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alright guys I have a tournament coming up at the end of this month(1500 pts) and kinda wanna win it, or get close to it. So I'm looking for help on building a good tau list, I have( or can obtain easily) every model in both codex, only missing a flier right now and multiple riptides. I know from just the people that regularly show up I will be against IG, orks, necron, and tyranids, other tau, eldar, and CSM/CD(loves his FMC) each with multiple people who play them so I'm likely to play against them, we also have one SM player I believe.

there will be only a couple fliers, maybe some ork a IG and plenty of FMCs.
what I'm worried about is focusing to much on either anti-infantry/horde or to much on anti-tank.
my gut list is usually 2 commanders, one for BS 5 marker lights, 1 riptide, 2x3 crisis suits one anti-tank the other anti-infantry.
usually 4x10 FW, 2x5-8 path and 4-6 marker-drones. followed by maxing my heavy support with 2 hammerheads and 2 broadsides

mind I realize that's far to much for 1500 so I tend to scale it all down.
I suppose I'm asking what other players would bring to address this kind of tournament, as well as what has/does work for others.

Should probably list what you have. I can give you lists, but all i know youre missing is riptide spam (which is one of the lists lol).

well I currently have
1 riptide
1 farside
1 ethereal
about 12 crisis suits I believe
2 broadsides
1 hammerhead
1 skyray/hammerhead
5 devilfish
about 48 FW
10 pathfinder, plan on buying another box soon
10 kroot
8 vespids
3 piranha
and a bunch of drones

and I also have a bit of extra money, maybe like 200-300 to buy guys.

Based on your wide range of opponents, you need an all comers list, or just at least one with the fewest weaknesses. Now based on your models if go with farsight primary and tau allies, with a list like this:

Farsight primary:

Farsight
O'vesa
Riptide, ion accelerator, EWO, 2 shielded missile drones and The talisman of arthas moloch
Crisis battlesuit bonding knife
Crisis battlesuit bonding knife
3 crisis battlesuits bonding knives
Sky ray blacksun filter
Sky ray blacksun filter

Tau allies:

Commander MSSS, Puretide neuro chip, command and control node and iridium armour
10 kroot
3 broadsides high yield missile pods and SMS

Which comes to 1497pts. So you will need to get another riptide, another broadside and a another sky ray turret. And it's just an O'vesa star. This is what I would use, if I was in your situation. Note I don't play tau so I can't do tactics, but I still know what a good list looks like and what it all does.

Hope this helps, minimanj

Minimanj wrote:
Based on your wide range of opponents, you need an all comers list, or just at least one with the fewest weaknesses. Now based on your models if go with farsight primary and tau allies, with a list like this:

Farsight primary:

Farsight
O'vesa
Riptide, ion accelerator, EWO, 2 shielded missile drones and The talisman of arthas moloch
Crisis battlesuit bonding knife
Crisis battlesuit bonding knife
3 crisis battlesuits bonding knives
Sky ray blacksun filter
Sky ray blacksun filter

Tau allies:

Commander MSSS, Puretide neuro chip, command and control node and iridium armour
10 kroot
3 broadsides high yield missile pods and SMS

Which comes to 1497pts. So you will need to get another riptide, another broadside and a another sky ray turret. And it's just an O'vesa star. This is what I would use, if I was in your situation. Note I don't play tau so I can't do tactics, but I still know what a good list looks like and what it all does.

Hope this helps, minimanj

What are the suits running at that point cost? That will effect a lot of how the army plays. An the new AM codex like the old IG codex will eat crisis suits, and ork/nid hordes lists (skybilght in paticular only have to worry about 3 units, 2 of which will lose effectiveness the long er the game goes. I think Ovesa-stars just start to loose to much bunch at 1500.

@barnowl, I agree all/most deathstar armies lose some value in lower point games, as it really does turn into putting all your eggs into one basket. The suits had no wargear, except the compulsory bonding knife. They would deep strike in on objectives or walk on and stay hidden, just so they can stay alive and harder to kill off. It was simply based off the list of models, if willing to go with SM allies, loth in particular, then go with farsight bomb which is much better IMO.

so 3 HQ selections? honestly I'm not clear on what the o'vesa star does, as I'm waiting for my farsight codex to get here still, and I have no problem buying a few more models if it allows me to have a better list.

thanks for the help guys

Any of the IC's that come in the Eight formation if Farsight is your warlord do not take up HQ slots. O'Vesa and any other buddies you might bring...usually none...are freebees basically in terms of FOC use.

You can bring the entire Eight and only use 1 HQ slot technically. Though the points to do that force around 5k point game to have an army to back up those bosses lol.

Speaking of the eight, where are they're point costs? I just got my supplemental codex and can't find it. Can any of the 8 be used as warlords? Or just body guards?

Their point costs are in the end of the supplement

 soundwave591 wrote:
Speaking of the eight, where are they're point costs? I just got my supplemental codex and can't find it. Can any of the 8 be used as warlords? Or just body guards?

If you have the ebook version, its at the the back
if you have the iBooks version, they are in their respective pop-ups
if you have the hardcopy, you are told what equipment they have and must add it all up separatley (including their base cost) using the points listed in your TE and FE books.

Oh I have the hard back, so just base model and add wargear? Awesome

theyre literally the cost of their gear. the only difference between them and the normal model with the sum of those parts is the IC rule, outside that theyre the same. Including BS skill, which would kinda make Ovesa op as hell if he was given commander BS as well as IC lol

Riptide that doesnt need marker support unless he wants to strip cover? OP.... lol