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Alright, I just finished my FE 1500pt list and I'm putting together a 500pt standard Tau gunline. What do you guys think about it so far?

These are my latest revisions.

HQ (50)

Ethereal (50)

Purpose: Providing buffs to the FWs.

Troops (216)

12 FW Team (108): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

Purpose: This is the gunline. They shoot things in the face.

Fast Attack (66)

6 Pathfinder Team (66)

Purpose: Providing some support for the Ethereal.

Heavy Support (116)

Sky Ray (116): x6 Seeker Missile, x2 Networked Markerlight, Velocity Tracker, Twin-linked SMS, Blacksun Filter

Purpose: In the incredibly off chance that it happens: AA. Additionally, Markerlights and general support.

Fortifications (50)

Aegis Defence Line (50)

Purpose: Providing some extra defense for some of the FWs. (Probably the Ethereal too.)

Total: 498pts

Any thoughts or suggestions? How viable of a 500pt list is this?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Or what can I do to make the gunline stronger?

why not 4 groups of 6 FWs? so they can kill 4 targets in a turn

You will lose on the frist sight of enemy armor.

And 500 points is enough for a leman russ to drive up your alley.

Fit in a suicide Fusion suit? High risk, high reward. (Nothing spells fun quite like 'Explodes!')? You were into Suits, and it needn't be all-or-nothing right away.

I'd swap the skyray for rail head or fusion suits, better AT, and if your only playing 500pts AA shouldn't be necessary.

May i suggest these options (feel free to ignore if you don't like them).

Core:
Ethereal 50pts
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Pathfinders (5) 55
Aegis 50
Total 371

Possible additions:
Pathfinders (5) 55
Piranha w/ fusion 50
Crisis-suit w dual fusion 52

Alternative suggestions
Stealth team (3) Fusion blaster target lock 100.
Broadside HYMP & SMS with EWO 70
Fireblade 60

I would go with:
Ethereal 50pts
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Firewarriors (6) 54 Rifles
Pathfinders (4) 44
Pathfinders (4) 44
Piranha w/ fusion 50
Piranha w/ fusion 50
Aegis 50

Which comes to 504points (annoyingly).

If you need to get it below 500 (which you should)
Make a 10 man firewarrior team (so 10, 6 and 6) and put sensor spines on the piranhas. Total 496 points

So is the point of this to go with the FE army?

The lack of anti-tank is going to kill you. I'd say that my most commonly played point value for the past few months has been 500, and your list would only be able to tackle about half of the armies I've played against at this level.

Even if I just bump up to the point that I'm using rhinos or drop pods, you're going to have trouble. Let alone the guys that try to take armies like yours by surprise by running russes or land raiders at 500, which you have absolutely nothing to counter. Even my "fun" 500 list has a drop pod (with missile launcher) carrying a dreadnought, and between the two of those you're going to lose a lot of fire warriors without having much to actually hurt either of them.

I'd recommend trying to get either stealth or crisis suits into your list, so you can melta tanks.

Okay, so does this list look better?

HQ (50)

Ethereal (50)

Troops (216)

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

Fast Attack (66)

6 Pathfinder Team (66)

Elites (109)

2 XV8 Crisis Team (109): Fusion Blasters, Target Lock

Fortifications (50)

Aegis Defence Line (50)

Total: 491 pts


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Hawkeye888 wrote:
So is the point of this to go with the FE army?

The FE army is for bigger games. I'm setting this one up for smaller point games.

Gotcha.

The second list is much more versatile. I would say run the suits as separate units of 1. Gives more flexibility and potentially makes the enemy devote more firepower to killing them.

 Hawkeye888 wrote:
Gotcha.

The second list is much more versatile. I would say run the suits as separate units of 1. Gives more flexibility and potentially makes the enemy devote more firepower to killing them.

I didn't think about that. Then I don't need Target Lock.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also tacking on an additional Pathfinder. The Sky Ray was going to be another Markerlight source for the list.

 the_kraken wrote:

 Hawkeye888 wrote:
Gotcha.

The second list is much more versatile. I would say run the suits as separate units of 1. Gives more flexibility and potentially makes the enemy devote more firepower to killing them.

I didn't think about that. Then I don't need Target Lock.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also tacking on an additional Pathfinder. The Sky Ray was going to be another Markerlight source for the list.

