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The problem with bikes v Tau is that they have so much S5-7 shooting that you aren't much harder to wound than regular marines, and they can Ignore Cover with whatever AP2-3 shooting they have. So you die just as easy, but each death hurts more.

Because of the Interceptor fire, I'd say that Rhino rush is a better bet than pods.

 Jimsolo wrote:

 tomjoad wrote:
The problem with bikes v Tau is that they have so much S5-7 shooting that you aren't much harder to wound than regular marines, and they can Ignore Cover with whatever AP2-3 shooting they have. So you die just as easy, but each death hurts more.

Because of the Interceptor fire, I'd say that Rhino rush is a better bet than pods.

Obviously YMMV, but as a pod player, I've yet to see enough Interceptor fire to make me question pods. It's honestly fairly rare, and even then it isn't that hard to mitigate/avoid. I think pod armies got the juicy half of the steak in this edition personally. (That being said, bikes are still strong contenders.)

Yeah, you're right. No Tau players really bring enough Interceptor to put off a dedicated pod list. I was typing in too much of a rush before; it's only really devastating against 1-3 pod lists where a single Riptide or Broadside pack can wreck you.

The reason I prefer rhinos anyway is that they add a ton of utility that pods can't give you. The rhino soaks up at least one unit's shooting while your marines are snug as a bug inside it. Then, since Tau have relatively few ways to explode a tank, you'll have a nice piece of terrain to hide your combat squads behind. So, drive up 18", turn sideways, get exploded, block LoS to your Objective Secured units; THAT is why I personally prefer the rhino rush.

Frankly, I haven't had time to play a game of 7th with my marines yet (focused on Guard lately). But, I used the rhinos in 6th a lot and found them to be much better than they were given credit for. With the changes to vehicle durability (the fact that they'll rare explode means a LOT for transports) I am comfortable theorizing that rhino rush will be better than before. Pods are strong, but I know that, for me, rhinos will give me the best chance to win.