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1850 Pts - Codex: Tau Empire Roster

HQ: Commander 185 pts
Flamer x2, Vectored Retro-Thrusters, Drone
Controller, Command and Control Node, Puretide Engram Neurochip, Multi-Spectrum Sensor
Suite, XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit and Neuroweb System Jammer


Elite:XV104 Riptide 190 pts
Ion Accelerator and Early Warning Override

Elite: XV8 Crisis Team 231 pts
XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui Missile Pod x2, Target Lock, 2x Marker Drone
Crisis Shas'ui Missile Pod x2, Target Lock, 2x Marker Drone
Crisis Shas'ui Missile Pod x2, Target Lock, 2x Marker Drone

Troops: Fire Warrior Team 108 pts
12 Fire Warriors

Troops: Kroot Carnivore Squad 65 pts)
10 Kroot, 1x Kroot Hounds

Troops: Kroot Carnivore Squad 65 pts)
10 Kroot, 1x Kroot Hounds

Heavy Support: Sky Ray Missile Defence Gunship 116 pts
Blacksun Filter

Heavy Support: Sky Ray Missile Defence Gunship 116 pts
Blacksun Filter

Heavy Support: XV88 Broadside Team 152 pts
1 Broadside Shas'ui, High yield Missle Pod, Early Warning Override, 1x Missile Drone
1 Broadside Shas'ui, High yield Missle Pod, Early Warning Override

Korsarro khan 150pts

5x SM bikes 2x gravrifle 1x combi-gravrifle 145

5x SM Bikes 2x gravrifle Vet Serg w/Combi-gravrifle 155

Techmarine+bike 70

Thunderfire Cannon 100

Total 1848

The idea is that my IC in the list have a lot of option where they can go and it drastically changes the tactics I can use, and will use based on the army I'm facing. Buff Commander can jump between the Riptide, Missile suit squad, and Broadsides for lots of goodness. Possible even the firewarriors if I need some monster hunter rerolls. Khan and his techmarine give any Tau unit space marine rules as well as the ability to scout. I think they can drastically shift a game with my ability to scout up to 4 units. the Marines also give my Tau units TSKNF and in the case of the tech marine, 2+ saves which can easily protect a unit from Helldrake love. Gravrifles for opposing Tau and Eldar MCs, not bad against Nids or Daemons either. Just use my other units to ground them, and the bikes to finish them off. Skyrays for some nice alpha strike and Anti-air. The only thing I wish I had was the points for a ADL with comms. but overall I'm good with the list. I do get 2 piece of terrain that get +1 cover save, which can greatly increase my overall toughness. Will probably take BRB Strategic traits, but if lots of flyers, I may take Tau and try for one turn skyfire.

Any suggests, insights are welcome.

I am thinking about changing the techmarine out for an MM attackbike and some upgrades.

I'm also working on a 2k tau + white scars list atm... haven't posted it here yet, but it is over on ATT.

A note would be that only khan gives the special rule for scouting, and only those units that have chapter tactics (white scars) AND are bike units or units with dedicated transports can benifit from the scout move.

So not sure where you are getting that you can scout up to 4 units as only your bikes would gain the benifit there..

As for other stuff I can think of while I ponder over my own ideas on the Scared Tau build.

Generic captain with a bike seemed more points efficant.

I would go with adding the attack bike to one squad over the techmarine. Grav guns can hurt vehicles and a Multi melta AB helps that.

DPods on the skyrays to keep them alive turn 1 and 2 (hopefully) should be a priority over some other things.

Personally choose to go with sniper rounds on the kroot instead of hounds. You have bikes as troops, hope that they are alive to capture objectives while the kroot help with MCs instead of charging in with the bikes to finish them off?

The other change I just came around to over the weekend was to switch over to the Farsight enclaves. I lost my iridium armor and neroweb type goodies on the commander but picked up the tailsman for a 5++ and a 4D6 deny the witch for units within 12" of him - suck it eldar.

