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So my local Gamesworkshop store is having a store wide campaign. One my chaos teams small 500 point garrisons got invaded by a 2500 point Tau army.I'm fighting the game tomorrow afternoon. I'm obviously going to lose. My objective is to take as much down with me as I can, For every 250 points of damage we do, we weaken the opponents army by a point. This is an initial Tau attack on our planet so this is the only army on our planet. I want soften it up so we can push it off the next campain turn. I'm working on the list to do as much damage as I can.

The guy I'm playing doesn't run a cheese Tau list so I have that going for me,

He usually runs:
Crisis Suits
Pathfinders and broadsides
two devil fish
two piranas
two or three fire warriior squads
and like one or two of their fighters or bombers

I've got it narrowed down two like three lists. Which do you think will help the most. Again my objective is to do as many points of damage as I can. Not normal target priority.

1. Drake Spam (worked well for 500 vs. 500 games) Hesitant to bring against Tau though
HQ
Sorcerer 60 Points
Power Armor, Bolt Pistol, Force Sword. Maybe roll on telepathy and hope for something hilarious like invisibility or puppet master
Troops:
2X 10 man cuitists balls 100 Points
Fast:
2X Heldrakes Baleflamers 340 Points

2. Drake and AA
HQ
Sorcerer 60 Points
Power Armor, Bolt Pistol, Force Sword.
Troops:
1X 10 man cultist squad100 Points
1X 11 man cultist squad 104 Points
Fast:
Heldrake 170 points
Baleflamer
Heavy:
Havocs
4X Missile Launchers 3X Flakk Missiles (Can't fit 4th)

3. Drake and Oblits
HQ
Sorcerer 60 Points
Power Armor, Bolt Pistol, Force Sword.
Troops:
1X 10 man cultist squad100 Points
1X 10 man cultist squad100 Points
Fast:
Heldrake 170 points
Baleflamer
Heavy:
2X Oblits MoN 152 points
Havocs
2X Heldrakes Baleflamers 340 Points

Let me know if anyone has any other ideas
HQ:
Abaddon, Kharn, Typhus, Ahriman, Lucius, Lord, Sorcerer
Elites
15X Terminators
Helbrute
Troops
25X Cultists
10X CSM
12X Berzerkers
14X Plagues
5X Noise
2XRhinos
Fast
2XHeldrake
Heavy
Maulerfiend
Predator
3XObliterators
5XHavocs

any thoughts at all

I wouldn't suggest any reserves, as even one heldrake means you'll have 330 points trying to resist 2500 points of firepower. Not a good time.

I'd go for lots of long range heavy support that can start firing turn one. Oblits, predators, that stuff.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I know its mind-numbingly easy to just say OH TAKE 3 HELDraKeS but I'm sure you're a smarter person than that and understand that you will get tabled probably in this situation with even 1 heldrake.

I get your point. My thought is a risk reward scenario. I know I'm going to lose. I can hide everything and deprive line of site. Smart missiles are a pain in this case. But they aren't likely to kill everything turn one with means I'm getting reserve rolls. If they come in then I have opportunity to take asome things down with me.

I'm aware it is a terrible idea. But if it works it will likely put my team in the best situation.

Hmm. Well no riptide so thats not so bad. Helldrakes and spawn are fine. Minimum scoring isn't very good. A lord with a movement option in a large blob of cultists is ok. rhino rush could work.. dirge casters are golden against tau. Plague marines are ok.. helldrakes are still great.

Its tricky, very tricky. I would want a lot of things up in his face quick.
I don't quite understand the points you are using.
Include list would be:
Rhinos with dirge casters(with maybe plagues or min marine squads)
Maulers
spawn (nurgle)
lord of nurgle with bike or jumppack (i'm trialling a palanquin tonight, its slow but i'm thinking use spawn to slingshot him forward.
Helldrakes.
deepstriking oblitorators

Allied daemons with a portalglyph and flesh hounds.

Also , no need for negativity, chaos can totally beat tau, just play to your strengths, get a table with good terrain, and stick to the objectives (rather than bloodshed and glory)

Lol. I'm facing 2500 points of Tau with 500 points of Chaos for a campaign match. I'm not winning this one. My goal is to take out much as I can to weaken his teams army on my planet.