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So just trying to come up with a fun not ultra competitive, entertaining list. Love that I FINALLY got my suit troops, been waiting since 3rd for that to happen... please feel free to comment!

HQ
Commander, twin-linked fusion gun, fusion blade, cyclic ion, drone controller, x2 gun drones, talisman of arthos moloch 207
Commander, x2 missile, target lock, drone controller, x2 marker drones 152

Troops
x2 crisis suits, x2 burst cannons, ATS, 2 gun drones, bonding 140
x2 crisis suits, x2 missile launchers, x2 marker drones, bonding 154
x3 crisis suits, flamer, burst cannon, Shas'vre, bonding 124

Elites
Riptide, Ion accelerator, EWO, twin-linked SMS 190
Riptide, Ion Accelerator, EWO, twin-linked SMS 190

Fast Attack
x5 piranhas 200

Heavy Support
x2 Missilesides, EWO 140

TOTAL: 1497

updated the list, changed some things around, this one is pretty much final~

You should remove the Twin linked fusion blaster from your list of items, unless you mean that it is a separate weapon then the fusion blade, because the fusion blades replaces the twin linked fusion blaster and as of right now your using 5 hard points, were as you should only be using 3 (since you already have two shooting weapons with the fusion blade and cyclic ion. I recommend you forget taking the fusion based weapons all together on that guy, take the mirriorcodex, 2x mpods, tl, and drone controller instead. Seems like a more appropriate build for accompanying all those drone that you are going to detach from the piranha squad.

I also feel the gun drones on the crisis suit squad is a waste, drop them and take a fusion gun on each suit to give you some dual purpose for the unit.

 gameandwatch wrote:

x3 crisis suits, x2 burst cannons, 2 gun drones 198
x2 crisis suits, x2 missile launchers, x2 marker drones 152
x3 crisis suits, x2 flamers 96

I can understand in a list without FWs going for some volume fire, thus dual BCs ... but I don't think these are optimally kitted.

crew 1 - good enough
crew 2 - I guess that you're going to MarkerL a rhino/WaveS/venom to have the MissileSides finish it off?
crew 3 - awful. Flamers mean getting assaulted the next turn. I understand a TAC mindset and flamers are great for dealing with bugs, scarabs & orks, but I think flamers just get your suits assaulted too easily the following turn. Maybe a good old pair of FireKnives for only 8 more points?

Also, 3 scoring is too thin for 1500, and only 8 models. GK or DeathWing can hold out in this sort of 'few model' format, but killing 8 suits is far too easy.

Wait a minute. Can you split the suits into the 6 troop slots? If so, then I'd separate each one off from the other ... so 4 single Monats and two pairs. That's make your suits easier to hide with JSJ, harder for the enemy to track down. Makes him split his fire, etc.

Brothererekose wrote:

 gameandwatch wrote:

x3 crisis suits, x2 burst cannons, 2 gun drones 198
x2 crisis suits, x2 missile launchers, x2 marker drones 152
x3 crisis suits, x2 flamers 96

I can understand in a list without FWs going for some volume fire, thus dual BCs ... but I don't think these are optimally kitted.

crew 1 - good enough
crew 2 - I guess that you're going to MarkerL a rhino/WaveS/venom to have the MissileSides finish it off?
crew 3 - awful. Flamers mean getting assaulted the next turn. I understand a TAC mindset and flamers are great for dealing with bugs, scarabs & orks, but I think flamers just get your suits assaulted too easily the following turn. Maybe a good old pair of FireKnives for only 8 more points?

Also, 3 scoring is too thin for 1500, and only 8 models. GK or DeathWing can hold out in this sort of 'few model' format, but killing 8 suits is far too easy.

Wait a minute. Can you split the suits into the 6 troop slots? If so, then I'd separate each one off from the other ... so 4 single Monats and two pairs. That's make your suits easier to hide with JSJ, harder for the enemy to track down. Makes him split his fire, etc.

yeah... to make them fireknives is not 8 more points, its 20 per model... and funny enough I have had amazing luck with the hellfire suits. I was trying to work out a way to get them feel no pain again, but dont forget, unless he has an ablative sacrificial unit to use as an overwatch screen, that is 6d3 flamer hits at overwatch.

