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Hello all,

I'm new here and I am looking for some advice on my proposed Tau Cadre. It's a little different to most as I am envisaging this force as a special operations force that infiltrates behind enemy lines and causes havoc, capturing and destroying objectives before the main waves of the Tau invasion can get there. With this in mind I have gone incredibly Stealth heavy, including both Shadowsun and O'Ralai as well as a number of Stealth Suits, Remoras and other infiltrating units.

I'll show you the list first then I'll summarise my tactics below:

Tau Empire Primary Detachment[/u]

Commander Korst'la'sha'is (Ghostwind)
Commander Shadowsun
Command-link Drone

XV22-1 Veteran Stealth Team]
XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui, Fusion Blaster, Fusion Blaster, Target Lock
Crisis Shas'ui, Fusion Blaster, Fusion Blaster, Target Lock
2 Marker Drones

XV22 Stealth Teams
Stealth Team
4 Stealth Shas'ui, Counterfire Defence System
1 Stealth Shas'vre, Counterfire Defence System, Markerlight, Target Lock, Homing Beacon

Stealth Team
4 Stealth Shas'ui, Counterfire Defence System
1 Stealth Shas'vre, Counterfire Defence System, Markerlight, Target Lock, Homing Beacon

Pathfinder Sharpshooter Teams
Kroot Carnivore Squad
Sniper Rounds
Kroot Hound

Kroot Carnivore Squad
Sniper Rounds
Kroot Hound

DX-6 Remora Reconnaissance Squadrons
DX-6 Remora Drone Squadron
2 Remora Drones

DX-6 Remora Drone Squadron
2 Remora Drones

Pathfinder Scout Team
Pathfinder Team
6 Pathfinder Shas'la

Farsight Enclaves Allied Detachment

Sub-commander Rra'myr (Shadowknife)
Commander O R'alai

XV8-7 "Predator" Crisis Teams
XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Flamer
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Flamer
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Vectored Retro-Thrusters
Bonding Knife Ritual
2 Gun Drones

XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Flamer
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Flamer
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Vectored Retro-Thrusters
Bonding Knife Ritual
2 Gun Drones



The general style of play is as follows:

Stage 1
Shadowsun, her Crisis Team, the Stealth Teams will deploy first, in cover and infiltrating to make them pretty untouchable from enemy fire (especially useful if my opponent gets the first turn). The Stealth Teams will then surge forwards to strategic points, perhaps even objectives, and it is here they will be able to make use of their Homing Beacons, calling down support from O'Ralai, the Crisis Teams and the Remora Drones. If I use them to take an objective, their Counterfire Defence Systems should prove effective at maintaining the position, especially from enemy troop choices who will be looking to capture them due to Objective Secured. Shadowsun's team will be used to tackle heavy armour, along with R'alai, and both will be aided in this with their markerlights and thus seeker missiles from the Remoras.

Stage 2
The Farsight Crisis Teams will hold forward objectives with help from the Stealth Suits. That amount of firepower should make this possible, and the Counterfire Systems and Flamers make assaulting them risky. If the Crisis are assaulted however, the Vectored Retro Thrusters will then come in handy. In the meantime, the Kroot Carnivores (and perhaps Pathfinders too) will outflank from appropriate board edges in order to take other objectives. Shadowsun, R'alai and the Remoras will be providing support against vehicles, elites, fliers etc throughout to make sure I maintain supremacy in movement.

Stage 3
The Stealth Teams and Remoras will target any troop choices who might threaten my objectives in the last couple of turns.


So, it's a bit unusual but I think it could work? It would certainly be a surprise for any opponent to face, especially when almost nothing is deployed on the board at the start, and what is deployed are entrenched, stealth shielded MEQs. Obviously I'll have difficulties against some opponents more than others but I think I have an all comers list that isn't too specialised. Ultimately it's fluffy and should be a blast both to play and play against!

What do you all think? Comments and criticism are most welcome!

It sounds good, have you thought about having a shas'ui pathfinder for extra Ld, or a unit or two of fire warriors to hold objectives in your table half?

Please post a bat rep of this!!! I would love to know how it plays.

I feel drop pod flamers, marker lighted ion accelerator, anything else ap3 ignores cover will just make you sadface but other than that it looks like a blast. Stealth suits always scared me with their t3, that's why I don't run them. But I have a ton from an ebay purchase so let me know if this works out.

Epartalis wrote:
Please post a bat rep of this!!! I would love to know how it plays.

