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2010 - Total

2x HQ XV8 - 321
Shas'el - Fireknife, Hardwired drone controller, 2x Sheild drone
2x Shas'vre - Fireknife, Hardwired drone controller, 2x Sheild drone

3x Elite XV8 - 221
Shas'ui - Fireknife, Team leader, Hardwired drone controller, 2x Sheild drone
2x Shas'ui - Fireknife

2x Troop Fire Warriors - 60
6x Shas'la

3x Heavy Support XV88 - 195
Shas'ui - Targeting array, Team Leader, Hardwired drone controller, 2x Sheild drone
Shas'ui - Targeting array

So if you couldn't tell this is a SUITE ONLY list, please keep that in mind while commenting on it
Also one of the main things i wanted advice on was, do you think i should keep this list or take out one elite unit which is 221 and add

Hardwired Targeting arrays for the HQ's Body guards and Elite team leaders - 80
plasma rifles for the Broadsides - 60
hardwired Multi-trackers for the broadside team leaders - 15
Shield generators for the broadside team leaders(the targeting arrays would become hardwired) - 60

But mainly its for the extra BS, the new total will be 2004

So...many...shield...drones...

/sigh

Ok, rule one of the tau codex: shield drones are bad. If you want ablative wounds, and that's the only reason you would have drones attached to a suit unit, you're better off with gun drones because (a) they're still providing ablative wounds, and (b) they can shoot. While the offensive capabilities of gun drones are dubious at best, they can at least shoot, maybe wound something, maybe pin something. That's better than the shield drone, which is more expensive and doesn't kill anything ever.

Counter-argument: shield drones have the same armor save as the principal unit, and has a 4++.

My argument: the armor save isn't necessary because you're probably putting AP3 – AP2 shots on them, which would bypass whatever armor save the drone has. As for the 4++, you should have the principal unit in cover, either terrain or kroot, so you're getting a 4+ cover save anyways.

But I wouldn't run either because they're inherently defensive list choices. Tau players don't win by being defensive—we win by killing everything we see. To that effect, save those extra points for more guns. Yes, we take casualties—it's for the greater good—but the greater number of bodies offsets the lack of defensive list choices.

Second, I have explained in many other posts that TL Missile Pod + Targeting Array (“Deathrain”) is a superior build on elite crisis suits and fireknife suits should be reserved to the HQ slot because that way you can make all your suits BS4. “Deathrain” suits in the elite slot are cheaper than “fireknives” (plasma rifle + missile pod + multi-tracker) and more accurate because you make them BS4 AND their weapons are twin-linked. So, they're cheaper and more accurate. The downside is that you don't have as much plasma as is really required to combat massed Blood Angels assault marines with FNP. Therefore, you actually have to take two HQ's with fireknives. That cuts down on the number of broadsides you can take, but it's something you have to do if you want to stand a chance against BA. On the upside, it makes you better against other MEQs, so it's not too bad.

Accounting for the foregoing, I recommend the following list:

--HQ-- 2000/2000

1 Shas'el 87
-Plasma Rifle
-Missile Pod
-Multi-tracker
2 Bodyguard 164
-Plasma Rifle x2
-Missile Pod x2
-Targeting Array x2
--HW Multi-tracker x2

1 Shas'el 87
-Plasma Rifle
-Missile Pod
-Multi-tracker
2 Bodyguard 164
-Plasma Rifle x2
-Missile Pod x2
-Targeting Array x2
--HW Multi-tracker x2

