Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Martel732 wrote:

I'm saying that AV 13 walkers (only on the front, mind you) actually are kinda crappy against Xenos. But great against other Imperials. Ah the irony. Does that change what you said enough? There's a reason I haven't pulled the trigger on a Warden yet. I don't think it will help that much. Just give fusion suits and fire dragons a target.

Xenos is a big word. I wouldn't use it quite so liberally when describing what you mean here.

Here's a fact: when dealing with Riptide Wings there is one sure fire thing they don't like, right? Attacks on their Leadership and assaults. Since we are talking about Riptide Wings and YOU are bringing up Blood Angels, i am assuming you want to know what to do about Riptide Wings with Blood Angels.

So if that is actually what you want to know, i am actually observing that the AV 13 helps them stand up very well to the Riptide when it tries to end you. Riptide guns come in two varieties and they basically both need 6's to hurt the Dread (unlss they want to do the gets hot thing or Nova Reactor thing in which case you may get free wounds on the beast). Extra Armor will help a lot so you don't get stuck in place on the drop of course. Worst case he' got a 50/50 chance of taking a hull point off IF he doesn't scatter. So its actually NOT the worst suggestion ever for handling some Riptides.

Fear of the Darkness will help you drive off a Riptide potentially. It is certainly no guarantee, but it cannot be discounted either as a tool.

Your Vanguard Veterans can all have Grav pistols if you wished and when they drop from the Storm Raven, this can be pretty darn conclusive if you include a couple Thunderhammers or Powerfists into the mix. You have to stand the StormRaven up for a round and that can be a challenge if the enemy has enough anti-air. An interesting second option here is a Rhino going full out round one, and using the Wings of Sanguinus power on the Vanguard after they move. this gives them 18" movement in round 1, which should set them up for a round 2 charge as good as any the Storm Raven could have delivered. Strategic Warlord Traits could make this easier as well. So you could go one or both ways with it.

The Blood Angels also have Feel No Pain generators as you know and when one is near Mephiston, je can't be instant kill'd by a Riptide Wing. He also is an independent character thatr can be in the Vanguard and leading them to tank the Instant death stuff with FnP. he has access to Biomancy as well which could be useful o nthe approach. Again, this would be if you are eschewing the Storm Raven. If you loaded just him and a Dreadnought in the Storm Raven, he can survive being blown out and proceed to terrorize or join the Vanguard unit later.

And the Storm Raven is plenty man enough to do damage to the Riptide Wing AND they are Concussion weapons so doubly useful against Wraith Knights!

Again, just some thoughts on it. I think I would have as my anti-Riptide Wing core:

4 Furioso's
Mephiston (Sword of Sanguinis for ending those silly Riptides? Yes please!)
2 Librarians (level 2 and more Force Weapons)
Sanguinary Priest
Storm Raven
4 units of troops
5 Drop Pods
1 Rhino
10 Vanguard Veterans (Grav pistols x5, Thunder Hammer, Power Fist)

No idea what those points look like, but those are good tools for killing a Riptide Wing and for that matter, other things also.

If you want guarantees, I'm fresh out. But that's a lot of Force Weapons and high end high armor killing machines. A pretty good amount of Obsec. Good amount of options for deployment, enough antitank to choke a horse in there most likely.

Martel732 wrote:
Interesting. It would be like reliving the old combined codex. As a formation, it stands alone as a detachment, too, I believe. It would take me a while to get this stuff together because we are talking 2 codices plus knight plus 4 ish speeders.

For me I only have to pick up a dark shroud because I had the speeders already. The Warden I already had and like you said - most of the time normally dead turn 2 from some suicide melta squad that costs 1/2 of the knight. 3 speeders with rockets should be able to mess any infantry up - even battle-suits. It contributes to overall firepower whilst protecting you from deepstrike - like it a lot. It's imperial so you don't have to betray the emperor.

but if tau with their unbeatable riptides are so awesome why no tau in top 8 at LVO?

blackmage wrote:
but if tau with their unbeatable riptides are so awesome why no tau in top 8 at LVO?

