Tau list against Ravenwing

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**jakejackjake**

Looking for ideas on how to build against ravenwing with darkshrouds and their rerolling jinks. I'll be playing Tau. So the answer is marker lights but how to marker light effectively and deploy

**DirtyDeeds**

Buffmander with railsides or missilesides. Sprinkle in markerlights and riptides for easy win. They key is to ignore cover

**jakejackjake**

How do I make it so I don't lose everything to grav on the first turn is the real issue

**DirtyDeeds**

Either pack everything in cover, or get a void shield.

**maceria**

Flying Markerlights,

**Mavnas**

Well, if your units have a lot of drones, Grav will only wound on a 4+.

The other thing is that while ignoring cover is nice for taking things out, you probably want to shoot some of them with guns that don't ignore cover. This will force them to jink and they will snapfire at BS1. If you get some target locks, you can fire a small amounts of weapons at many squads. Then your opponent gets to decide if it's worth having a whole squad jink or if he should just eat those two S6AP2 plasma shots. Then you can focus your cover ignoring fire onto his main melee units because those guys won't really be hurt if they jink.

**DaKKaLAnce**

Doesn't DA have a ravenwing formation that counts them as jinking when they move flatout? Ignoring cover would be the best option if this is the case.

**DirtyDeeds**

DaKKaLAnce wrote:
Doesn't DA have a ravenwing formation that counts them as jinking when they move flatout? Ignoring cover would be the best option if this is the case.

The Ravenwing strike force allows the whole detachment to count as jinking if they turbo boost turn 1. They do not have to snap fire in the following turn.

**jokerkd**

Lots of cover and lots of ignores cover

**Dozer Blades**

A pure bike Ravenwing army can overrun Tau by turn 2.

**DaKKaLAnce**

Dozer Blades wrote:
A pure bike Ravenwing army can overrun Tau by turn 2.

DS battesuits and keeping your maker light supports back could be a good beta strike against them. And if you use the XV 109 , you would just crap all over those bikes.

**jadedknight**

You shouldn't optimize for regular bikers but for black knights and ravenwing command squads, they will be the powerful dominant DA unit in this version of the codex. These guys can shoot, cc, and have FNP not to mention atleast a 3+ re-rollable jink, possible 2+.

I'd deploy your marker light units within 6" of your board edge, that ensures that they can't be targeted by the bikers turn 1.

A well optimized list can field 3-4 units of black knights. Plan for that because by turn 2 they'll be on you and your market light units will be a high target priority.

Hope this helps.

**maceria**

It seems like MSU and mobility will be key. If you're specifically expecting grav, lower base saves, like Pathfinders. Good god, pathfinders are the most survivable ML in this case. Pirhanas have the speed to avoid bikes, if just barely, but it means they will have to chase you. Lure them to one spot, get the Pirhana out of there, force your opponent to choose which units he attacks while the other re-groups and moves to attack the bikes. If going with mobile, fragile, multiple units, be prepared to take casualties like IG. Break the drones of things and use them as fodder screens.

Alternatively, you could use a flight of Remora and a Barracuda. Remora have ML, and give ignores cover to the Barracuda, which is armed like an Ion-head tank. Expensive, but it should be able to put significant pressure on a unit every turn. It's such a threat they'll probably waste a lot of shooting on them.

Most important that I can think of, SPREAD OUT. Make them come to you. They are fast, but not the flash.

**Vector Strike**

Y'vahra is the best option, followed by plasma added by markerlights

throw some suicide kroot on his way to dealy the bikes

**Mavnas**

Most survivable are Fire Warriors. 5+ saves get torn up by the bikes' built-in twin-linked bolters unless you can put them all in cover.

**Dozer Blades**

Unless Tau get a new codex I think they are outclassed by the new Ravenwing Strike Force. Tau get one turn to shoot... That's it. Even Hammer and Anvil won't make any difference.

**maceria**

Mavnas wrote:Most survivable are Fire Warriors. 5+ saves get torn up by the bikes' built-in twin-linked bolters unless you can put them all in cover.

Firewarriors aren't a significant source of ML, and Pathfinders are more survivable against grav, because it wounds against armour.

Dozer Blades wrote:Unless Tau get a new codex I think they are outclassed by the new Ravenwing Strike Force. Tau get one turn to shoot... That's it. Even Hammer and Anvil won't make any difference.

