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Perhaps I didn't check out all the points and write up lists but from a glance or two I notice so much of the tau units avoid cover (something dark eldar use a lot), can shoot at units deepstriking near them (our best units deep-strike and need to), overwatch and put out absurd firepower at ranges I generally have to be within just to attack. So I have to ask how do I handle this? I heard tau AA might not be the hottest but this is kinda brutal for a match-up vs dark eldar.

I'm not sure if it was this forum that said not to make 'how to beat a faction' threads and I apologize but this isn't meant to bash tau specifically so much that the match-up is just really bad. Some factions or lists tend to counter others and for the most part I find the list I'd tend to take would get mostly hard countered by tau in general.

I mean how will I use jink if it doesn't matter or deepstrike vehicles or even scourge if they'll just get blasted off the board as they come in. Seriously I might be better off taking raiders with blaster-born than taking scourge and even then I'm not completely sure. Not even sure if deepstriking grotesques or other stuff would even work out.

Against Tau you're gonna have a very bad day. They counter almost everything the DEldar have pretty hard.
I think spamming blasterborne might be decent though

I honestly wish I could help here but I'm having the same problem with Craftworld Eldar vs Tau (outside of seer council: invisible/ 2+ rerollable shenanigans) because I rely on jink saves/ deepstrikes / flyers in my lists... unfortunately as you say they have swathes of ignores cover, interceptor on everything for cheap and the best anti air in the game.
Dark Eldar get it much worse because the basic weapon can pen your transports and tear into the troops like nothing.

I suppose the only option would be to use speed, MSU, and LOS blocking cover (damn that SMS) to lock down one of their flanks and kill the markerdrones/pathfinders in an alphastrike

The best I've ever managed with my DE against Tau in a kill points game was by taking a Freakshow build using Harlequins. Psychic Shriek is pretty powerful against their Battlesuits. All I can say is use the DE's speed and as much LoS blocking terrain as possible and try to focus on VP.

I generally focus on using mobility to limit a lot of LOS and range from Tau units. I pick a couple units to destroy a turn and stay away from everything else. It does mean I often waste some firepower, but that's because I prefer to make sure I kill a couple targets completely rather than wound and stay in range of 4 or 5 units. A lot of the tactics would depend on the specific units your opponent is using, but I usually save targets like riptides for last.

I've also used a melee heavy list with lots of grotesque to boost into the enemy's lines and tie everything up in combat. It won't work if you just have 1 or 2 units charging across the field, but if you support them with mandrakes, reavers, and even incubi they can usually only kill a few of the transports and not many of the units inside. Once you're in close combat the game is typically over for them.

Agreed on the latter. Leadership is a key - but well hidden - Tau weakness.

Actually capitalising on it can be hard, but a Freakshow can do nasty things.

Not to be a Debbie downer, but you will not by any means win in a war of attrition. As you are already aware, the match up is abysmal. Use your speed and maneuverability to cap as many tac objective cards as possible early game, and try to stay alive through 5. MSU is definitely required here because hes gonna delete units no problem.

Tau are a main reason I'm likely going to take a small eldar CAD to give my DE some more punch. The DE's strengths and bonuses they get from cover and fast movement are easily negated by markerlights and our general lack of high-strength high-quantity firepower can leave their strong units on the table with only a few wounds. The DE are a glass cannon and the tau are excellent at throwing big, long range, explosive rocks at that cannon. Block LOS, essentially.

Dark Eldar vs Tau is probably the toughest match up in 40k right now. I honestly cannot think of a more uphill battle.

MSU fast units might help. Large Beast Packs may give you a way to get into CC. Multiple Reaver units could help. Hide them behind terrain during deployment, then turboboost into his deployment, hopefully behind LOS blocking. It is doubtful that the Tau player will have enough shooting to kill your ENTIRE army if you have more units than them and most of you stuff is out of sight.

They also won't have ignores cover on EVERYTHING, plus you should have some Venom spam which have 5++. If you can weather his first turn and still have half your army alive (and in his deployment) you have a good chance at beating him in CC.

Venom spam. You get 5++ saves at least and you are slinging 12 posion shots per venom. Lots of blaster born. Covens talos formation with WWP is also a must.

Too bad you'll still not put together enough shots to down the Riptides. You've got to hope you can kill the markerlights and the Broadsides. Poison is good vs 3+ MCs, but against 2+ FNP, it fails.

You don't. You don't handle other armies.

I have played Harlequins and DE reasonably well vs Tau. It's a rough matchup but there are ways out.

#1: kill pathfinders kill pathfinders kill pathfinders. Those little gaks lurking in a ruin somewhere are 100% your primary target. I see a lot of people who go "high toughness stuff is what poison is for therefore all poison into the Riptide" NO. it has a TON of wounds and 2+ armor. A normal IA riptide is NOT SCARY for it's points once you kill the marker lights.

#2: Missilesides. Those go right after the markers. If you can get good AP2 weapons, those should be shot at. Most tau vehicles actually aren't a big deal, relying on fairly low volume of fire high strength guns your stealthy cheap transports are good at avoiding. I generally try to shoot all my dark lances at Broadsides if they're available to target. Also as broadsides have morale, you have a solid chance to make them flee.

#3 use those reserves. The key to a good game vs tau is to knock the supports out of his shooting and then use his general allergy to CC to stick around scoring objectives. Put just enough on the board early to bring down those pathfinders and use reserves to ensure you get to shoot at least once before he gets to shoot you. Reserves also artificially lengthen the life of your army, removing the possibility of a devastating first turn where you don't have enough cover to keep all your stuff protected and you get smashed by a huge fullisade from his guns.

the_scotsman wrote:
I have played Harlequins and DE reasonably well vs Tau. It's a rough matchup but there are ways out.

