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Thanks to Asmodai Asmodean for a solid post on another thread that contained a ton of helpful advice! I plan on practicing a lot with this at my FLGS for now (both in pick-up games and local tourneys), and if it works well I might try to run this at our Feast of Blades Qualifier. So, let me know what you guys think!

HQ
Cadre Fireblade (2 Gun Drones)
Commander (Early Warning Override, Repulsor Impact Field, Multi-spectral Sensor Suite, Vectored retro-thrusters, MP, Warlord)

ELITES
3 Crisis Suits (Fusion Blaster/Plasma Rifle, Shas'vre with same and Vectored retro-thrusters)
Riptide (Ion Accelerator, Early Warning Override, Velocity Tracker)
Riptide (Ion Accelerator, Early Warning Override, Velocity Tracker)

TROOPS
12 Fire Warriors (Shas'ui, Devilfish with TL SMS)
12 Fire Warriors (Shas'ui, Devilfish with TL SMS)
12 Fire Warriors (Shas'ui, 2 Gun Drones) <- Cadre Fireblade here

FAST ATTACK
7 Pathfinders (Shas'ui, Blacksun Filter)
7 Pathfinders (Shas'ui, Blacksun Filter)

HEAVY SUPPORT
3 Broadsides (TL High-Yield MP, TL SMS, Velocity Tracker) <- Commander here
Hammerhead (Longstrike, Disruption Pods, Submunition Rounds, SMS)

1,994 pts, 67 models, 3-6 scoring units (depending on the mission)

The Commander and the Riptides all have Interceptor to be able to fire at units arriving from Reserves (flyers, Drop Pods, etc), though when the Commander does so and can't shoot in the next turn, he can instead use his Multi-spectral Sensor Suite to make the Broadsides ignore cover (and the Riptides can fire at air targets at full BS as well). Cadre Fireblade attaches to the non-mounted Fire Warrior unit and makes them amazing (not to mention he can split-fire his Markerlight at BS5 for added amazingness). If you somehow manage to get close enough to charge the Commander and Broadsides, you first get overwatched by however many units, then you hit the Repulsor field, and then if they live they can break away via the Commander's Vectored retro-thrusters (only one model in a unit has to have Hit-and-Run for the whole unit to have it per the Special Rule in the Rulebook).

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Any thoughts/suggestions?

I'm pretty sure your 'competitive' 2000p list loses to actually competitive 1850p Tau lists. When that happens in a mirror match you know you made a bad army.

Why? 1. You have an overpriced Commander. If you insist on going Fireblade instead of Ethereal, that's the only HQ you need. 2. Drop the Crisis Suits and get a third Riptide. 3. Your Troops section costs a boat load of points and does absolutely nothing at all. A complete rehaul is needed. Replacing everything with foot Kroot is recommended. They're not the best thing since sliced bread either, but they're infinitely more versatile because of the Kroot Riders, infiltrate, stealth, etc, in the scoring objectives role. 4. Only 2 heavy support total and unoptimized at that. Missile Drones recommended, garbage like Disruption Pods not recommended as long as you have open slots for useful stuff, which you do. 5 Where's your Aegis Defence Line?

 Therion wrote:

Any thoughts/suggestions?

I'm pretty sure your 'competitive' 2000p list loses to actually competitive 1850p Tau lists. When that happens in a mirror match you know you made a bad army.

Why? 1. You have an overpriced Commander. If you insist on going Fireblade instead of Ethereal, that's the only HQ you need. 2. Drop the Crisis Suits and get a third Riptide. 3. Your Troops section costs a boat load of points and does absolutely nothing at all. A complete rehaul is needed. Replacing everything with foot Kroot is recommended. They're not the best thing since sliced bread either, but they're infinitely more versatile because of the Kroot Riders, infiltrate, stealth, etc, in the scoring objectives role. 4. Only 2 heavy support total and unoptimized at that. Missile Drones recommended, garbage like Disruption Pods not recommended as long as you have open slots for useful stuff, which you do. 5 Where's your Aegis Defence Line?

Your initial statement is laughably wrong, quite rude, and I think I'll pass on your "suggestions" as they appear to be rather ignorant of the list I built and even how Tau operate.
Sorry, would anyone else with a solid understanding of Tau that can explain themselves clearly and actually be helpful like to try?

while I don't agree with his specific advice he is somewhat right.

Every tau list I see posted has 2-3 troops, usally max squad size. Tau players long ago learned to split them up and get the right number of troops in thier lists.

2k points = min 4 troops

also, you have spent 100 points on velocity trackers.... you might as well just add a flyer.

Look at tau as more of a Horde army, this can be done without kroot. Boys before toys as the orks would say.

Rawrgyle wrote:
while I don't agree with his specific advice he is somewhat right.

Every tau list I see posted has 2-3 troops, usally max squad size. Tau players long ago learned to split them up and get the right number of troops in thier lists.

2k points = min 4 troops

also, you have spent 100 points on velocity trackers.... you might as well just add a flyer.

Look at tau as more of a Horde army, this can be done without kroot. Boys before toys as the orks would say.

Thanks for the tips!

I may very well consider changing up the troops to 4 squads, and conveniently that would open up another force-org slot for another Cadre Fireblade. Hmm...
Also, as for the "might as well just add a flyer" bit, personally I do think the Broadsides with the VT's are better, because they are a lot more reliable and but out a lot more firepower than anything the fighter or bomber would put out. I'm buying two of the flyers IRL lol, but I don't think they're all that great (or at least no one has shown me otherwise).

Again, thanks for the suggestions!

I think there are a lot of wasted points. You put competitive in your title people will expect that level of list hence the derogetory remarks.

Let's start with the VTs they are all wasted points. VTs are awesome but let's look where you've put them:

Riptide- has 3 S7 Bs3 shots even with a VT that's 1.5 S7 hits not really AA fire is it. Your commander just 2 S7 shots again not really AA. So you've paid 60 points to make these units still not good AA. What about the XV88s? 12 S7 shots twin linked. Definitely good AA but with those 60 points say you get 5 missile drones instead. The unit now has 10 more S7 shots against ground targets. Against air targets it should put 6 S7 hits causing problems through weight of fire. So here you've now taken a unit that is good AA anyway and given it VTs so again they're wasted. You should put VTs on models/units that will not be decent AA without it and will be decent AA with it. Like Rail rifle Broadsides for instance.

12 man FW squads are liabilities. Particularly now they've been stuck with photon grenades (so wish you could pay points to remove them).

Why do the Pathfinders need a BSF? Also why 7s when 6s are enough?

Why oh why is Longstrike in a rail head? Also why have you got just 1 vehicle? Makes him a target for all your opponents AT fire. If you're taking him you need a full mech list. Give him a Ionhead to abuse the overwatch.

There really is no reason not to take 3 HS slots as it is the best thing in the codex. I would say the whole list needs a rewrite to be honest.

Shas'ui upgrades tend to be fairly fairly expensive for that single pip of LD, I'd drop them.

You're really light on troops for 2k, and 12 man squads of FW are kinda meh without a fireblade, even then they're kinda meh. A pretty easy swap would just be to split all your 12 man teams into 6 man squads, giving you 6 troops.

+1 to FlingitNow on the Velocity tracker comments, its usually better to just get more guns/markerlights (which can act as pseudo-skyfire, and still be useful in every matchup) for their points.

BSF isn't needed on pathfinders, markerlights don't care about NF.

On your Commander, Repulsor impact field isn't great for its points, and if he's hanging out with Broadsides buy him Iridium armor so he can tank str8+ hits for them.

Hope that helps =)