If all you do is huddle in a corner and shoot, then yes.

**Vector Strike**

maceria wrote:
Mavnas wrote:Most survivable are Fire Warriors. 5+ saves get torn up by the bikes' built-in twin-linked bolters unless you can put them all in cover.

Firewarriors aren't a significant source of ML, and Pathfinders are more survivable against grav, because it wounds against armour.

But ravenwing will use the bolters against pathfinders, not the grav

**felixcat**

Y'varha is the solution to everything. But it is not tiurnament legal.

**DaKKaLAnce**

felixcat wrote:
Y'varha is the solution to everything. But it is not tiurnament legal.

Played a game against DA, Guard and Daemonkin... Used the Y'varha. The Ravenwing never stood a chance against it, it was all a point'n shoot tactic with that guy. Lame how it is not tournament legal, even with all the new rules that make other armies just as cheesy.

**felixcat**

XV 109 is silly against a lot of armies. But wait till the new SH hits the sjelves from FW- 3 D-cannon blasts ... 3 rail guns. Woot!

**jokerkd**

felixcat wrote:
Y'varha is the solution to everything. But it is not tiurnament legal.

You might be surprised by how many tournaments allow it.

Or maybe it's an aussie thing.

Either way it's brutal, but outflanking grav bikes are a thing now for DA

**DirtyDeeds**

DaKKaLAnce wrote:
felixcat wrote:
Y'varha is the solution to everything. But it is not tiurnament legal.

Played a game against DA, Guard and Daemonkin... Used the Y'varha. The Ravenwing never stood a chance against it, it was all a point'n shoot tactic with that guy. Lame how it is not tournament legal, even with all the new rules that make other armies just as cheesy.

That DA player must have not known what the YVahra does if he let it run around... how do you not use grav guns against something like that?

**DaKKaLAnce**

He wasn't able to get close enough to even hurt it. It hit his flank, jsj back (good jsj moves). and the rest of my army was able to support him as well. I made sure to have both of his flanks worry about different threats.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Really gives tau a competitive edge against a lot of top tier armies...Too bad it isn't allowed in my tournaments(from what ive seen).

**jy2**

Dozer Blades wrote:
Unless Tau get a new codex I think they are outclassed by the new Ravenwing Strike Force. Tau get one turn to shoot... That's it. Even Hammer and Anvil won't make any difference.

On the contrary, Tau is actually one of the worst matchups for Ravenwing because they are the army best at ignoring cover.

Get a bunker with void shield + Comms for the marker drones. Screen out scouting bikers with infiltrating kroots. Reserve any unit that cannot hide. Then pick off bikers when the Tau units come in from reserves.

Now that is in the case Ravenwing goes first. If Tau goes first, it could be really bad for Ravenwing.

You know what's really scary for RW? A full-blown Farsight-bomb coming in from reserves.

**Dozer Blades**

Tau already have a competitive edge .

**DaKKaLAnce**

When I was playing . my opponent said darkshrouds prevent overwatch.... so if you play on charging(which tau hate) be sure to throw that in the face of what you are charging. He used it to charge my Y'varha with Sammeul and the overwatch prolly would've killed him. Tau can dish out a lot of shots, missilesides for sure. Grav guns are very nice against them, so use those as most of their elites are 3+ or 2+ saves.

**raiden**

Seriously, T1 Turbo ALL the bikes into tau lines, with about 2 darkshrouds around. Laugh at tau firepower, lose 1 squad, maybe two if unlucky with rolls, crush one half of the tua army.

If I can give tau one bit of advice, DO NOT spread out your units, I love seeing this, because it let's me focus my hammer blow on sections of your army. (And with bikes that scout and turbo T1 there isn't much I can't get at when I fire full BS after counting as jinking.

Any DA player vs tau should have two darkshrouds, as a DA player, I will say you should focus on killing these first. They make my army much more survivable and will stop your over watch for my T2 charge.

**DaKKaLAnce**

Can DA shoot after Turbo boosting?

Automatically Appended Next Post:
*RW

**Jambles**

DaKKaLAnce wrote:
Can DA shoot after Turbo boosting?

Automatically Appended Next Post:
*RW

Not in the same turn, but the next turn they get to shoot without having to snapshoot.