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Hi everyone, new player here. Putting my first list together, and this is what I came up with:

HQ
Etheral - 50

Troops
Fire Warriors - 54

Fire Warriors - 54

Fire Warriors - 54

Heavy Support
Hammerhead - 140
Ion Cannon, Disruption Pod
TL-SMS

Hammerhead - 140
Ion Cannon, Disruption Pod
TL-SMS

Total - 492

Plan is to hold up in a piece of terrain and drop templates, while anything that comes close gets shot by ethereal boosted Pulse weapons. The list allows for expansion into a larger force. Thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

I have not played Tau but know a little about them and all I can say is that if you want to hold up on a piece of terrain then you want as many markerlights as you can so you will have no trouble killing things and I would give 1 fire warrior in each squad a pulse carbine instead of the rifle so they can make models do pinning tests

Its not bad. and at 500 points should be ok. though i may suggest switching to a rail head with sub as a backup for anti tank. as well perhaps remove one unit of fire warriors for some pathfinders. (keep em relatively behind, not in front as they still have 32" inch range. as well there carbines benefit from the fire element off the ethereal.

Hmm thanks for the feedback. Taking these into consideration gives something like this:

HQ
Ethereal - 50

Troops
Fire Warriors - 78
5 Fire Warrior, 1 Fire Warrior Shas'ui
1 Marker Light and Target Lock

Fire Warriors - 85
6 Fire Warrior, 1 Fire Warrior Shas'ui
1 Marker Light and Target Lock

Heavy Support
Hammerhead - 145
Railgun w/ Submunitions
TL-SMS
Disruption Pod

Hammerhead - 140
Ion Cannon
TL-SMS
Disruption Pod

Total - 498

I like it a lot more, the railgun option gives new tactical decisions and is a heck of a lot scarier. If they're in a bunker the tanks are getting 2+ cover saves.

Marker light shasuis are incredibly over priced, i wouldn't use them
Is it not possible to get a 5man pathfinder squad?

Otherwise IIRC the new HH don't come with BSF so chuck one on each to give em night vision.

I am reading the codex. Am I to understand that each Pathfinder model comes with their own markerlight?

Yea until you give em ion or rail weaps. btw like the list. i personaly believe at low points quantity over quality. id bare bone everything add pathfinders. oh and bursts on ion heads are mean 11 shotsfrom the tank at 18 will ruin most foot troops day kinda not how you want to run the ion head but just thought id throw it out.

At this point level you don't really need the disruption pods IMO so you can take those off for points towards a single small 5 man squad of pathfinders and take off those markerlights you gave to the fire warriors they only work if the other squad uses it and you can't shoot at two different targets if you do that. Leave one tau Shas'ui on and take the other off and put the Ethereal with the squad without the Shas'ui and if you have the points give the Ethereal a shield drone for he can die easily and here he is your warlord therefor gives two victory points if he dies.

I think at such a low points level the ethreal is not worth it. Especially if he is hiding in such a small squad. One round of bolters and that squad will probably be wiped out. I'd be tempted to take a fireblade and a 12 man firewarrior squad. Then have a 6 man firewarrior squad to cap objectives. The bs 5 marker light off the fireblade will help lots too. And he doesn't give up 2 victory points either.

This is good I am learning thanks everyone for their input.

SpankingApe wrote:
I think at such a low points level the ethreal is not worth it. Especially if he is hiding in such a small squad. One round of bolters and that squad will probably be wiped out. I'd be tempted to take a fireblade and a 12 man firewarrior squad. Then have a 6 man firewarrior squad to cap objectives. The bs 5 marker light off the fireblade will help lots too. And he doesn't give up 2 victory points either.

I cant say a fully agree. One weakness to Tau is that t hey will often break moral and run them selves off the board. The ld 10 bubble is one of the most important part of the ethereal. sitting tight in cover and perhaps going to ground at the right time should keep em safe.
It may be different in a mirror match up as GTG doesn't work soo well against another tau markerlight. (better find some BLOS )

Fireblade can be useful though hes additional fire only works if the unit doesn't move, and only in your shooting phase as apposed to the ethereal whos power works till end of the next turn.