Because gladius marines can hide in their free boxes and make the Tau waste a ton of shot just demeching them. WK don't care about IA, along with every other MC in the game. So if other lists with OP MCs can take out the HYMP and regular suits, the Riptides will never kill them in time. The Riptides in turn likely won't die, but in this case it won't matter because there are too many suboptimal targets for the Riptides.

but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

blackmage wrote:
but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

Because the ITC scoring was not just killpoints, but also mission points, something Tau struggle with. And the only reason Daemons placed was because it was Belakor with Summoning and Screamer/Pink horror spam. Also, 2 Tau got in the Top 16, they just barely lost out to Eldar. Tau did just as well as SM, the Daemons player just did well with a pretty cheesed out build. Quit trying to act like Tau are so weak.

blackmage wrote:
but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

The Gladius Strike Force is very powerful as Battle Company. It was a mistake, a pretty big one. They can't undo it now. Organizers are just going to have to adopt a detachment limit like i've advocated or they will be inviting what feels like a completely unfair matchup to a lot of people. You cant GIVE someone 500 free points and say its a fair matchup. Just saying.

 Jancoran wrote:

blackmage wrote:
but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

The Gladius Strike Force is very powerful as Battle Company. It was a mistake, a pretty big one. They can't undo it now. Organizers are just going to have to adopt a detachment limit like i've advocated or they will be inviting what feels like a completely unfair matchup to a lot of people. You cant GIVE someone 500 free points and say its a fair matchup. Just saying.

Well, when the opposition has WK and Riptides... maybe you can. Tac marines are only viable when you give them free stuff.

Martel732 wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:

blackmage wrote:
but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

The Gladius Strike Force is very powerful as Battle Company. It was a mistake, a pretty big one. They can't undo it now. Organizers are just going to have to adopt a detachment limit like i've advocated or they will be inviting what feels like a completely unfair matchup to a lot of people. You cant GIVE someone 500 free points and say its a fair matchup. Just saying.

Well, when the opposition has WK and Riptides... maybe you can. Tac marines are only viable when you give them free stuff.

Doesnt change a thing. Wraith Knights are NOT unkillable and with a 0-1 limit (if you play that way) it's not the boogeyman everyone makes it out to be (but it is EXCELLENT). Unfairly priced? Yes! But it's ONE unit that's probably 50-75 points under priced. You cant tell me that an extra 75 points in an Eldar list is why you lost nor that this justifies YOU getting 500 points of anything because you're not always FACING Eldar!

I do not recognize zero sum thinking as an argument for much of anything. Stem the blood flow, don't increase the puddle so large you can't tell where one ends and the other begins.

Its not just wk that's undercosted. Most of the codex is undercosted.

 Jancoran wrote:

Martel732 wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:

blackmage wrote:
but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

The Gladius Strike Force is very powerful as Battle Company. It was a mistake, a pretty big one. They can't undo it now. Organizers are just going to have to adopt a detachment limit like i've advocated or they will be inviting what feels like a completely unfair matchup to a lot of people. You cant GIVE someone 500 free points and say its a fair matchup. Just saying.

Well, when the opposition has WK and Riptides... maybe you can. Tac marines are only viable when you give them free stuff.

Doesnt change a thing. Wraith Knights are NOT unkillable and with a 0-1 limit (if you play that way) it's not the boogeyman everyone makes it out to be (but it is EXCELLENT). Unfairly priced? Yes! But it's ONE unit that's probably 50-75 points under priced. You cant tell me that an extra 75 points in an Eldar list is why you lost nor that this justifies YOU getting 500 points of anything because you're not always FACING Eldar!

I do not recognize zero sum thinking as an argument for much of anything. Stem the blood flow, don't increase the puddle so large you can't tell where one ends and the other begins.

