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This is my first venture into Tau, with the goal of creating a shooty/mid-ranged list. I read through the codex a couple times, but I will say the battlesuit armory was confusing for me so please let me know if I did something wrong. Below is my list (I would like to scale it up to 1500, 2000 and 2500 eventually).

HQ
Shas'el (Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Targeting Array, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker) 97
Shas'el (Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Targeting Array, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker) 97

Elite
2x Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader, Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Hard-Wired Multi Tracker, Targeting Array) 149
2x Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader, Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Hard-Wired Multi Tracker, Targeting Array) 149

Troops
6x Firewarrios (Pulse Rifles)
Devilfish (Burst Cannon, Gun Drones, Disruption Pod) 145

6x Firewarrios (Pulse Rifles)
Devilfish (Burst Cannon, Gun Drones, Disruption Pod) 145

Heavy
2x Broadside (Team Leader, Advanced Stabilization System, Targeting Array, Target Lock, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker) 190


total 972
left 28

I love Tau at 1000 points, they are a lot of fun at that point level. That being said Crisis Suits and what to take on them is a source of heated argument among Tau players.

I would suggest never taking Target Arrays. They are just not worth 10 points. would you spend 10 points to give an IG Heavy Weapon Squad +1 BS? Didn' think so.

My next suggestion is getting rid of the Plasma Rifles. They cost to much, and your opponent will probably get cover saves anyway, simply not worth it. I suggest Burst Cannons. They are cheap, almost as strong, and get more shots at a longer range.

Team leaders are also a waist of time with Crisis Teams. If they get shot they are probably going to run, The leader won't make a difference.

Try fielding a deap striking team of Crisis Suits. Give them flamers and Fusion Blasters, that's always fun.

My last suggestion is a squad of Kroot with 2 Krootox. Incredible range, strong weapons, and hard to kill in cover. Not to mention having a melee option is always nice.

That's all the advice I have to give, good luck bud.

P.S. Never field broadsides as a team. Make them waist their anti-armor shots on a single suit and laugh because you still have one left.

OzTeG8ndPwRfl wrote:I would suggest never taking Target Arrays. They are just not worth 10 points. would you spend 10 points to give an IG Heavy Weapon Squad +1 BS? Didn' think so.

I completely disagree. BS4 makes a big difference. Hence my suggestion that Crusher50, you could split off one suit, to have two singles, and each with TmLd, TA and hwMT.

OzTeG8ndPwRfl wrote:My next suggestion is getting rid of the Plasma Rifles. They cost to much, and your opponent will probably get cover saves anyway, simply not worth it. I suggest Burst Cannons. They are cheap, almost as strong, and get more shots at a longer range.

I completely agree. Crusher50, OzTeG8ndPwRfl is right about FireStorms. The volume fire in low point games overwhelms enemies. Only DE can match the out put (IG I suppose, too).

OzTeG8ndPwRfl wrote:Team leaders are also a waist of time with Crisis Teams. If they get shot they are probably going to run, The leader won't make a difference.

OzTeG8ndPwRfl, the TmLD is necessary to score the Target Array, which we know you don't like. Without Markerlight help, BS3 sucks. And MarkerLights are too pricey to work into 1k lists.

OzTeG8ndPwRfl wrote:IP.S. Never field broadsides as a team. Make them waist their anti-armor shots on a single suit and laugh because you still have one left.

Never? How about when you have a couple Railheads to field, too? Anyway, I wouldn't say 'never', but Crusher50, this is again good advice. Split them up, making the enemy split his fire.

I'd switch half your FireKnives for FireStorms (BC/MP). That ought to free up points for Shield Drones for the broadsides, much needed SDs.

Hold on, I got the whole Mathhammer thread about this bookmarked.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/360480.page
If you can figure out what you'll be facing, you should be in a good situation. Also, Magnetize your Battlesuits. EXTREMELY $ efficient.

Only one suit per squad can become a Team Leader. You're spending far too many points on upgrades and not enough on bodies and firepower.

Over all though you're going down the right path, you just need to cut some of those upgrades.

At 1000 points, I would go for something like this:

Shas'el, Missile Pod, Burst Cannon, Multi-tracker, HW Target Lock - 80
Shas'ui (3), Missile Pod, Burst Cannon, Multi-tracker - 150
Shas'ui (3), Missile Pod, Burst Cannon, Multi-tracker - 150
Shas'ui (2), Missile Pod, Burst Cannon, Multi-tracker - 100
Fire Warriors (6), Devilfish with Disruption Pod - 145
Fire Warriors (6), Devilfish with Disruption Pod - 145
Kroot (10) - 70
Broadside, Drone Controller, Gun Drone - 80
Broadside, Drone Controller, Gun Drone - 80
Total: 1000

I disagree with a lot mentioned here....

