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Well I was screwing around with the new tau codex and I came up with a few lists that will work with the escalating points values at my FLGS.

1000:

Commander:
Shas'el: Plasma, TL Missile Pod

4x Firewarriors:
11 Firewarriors and a Shas'ui

Firwarriors
11 Firewarriors

Broadsides:
2 Broadsides with ASS and Shas'vre with ASS and 2 Shield drones

 

1250:

Commander:
Shas'el: Plasma, TL Missile Pod

5x Firewarriors:
11 Firewarriors and a Shas'ui

Firwarriors
9 Firewarriors and a Shas'ui

2x Broadsides:
Broadside with ASS and Shas'vre with ASS and 2 Shield drones

 

1500:

Commander:
Shas'el: Plasma, TL Missile Pod

5x Firewarriors:
11 Firewarriors and a Shas'ui

2x Broadsides:
2 Broadsides with ASS and Shas'vre with ASS and 2 Shield drones

Broadsides:
Broadside with ASS and Shas'vre with ASS and 2 Shield drones

 

1850:

Commander:
Shas'el: Plasma, TL Missile Pod

2x Crisis:
2 Crisis suits TL Missile Pod and Plasma

6x Firewarriors:
11 Firewarriors and a Shas'ui

2x Broadsides:
2 Broadsides with ASS and Shas'vre with ASS and 2 Shield drones

Broadsides:
3 Broadside with Target lock

I've got 20 extra points in this list, but I don't know what to do with it.

All and all I think that Drop pods will give me the most trouble, but since no one there plays them (yet I'm sure) I should be safe for a while.

Comments?

Your model counts, especially in the early lists, are fantastic, but the lists as a whole are terrifically inflexible, and the nature of Tau basic troopers means that you really can't overload on them without losing tactical flexibility. My assessment is that you will be outshot by Guard, Eldar and Space Marines, too immobile to react well to Nids, and Necrons will take you apart pretty nicely too, with the aid of the Veil. Chaos I don't blame you for; daemons wreck everyone, played properly. At least you'll beat the Orks... unless they're speed freeks.

If you want loads of basic troopers:
-take Kroot with hounds; that way, if you find yourself assaulted, you can at least hit back.
OR
-Leave some on foot, but give others Devilfish so that you can concentrate your firepower while retaining the ability to control fire lanes and disperse from an assaulted unit as needed (55 Fire Warriors is an impressive number, but keeping them all together is suicide, and spreading them all apart is suicide).

If you're willing to branch off from this absolutist scheme:
-use a Hammerhead. For Christ's sake, it's somewhere between second and third best vehicle in the game.
-Take Crisis suits with AP1-3 weaponry.
-Include some Markerlights to increase your Fire Warriors' efficacy.

I have to agree with sapphon. There is no versatility. Tau, more than any other army, require a combined arms approach, not the redundancy marines. Markerlights, Crisis suits, Transports, etc. are all important in the Tau army.

at 1850-if your doing the gunline at least drop a firewarrior squad or 2 to upgrade your crisis suits so that they will survive and be able to fire all thier guns every turn-multi-trackers, shields/shield drones etc....since they are your heavy hitters against vehicles and heavy infantry.

I did some thinking (mailny on the 1000 list). How does dropping 1 large squad for 1 of the crisis squads from 1850 (2 Crisis suits TL Missile Pod and Plasma), then splitting the smaller squad into 2 really small squads with carbines (to act as a speed bump/sacrificial unit) sound?

Thanks for the comments so far!