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Excellent Article - Mathhammer: Fixing the Crisis of T’au Crisis Suits http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2018/05/mathhammer-fixing-the-crisis-of-tau-crisis-suits.html

Outlines that Crisis Suits are overcosted and don't really have a role anymore due to numerous factors. Backs up the claim with Mathhammer evidence. Surmises that they need changes to the suits and their weaponry to be a unit that's viable again.

To summarize, Crisis Teams are a short-ranged unit with a few solid weapon options that are fragile, rely on Manta Strike, are very expensive, and are compositionally kind of boring. Despite their decent output relative to cost with two or three builds, their fragility means they are not a unit that trades up, and their range and reliance on Manta Strike means that smart positioning can counter their presence quite strongly.

Changes Summary
There is a series of suggestions that I have made throughout this analysis. To sum the up:

Missile Pods
Change cost to 18 points
Change profile to Assault 3

Plasma Rifles
Change their Damage stat to 2

Crisis Suits
Either:
Change the Wound stat on Crisis Suits to 4
Reduce their cost to 28 points, change their Wargear Options to only allow for two weapons and one Support System

Personally I prefer the Point reduction and only having 2 weapons and an support system. I agree with the article that these changes really returns them to their artwork/fluff roots as swiss army knife unit that can handle any job. It sucks now that Flamers, Cyclic Ion Blasters, and Fusion Blasters are all they really can take.

How can we get this to GW?
Thoughts?

I actually really like this, it pretty much sets the entire problem most people see with Crisis suits in black and white. I've barely played my T'au this edition because Crisis suits have been so damn boring that they either don't do enough or I'm feeling shoehorned into taking a set-up that I don't like so I end up not taking them at all. Now we just need this guy to distinguish Bodyguard from Standard Crisis teams other than a few points more and the bodyguard rule.

I think the Missile Pod change may be a bit much, I've seen a few MP-suits and the damage output is pretty impressive, before you up the rate of fire. Besides that I think they're some decent changes.

You are not getting 28 pts suits with 4 wounds. Not while the tyranid warrior has -1 toughness, -1 strength, -1 armor, also 3 wounds only, 2 less hard points, no deepstrike and about a million times worse weapon options.

Suits do need some love, but people should not expect they will become the mainstay unit in the book again. They are elite and they should be considered as elite. Personally I would be very happy with a 2+ armor and some weapon point drops. Then they would be exactly what the terminators are supposed to be.

topaxygouroun i wrote:
You are not getting 28 pts suits with 4 wounds. Not while the tyranid warrior has -1 toughness, -1 strength, -1 armor, also 3 wounds only, 2 less hard points, no deepstrike and about a million times worse weapon options.

It was EITHER 4 wounds or 28 pts. I agree though 4 wounds and a reduction to 28 pts is too much. but one or the other doesn't sound unreasonable.

Make them BS3+

There, they are fixed.

 BaconCatBug wrote:
Make them BS3+

There, they are fixed.

I'm very much a fan of this. GW needs to realize that these are vet Fire Warriors basically and should be at a slightly higher skill with their weapons. Then we can adjust the point costs afterwards.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 BaconCatBug wrote:
Make them BS3+

There, they are fixed.

I'm very much a fan of this. GW needs to realize that these are vet Fire Warriors basically and should be at a slightly higher skill with their weapons. Then we can adjust the point costs afterwards.

The problem with BS3+ coexisting with Markerlights is getting 2+ rerolling 1s to hit with five Markerlights. I might suggest changing five Markerlights to "reroll all failed rolls to hit" in conjunction with giving BS3+ to more Battlesuits.

 AnomanderRake wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 BaconCatBug wrote:
Make them BS3+

There, they are fixed.

I'm very much a fan of this. GW needs to realize that these are vet Fire Warriors basically and should be at a slightly higher skill with their weapons. Then we can adjust the point costs afterwards.

The problem with BS3+ coexisting with Markerlights is getting 2+ rerolling 1s to hit with five Markerlights. I might suggest changing five Markerlights to "reroll all failed rolls to hit" in conjunction with giving BS3+ to more Battlesuits.

My thing with increasing those WS/BS values on units like Sternguard and Crisis Suits is that they SHOULD be more independent compared to other choices. You already pay a premium and it's for honestly very little benefit.

Tristanleo wrote:
I actually really like this, it pretty much sets the entire problem most people see with Crisis suits in black and white. I've barely played my T'au this edition because Crisis suits have been so damn boring that they either don't do enough or I'm feeling shoehorned into taking a set-up that I don't like so I end up not taking them at all. Now we just need this guy to distinguish Bodyguard from Standard Crisis teams other than a few points more and the bodyguard rule.

Bodyguards really need ironically WS4+ as their distinction allows them to be not hugely different but follows the older fluff/stats path of each rank getting a bit better at a specific aspect of war.

I'd have to double check my third edition codex to check but I think crisis suits used to have a BS bonus over firewarriors.

The proposed change to missile pods is essentially making them cyclic ion blasters trading 1S for no overheat and added range. I do think that MPs are too expensive since they're essentially autocannons that are assumed to be on the move (bs4). but making them so similar to cib at twice the range feels unbalanced.

Increase in plasma rifle damage...I get that the math on our plasma isn't really better in many cases than BC, and with so many invulns it's not super great at <S8. But imo D2 doesn't belong on ranged weapons in the first place. I'd rather see them 8/3/1 since bonus damage tends to be linked to overcharging and bonus S is just a T'au theme. That would still mulch marines, plink at tanks for versatility while being way less damage than fusion. Or maybe i'm trying to save us from a tidal wave of primaris tears.

4W would do a good bit to prevent getting killed by D3d weapons but I really like the other option. I so want to be able to take support systems but they are so overpriced and sub-optimal compared to weapons. Taking away the 3rd weapon option and refunding some points would be fair and make the unit more balanced in general.

Thinking about it 28+8pts minimum for a burst cannon on a T5 3W model is about right compared to a stealth suit. Though separately I'd like to be able to take support systems on stealth suits as well without breaking bank.>

Edit: After reading through the article I better see what these changes are getting at and really appreciate the prepared tables. It makes me feel better about the missile pod change compared to cibs since that 1S really makes a difference against the ideal target. I'm still not sold on the 2D plasma since it's hardly better at it's niche than cib.

Basically the thing tau players said the moment the index was spoiled, the crsis are the examplar of how little ducks were given when designing 8th T'au.
Even at the codex.


Fixing the crisis as shown there (3 shot missiles, 2 damage plasma and 28 point two gun crisis) is just one of MANY sweeping changes needed in the codex, like how half the support systems are moronic, or you get the same non-stacking buff from up to five "different" sources at once (one being markerlights, making every other source even more silly)