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So next week I´ll play against someone who is playing Tau and I´ll play with the SW Codex for the first time. Is this a solid list?

HQ
Rune Priest
+Runic Armor
+Wolf tail talisman
+Chooser of the slain
Living Lightning
Jaws of the World Wolf

Elite
Wolfguard Pack
3x Termi Armor SB/Energy Weapon (they´ll join my troops)

Troops
10 Grey Hunters
+Flamer
+Plasma
+Energyfist

10 Grey Hunters
+Flamer
+Plasma
+Energysword

10 Grey Hunters
+Melta
+Plasma

Support
Longfangs
2*HB
2*Plasma

Longfangs
2* ML
2* LC

Should be 999 points.
My plan is to just bumrush him and hit as hard as possible in close combar. I don´t expect Rhinos to live long and drop pods would be intercepted easily so i´ll have to footslogg it.
Any ideas about this?

Which Power () Weapons are you taking? Just curious since Swords vs Axes are different now.

Also, Drop Pods aren't intercepted that easily. Early Warning Override on a Crisis Suit or Broadside and Flyers with Interceptor Drones are the only things in Codex: Tau Empire that have Interceptor. I don't know how he's playing it, but most Crisis suits Deep Strike (many times with a Positional Relay) at my FLGS and I haven't seen Broadsides taking EWO in preference for Velocity Tracker or Advanced Targeting System for some reason. Broadsides are the only ones you'd realistically have to worry about for your Drop Pods, and he shouldn't have too many of those at 1000 points.

So my suggestion would be to cut 2 Grey Hunters from each pack and find 15 points so you can take Drop Pods (and keep the Terminators in the Drop Pods with the Grey Hunters).

Interesting idea. Know i have to scratch-build a couple of pods!
Where would you put the rune priest?

Btw I´m going for swords since i don´t expect any heavy armor in close combat.

A rune priest is a fantastic idea. Jaws of the world wolf is a quick and dirty way to instagib broadsides and other nasty tau units, as Tau are I2 across the board(the drones are higher, but the suits have to take the test with their own initiative). However, I have no idea why you decked your priest out with so much anti psyker gear. Tau have no psykers, so unless you expect nasty deamon allies there is no need for the runic armor. Take terminator armor instead to have a 5++ against everything. Even if tau had psychic powers, a wolf tail talisman is useless on a rune priest as your runic weapon can deny on a 4+(and per FAQ you only get one chance to stop a power)

Tau are absolute garbage in close combat. If you manage to catch them and get through the wall of gunfire, a few space wolves can easily roll fire warriors, and a decent squad will beat crisis suits. With low weapon skill and initiative(2 in almost all cases) it is better to just swamp them with attacks, force them to take morale and sweeping advance them. Tau leadership is mediocre unless they have an ethereal, which can still be owned in a challenge. For this reason, don't take powerfists or any power weapons that make you strike last. Power mauls and maybe swords to deal with crisis armor. If you need some low ap, just take mark of the wulfen. Lots of attacks and rending will cut through even a riptide. For your hunters, mark of the wulfen is all you need. Power sword or maul for your wolf guard and rune priest.

Rhinos wont live long, but they still eat fire that your troops do not. Metal boxes give you a turn to rush up the board you would otherwise spend getting shot to pieces. Even if it explodes, it is better the rhino ate the heavy guns than your troops. Interceptor is a threat for drop pods, but you are looking at S7 guns on BS3 models, so you still have a decent chance of getting a pod down safely. Again, this is only on broadsides.

If you have spare points, combi weapons would be good on your wolf guard(plasma probably). It will be hard to get into melta range against a hammerhead or devilfish. A melta can instagib suits, but plasma will force more wounds and has better range and utility.

Thx for the advice!
Honestly I thought the runic armor would be the wolvy counter-part to master-crafted armor

Would you even put Wolfguard in Terminator armor in the same squad as the GH? Don´t they lose the ability to sweep the enemy?

tommse wrote:
Thx for the advice!
Honestly I thought the runic armor would be the wolvy counter-part to master-crafted armor

Would you even put Wolfguard in Terminator armor in the same squad as the GH? Don´t they lose the ability to sweep the enemy?

If you are using runic armor as artificer armor, then no worries(makes it easier to fit into drop pods as well!). I am not totally sure on how that works; I know terminator squads can't sweep, but I am unsure if a single model denies the ability to do so. Sweeping is the best way to win combats, but against tau plasma the 5++ is nice. Termi armor also gives a stormbolter and power weapon free, so good stuff there. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, put the wolf guard out front to tank saves. They will likely die before you reach combat, eating bullets for the guys behind. If they live, the extra attacks could mean you simply kill the squad and leave nothing to be swept. Tau close combat is a joke short of a farsight bomb or giant kroot blob, while grey hunters are excellent fighters.

Since i was not able to get some drop pods i tried another list.

HQ
Rune Priest
+Runic Armor
+Wolf tail talisman
+Chooser of the slain
Living Lightning
Jaws of the World Wolf

Elite
Wolfguard Pack
Arjac Rockfist
3x Termi Armor SB/Energy Weapon
2x WG with Combimelta + Meltabombs (join my GH

Troops
9 Grey Hunters
+Plasma
Rhino

9 Grey Hunters
+Melta
Rhino


Support
Longfangs
2* ML
2* LC

1) Is this still going up against Tau? If so, what is the point of taking a wolf tail talisman on your Rune Priest? Tau don't have any psykers, so you'll never use the WTT. But even if Tau DID have pskers, your RP would already get a 4+ save against psychic powers with his runic weapon. So he really doesn't need the 6+ from the WTT does he.

2) Arjac Rockfist is way too expensive (about 200 points) for what he does. Especially in a 1000 point game. For what he costs you could have an entire squad of Grey Hunters, or two rune priests, or a wolf lord who's better than Arjac.

3) Putting the wolf guard with your GH's is really not points efficient the way you have done it. You would save points by just taking 10 Grey Hunters and getting a free special weapon. There is no point paying extra for a wolf guard with a one shot meltagun, when you could have a cheaper dude who shoots melta every turn.

4) Long Fangs with lascannons sounds nice in principle. But in a 1000 point game, the 9 strength won't make that much of an improvement over the 8 strength Krak missile. Furthermore, the missile launcher has the option of shooting frags which is much better at horde control than a lascannon. Save yourself 30 points and turn the two lascannons into missile launchers.

 Grugknuckle wrote:
3) Putting the wolf guard with your GH's is really not points efficient the way you have done it. You would save points by just taking 10 Grey Hunters and getting a free special weapon. There is no point paying extra for a wolf guard with a one shot meltagun, when you could have a cheaper dude who shoots melta every turn.

IMO, Wolf Guard are more about the fact they are Characters these days. Being able to tie up something nasty for a turn while the rest of your Grey Hunters try to pummel the enemy can be important. Of course against a deathstar type unit they'll just melt anyways...