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Hello everyone. I'm considering starting a Tau army and I'm trying to build something up from the ground floor (I don't intend to buy anything second hand) so that being the case I'm trying to get a solid 1000 point army together as a core base of higher point armies. Currently, my 1000pt list is below (fairly generic). My question is this, is this a decent core list? I'm not looking to take this list to national tournaments or anything but I'm curious how well it will hold its own in casual to semi competitive games. My current meta has Necrons, Demons, Chaos Marines, Space Wolves, 30k Emperor's Children, Grey Knights and occasionally Blood Angels. I'm planning on playing this army against a slaneesh demon army (it'll be his first game with demons along with my first game with Tau). I know I'll eventually want to get Riptides, Ghostkeels and Stormsurges but for now, I think this would be a good start. Also, as a bit of a side question, I've largely ignored drones in my army, is that a big mistake or are they a bit of a waste? Thanks in advance and I look forward to any feedback you have to offer.

Hunter Cadre

Buff Commander
Crisis Suits
2 x Strike Teams
Breacher Team w/devilfish
2 x Broadsides
Stealth Unit
2 x Pathfinder

Stealth units are usually a waste of time unless theyre a part of the other formations, theyre kinda pricy for what they do.

Drones can be a lifesaver but they can also be a liability. They die almost as easy as a firewarrior regardless of the unit theyre in (except our MCs with their higher toughness drones) and cause leadership tests if enough die.
Flipside, they deter the big guns for a moment that are trying to splat your crisis suits.

A couple of drones wont really do anything, that'd be more of a point filler option. If you can get a bunch of them they become very nasty. I routinely run 5 piranhas to be a mobile wall for my army, and the 10 gun drones they dump off often do more than the piranhas do lol.

However, consider this. You are already running a buffmander, give him a Drone Controller - now any Gun Drones or Marker Drones in his unit are BS5. Even a couple of drones become a major threat with BS5 with or without buffmander perks. He cant shoot anyway, so not like hes hurting on slots for the drone controller.

If you take a squad of marker drones you can fulfill the auxilary requirement for the Hunter Contingent. Giving them a commander with Drone Controller will give you 4+ BS 5 marker lights that can Jetpack around.

alright, here is an updated (and more thorough) version of my army. All units have only basic unit equipment unless otherwise specified. Coming in at 999 points, I have room to grow when I start wanting to add things. Given this list, and for the time being assuming that you couldn't drop anything, what would you add if you were going up to 1,500points? I'm assuming Riptides or Ghostkeels.

Hunter Contingent 999pts

Hunter Cadre
Commander
-Command and Control Node
-Nuero Web System Jammer
-Multispectrum sensor Suite

10 Man Breacher Team
-Devilfish DT w/Smart Missile system

2 x 10 man Strike Team

3 Man Crisis Suit
-3 Cyclic Ion Blasters
-3 Burst Cannons

2 Man Broadside unit

5 Man Pathfinder Team

Command Option
Commander
-Drone Controller

Drone Network
7 man Markerlight Drone unit

1. I would equip your Devilfish only with Attack Drones. So you get the coordinated Fire Bonus when you use The Breachers , the disembarced Drones and your Breachers. +1 BS is good and i think better than the SMS.

Then is this just your plan or are the models already fixed with glue? if they are not yet glued then learn how to magnetize your suits! you get more possibilities from game to game.

Then your could take a look at the Drone--Network Formation in Mont'ka. outside the Huntre Cadre it gives you fantastic Markers. ... If you do that i would drop your Pathfinders and take a closer look to a Piranha. It can be a fast and reliable Tank hunter / Mission marker grabber.

Regarding your Comander. If you alread go this way then you also could use the Puretide Chip and think about giving him a Iridium armour.

Right now, all I have is the codex and about 2 years experience playing Dark Angels. Nothing is set in stone. I plan to start buying models very soon. What I'm trying to achieve is a core army to start with that I can then build onto as my games get bigger. What I'm trying to avoid is buying models and units that I wont use after I get into playing because they don't preform well. Ghost, I'll definitely take a look into your suggestions.

Well then you make no mistake with a Comande, 3-6 Crisis, 2 Striker Troops, Riptide/Ghost Keel as long as you magnetize the Suits you have al the possibilitiesu need. Drones are in almost every box you can buy.

Personally i avoid SMS on devilfish. Couple of reasons:

1) It costs points for them and is only marginally stronger than 2 gun drones. Same number of shots, still twinlinked, same strength/ap, but they can Pin at the cost of 1BS.
2) Devilfish are not fast vehicles, and Drones are not a weapon. If the Devilfish moves 6" with an SMS, either the SMS or its Burst Cannon will fire snaps. If he has Gun Drones, then both weapons fire at full BS (though the drones are BS2).

Ignores Cover and Indirect Firing really doesnt mean much on AP5 weapons, and even less when other weapons from the same model dont have those bonuses. I never got why people cry so much about the SMS being op because of indirect fire...it literally never does anything special.

You have to take Crisis Bodyguards to take another Commander in the Hunter Contingent.

Side note, drones are cheaper when purchased as wargear. Drop two drones from the Drone unit and buy two drones for your drone Commander, it saves you 4 points.

DirtyDeeds wrote:
You have to take Crisis Bodyguards to take another Commander in the Hunter Contingent.

Side note, drones are cheaper when purchased as wargear. Drop two drones from the Drone unit and buy two drones for your drone Commander, it saves you 4 points.

Why would I need more suits to take another commander? Hunter contingent allows for a command choice for each core formation and the hunter cadre gets a commander. Looks legit to me.

Crazy Jay wrote:

DirtyDeeds wrote:
You have to take Crisis Bodyguards to take another Commander in the Hunter Contingent.

Side note, drones are cheaper when purchased as wargear. Drop two drones from the Drone unit and buy two drones for your drone Commander, it saves you 4 points.

Why would I need more suits to take another commander? Hunter contingent allows for a command choice for each core formation and the hunter cadre gets a commander. Looks legit to me.

.... The command choice INCLUDES 1-2 crisis bodyguard units

The only way to dodge the bodyguard requirement of the Command is to use the Retaliation Cadre, or just bring another Hunter Cadre.

You actually dont have to take a Command at all, it says "0-1 Command per Core" which means unless you want Shadowsun you dont have to take one at all. But each Core requires 1-10 Aux selections, so except for a Retaliation Cadre thats a hefty tax just for another commander.
Command is also the only way to get an Ethereal in the Hunter Cont. but tbh not really a boon. Even if you are doing a heavy firewarrior list, you're better off just taking a minimal cad since his perks are not formation/detachment limited.

So I had just misread the command formation. I thought it was like the Dark Angel one where I can just pick a single HQ from the list and I was good to go.

I'm trying to keep the list at 1000pts. If I drop the buffmander, then I could use the points for either another broadside, or more crisis suits. I guess I don't need the buffmander if I end up using marker lights and such. Thanks again for all the advice and help (feel free to let it keep rolling in).