Also you have to have a full sized Crisis squad and take them as a troops choice.. this helped me out a lot and freed me from having to add in more than 2 squads of kroot just to feel like I had enough troops at 2k points level.

overall though very simular to what I've been thinking, I'll be sure to get my 2k build up so you can take a look at that.

 Coyote81 wrote:
1850 Pts - Codex: Tau Empire Roster

HQ: Commander 185 pts
Flamer x2, Vectored Retro-Thrusters, Drone
Controller, Command and Control Node, Puretide Engram Neurochip, Multi-Spectrum Sensor
Suite, XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit and Neuroweb System Jammer

The idea is that my IC in the list have a lot of option where they can go and it drastically changes the tactics I can use, and will use based on the army I'm facing. Buff Commander can jump between the Riptide, Missile suit squad, and Broadsides for lots of goodness. Possible even the firewarriors if I need some monster hunter rerolls.

I run the MSS & CCN on a Vre with two Helios buddies. *Then* the Iridium CMdr. Massively successful, killing 91% of what I point them at ... in one salvo. Oh, no NeuroChip, neither.

B-sides are already Twin-Linked and AP4 ain't great for "Ignoring Cover". Try the Helios set up, instead of Deathrains.

Rawrgyle wrote:
I'm also working on a 2k tau + white scars list atm... haven't posted it here yet, but it is over on ATT.

A note would be that only khan gives the special rule for scouting, and only those units that have chapter tactics (white scars) AND are bike units or units with dedicated transports can benifit from the scout move.

So not sure where you are getting that you can scout up to 4 units as only your bikes would gain the benifit there..

As for other stuff I can think of while I ponder over my own ideas on the Scared Tau build.

Generic captain with a bike seemed more points efficant.

I would go with adding the attack bike to one squad over the techmarine. Grav guns can hurt vehicles and a Multi melta AB helps that.

DPods on the skyrays to keep them alive turn 1 and 2 (hopefully) should be a priority over some other things.

Personally choose to go with sniper rounds on the kroot instead of hounds. You have bikes as troops, hope that they are alive to capture objectives while the kroot help with MCs instead of charging in with the bikes to finish them off?

The other change I just came around to over the weekend was to switch over to the Farsight enclaves. I lost my iridium armor and neroweb type goodies on the commander but picked up the tailsman for a 5++ and a 4D6 deny the witch for units within 12" of him - suck it eldar.

Also you have to have a full sized Crisis squad and take them as a troops choice.. this helped me out a lot and freed me from having to add in more than 2 squads of kroot just to feel like I had enough troops at 2k points level.

overall though very simular to what I've been thinking, I'll be sure to get my 2k build up so you can take a look at that.

-Missed that Khan has to be your warlord to give scouting, guess thats out anyways.
-I might just do that with kroot, have had a lot of success with snipers.

-As for the Skyrays, I just don't know where I can find 30pts

-I thought about Farsight Enclave, but losing the MSS and C&C is huge. those items help cut the number of markerlights I need in a game by a lot. Otherwise, I feel farsight enclaves need a lot more support then normal Tau.

I run the MSS & CCN on a Vre with two Helios buddies. *Then* the Iridium CMdr. Massively successful, killing 91% of what I point them at ... in one salvo. Oh, no NeuroChip, neither.

B-sides are already Twin-Linked and AP4 ain't great for "Ignoring Cover". Try the Helios set up, instead of Deathrains.

I would run Helios, except thats not the role I need them to fill in this army. They're more Transport/Flyer and MC killers. I'm not a fan of Helios, I'll run double plasma first.

I don't understand the purpose of the techmarine at all.

I'd drop the Tech and Kahn which gives you 220 points now you just need to find 30 more points to afford the beat stick chapter master (he costs 250 and has artifice, eternal shield, bike and thunderhammer). you can live without a vet sargent on the other bike squad because LD 8 and ATSKNF is fine. So there has got to be a way to find the rest of the points. You could also go power fist on the chapter master which would mean you only have to shave 25 total points. If you do that I think the list will be supper solid.