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Ok, I guess there's some controversy regarding if ICs can join riptides. As long as it's not FAQed, there might be some fun to be had with them.

Basically, 2x riptides with ion accelerators, fusion blasters early warning overrides and velocity trackers. plus missile drones.

2 babysitters:
Team 1: Shadowsun with command-link drone and 2 shield drones + riptide friend

Team 2: Commander w. fusion blaster, plasma/ion blaster/missile pod, target lock, puretide chip, retro thrusters or drone controller (depending on if it can be used for missile drones), 2 drones + any other signature systems you can afford ( Ann Onager gauntlet on the commander and hit something, then jump away!) + riptide friend


That's two tough tag-teams! Expensive but kick-ass with majority toughness 6, and loads of other goodies. Quite mobile also, with Shadowsun's extra thust move and hit-and-run on team 2 if they get assaulted

Sets you back around 1000 p., so maybe you should go for the Farsight bomb instead. But it kinda like the idea of one big, one tiny, and some drone pals kicking it together.

How is there any controversy? The rules are perfectly clear that ICs can join Riptides. The only people disagreeing haven't bothered to read the rules before complaining about how "unfair" it is.

The "controversy" is people's ignorance on the word ALWAYS instead of IF in the IC joining MC rules. People also like to assume drones dont count as models for things like this, which as per tau codex they count as models for every single rule out there. The exception is vehicles that own drones, but not drones that are embarked as passengers.

Ive been running the buffcommander + riptide and it feels underwhelming. I was allying it in with my orks and running a green tide + bikerboss missile at 1999. All 3 games the riptide was basically left alone and landed 90% of his shots, still feels like im better off getting double biker missile instead (as its the same cost, give or take).

Its effectively ~400-450pts depending on upgrades for 1 shot. That one shot is just hard to take out, but the shot itself isnt that spectacular anyway. Probably gonna shelf my riptide till i get enough models to run Tau as a main force.
EDIT: I say 1 shot because the Gauss thingy is pointless if you dont have an array of markerlights backing it up, which as an allied force the tau wont amass enough of them to make a difference. One pathfinder will get sniped out relatively easy, and unless its your main force you can only have 1.
Also his secondary weapon rarely is in range if you got the big gun. I think i fired it once in all 3 games lol