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I decided to play a game or two with my friend's Tau, and am putting together a list. I really like the rules for the hunter contingent, giving tau BS4 when you have three units shoot the same target.
I'll post the list, then detail my idea behind it.



Hunter Contingent

Hunter Cadre
Commander w/ C&C Node, Multispectrum Sensor, Drone Controller, Onager Gauntlet
Marker Drones x2

Battlesuit Bodyguard x3 w/ Plasma Rifles, Fusion Blaster

Breacher Team x10 /w Shas'ui, emp grenades, guardian drone
Devilfish w/ disruption pod

Breacher Team x10 /w Shas'ui, emp grenades, guardian drone
Devilfish w/ disruption pod

Strike Team x6 w/ Shas'ui

Pathfinders x6 w/ Shas'ui

Pathfinders x6 w/ Shas'ui

Broadside Battlesuits x1 w/ Shas'vre, twin linked Missle Pods, twin Smart Missle System
Broadside Battlesuits x1 w/ Shas'vre, twin linked Missle Pods, twin Smart Missle System
Broadside Battlesuits x1 w/ Shas'vre, twin linked Missle Pods, twin Smart Missle System

Optimized Stealth Cadre
Stealth Battlesuits x3 w/ Shas'vre, fusion blaster
Stealth Battlesuits x3 w/ Shas'vre, fusion blaster
Ghostkeel Battlesuits x 3 /w Cyclic Ion Raker, 2 target lock, 3 fusion

The Breachers drive up to something holding an objective, or a vehicle that was recently cracked open, and disembark the drones. With the devilfish, drone unit, and the breachers, they should have BS4. Lots of dead something. Optimized Stealth goes around killing vehicles, or light infantry, deep strike the suits and commander wherever I need them, and the Strike team, broadsides, and pathfinders hold an objective or two while contributing their shooting to whatever needs higher BS.

I've never run tau, would this work? I think being able to make a competitive list without riptides or stormsurges would be a fun one to run, and then no one can cry cheese at you.

To significantly up the competitiveness I'd add a bunch of EWOs - definitely to the broadsides and probably to the ghostkeels too. Interceptor is REALLY punishing for some armies.

You might consider using the formation for 3x pathfinders and 3x broadsides from the farsight book too as you have all the models. Might not be worth losing combined fire for though I guess...

Why doesn't the buffmander have a PEn Chip? Getting tank hunter on your army is huge. The 2 Marker Drones on him are pointless though and with no gun drones in the list I'm not convinced on the DC either. Whatever is your primary target for CF each turn should be over killed anyway so 2 Bs5 ML tokens on it are wasted.

The Crisis team is a horrid waste. Taking bodyguards is just throwing 30 points in the bin. Whilst mixing weapons means your wasting firepower no matter who you shoot. I'd also like to see a drone and target locks on all of them to maximise buffs.

Guardian Drone and Shas'ui upgrades aren't worth it on Breachers. Once the squad has got out of the fish and fired you've either already won or they are dead. The guardian drone doesn't change that.

On the strike team likewise the 'ui is a poor upgrade as is the 6th member a DS8 is a far better investment.

Pathfinders are a poor source of marker lights. The Mont'ka drone net is the best, Mark'o is the other useful option. Though with no Stormsurge I'm not sure why you even need NLs when you can give twinlinked and ignores cover to any unit you want anyway.

EWO is your friend but in this list a Missile Drone and a target lock for each Broadside would achieve far more allowing you to maximise CF.

Get target locks on the fusion stealth suits. Get EWO on all the Ghostkeels if you have ANY flyers at all in your meta give the Ghostkeel, without a TL, a VT. A Ghostkeel is brutal AA.

Adding to FiN's advice on your HQ & Crisis Team:

Adobo wrote:
Commander w/ C&C Node, Multispectrum Sensor, Drone Controller, Onager Gauntlet
Marker Drones x2

Battlesuit Bodyguard x3 w/ Plasma Rifles, Fusion Blaster

Try this instead:

HQ - PR/FB, PEN, Onager, DroneC

Crisis Team:
'Vre with MSS and C&CN, 2 buddies with PR/FB

As FiN pointed out, going with an Elite slot, you save on the BodyGuard points. Having the 'Vre carry the MSS and C&CN, yields the Commander's much better BS5 in shooting.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 FlingitNow wrote:
The Crisis team is a horrid waste. Taking bodyguards is just throwing 30 points in the bin. Whilst mixing weapons means your wasting firepower no matter who you shoot. I'd also like to see a drone and target locks on all of them to maximise buffs.

I disagree here. PR/FB gives the team enough shots to erase a 10 man MEq, yet enough FB to start Imperial Knights to cascade overload explosions. If you're new to Tau, you won't remember the FireKnife from 4th edition, a MP/PR Crisis Suit. IMHO, the PR/FB is the 7e version of that. A little varied, but well equipped to do anti-Infantry and anti-Tank duty.

Although, I'd add 2 or 3 more suits to the unit.

I remember those dark days, we don't have to run such inefficient suits any more. If you want fusion in the unit just take some duel fusion suits with target locks though keeping them as a separate unit yields many advantages. Firstly more targets for your opponent. More angles to over come Ion Shields and more efficiency as no shots are wasted. With no down sides thanks to coordinated firepower.

 FlingitNow wrote:
I remember those dark days, we don't have to run such inefficient suits any more. If you want fusion in the unit just take some duel fusion suits with target locks though keeping them as a separate unit yields many advantages. Firstly more targets for your opponent. More angles to over come Ion Shields and more efficiency as no shots are wasted. With no down sides thanks to coordinated firepower.

Even against Imp Knights, 3 FusionBs ought to do the job (Invulns pending), so, 3 shots from one angle and 3 from another, from 6 Crisis Suits. Given how many + results will be generated, the ImpK will die.

And the Team will still have enough PRs to deal with Khorne Dogs, 10 man MEqs and other volume needs.

My ideal Team:

2 Commanders, PR/FB and sig toys (PEN, Onager, etc)

'Vre MSS C&CN, and about 4 PR/FB buddies. Throw in some Frisbees.

Why not just go 3 guys double fusion and 3 guys double plasma? That way your 6 meltas can blow up that Knight whilst your plasma kills another unit.

 FlingitNow wrote:
Why not just go 3 guys double fusion and 3 guys double plasma? That way your 6 meltas can blow up that Knight whilst your plasma kills another unit.

Nice.

I agree with flingitnow, mixing weapons on crisis suits makes them "generally effective" but what you really do is make them worse at one job while better at others. And if you are anything like me you will need all of those fusion hits to deal with super heavies.

For me crisis suits are made for double fusions and target locks. Double fusion allows me to obliterate high AV targets, target locks allow me to spread the pain if it's something like leman Russ spam, or engage my other hated adversary, wraithknights, with at least a 4+ to wound.

Fusions work ok vs other high value threats like 2+ armor infantry(s8 sometimes will let you instantly kill a character) and monsterous or even gargantuan creatures.

Plasma rifles, cyclic ion blasters, and air frag projectors are probably some other good weapons you could look at doubling. Plasma are good for monterous creatures and heavy infantry, they love space marines with t4 and high armor saves giving a 2+ to wound and no armor save. Cyclic ion are good for causing wounds and are a bit more general purpose, their s7 can take care of light vehicles, and deal plenty of wounds to heavy infantry and monsterous creatures. Air frag is best as anti horde.

So that's my advise for crisis loadouts go big or go home. They are a suicide unit if you're only bringing one group and the upgrade for bodyguards is a waste.