--Elites--

3 Crisis Suit 159
-TL Missile Pod x3
-Targeting Array x3

3 Crisis Suit 159
-TL Missile Pod x3
-Targeting Array x3

--Troops--

6 Fire warriors 60

10 Kroot Carnivores 106
6 Kroot Hounds

10 Kroot Carnivores 112
7 Kroot Hounds

10 Kroot Carnivores 112
7 Kroot Hounds

--Fast Attack--

2 Piranha 150
-Fusion Blaster x2
-Disruption Pod
-Target Lock
-Targeting Array x2

2 Piranha 150
-Fusion Blaster x2
-Disruption Pod
-Target Lock
-Targeting Array x2

2 Piranha 150
-Fusion Blaster x2
-Disruption Pod
-Target Lock
-Targeting Array x2

--Heavy Support--

2 Broadside Battlesuits 170
-A.S.S. x2
-Team Leader
-Target Lock

2 Broadside Battlesuits 170
-A.S.S. x2
-Team Leader
--Target Lock

I have difficulty reading your list, so I can't testify as to the exact differences between the lists, but I know you don't have piranha or kroot in your list, which is a mistake imho. You need the kroot shield to protect your board edge from outflanking foot troops (read: wolf scouts) and providing a roving cover save for your suits. Additionally, this list gives you twice the number of scoring units, giving you a greater ability to cap objectives. Finally, the piranha let you control your opponent's movement across the board. Plus they give your opponent something to shoot at for one, hopefully two, turns before concentrating on your suits. That gives your suits a one to two turn breathing space to shoot at will. Additionally, they might kill something, AND they give you a bunch of free gun drones with which to harass infantry and provide limited protection for your suits from melee.

I think the list loses five suits from your list, but it actually gains survivability with the presence of the kroot wall and piranha shield.

Hope that helps,

Knute

PS: the advanced stabilization system is the same points value as the targeting array, so they can be switched out at will, but I prefer the A.S.S. because I don't like them being totally immobile.

Knute: everything said, good and right points. I mean so many shield drones...awww

Hey Knute, I have a couple of questions for you.

I see that you use Piranhas a lot, so can you tell me how well they actually work for you? I haven't got any because they look rather terrible to me, and I'd rather use my FA slots for pathfinders. Could you post a batrep or something?

that was great advice, a lot of it i would give out my self as i do have a more competitive 2000 tau list, but the purpose of this list is to be only suits, my friend told me to make a suits only list for fun not competitive so if anyone would like to give some advice on the list now that its more clear that it should be suites only pleas go right ahead

also i play a lot of arms with a lot of weak shots and the armor save on the drones has defiantly helped me win games in the past...i agree though there are a lot of them but this is the first draft of the list and that is one thing that will be revised

Well then, if you just want a suit list for funsies--now THAT'S something I can get behind.

--HQ--

1 O'Shovah 170
7 Bodyguards 574
-Plasma Rifle x7
-Missile Pod x7
-Targeting Array x7
-HW Multi-tracker x7

1 Shas'el 87
-Plasma Rifle
-Missile Pod
-Multi-tracker
-Bonding Knife
2 Bodyguard 164
-Plasma Rifle x2
-Missile Pod x2
-Targeting Array x2
--HW Multi-tracker x2

--Elites--

3 Crisis Suit 159
-TL Missile Pod x3
-Targeting Array x3

3 Crisis Suit 159
-TL Missile Pod x3
-Targeting Array x3

3 Crisis Suit 159
-TL Missile Pod x3
-Targeting Array x3

--Troops--

6 Fire Warriors 60

6 Fire Warriors 60

--Heavy Support--

3 Broadsides 250
-A.S.S. x3
-Team Leader
--Target Lock
--Bonding Knife

1842/1850

If you want to scale it up to 2000, feel free.

Enjoy.

Hope that helps,

Knute

wow, the o'shovah tip was really good actually, gets me 5 mor suites thanks, and i think im gonna run them without sheild drones

I like where Knute is going, but I WHOLLY disagree about shield drones.

The firepower a gun drone offers is completely negligible. It's worthless.

For just a few more points, you can give your most valuble units (I usually run 2 on my broadside teams, and my commander(s) ) a 4+ invo save, to avoid instant death, and AP2 stuff. Arguing that AP2 negates the usefulness of shield drones is rediculous, since their purpose is to make you semi-survivable vs AP3+

Don't run TONS, but run them where it counts. They are the only drone worth taking. They aren't just ablative wounds. They are ablative wounds with the cheapest invulnerable save available to us.

It's technically 1 suit less than you could actually run if you ran max suits in every slot, but I think this looks more impressive.