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So I have a game coming up against a friend who likes to run an Ork Stompa (Not the cheaper Big Mek version, but the full points version) at 1500 points.

Therefore, he has half of his points tied up in that unit (especially since he likes to put Nobz and Meks inside).

Here is the list I was thinking of running, and any feedback for how to make this more effective against the Stompa would be helpful. I did not put EWOs on anything as he rarely deep strikes/ outflanks/etc. I did not employ VT as he has no flyers. And the unit of 1 crisis suit is effectively just to have a complete Hunter Cadre. Thanks everyone!

Hunter Cadre

Commander, drone controller, 2 marker drones, Iridium Armor.

5 Fire Warrior, Strike Team

5 Fire Warrior, Strike Team

5 Fire Warrior, Strike Team

1 crisis suit, Fusion Blaster

5 Marker drones, go with commander.

6 Pathfinders

6 pathfinders

Stormsurge, Blastcannon, Flamer.

Riptide Wing

Riptide, IA. 185

Riptide, Stim, IA. 220

Riptide, Stim, IA. 220


The Riptide Wing are a distraction and will destroy his trucks and infantry.

The plan is obviously to try and remove the stompa with 4 D missiles in one turn. If that fails then the Stormsurge can still pump out 2 d shots if it gets within 10", but that is not the ideal situation. Do I need the Shield for the Stormsurge to keep him alive long enough to wreak havoc?

I have 7 Markerlights at BS 6 (commander does not shoot and + 1 BS for three units targeting the Stompa). I have 12 marker lights at BS 4 from the pathfinders (with 3 units targetting stompa). A smart player will just target my marker lights, so the Commander is tanking for the drones except the strength 10 blast from the stompa and I will have to scare him with the Riptide wing (which he does not like the idea of). If I can get 10 marker light hits , my storm surge can be buffed to BS 10 (starts at 4 with three units firing) and can fire all 4 d missiles (2+ rerollable). With some luck the stompa is dead in turn 1 or 2.

Thoughts on the reliability and any changes that will help me out?

I gotta be honest man, this is gonna go bad for your buddy. Regardless of list composition, Tau are an awful matchup, probably the worst, for Orks.

I have only played a Stompa with my Tau once; but I removed it in one shooting phase very easily with simple fusion crisis. The fact that you have a Stormsurge, which is much better than a Stompa at fewer points will only make this match more miserable for him.

If you want your opponent to have a fun game, with at least a hail mary chance of victory, lose the Stormsurge and replace the points with some fusion crisis and some other "normal" Tau units.. I would even replace the Riptide wing; which are also incredibly powerful. You'll still have a good chance of removing it in one turn, but maybe that will be turn 2 deep striking...so he'll get to move it and shoot it once

TLDR : A normal CAD-based Tau list can table even a well-constructed Ork army; the power disparity between the codices is that stark. My only caveat would be if he is a high performer at GTs with them and you are a casual player. In that case alone, you may be evenly matched.

Ah that is understandable. I don't want my opponent to have no fun at all. What about a CAD and an OSC?

CAD

Commander, twin linked flamer, command & control, iridium armour.

5 firewarriors, strike team, BKR.
5 firewarriors, strike team, BKR.

7 pathfinders
6 pathfinders

Riptide, IA, Stim.

5 crisis suits, fusion blasters.

5 crisis suits, fusion blasters.

Hammerhead, Submunitions.

OSC

Ghost keel

3 stealth suits

3 stealth suits

1496

The split up crisis suits is in order to roadblock the Stompa for a turn after he charges them post deep strike.

I believe this may be a nice list to play against with the possibility of still removing the Stompa in one turn (the 2nd turnor later depending on reserves). Still too mean?

OSC is at least as deadly versus the stompa/expected support units as the riptide wing. The RW would be more durable.

honestly, its time to give those strike teams EMP grenades and devilfishes, and sprint up close to haywire it down, or something else silly.

Or railsides, could theoretically pen front armor at ap1, but severely more limited versus the other ork units

Or a large unit of fusion piranhas, which will be deadly against the stompa, but will die to just about anything shooting back at 2hp 11-10-10 open topped

Your friend is wasting ~300 points in the normal stompa, before upgrades, try to deoptimize at least that much (taking fun but less than tournament units)

I'd definitely take the Optimized Stealth Cadre, with the FBs and the Collider, and the 2 teams with a FB each.

For sheer funsies, take recon drones with the pathfinders, make use of the homing beacons to drop-in a Fusion Bomb and a Flame Bomb. Take one with a Devilfish even, the recon drone looks hella neat on-board.