Splitting most into smaller units is something I have considered as well, maybe monats, but more than likely pairs.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, crisi suits really arent bad in close combat, S5 T4 with 3 attacks isnt terrible, and since even against WS7 they would still hit on 4s, not terrible

Remember when splitting your crisis suits you must have one 3 man crisis team and then you can do what you like. plus make sure you have points to pay for the mandatory bonding knife ritual on everything that can take it.

Yes, I don't normally make mistakes like forgetting the bonding knife rule, I corrected and updated my list right after my last post.

HQ
Commander, twin-linked fusion gun, fusion blade, cyclic ion, drone controller, x2 gun drones, bonding, talisman of arthos moloch 208
Commander, x2 missile, target lock, drone controller, x2 marker drones, bonding 153

Troops
x2 crisis suits, x2 burst cannons, 2 gun drones, bonding 134
x2 crisis suits, x2 missile launchers, x2 marker drones, bonding 154
x3 crisis suits, x2 flamers 96

Elites
Riptide, Ion accelerator, EWO, twin-linked SMS 190
Riptide, Ion Accelerator, EWO, twin-linked SMS 190

Fast Attack
x5 piranhas 200

Heavy Support
x2 Missilesides, EWO 140

 Coyote81 wrote:
You should remove the Twin linked fusion blaster from your list of items, unless you mean that it is a separate weapon then the fusion blade, because the fusion blades replaces the twin linked fusion blaster and as of right now your using 5 hard points, were as you should only be using 3 (since you already have two shooting weapons with the fusion blade and cyclic ion. I recommend you forget taking the fusion based weapons all together on that guy, take the mirriorcodex, 2x mpods, tl, and drone controller instead. Seems like a more appropriate build for accompanying all those drone that you are going to detach from the piranha squad.

I also feel the gun drones on the crisis suit squad is a waste, drop them and take a fusion gun on each suit to give you some dual purpose for the unit.

His original post commander was not illegal. TL FB = 2 hard points. Cyclic ion = 1 hard point. Drone controller = 1 hard point for a total of 4 hard points used.

The fusion blades require you to have twin linked fusion blasters in order to take them. They are an addon to the fusion blasters, so you get to use both of them. The draw back is that if you use the fusion blades in CC, you roll a D6 and on a 1 the entire weapon system breaks, shooting and melee profile.

On top of all of that, the fusion blades are a signature system, and thus do not take up any hard points at all.

Indeed, Anon is correct.

I updated the list, pretty solid config as it stands. As per Cyotes comments with regards to multi-tasking suits, I will tell you, for many years I did this. But the more I played it, the more I realized that the dual functioning is an obsolete strategy.

With fusion and burst, that would mean that in a usual circumstance of the fusion being used, that would mean that the burst cannon is not, and therefore lowering the effectiveness of the unit. As well, with only BS3, the fusions are only hitting half the time and one shot is RARELY enough to kill a vehicle in 6th with all the cover all over the place.

Now both of the aformentioned issues can be overcome with markerlights, but I feel any veteran Tau player will tell you. as soon as you are relying on markerlights for your strategy to succeed, you are finished.

Double burst cannons also keeps them cheaper and takes greater advantage of the ATS which when you have a single model firing 8 shots...You are bound to get atleast 1 6, and in the games I have played those precision shots start taking out special weapon models fast.

I also modded the final squad to be flamer and burst cannon, as per a suggestion I heard about ensuring that flame weapons achieve maximum effectiveness.

I have used the list twice now and everything has performed exceptionally, and the fusion blade commander is the bees knees. He has successfully bladed 3 annihilation barges in one game, and he beat a destroyer lord w/ shackles in CC. Man was my friend pissed when a TAU managed to kill in one combat his best assault unit hahahah.

Markerlights are important to any Tau list, so i would not dismiss them so easily. It just all depends on what you're doing and what you need. In most cases, without markerlight support, your army is kinda of shooty, but not really.