How many people running gladius at the event with 480 free points and only 1 makes the top 8? The guy got lucky - plain and simple. He probably was nearly wiped off the board in ever game he played - he just won because he was able to complete stupid objectives by tying up squads. I regularly beat gladius armies with my ultras just running a cad and skyhammer. I beat them with greyknights and an IK all the time - running basically the same list (expect in many cases better than the list that won LVO) ofc these are casual games and I'm sure the winner was a very good tactician. However - I'm really tired of people calling gladius OP. Razorbacks are crap - the chaplain you are forced to play is crap - you can't fit psykers into the army at 1850 - and to optimize the free points you get you have to take practically no-grav cannons - which basically makes up the free points on it's own. Now If you got 480 points of free grav centuians - I'm pretty sure you'd never lose a game with it.

I would say part of the problem is HOW tau is played rather than the tools they have available. I mean alot of tau players are still stuck in 3rd edition, sitting at the back of the board. The easiest solution is just to take an ally detachment (like warp spiders or eldar cad + wraithknight), but doing stuff like pushing riptides/ storm surges up the board is what Tau should be doing.

 Xenomancers wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:

Martel732 wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:

blackmage wrote:
but i saw tau lost also with eldars and demons... not just gladius marines...
and anyway that mean regardless unbeatable tides gladius beat them so not anymore so unbeatable, gladius marines are very common around

The Gladius Strike Force is very powerful as Battle Company. It was a mistake, a pretty big one. They can't undo it now. Organizers are just going to have to adopt a detachment limit like i've advocated or they will be inviting what feels like a completely unfair matchup to a lot of people. You cant GIVE someone 500 free points and say its a fair matchup. Just saying.

Well, when the opposition has WK and Riptides... maybe you can. Tac marines are only viable when you give them free stuff.

Doesnt change a thing. Wraith Knights are NOT unkillable and with a 0-1 limit (if you play that way) it's not the boogeyman everyone makes it out to be (but it is EXCELLENT). Unfairly priced? Yes! But it's ONE unit that's probably 50-75 points under priced. You cant tell me that an extra 75 points in an Eldar list is why you lost nor that this justifies YOU getting 500 points of anything because you're not always FACING Eldar!

I do not recognize zero sum thinking as an argument for much of anything. Stem the blood flow, don't increase the puddle so large you can't tell where one ends and the other begins.

How many people running gladius at the event with 480 free points and only 1 makes the top 8? The guy got lucky - plain and simple. He probably was nearly wiped off the board in ever game he played - he just won because he was able to complete stupid objectives by tying up squads. I regularly beat gladius armies with my ultras just running a cad and skyhammer. I beat them with greyknights and an IK all the time - running basically the same list (expect in many cases better than the list that won LVO) ofc these are casual games and I'm sure the winner was a very good tactician. However - I'm really tired of people calling gladius OP. Razorbacks are crap - the chaplain you are forced to play is crap - you can't fit psykers into the army at 1850 - and to optimize the free points you get you have to take practically no-grav cannons - which basically makes up the free points on it's own. Now If you got 480 points of free grav centuians - I'm pretty sure you'd never lose a game with it.

Maybe its all true and yet...not a reason to give 500 points to an army. So you can tell me that you're good and I will believe you, but don't tell me its a good reason to get 500 free points. Heres the bottom line: there ARE no good reasons to get 500 free points. None.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 iddy00711 wrote:
I would say part of the problem is HOW tau is played rather than the tools they have available. I mean alot of tau players are still stuck in 3rd edition, sitting at the back of the board. The easiest solution is just to take an ally detachment (like warp spiders or eldar cad + wraithknight), but doing stuff like pushing riptides/ storm surges up the board is what Tau should be doing.

Tau play extremely mobile if you let them. I know mine do and until this new Tidewall Rampart came out, it's got to have been a decade since I thought about gun lining them. So i agree.

I never willingly go to 4chan. It's a very scary place with a LOT of profanity and a LOT of irreverance. Yuck. Too scared to even click that link. Lol.

 iddy00711 wrote:
I would say part of the problem is HOW tau is played rather than the tools they have available. I mean alot of tau players are still stuck in 3rd edition, sitting at the back of the board. The easiest solution is just to take an ally detachment (like warp spiders or eldar cad + wraithknight), but doing stuff like pushing riptides/ storm surges up the board is what Tau should be doing.