Right no more TL so saved a few points. Otherwise the list looks good.

So, is this going to be a viable list to go against Necrons with or do I need to change anything around?

Honestly I don't think anything is viable against necrons any more, but I could just be taking in too much internet hyperbole.

Boniface wrote:
Honestly I don't think anything is viable against necrons any more, but I could just be taking in too much internet hyperbole.

Well, I'm fairly certain it's not a Decurion. I don't think you can fit a Decurion into 500pts can you?

The EMPwarriors will surprise people well. They're a great answer for dreadnoughts, as you can just hide in terrain and get to haywire them before they get to swing. Also, FW's are generally really good against crons because of the low initiative the crons have. All the infantry have defensive grenades, that when thrown in the shooting phase (or overwatch, I don't think it's blast) it causes a blind check. Being I2, necrons fail that and then your tau hit them in melee on 3's.

 Mulletdude wrote:
The EMPwarriors will surprise people well. They're a great answer for dreadnoughts, as you can just hide in terrain and get to haywire them before they get to swing. Also, FW's are generally really good against crons because of the low initiative the crons have. All the infantry have defensive grenades, that when thrown in the shooting phase (or overwatch, I don't think it's blast) it causes a blind check. Being I2, necrons fail that and then your tau hit them in melee on 3's.

That's pretty sweet. Will EMP Grenades have any use against Crons?

 Mulletdude wrote:
The EMPwarriors will surprise people well. They're a great answer for dreadnoughts, as you can just hide in terrain and get to haywire them before they get to swing. Also, FW's are generally really good against crons because of the low initiative the crons have. All the infantry have defensive grenades, that when thrown in the shooting phase (or overwatch, I don't think it's blast) it causes a blind check. Being I2, necrons fail that and then your tau hit them in melee on 3's.

The grenade is a blast, so you won't be able to use it on overwatch

 the_kraken wrote:

Boniface wrote:
Honestly I don't think anything is viable against necrons any more, but I could just be taking in too much internet hyperbole.

Well, I'm fairly certain it's not a Decurion. I don't think you can fit a Decurion into 500pts can you?

Hi chiming in here. No worries a Decurion needs a Reclamation legion, and an auxiliary formation. The legion is 479 pts on its own.

Raven Cowl wrote:

 the_kraken wrote:

Boniface wrote:
Honestly I don't think anything is viable against necrons any more, but I could just be taking in too much internet hyperbole.

Well, I'm fairly certain it's not a Decurion. I don't think you can fit a Decurion into 500pts can you?

Hi chiming in here. No worries a Decurion needs a Reclamation legion, and an auxiliary formation. The legion is 479 pts on its own.

That's what I thought. I was running some numbers on it with Epic Roster. So, without the Decurion to worry about, can this gunline hold it's own against Crons?

The list looks decent. I don't play tau someone who does can give you better advice. But at the level you're playing it seems like a solid list.

Raven Cowl wrote:
The list looks decent. I don't play tau someone who does can give you better advice. But at the level you're playing it seems like a solid list.

I appreciate that; thanks.

Just thinking of necron lists, you should be pretty good against most of the regular 500 point lists (or at least not at a clear disadvantage). The only thing that'd almost definitely mess your list up would be wraith spam, but I really don't know of any lists that handle them well (outside of destroyer weapons). Like your entire army shooting in a turn will probably kill 1, maybe 2 wraiths, then the next turn the wraiths will be stabbing you in the face.

Oddly enough, aren't Fire Warriors one of the better units against Wraiths? Not a counter, but more effective than most other options?

fire warrior spam is as close to a hard counter for wraiths as exists

These are my current revisions.

HQ (50)

Ethereal (50)

Troops (171)

7 FW Team (63): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

6 FW Team (54): Combat Armor, Pulse Rifles, Photon Grenades

Fast Attack (44)

4 Pathfinder Team (44)

Elites (114)

1 XV8 Crisis Team (57): x2 Fusion Blaster, Flamer

1 XV8 Crisis Team (57): x2 Missile Pod, Flamer

Heavy Support (70)

1 XV88 Broadside Team (70): TL HYMP, TL SMS, EWO

Fortifications (50)

Aegis Defence Line (50)

Total: 499 pts