I feel drop pod flamers, marker lighted ion accelerator, anything else ap3 ignores cover will just make you sadface but other than that it looks like a blast. Stealth suits always scared me with their t3, that's why I don't run them. But I have a ton from an ebay purchase so let me know if this works out.

Once it's bought I will be sure to post something. It's purely theoretical and an ultimate ambition for the moment, until I have more time and money to make it!

I'm quite aware that it will be better against some foes and may well die horrendously against others, but I think the element of surprise will work a lot in my favour. I'm not sure many people will have encountered Tau like this so will be on the backfoot from the beginning!



I have been thinking about the list a lot, and have come up with some alterations I could use the advice of DakkaDakka on. I am not sure which list I prefer in the grand scheme of things, so any opinions would be greatly welcomed.



Tau Empire Primary Detachment

Commander Korst'la'sha'is (Ghostwind)
Commander Shadowsun
Command-link Drone

XV22-1 Veteran Stealth Team
XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui, Fusion Blaster, Fusion Blaster, Target Lock
Crisis Shas'ui, Fusion Blaster, Fusion Blaster, Target Lock
4 Marker Drones

XV22 Stealth Teams
Stealth Team
5 Stealth Shas'ui, Counterfire Defence System
1 Stealth Shas'vre, Positional Relay, Markerlight, Target Lock, Homing Beacon

Stealth Team
5 Stealth Shas'ui, Counterfire Defence System
1 Stealth Shas'vre, Positional Relay, Markerlight, Target Lock, Homing Beacon

Fire Warrior Commandos
Fire Warrior Team
9 Fire Warrior Shas'la, Pulse Carbines
EMP Grenades

Pathfinder Sharpshooter Teams
Kroot Carnivore Squad
11 Carnivores
Sniper Rounds
Kroot Hound

Kroot Carnivore Squad
11 Carnivores
Sniper Rounds
Kroot Hound

DX-6 Remora Reconnaissance Squadron
DX-6 Remora Drone Squadron
2 Remora Drones

Pathfinder Scout Teams
Pathfinder Team
5 Pathfinder Shas'la
1 Pathfinder Shas'la, Ion Rifle

Pathfinder Team
5 Pathfinder Shas'la
1 Pathfinder Shas'la, Ion Rifle

Farsight Enclaves Allied Detachment

Sub-commander Rra'myr (Shadowknife)
Darkstrider

XV8-7 "Predator" Crisis Teams
XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
Bonding Knife Ritual
2 Gun Drones

XV8 Crisis Team
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
Crisis Shas'ui, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle
Bonding Knife Ritual
2 Gun Drones




The notably changes to this list are the loss of Commander O'Ralai and the second Remora Squadron, and their replacement with Darkstrider, a unit of Firewarriors, another Pathfinder Team and some other bumps to units (two more Stealth Suits, more Kroot, more Marker Drones)

These changes, in theory, give me a bit more flexibility. I have a large force of Firewarriors, Kroot and Ion-Rifle toting Pathfinders lead by Darkstrider that can outflank accurately, guided by the Stealth Suits' positional relays. This force can all come from one edge (perhaps the rear if the enemy has advanced) or can be split up into several expeditions. I can even envisage the Kroot Outflanking from my own table edge to claim my home objectives later in the game. I couldn't afford a Devilfish for my Fire Warriors, but I think with Darkstrider they will be a good distraction, and they can mess up any big vehicles still left with their EMPs.

So, I need opinions on which list you prefer, or perhaps suggestions of how to get the best of both list as I am truly stuck!

Cheers,

LP

What is commander Ghostwind equipped with? I'm confused

Just my opinion but darkstrider is meh for 100 points. Your guns are already s5 so wounding an average warrior on 3s. Reducing that to 2s on a unit with a max of 9 firewarriors or even the pathfinders isn't that appealing, especially without maximizing the firepower of the squad.

Emp grenades can be fantastic but only situationally. Devilfish helps their chances drastically to get to use emp grenades in assualt which is when they are truly devestating.

I would be very scared of things like wyvern batteries or thunderfire cannons just to name a few. Your army is majority t3 and relies on cover saves to be effective. Destroy anything that can ignore that immediately.

I'm interested to see how it plays because as much as I want to I can't really figure a good way to use the positional relay. I think it's cool but there's nothing in the tau army that I really want to see slug it out with people in close quarters. I find it much better to set up my early warning override Missle sides and then move my devilfish out under their cover.