Its not just Tau players, lot of people i face are still appalled at the idea that i play midfield tau or *gasp* CHARGE once in awhile.
But i agree, people still play the sit-back-n-shoot game. Really dont get why either, Riptides with IA or the Stormsurge are the only "reliable" long range guns we got, and the Riptide is terrible at high armor kills while the Stormsurge either only gets 1/2 shots of S10 Ord blast or 1shot D missile, assuming enough marks hit to bother. The moment a gunline Tau list faces someone with AV13+ long range guns, which are usually just as deadly if not worse depending on the gun, they lose because they need some damn good luck to kill that vehicle at a distance.
F' that, i'd rather charge forward and deepstrike behind you. More fun and gets rid of that damn tank splatting my suits a lot quicker.

 Vineheart01 wrote:

 iddy00711 wrote:
I would say part of the problem is HOW tau is played rather than the tools they have available. I mean alot of tau players are still stuck in 3rd edition, sitting at the back of the board. The easiest solution is just to take an ally detachment (like warp spiders or eldar cad + wraithknight), but doing stuff like pushing riptides/ storm surges up the board is what Tau should be doing.

Its not just Tau players, lot of people i face are still appalled at the idea that i play midfield tau or *gasp* CHARGE once in awhile.
But i agree, people still play the sit-back-n-shoot game. Really dont get why either, Riptides with IA or the Stormsurge are the only "reliable" long range guns we got, and the Riptide is terrible at high armor kills while the Stormsurge either only gets 1/2 shots of S10 Ord blast or 1shot D missile, assuming enough marks hit to bother. The moment a gunline Tau list faces someone with AV13+ long range guns, which are usually just as deadly if not worse depending on the gun, they lose because they need some damn good luck to kill that vehicle at a distance.
F' that, i'd rather charge forward and deepstrike behind you. More fun and gets rid of that damn tank splatting my suits a lot quicker.

Right. I actually won a ton of tournaments without Crisis teams either. I used Kroot, Pathfinders, Sniper Drones, Devilfish Fire Warriors, 2 Riptides, Markerswarms and a couple Broadsides. Tried some variants but I went years without Crisis teams. I owned like 20 but I just never needed them. So there are a lot of fun ways to play Tau Empire.

It's funny to see someone whose dead set against the mods to new Tau stating its okay to mod another army.

"mod" another army? Did i miss something?

 Jancoran wrote:
And the Storm Raven is plenty man enough to do damage to the Riptide Wing AND they are Concussion weapons so doubly useful against Wraith Knights!

That 3x Stormraven formation seems pretty capable of getting an edge through reserves, with a Damocles Rhino you have a 35/36 chance of entering on T1. Then you can charge targets from deepstrike on T2.

What do you think of this Jancoran?

Archangels Fury Spearhead (BA Formation)
3x Stormravens, 3x Tacs w/Teleport Homer

Baal Strike Force (BA Detachment)
1x Damocles Rhino - (+1 or -1 to Reserves Roll)
1x Librarian - Veritas Vitae, Auspex, JP
1x Command Squad - JP, 3x SS
2x DC w/JP, PF
1x Vanguard Vets w/JP
2x Scouts

The Damocles can deploy out of LOS giving +1/-1 to reserves rolls. Also, a one-use Orbital Strike to discourage castling.
The Librarian generates 2x Strat traits and spots for the Stormravens with the Auspex. Also has a Force Axe and Quickening to chop up big targets.
The Command squad gives the Warlord an escort, with 3x SS and FNP to tank high-AP fire and to help with Perils.
The DC squads can apply single target damage with a PF and volume of attacks.
The Vanguard Vets are there to multi-charge with rerolls, to hold multiple units in CC as needed.
The Scouts can outflank or infiltrate, to act as cutoffs for escaping enemy troops attempting to flee the jump units.
The Tacs have teleport homers to enable assault from DS, and can deploy while zooming to take Objectives quickly.
The Stormravens can launch Concussive missiles at MCs to shape them for assault, or grind down AV targets.

