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I was wondering which gun mode people use when using ion accelerator riptide a on fliers: normal, overcharge, or nova charge?

Well, considering how overcharge and nova charge are blasts, I would say normal.

i actually only fire my riptide against air if i have nothing but random troops to shoot at. Only the normal shot can hit it, which is only 3 non-TL S7 shots. Unless theyre close, you'l never fire your secondary weapon at them.

My interceptor is there for anti-deepstriking sneakers, not anti-flier. I love it when i novacharged and they deepstrike 5 termies and instantly lose them muhahahahha

As above, riptide isn't the best at anti air, lots of better choices. However I run mine with interceptor/skyfire with fusion. It pretty much lets me gaurentee a 9-18 inch bubble fliers wont come into. Helps dictate enemy movement.

if Skyfire wasnt such an expensive upgrade, i would too. I usually dont even use that last support slot. if i have left over points i get adv targeting system because why not but otherwise meh.

4 Missilesides even without skyfire are plenty to deal with air.

 Vineheart01 wrote:
if Skyfire wasnt such an expensive upgrade, i would too. I usually dont even use that last support slot. if i have left over points i get adv targeting system because why not but otherwise meh.

4 Missilesides even without skyfire are plenty to deal with air.

This is correct. I also usually throw in at least one commander with skyfire and interceptor with missile pods. That layout matched with command and control node and multispectrum let commander shoot in oppenents phase and buff in your own.

See as I am looking for Tau allies for use with my eldar mainly for anti-air, what is a better choice for Tau Anti-air?

Col. Dash wrote:
See as I am looking for Tau allies for use with my eldar mainly for anti-air, what is a better choice for Tau Anti-air?

Pathfinders+Missile broadsides with Veloctiy Tracker(? I think that was the Skyfire one)

Missile sides. Even without markerlight or skyfire they put out 4 S7 twinlinked shots and 4 S5 twinlinked shots each, plus 4 S7 nontwinlinked from the drones each suit can take.

Pathfinder markerlights are highly unlikely to get more than 1 to land on fliers, however if you run a commander with marker drone squadrons instead consider getting a CnC node because now the markerlights are twinlinked, doubling the odds of getting 6s.

I dont like the Skyfire upgrade personally. Broadsides really dont need it unless its just a single model, and its 15pts more than interceptor. Also, its a useless upgrade if your opponent didnt take any fliers...Interceptor almost always has a use since very few armies have 0 reserves at all. Possible, and not too unlikely, but now youre out 5pts per model instead of 20pts per model for a useless upgrade.

To give you an idea, 3 Broadsides with missiles and without skyfire is STILL more deadly to fliers than a group of lootas just because of twinlink. On average you will land more attacks (excluding the random luck where 20 of 30 shots landed for some reason of course). ive thought of allying in missilesides instead of using lootas.

If you are thinking markerlights plus missilesides(which i would always recommend) i reccomend a Mark'O. Get a DC on your commander and attach him to a marker squad. With BS5 markerlights, you will hit them, and then your sides(and whatever else you brought thats tau) get to ignore cover and or be BS5 themselves.

In a Larger game i run my mark'o with 6 markers and 6 gundrones(mostly as ablative wounds but you never know) and in a smaller game i'll run 4 markers and 1 gun, I need the ablative wounds if i dont want to concede Slay the Warlord so easily. Also, jump shoot jump with your markerlights is sooooo awesome! keeps them alive.

I recently played a game with 2 units of three missle sides w/ Velocity Tracker.

I then had a resiliance commander (T5/2+ & FNP) with a puretide chip plus gear that grants ignore cover to the unit if he doesn't shoot who could jumped between units. Puretide allows the unit to gain monster or tank hunter (basically rerolling pens or wounds).

So when the commander was joined and vs Flyers it was 12 str 7 shots that rerolled misses to hit and damage chart and ignored cover saves. VS FMC it was 12 str 7 shots and 12 str 5 shots that rerolled misses to hit and damage chart and ignored cover saves.

I was up against 3 Havok Squads, 2 Jive Turkeys, and 2 Winged Nurgle Deamon Princes and was able to silence his havoks turn 1, his FMC turn 2 and the Helldrakes turns 3 & 4.

I plan on playing a few games with 1-2 Riptides armed with a H Burst Cannon.