TA's work and they work well.

Team Leaders are the only way to get a bonding knife and TA's with HWMT. Being able to fight on with 1 suit is better than fleeing off the table. They only come in squads of 3 and they are 3+... And since suits are about the only decent thing Tau have fighting on with a single suit for a few points is good.

Firestorms over Fireknives depends alot on the situation.... I use both and love both.

I like large squads of XV88's with 2 SD's...... 5 guys sitting in the back with 2+ pisses players off.... They spend huge amounts of points trying to kill them freeing up your suits to wander the battlefield plinking whoever they please.... Players see those railguns and zone in on them..... Leaving the firestorms and fireknives to do some killing.

Plasma is pricey but watching a Meq player get stunned when you tell him he dosent get to roll a save on his dev squad is priceless.

Milisim wrote:Plasma is pricey but watching a Meq player get stunned when you tell him he dosent get to roll a save on his dev squad is priceless.

What kind of player doesn't know that Ap2 weapons ignore a 3+ save? Furthermore, what kind of player doesn't put their Devs in cover?

I disagree about the Broadsides. Make one a Team Leader and give him Target Lock. That way you spend 5 pts to split fire instead of separating them and making 2 Killpoints instead of one. One of the best 5 pts worth upgrades out there.

So much fail here.

Boris420 wrote:I disagree about the Broadsides. Make one a Team Leader and give him Target Lock. That way you spend 5 pts to split fire instead of separating them and making 2 Killpoints instead of one. One of the best 5 pts worth upgrades out there.

Except that's not exactly true. It's 10 points, including the Team Leader upgrade. By grouping them together you're limiting your own firing lanes and LOS options. Better to have them as separate squads if you have the slots available.

Then again playing Tau with 1 Elite slot and 1 heavy slot still open means points are most likely being spent somewhere where they shouldnt be....

Also having 2 seperate XV88's means you are spread out if one is on the other side of the deployment zone.

Playing a non castled Tau position most of the time means you will be picked apart in small sections and tabled.

Milisim wrote:Then again playing Tau with 1 Elite slot and 1 heavy slot still open means points are most likely being spent somewhere where they shouldnt be....
Also having 2 seperate XV88's means you are spread out if one is on the other side of the deployment zone.
Playing a non castled Tau position most of the time means you will be picked apart in small sections and tabled.

Oy, this is wrong again, though Boris420 stated it first.

Castling *at all* in 5e is bad. There's too much mobility (and scouts) to hole up.

Boris and Milisim, having *one* b-side team means the enemy only needs to shoot at or assault *one* b-side team. H2h and they're toast, shooting less likely, but still, both RGs are silent while the unit slugs its way through an assault.

Splitting them up means your enemy has to hunt down each in separate assaults or shoot up *2* additional Shield Drones!

Your way:
XV88 - Tm Ld, Target Lock, hwDC, 2 SDs
XV88

One assault, kill 4 models.

My way and unbeliever87's:
XV88 - Tm Ld, hwDC, 2 SDs

XV88 - Tm Ld, hwDC, 2 SDs

Two assaults that requires the enemy to kill 6 models.

Pricier? Sure. Tougher to kill, definitely.
Extra KPs? Yes, but tau always have more KPs than power armor armies.

Whenever a tau opponent clusters his suits together, the game gets easier to win for me.

unbeliever87 wrote:So much fail here.

Boris420 wrote:I disagree about the Broadsides. Make one a Team Leader and give him Target Lock. That way you spend 5 pts to split fire instead of separating them and making 2 Killpoints instead of one. One of the best 5 pts worth upgrades out there.

Except that's not exactly true. It's 10 points, including the Team Leader upgrade. By grouping them together you're limiting your own firing lanes and LOS options. Better to have them as separate squads if you have the slots available.

Fail? lol. perhaps misguided at best. Killpoints have lost me many games against beakies so the less the better. As for LOS I don't have many problems, I give my XV88's the best field of fire anyways. What I love about them is that if a building is in the way, shoot them. You have Str 10 so might as well and clear up the battlefield and laugh at players who love to hide behind such weedy things.