I want to reserve everything except the Damocles. Scouts can infiltrate, outflank, or deploy in the Damocles as needed.
My flyer formation has a 35/36 chance of entering on T1 without interference.
If I go first, I can assault at the beginning of T2.
If I go second, I can assault at the bottom of T2.
I'm unlikely to face flyers on T1, though ground fire might cause problems for the flyers.
My jump troops can charge on T2 from any intersecting point between two Teleport Homers. So the critical part of the game is positioning by T2, when the Jump Troops enter.
The Tacs with Obsec can either concentrate on scoring, countercharge, or screen the Jump Troops as needed.

Is it a little farfetched or does this stand a chance? Riptides aren't great AA, right?

Yoyoyo wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:
And the Storm Raven is plenty man enough to do damage to the Riptide Wing AND they are Concussion weapons so doubly useful against Wraith Knights!

That 3x Stormraven formation seems pretty capable of getting an edge through reserves, with a Damocles Rhino you have a 35/36 chance of entering on T1. Then you can charge targets from deepstrike on T2.

What do you think of this Jancoran?

Archangels Fury Spearhead (BA Formation)
3x Stormravens, 3x Tacs w/Teleport Homer

Baal Strike Force (BA Detachment)
1x Damocles Rhino - (+1 or -1 to Reserves Roll)
1x Librarian - Veritas Vitae, Auspex, JP
1x Command Squad - JP, 3x SS
2x DC w/JP, PF
1x Vanguard Vets w/JP
2x Scouts

The Damocles can deploy out of LOS giving +1/-1 to reserves rolls. Also, a one-use Orbital Strike to discourage castling.
The Librarian generates 2x Strat traits and spots for the Stormravens with the Auspex. Also has a Force Axe and Quickening to chop up big targets.
The Command squad gives the Warlord an escort, with 3x SS and FNP to tank high-AP fire and to help with Perils.
The DC squads can apply single target damage with a PF and volume of attacks.
The Vanguard Vets are there to multi-charge with rerolls, to hold multiple units in CC as needed.
The Scouts can outflank or infiltrate, to act as cutoffs for escaping enemy troops attempting to flee the jump units.
The Tacs have teleport homers to enable assault from DS, and can deploy while zooming to take Objectives quickly.
The Stormravens can launch Concussive missiles at MCs to shape them for assault, or grind down AV targets.

I want to reserve everything except the Damocles. Scouts can infiltrate, outflank, or deploy in the Damocles as needed.
My flyer formation has a 35/36 chance of entering on T1 without interference.
If I go first, I can assault at the beginning of T2.
If I go second, I can assault at the bottom of T2.
I'm unlikely to face flyers on T1, though ground fire might cause problems for the flyers.
My jump troops can charge on T2 from any intersecting point between two Teleport Homers. So the critical part of the game is positioning by T2, when the Jump Troops enter.
The Tacs with Obsec can either concentrate on scoring, countercharge, or screen the Jump Troops as needed.

Is it a little farfetched or does this stand a chance? Riptides aren't great AA, right?

Works great in general but they just melt you with interceptor on the deep strike drops. Deep striking vs tau is basically not an option.

Yoyoyo wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:
And the Storm Raven is plenty man enough to do damage to the Riptide Wing AND they are Concussion weapons so doubly useful against Wraith Knights!

That 3x Stormraven formation seems pretty capable of getting an edge through reserves, with a Damocles Rhino you have a 35/36 chance of entering on T1. Then you can charge targets from deepstrike on T2.

What do you think of this Jancoran?

Archangels Fury Spearhead (BA Formation)
3x Stormravens, 3x Tacs w/Teleport Homer

Baal Strike Force (BA Detachment)
1x Damocles Rhino - (+1 or -1 to Reserves Roll)
1x Librarian - Veritas Vitae, Auspex, JP
1x Command Squad - JP, 3x SS
2x DC w/JP, PF
1x Vanguard Vets w/JP
2x Scouts

The Damocles can deploy out of LOS giving +1/-1 to reserves rolls. Also, a one-use Orbital Strike to discourage castling.
The Librarian generates 2x Strat traits and spots for the Stormravens with the Auspex. Also has a Force Axe and Quickening to chop up big targets.
The Command squad gives the Warlord an escort, with 3x SS and FNP to tank high-AP fire and to help with Perils.
The DC squads can apply single target damage with a PF and volume of attacks.
The Vanguard Vets are there to multi-charge with rerolls, to hold multiple units in CC as needed.
The Scouts can outflank or infiltrate, to act as cutoffs for escaping enemy troops attempting to flee the jump units.
The Tacs have teleport homers to enable assault from DS, and can deploy while zooming to take Objectives quickly.
The Stormravens can launch Concussive missiles at MCs to shape them for assault, or grind down AV targets.

