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I mean, it could be worse. You could have 6 Riptides, but then you lose out on any meaningful Troop selections. This one is quasi bad as it is:


Primary Detachment: Tau Empire

Commander - 185 Points
x1 w/ XVS-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit, Twin-Linked Fusion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite, Command and Control Node, Vectored Retro-Thrusters

Cadre Fireblade - 60 Points
x1 w/ Combat Armor, Pulse Rifle, Photon Grenades, Markerlight

Fire Warrior Team - 108 Points
x12 w/ Combat Armor, Pulse Rifle, Photon Grenades

Fire Warrior Team - 108 Points
x12 w/ Combat Armor, Pulse Rifle, Photon Grenades

Kroot Carnivore Squad - 82 Points
x12 w/ Kroot Armor, Kroot Rifle with Pulse Rounds, Sniper Rounds
x2 Kroot Hounds

XV104 Riptide - 190 Points
x1 w/ Riptide Battlesuit, Ion Accelerator, Twin-Linked Smart Missile System, Riptide Shield Generator, Early Warning Override

XV104 Riptide - 190 Points
x1 w/ Riptide Battlesuit, Ion Accelerator, Twin-Linked Smart Missile System, Riptide Shield Generator, Early Warning Override

XV104 Riptide - 190 Points
x1 w/ Riptide Battlesuit, Ion Accelerator, Twin-Linked Smart Missile System, Riptide Shield Generator, Early Warning Override


Allied Detachment: Farsight Enclaves

Cadre Fireblade - 60 Points
x1 w/ Combat Armor, Pulse Rifle, Photon Grenades, Markerlight

XV8 Crisis Team - 168 Points
x3 w/ Crisis Battlesuit Fusion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Advanced Targeting System, Bonding Knife Ritual

XV8 Crisis Team - 48 Points
x1 w/ Crisis Battlesuit, Twin-Linked Flamer, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Bonding Knife Ritual


Formation: Tau Empire Firebase Support Cadre

XV104 Riptide - 190 Points
x1 w/ Riptide Battlesuit, Ion Accelerator, Twin-Linked Smart Missile System, Riptide Shield Generator, Early Warning Override

XV88 Broadside Team - 210 Points
x3 w/ Broadside Battlesuit, Twin-Linked High Yield Missile Pod, Twin-Linked Smart Missile System, Target Lock

XV88 Broadside Team - 210 Points
x3 w/ Broadside Battlesuit, Twin-Linked High Yield Missile Pod, Twin-Linked Smart Missile System, Target Lock


Total Points 1999


Almost no Markerlights (a whopping two) which is a Bad Thing. Commander goes with the 3-man scoring Crisis Team and the Fireblades each take command of a Fire Warrior Team. Riptides pew pew, as do Broadsides.

Still, it has a certain charm...

I can not believe all this costs less than 2k, but it does.

move one of those riptides to farsight and give it a ECPA, possibly change it up to a HBC instead of ion also.

advanced targeting system on crisis team, a couple of kroot, etc.. there are points to move around.

Well there's lots of inefficiency in the list. But a bad Tau list can still beat most mediocre non-tau lists. Here's the areas that you should improve:

Buffmander doesn't want guns. However is only really worth it if you have a power house unit to put him in and you don't. You compound this by not only giving him weapons but giving him different weapons. Crisis suits should have two of the same gun always.

Fire blades aren't really worth it. Yeah I can see why you'd take one with a 12 man squad but they are really very brittle so putting extra incentive into targetting them isn't a great idea.

Firewarrior squads should be taken in 6-9 men. Keep them small and cheap. 9 men needs 3 for an LD test so works quite well, 6 is very cheap.

You only need 1 hound in the Kroot.

Riptides are fine but stims are always worth considering.

Crisis team with fusion and plasma is a mess. Pick what you want the unit to do and gear it to that. You don't need AP2 with 4 Riptides in the list so perhaps a melta or burstcannon team is the best bet.

Broadsides want EWOs not TLs. Broadsides are a mass firepower unit you'll want them all tar getting the same thing most of the time. Being your only realistic AA interceptor is a big advantage. Also you could swap them and a Riptide out for a Firebase Support Cadre for no extra points they gain tank hunters (further improving the AA of the Broadsides) and PE(Space Marines). There really is no reason not to take it if you have a Riptide and 6 broadsides in your list.