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Battalion detachment +3CP (1017 pts)

HQ (174 pts)
commander in xv86 coldstar battlesuit (174 pts)
-4x FB

Elites (694 pts)

xv104 riptide battlesuit (280 pts)
-HBC, SMS, ATS, TL

xv8 crisis battlesuits (186 pts)
-3x BC, 3x ATS

xv8 crisis battlesuits (228 pts)
-6x plasma rifle, 3x ATS

Troops (149 pts)

strike team
-5x pulse rifle, 1x markerlight
strike team
-5x pulse rifle, 1x markerlight
strike team
-5x pulse rifle, 1x markerlight
strike team
-5x pulse rifle

Vanguard detachment +1CP (483 pts)

HQ (174 pts)
commander in xv86 coldstar battlesuit
-4x FB

Elites (309 pts)
firesight marksman (25 pts)
firesight marksman (25 pts)

xv25 stealth battlesuits (104 pts)
2x marker drone, 3x BC

xv95 ghostkeel battlesuit (155 pts)
2x flamer, fusion collider, 2x stealth drone)

new tau player, lemme know what you think

I'm not a Tau player but I like the list.

I am curious why you chose ATS over a third gun. You can save points and kill more marine-equivalent models with triple plasma.

Im curious about what your doing with the 3 crisis suits that have burst cannons and ATS? are they dropping with your commander?

Just remember that one of your firewarriors in the strike team have to give up their shots to fire that marker lights, it may be better to forgo those markerlights for some marker light drones, since the drones can move and shoot the markerlght with no penalties.

If your plan for the commander is to deepstrike/Manta strike him behind enemy lines to blow up a tank, it might be better to make him an enforcer for 3 points less, since he has one more wound (but you do lose that mobility), but they are going to turn and focus fire your commander down, for either a kill point or slay the warlord.

And last i recommend changing those firesight marksman to Fireblades and trying to attach them to your Strike teams, just make sure that you are using the same Sept or their bonus will not carry over to the strike teams.

The markerlights in the strike squads are fine, as marker drones hit on 5+. Definitely have a cadre fireblade or two. I would drop the 3 crisis suit team with burst and add the fireblades etc.

yes i intend to manta strike and use the suits as a killy screen for my commander to do some nasty work with the fusion. possibly take out some MEQ with the burst cannons and ATS. ill be adding in some cadre fireblades but I'm not sure if theyll make a huge difference with such small units of firewarriors

My problem with suit heavy lists is that crisis suits just don't pull their wait by the numbers. They cost to much and don't kill enough. I don't think they are terrible, it's just that you have to use their utility, and tactics instead of raw fire power to make the points worth it.
I think their current use is to drop them in the flanks and try and force units to move towards them, and thus away from main army. This tactic only works well if you have a kind of gun line army.
I think this list has to many flankers that are good a splitting up a force (like the ghost keel as well). But there just isn't enough meat behind them.
I would consider dropping some suits, maybe even the ghoostkeel for more fire power. Like broadsides with ATS, another riptide or longstrike with hammerheads.
If you want suits to soke for commanders, remember you can now mantakstrike drones in. I like to take a squad of shield drones and drop them in where they are needed, either with manta striking commanders or on top of a riptide/broadside to help out.

That's just how I play tau, so maybe I am totally wrong

Pigzy wrote:
My problem with suit heavy lists is that crisis suits just don't pull their wait by the numbers. They cost to much and don't kill enough. I don't think they are terrible, it's just that you have to use their utility, and tactics instead of raw fire power to make the points worth it.
I think their current use is to drop them in the flanks and try and force units to move towards them, and thus away from main army. This tactic only works well if you have a kind of gun line army.
I think this list has to many flankers that are good a splitting up a force (like the ghost keel as well). But there just isn't enough meat behind them.
I would consider dropping some suits, maybe even the ghoostkeel for more fire power. Like broadsides with ATS, another riptide or longstrike with hammerheads.
If you want suits to soke for commanders, remember you can now mantakstrike drones in. I like to take a squad of shield drones and drop them in where they are needed, either with manta striking commanders or on top of a riptide/broadside to help out.

