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Hello guys,

With the launch of W40k 7th edition and with my list for Necrons established, now is the time for my Tau army, so here it goes:

HQ:

1 Commander (2 Missile Pod + Drone Controller) + Target Lock + 2 Marker Drone

Troops:

6 Fire Warriors + 1 Devilfish (Twin Linked Smart Missile System + Disruption Pod)
6 Fire Warriors + 1 Devilfish (Twin Linked Smart Missile System + Disruption Pod)
6 Fire Warriors + 1 Devilfish (Disruption Pod)
6 Fire Warriors + 1 Devilfish (Disruption Pod)
6 Fire Warriors + 1 Devilfish (Disruption Pod)

Elite:

1 XV104 Riptide (Ion Accelerator + Early Warning Override + Velocity Tracker)
1 XV104 Riptide (Ion Accelerator + Early Warning Override + Velocity Tracker)

1 XV8 Crisis Team:
1 Crisis Shas'ui (Fusion Blaster + Missile Pod)
2 Crisis Shas'ui, (Missile Pod + Plasma Rifle)

Fast Attack:

1 Drone Squadron (5 Marker Drones)

Heavy Support:

1 Sky Ray Missile (Disruption Pod + BlackSun Filter +SMS)

XV88 Broadside Team:
2 Broadside Shas'ui (TLSMS +TLHYM) + 2 Shield Drones

Comments are very welcome..!

You've spent ALOT of points in poor troops choices nearly 800 points. This leaves the list very threadbare.

You then waste a further 40 points giving the Riptides VTs. Why? 200 points for 1.5 S7 hits? That's a terrible use of points. Dump them.

The crisis team is just a complete mess. Pick a role for them and then just take multiples of the weapon that fulfills that role. Like for instance your list has no way of dealing with AV14 so I'd suggest 6 fusion blasters and a target lock or two in the unit to fill that gap.

Skyrays are cool but work better in pairs.

Broadsides should ALWAYS have EWO. They are the best AA in the book yet you hamstring them whilst wasting points turning your Riptides from terrible AA to bad AA. I just don't get the thought process there at all. I would get far more Broadsides probably fielded as a FBSC.

7th hasn't been kind to Tau (though has been kind to Enclaves) as they lack effective mobile scoring. But Devilfishes are really not the answer.

The only part of the list I really like is the Mark'o commander. Yet even he doesn't really fit what looks like its trying to be a mech list. In a Mech list you want Skyrays for MLs, Piranhas for AT and horde control and only then do devilfish troops start looking viable.

I think the MSU Firewarrios in Devilfish are an ok option. I don't think you need to waste points on SMS, shooting is just gravy, its the 3+ cover save on a mobile AV12Front platform you are after. They are no Wave Serpent, but they'll do the job of a scoring transport. without abandoning Objective Secured all together or going Enclave for MSU OS Crisis, its your best option.

VTs on IA Riptides generally underperform. Even with two Skyfire Markerlights from the Sky Ray, they still aren't that good. I'd drop the VTs.

Crisis should have synergistic weapons loadouts, dual Fusions is your best bet.

Skyrays do work better in pairs, but one is just fine.

Definitely give your broadsides EWO. And drop the Shield Drones for Missile Drones. The 4++ isn't used very often as your opponents just start with the small arms and pick them off first. You should be able to scrounge enough points for a 3rd Broadside. With even just 1 Markerlight they become very solid AA, better than both Riptides with VTs.

Your list is quite Mech heavy, the Riptides Synergize with both. You could look at dropping the marko and Drones for another Skyray with some points to spare.

Zagman whilst I agree with most of your points I feel the Devilfish units aren't working here. If they had been the 60points base they should have been in the update then yes. But now I just feel they are only viable in a full mech list. Something like this perhaps:

Ethereal

5 x Fwarriors: Fish, Dp

5 Piranhas
5 Piranhas: 5 fusion
5 Piranhas: 5 fusion

3 x Skyray

That's just under 1850 and you have 23 vehicles providing target saturation.

 FlingitNow wrote:
Zagman whilst I agree with most of your points I feel the Devilfish units aren't working here. If they had been the 60points base they should have been in the update then yes. But now I just feel they are only viable in a full mech list. Something like this perhaps:

Ethereal

5 x Fwarriors: Fish, Dp

5 Piranhas
5 Piranhas: 5 fusion
5 Piranhas: 5 fusion

3 x Skyray

That's just under 1850 and you have 23 vehicles providing target saturation.

Ethereal

5xFireWarriors in Devilfish with Dpods

2x Riptide

2-3xSkyray

is roughly 1500-1600 which still leaves room for DSing Fusion and/or Broadsides.

It is still an effective list. Sure, its not fully Mechanized, but it doesn't have to be. The Riptides Synergize with the firepower required to kill Devilfish, Skyrays, and double out Broardsides. With a couple of Drones and Markerlight Support Broadside's Damage output warrants their Risk IMO.

Yeah Riptides work well in a mech list too. My concern would be dealing with AV14 which could become prevalent with AM in particular. Plus I like Piranhas but as I run non-mech there's no room for them normally in the lists I write

I feel like 6 DF is just excessive

at most you will need 3 to go secure objectives on the other side while dropping off the FW on your side when the time comes.

so cutting 2 DF gives you another HYMP BS and maybe a few suicide crisis suits.

I think fish are a middling transport BUT I do think if you are spamming them the SMS upgrade is absolutely worth it. It's a lot of twin-linked, no LOS, ignore-cover firepower. I agree with 95% of what Zagman says; but the SMS are absolutely worth it. Jetbikes aren't going away; crisis aren't goin away, plague bearers etc etc etc. They hide behind things and need to be destroyed. SMS is perfect for that.