The deal with mixing weapon profiles is what you plan to do with them, as well as how effective it's going to be. BC are great and all, but the problem with Tau and their S5 AP5 goodness is that half the shots will miss (Tau BS is poo) and the other half that hit will probably get an armor save and maybe a cover save. Mixing BC AND other weapon profiles ensures a good mixture of damage dealing. So while a BC fires more shots, it may not land a wound at all, were as a PR (for example) could fire less shots, but maybe deal a wound or two.

You are right, weapon range is important, but suit roles are important too. It doesn't really make sense to put a BC and a FB on a suit. They'll be trying to do two different things, and it won't synergise very well.

I agree, markerlights are important, since tau cannot play without them (unless you are farsun bomb, or unlike last dex when we actually had targeting arrays)

I feel in 1500 one unit of high accuracy lights is enough, and play testing has generally proven this to be so as long as I am not stupid with placement.

A lot of what i chose for this list is for a more "pure for fun, but not handicapped" reasons. I have had a few games with it and I must say I am loving the gak out of double burst crisis suits with gun drones. That unit with talisman commander has whiped out so many things it is crazy, and I have never felt that plasma rifles were neccessary.

The "all 18"" range also did a wonderful thing for me tactically, it kept me out of the 12" bait range that plasma so loves to do, and I have had too many occasions where the suits go into this bait range to rapid fire and completely fail their assault moves only to be whiped out.

The 5 piranhas have also proven invaluable, for any mission that is not the scouring, they are THE MOST annoying screen some of my opponents have ever had to face, they have told me so. My favorite was against a venom spam DE player that I semi circle, bubble wrapped him all game, and there was nothing his venoms could do about it. I also kept them at the perfect range so that he couldn't actually move over them without flatting out, it was beautiful and oh so mean.

As well, the ablative, and purely sacrificial drone squad is amazing, a "counts for nothing" squad of high strength infantry weapons with pinning... hilarious.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and talisman has also proven amazing, invul is really icing on the cake, the 4d6 deny, has entirely shutdown flying circus for me

Fusion blade??

Tau enclaves special issue wargear

 gameandwatch wrote:
I agree, markerlights are important, since tau cannot play without them (unless you are farsun bomb, or unlike last dex when we actually had targeting arrays)

I feel in 1500 one unit of high accuracy lights is enough, and play testing has generally proven this to be so as long as I am not stupid with placement.

A lot of what i chose for this list is for a more "pure for fun, but not handicapped" reasons. I have had a few games with it and I must say I am loving the gak out of double burst crisis suits with gun drones. That unit with talisman commander has whiped out so many things it is crazy, and I have never felt that plasma rifles were neccessary.

The "all 18"" range also did a wonderful thing for me tactically, it kept me out of the 12" bait range that plasma so loves to do, and I have had too many occasions where the suits go into this bait range to rapid fire and completely fail their assault moves only to be whiped out.

The 5 piranhas have also proven invaluable, for any mission that is not the scouring, they are THE MOST annoying screen some of my opponents have ever had to face, they have told me so. My favorite was against a venom spam DE player that I semi circle, bubble wrapped him all game, and there was nothing his venoms could do about it. I also kept them at the perfect range so that he couldn't actually move over them without flatting out, it was beautiful and oh so mean.

As well, the ablative, and purely sacrificial drone squad is amazing, a "counts for nothing" squad of high strength infantry weapons with pinning... hilarious.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and talisman has also proven amazing, invul is really icing on the cake, the 4d6 deny, has entirely shutdown flying circus for me

Using the "free" gun drone is very trolltastic and something i've wanted to try, but you know what's just as good?

Separate your Piranhas into 3 squads and then detach their drones. If you don't plan to throw them on a commander, you can use these drones as a free cover save, supporting fire tool and bubble wrap for assault shielding. The best part about it is that the drones are all in their own squads, so if you lose a group to assault, the other takes its place.

In fact, i have one list that i want to play test where i DS a drone squad in front of another DS squad for a cheap cover save and other shenanigans.