That's just how I play tau, so maybe I am totally wrong

I agree with Pigzy

I like dropping drones with my commander too, but just dont forget that each drone that is attached to a squad becomes its own unit, unless the drones are in their own squad. So if you play kill points each drone that is not in a squad of drones, counts as a kill point.

Same thing goes for detaching them from a vehicle.

DirtyTecker wrote:
Im curious about what your doing with the 3 crisis suits that have burst cannons and ATS? are they dropping with your commander?

Just remember that one of your firewarriors in the strike team have to give up their shots to fire that marker lights, it may be better to forgo those markerlights for some marker light drones, since the drones can move and shoot the markerlght with no penalties.

If your plan for the commander is to deepstrike/Manta strike him behind enemy lines to blow up a tank, it might be better to make him an enforcer for 3 points less, since he has one more wound (but you do lose that mobility), but they are going to turn and focus fire your commander down, for either a kill point or slay the warlord.

And last i recommend changing those firesight marksman to Fireblades and trying to attach them to your Strike teams, just make sure that you are using the same Sept or their bonus will not carry over to the strike teams.

A coldstar and enforcer both have 6 wounds no different.
The movement range makes the 14 points worth it every time IMHO

Firesight are cheap elites vrs HQ's they make sence for filling out a vangaurd.

@OP
What I would question is what are you shooting your plasma at that you need -4ap?

Ice_can wrote:

DirtyTecker wrote:
Im curious about what your doing with the 3 crisis suits that have burst cannons and ATS? are they dropping with your commander?

Just remember that one of your firewarriors in the strike team have to give up their shots to fire that marker lights, it may be better to forgo those markerlights for some marker light drones, since the drones can move and shoot the markerlght with no penalties.

If your plan for the commander is to deepstrike/Manta strike him behind enemy lines to blow up a tank, it might be better to make him an enforcer for 3 points less, since he has one more wound (but you do lose that mobility), but they are going to turn and focus fire your commander down, for either a kill point or slay the warlord.

And last i recommend changing those firesight marksman to Fireblades and trying to attach them to your Strike teams, just make sure that you are using the same Sept or their bonus will not carry over to the strike teams.

A coldstar and enforcer both have 6 wounds no different.
The movement range makes the 14 points worth it every time IMHO

Firesight are cheap elites vrs HQ's they make sence for filling out a vangaurd.

@OP
What I would question is what are you shooting your plasma at that you need -4ap?

-4 ap to melt marines, or take out monsters/ vehicles with rapid fire. was also considering ion blasters but cant find enough parts for WYSIWYG tournaments. was also thinking about broadsides as i like the model and could use some rail guns

Your Battalion needs another HQ I believe

-3 puta marines on a 6+ save in the open and robs everyone ekse of their save paying for an ats for that edge case doesn't make sence to me I'd rather the additional plasma rifle thats another 2 shots. More shots = more dead enemies

2 plasma firing at 12" with ats at bs4+ = 1.333 unsaved wounds to marines
3 plasma firing at 12" at bs4+ = 1.667 unsaved wounds to marines

3 plasma has better overwatch too, with 1 average hit on 6 shots. ATS is currently overpriced for smaller suits. Really on worth it on riptide and stormsurge as far as i can see.

Crisis best weapons are burst cannon for 1 wound less than 3+ save
plasma for 1 wound 3+ or better save
fusion for mult wound
CIB for whatever you want (extra good vs primaris when over-loaded)

flamers were good when homing beacon was usable turn 1 to get into 9" off of deep strike, but hard to use before getting nuked from the board now.
missile pods are bad on regular crisis suits due to the high cost and low number of shots.