposed to win capture and control?

Outflanking kroot.

maxpower3579 wrote: the broadsides need the saves because of the indirect firing vehicle mentioned above.

IF they're deployed in Cover and have SDs, then the SDs can take any wounds. Better than ShieldGens. Of course, they might just bite it anyway. Thus the shoot out: Your b-sides or his LeMan Russ (or whatever it is).

maxpower3579 wrote:... and on a side note, how do photon grenades make them worse? thanks for the info so far.

You want your FWs to die in that first round of h2h, not last for 2, when it is back to your opponent's turn to move and assault something else. If your FWs fold and die that first turn of being assaulted by the enemy, then those orks/marines/eldar are now sitting in the open, likely in very short range of the rest of your army and can easily be smoked. *That's* why, you don't take photon grenades.

Ok, that makes more scene with the photon, if i give the suits drones+shields, they would last longer too.

and on a side note, how do photon grenades make them worse?

Grenades will never stop you from being wiped out in 2 rounds of combat. What they might stop is you being wiped out in 1 turn of assault mean the enemy is free to clean up in your turn and then assault you again in his. Thus your photon grenades have prevent you from shooting at the unit that has wiped out your FWs. Best case scenario is your FWs still die turn 1 and you've just wasted an extra point a model.

Never spend points on keeping FWs alive in combat it won't work. Once FWs are in combat they are dead you just then want them dead as quick as possible so you can shoot at whatever assaulted you.

I still wouldn't take shield gens. If you are desperate to protect a squad take a suit with a TL weapon and a drone controller for 3-4 drones. The problem is, once you have a 90-odd point team leader armed to the teeth with protective gear, he's still missing with HALF of his shots. Thats why I say array is vastly superior - even if volume of fire outweighs innacuracy, its expensive fire and more importantly it isn't reliable - everyone gets caught out with bad dice a few times, but firing those 6 important ap2 shots with a 50% chance of missing has such a significant chance of not getting enough hits to be useful that the array opportunity is golden.