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This is my first real attempt at an 8th edition list and is based largely on models I own, though I'm willing
to go buy some models that have come out in the last couple of years, particularly the new Fire Warrior kits
(I'd need 12 more for this list anyway).
Not being used here are:
3 Riptides; 1 w/ HBC and 2x SMS, 2 w/ IA and FB R.I.P. Riptides, amirite? Man I love these guys but they made them prohibitively expensive.
6 Stealth Suits; 4 w/ BC, 2 w/ FB 1 Hammerhead w/ Railgun and 2x SMS Drones
I know I should probably use the Hammerhead, but I've just never been crazy about them,
thematically, in conjunction with infantry and suits. I'd love them in a mechanized Tau army
with fishes o' fury, but that's not what this is.
I've organized the list according to how they'll be fielded, rather than by Battlefield Role, so
you guys can see more intuitively how I currently plan to use them. I gave the individual groups
goofy names for fun.
I am looking for any and all feedback, including who will take my lunch money, and especially any pointers on how to load out my Crisis suits. Those guys have been base coated, but I'm not averse
to tacking on some more guns to them, and I also need to buy another kit to fill out this list as written.
Obviously, brainstorming and pointers of any kind whatsoever are welcome. Just be cool about it; I'm
a Farsight Enclaves player of olde, so this new Index is weird for me.
Brigade Detachment (+9 CP)
Crisis Command
Commander 156
3x Missile Pods, ATS (This guy is converted and painted, so he's staying as-is XV8 Crisis Suit Suits (3) 294
6x Missile Pods, 3x ATS
My thinking with this unit is the 36" range frees up the commander to be more flexible in how I use him.
The extra range means he can support other units while not being tied too harshly to the range of his own
weapons, which is why he got the missile pods originally
Crisis Equalizers
XV8Crisis Suits (3) 216
9x Burst Cannons
You'd be surprised how not redundant this unit is with Strike Teams, given its mobility and deep strike capability.
VOF Crisis suits have worked really well for me in the past, so I'll at least give them a shot in the new edition.
Crisis Executioners
XV8 Crisis Suits (3) 225
9x Plasma Rifles
This squad has not been purchased, so Fusion is still a possibility here, but man do they get expensive at that point,
and their value is significantly diminished by the fact that they won't be able to go full melta on the turn they come in,
compounded by the fact that they'll probably be dead on my opponent's following turn.
Strike Team Formation A
Cadre Fireblade 42
Strike Team (6) 48
Strike Team (6) 48
Strike Team (6) 48
Strike Formation B
Cadre Fireblade 42
Strike Team (6) 48
Strike Team (6) 48
Strike Team (6) 48
I honestly just refuse to model these gorgeous sons of bitches with HYMPs. The SMSs are similarly
locked in because they look awesome on the shoulders, and whenever I've proxied them as either fusion
or plasma, they almost never had a chance to fire.
I'm going to try to take a stab at this. I play an all comers Tau list, slightly different take.
Going to start off with unit count. This pertains to deployment. Unless I'm mistaken, I've counted...19 units. Characters count separate, and you've no devilfish, so you can't combo deploy...
This is important to keep in mind, because it will mean you will almost always go second. My Ultramarine army has 14 units I think, my swarmy Tyranid list that I'm writing up is at 15.
Why is going second important. Well the game has speed up, in regards to movement. Everything is getting everywhere, sooner. 1st turn charges are a thing. Just like in every edition of this game, you will lose units before they even get to do anything.
This isn't necessarily true for all armies like IG, but it is true for pretty much every other army besides IG and Tau.
So with keeping that in mind, you will want to ensure the safety of your units. And no one does safety, like Tau do.
Enter the humble Gun Drones. Cheap and effective supportive fire as well as ablative wounds. You don't have to take my word on it, but when you lose all your broadsides in one turn, you will think more about it. Also much more cost effective than spending points on shield generators on the broadsides, also less painful as you don't have to worry about failing a save. Let's play "would you rather," Would you rather risk taking a save from a lascannon shot or wing it off to a drone? Also keep in mind that the drone's Toughness value is artificially raised, as a lascannon normally wounds a drone on 2's whereas when you use savior protocols, the lascannon is wounding against the Toughness value of the broadsides. I would suggest 500% more drones than your current list has.
I also don't think crisis suits are that great anymore. Marginal BS for weapons that you're desperately counting on hitting. Commanders on the other hand, are amazing. Greatest value, coldstar commanders, even more amazing as late game objective grabbers. I would suggest more missile commanders and coldstar commanders w/ drone controllers.
Hope that helps!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/08/08 19:07:44
Agreed - the complete lack of drones in this list plays directly away from one of the Tau's biggest strengths - ablative wounds and massed S5 shots. Get drones in there
Thanks for the feedback, guys. Sorry it took me so long to get back on here. I've been mostly bed-ridden and Android does not like the reply form on these forums at all.
After looking back over some of the relevant rules, I've revised the list. You're obviously right about drones in this edition (I did not like them the last time I played because they caused my Broadsides and other units to fall back due to robot romance) so I incorporated them into the list. I cut way down on troops and ditched the Battalion detachment. The troops I do have can be deployed a couple of different ways now, to account for the First Turn changes, which I was not up to speed on.
I did, however, reject your "would you rather" argument, at least in part. The Broadsides keep their Shield Generators in this list, because even if they have drone friends, I feel like it's well worth its points for a model that's not gonna move much, and is likely to get targetted with extreme prejudice.
I've kept the Missile Suits in for now. It's an expensive unit, but I don't have the cash right now to go out and start buying Commander models.
What do you think of the Breachers? I desperately want that Darkstrider/Breachers in a Fish maneuver to work, but with the way transports work now, it's not like you can run up on an enemy unit, jump out and scorch them. Unless I'm reading this wrong, you basically have to move, park, and ask the enemy unit to politely stay put and also not blow up your Fish. Are people finding success with the Breachers in batreps? If not, I have the Strike Team models to replace these guys, but I was really hoping to go out and buy some eventually because that new Fire Warrior kit is pure sex.
Bleachers work in a casual setting. But as you eluded, you have to give them predictable targets; things that you know are moving towards you, or things you know will be sitting in an objective.
