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Hi guys! I'm new to 40k, but I've settled on a Tau Empire army as I love the really cool battle suits on their side. Anyway, it'd be great if anyone could suggest what I need to buy and be successful (I think my opponent will be playing Astra Militarum, if that helps)

I'm not a tau player myself, but if you're really into battlesuits you might want to check the Farsight Enclaves supplement. AFAIK it allows you to use more battlesuits than the 'regular' tau list!

Starting off I suggest getting battlesuits, firewarriors, and skyrays. Stick with the basic book, as I don't see a point in paying double off the bat to field one army.
I don't suggest the commander model starting off as it's a bit more expensive and regular suits work just fine.

The skyray kit can be built to field a devilfish, hammerhead, or skyray and all are decent to use starting off.
Firewarriors (or Kroot) are the basic unit and you will need troops starting off.
The Battlesuits are one of the most versatile units. These will be able to make up HQ and Elite choices.. Magnetize the weapons and you will be able to experiment with several different builds.

Play a few low point games and you will know where to build up from there.