#1: kill pathfinders kill pathfinders kill pathfinders. Those little gaks lurking in a ruin somewhere are 100% your primary target. I see a lot of people who go "high toughness stuff is what poison is for therefore all poison into the Riptide" NO. it has a TON of wounds and 2+ armor. A normal IA riptide is NOT SCARY for it's points once you kill the marker lights.

#2: Missilesides. Those go right after the markers. If you can get good AP2 weapons, those should be shot at. Most tau vehicles actually aren't a big deal, relying on fairly low volume of fire high strength guns your stealthy cheap transports are good at avoiding. I generally try to shoot all my dark lances at Broadsides if they're available to target. Also as broadsides have morale, you have a solid chance to make them flee.

#3 use those reserves. The key to a good game vs tau is to knock the supports out of his shooting and then use his general allergy to CC to stick around scoring objectives. Put just enough on the board early to bring down those pathfinders and use reserves to ensure you get to shoot at least once before he gets to shoot you. Reserves also artificially lengthen the life of your army, removing the possibility of a devastating first turn where you don't have enough cover to keep all your stuff protected and you get smashed by a huge fullisade from his guns.

I don't see how reducing your overall firepower is going to help you at all vs tau. Plus there is interceptor anyways - just put everything out and use LOS blocking to protect your units.

Well if you are Vehicle Spam.. then yes, its hard, but if you are Coven with 40+ DSing Grots and 5-6 MC then its easy.

 Xenomancers wrote:

the_scotsman wrote:
I have played Harlequins and DE reasonably well vs Tau. It's a rough matchup but there are ways out.

#1: kill pathfinders kill pathfinders kill pathfinders. Those little gaks lurking in a ruin somewhere are 100% your primary target. I see a lot of people who go "high toughness stuff is what poison is for therefore all poison into the Riptide" NO. it has a TON of wounds and 2+ armor. A normal IA riptide is NOT SCARY for it's points once you kill the marker lights.

#2: Missilesides. Those go right after the markers. If you can get good AP2 weapons, those should be shot at. Most tau vehicles actually aren't a big deal, relying on fairly low volume of fire high strength guns your stealthy cheap transports are good at avoiding. I generally try to shoot all my dark lances at Broadsides if they're available to target. Also as broadsides have morale, you have a solid chance to make them flee.

#3 use those reserves. The key to a good game vs tau is to knock the supports out of his shooting and then use his general allergy to CC to stick around scoring objectives. Put just enough on the board early to bring down those pathfinders and use reserves to ensure you get to shoot at least once before he gets to shoot you. Reserves also artificially lengthen the life of your army, removing the possibility of a devastating first turn where you don't have enough cover to keep all your stuff protected and you get smashed by a huge fullisade from his guns.

I don't see how reducing your overall firepower is going to help you at all vs tau. Plus there is interceptor anyways - just put everything out and use LOS blocking to protect your units.

Because it doesn't take much firepower to knock out a few pathfinders, and the most common model with interceptor is a riptide...and if a riptide is interceptor-ing your Venoms and raiders, you're in relatively good shape because that's a pretty bad use of an ion accelerator. Interceptor HYMPs stink but a HYMP is never not gonna hurt DE.

Those flamer template Medusa deep striking in a venom/raider might be able to do a number on his markerlights, and without those, tau are less scary.

Unfortunately, airbursting frag projectors, skyrays and OSC's are a thing, so you're never going to have an easy time.

Delaying the bulk of your forces using null deploy with scalpel squadron will not only overload his interceptor units, but also reduce the amount of turns available for him to shoot you off the table in conjunction with allowing the Medusa to remove the markerlights before they can really take a toll.

Still in for a world of pain and mass casualties though.

As everyone has stated, its not an easy task.. pre update, my friend and i were basically 50/50 my Tau vs his Deldar. Every game was good, a typical game he has 4+ raiders and 4+ venoms and at 2000 points will have around 4 flyers... so alot of MSU and varying targets.

I have not played him since the new Tau dropped, but on paper, I can't see him having a good time at all. Deldar just need to be updated.

I have to say if I build up my force I have 2 venoms, 20 warriors (can also be fielded as trueborn), 20 scourge (various special or heavy weapons with 4 each of heat lance, dark lance, blaster and haywire as they only come one of each per box of 5), 1 raider, an archon and 6 reaver jetbikes. I also have 5 hellions that I liked the look of but would never use unless in a super friendly game.

Sadly the local competition from the most usual gamers has 2 tau players, 1 eldar player (that used to play space wolves with thunder wolves), an eldar allies list (dark eldar and eldar with probably other eldar factions) and a legion of the damned force with a baneblade player that also plays necrons with the nasty detachment. Oh and that tau player that wanted to play me takes a riptide and 2 stormsurges with his special dumb detachments that allow re-rolls to hit on stormsurges.

I'm fairly sure these guys are power gamers but they are the most usual players. I heard the tau player say his army is OP but if he doesn't take the OP stuff the other armies will take their's and just table him. I kind of feel like I won't have fun playing against these guys regardless of sportsmanship.

Even with the 1,000 points list that I can make I just don't have the trueborn I'd need. I'm taking a wild guess I'd need to deepstrike them in transports as getting there the normal way they'd get shot to death probably. That said only armor 10 with 2 hull points even with flickerfield vs interceptor just sounds bad and you can only take 3 squads of trueborn unless you have more than one detachment.

Keep in mind I've been gone since 5th edition and played imperial guard last. He has played tau for some time far as I know, is used to 7th edition 40k, has a faction that is made to counter mine and plays all the OP stuff. Fairly certain a game against tau esp. a veteran tau player would just be an idiotic roflstomp against a 7th edition noob like myself.