I want to reserve everything except the Damocles. Scouts can infiltrate, outflank, or deploy in the Damocles as needed.
My flyer formation has a 35/36 chance of entering on T1 without interference.
If I go first, I can assault at the beginning of T2.
If I go second, I can assault at the bottom of T2.
I'm unlikely to face flyers on T1, though ground fire might cause problems for the flyers.
My jump troops can charge on T2 from any intersecting point between two Teleport Homers. So the critical part of the game is positioning by T2, when the Jump Troops enter.
The Tacs with Obsec can either concentrate on scoring, countercharge, or screen the Jump Troops as needed.

Is it a little farfetched or does this stand a chance? Riptides aren't great AA, right?

Pray to the Emperor that your deepstrike units not getting blown off the broad before they even fire a shot. The EWO is way too undercosted. Any smart Tau player is going to arm their Ripetides and missile broadsides with it, usually you can expect more than a third of your deepstrikers die at the end of your own movement phase. But anyway, it maybe worth it as you can get close and EWO are not likely be supportted by markerlight, rather than you jump across the board being shot all way long.
Remember one thing, find ruins to deep strike into, better if those terrain can block LoS. Don't worry about dangerous terrain check, it is one in 18 chances to kill your own model, but it doubled your survivability facing that S8 AP2 large blast when your valuable unit come in.
A more general idea to avoid the interceptor fire is to MSU your deepstrikers, or if you run a squad which you really don't want them to die before reaching combat, like DC or some scary CC unit, put a IC with the Angel's Wing with them, that make those interceptor fire become snapshot.

Neophyte2012 wrote:

Yoyoyo wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:
And the Storm Raven is plenty man enough to do damage to the Riptide Wing AND they are Concussion weapons so doubly useful against Wraith Knights!

That 3x Stormraven formation seems pretty capable of getting an edge through reserves, with a Damocles Rhino you have a 35/36 chance of entering on T1. Then you can charge targets from deepstrike on T2.

What do you think of this Jancoran?

Archangels Fury Spearhead (BA Formation)
3x Stormravens, 3x Tacs w/Teleport Homer

Baal Strike Force (BA Detachment)
1x Damocles Rhino - (+1 or -1 to Reserves Roll)
1x Librarian - Veritas Vitae, Auspex, JP
1x Command Squad - JP, 3x SS
2x DC w/JP, PF
1x Vanguard Vets w/JP
2x Scouts

The Damocles can deploy out of LOS giving +1/-1 to reserves rolls. Also, a one-use Orbital Strike to discourage castling.
The Librarian generates 2x Strat traits and spots for the Stormravens with the Auspex. Also has a Force Axe and Quickening to chop up big targets.
The Command squad gives the Warlord an escort, with 3x SS and FNP to tank high-AP fire and to help with Perils.
The DC squads can apply single target damage with a PF and volume of attacks.
The Vanguard Vets are there to multi-charge with rerolls, to hold multiple units in CC as needed.
The Scouts can outflank or infiltrate, to act as cutoffs for escaping enemy troops attempting to flee the jump units.
The Tacs have teleport homers to enable assault from DS, and can deploy while zooming to take Objectives quickly.
The Stormravens can launch Concussive missiles at MCs to shape them for assault, or grind down AV targets.

I want to reserve everything except the Damocles. Scouts can infiltrate, outflank, or deploy in the Damocles as needed.
My flyer formation has a 35/36 chance of entering on T1 without interference.
If I go first, I can assault at the beginning of T2.
If I go second, I can assault at the bottom of T2.
I'm unlikely to face flyers on T1, though ground fire might cause problems for the flyers.
My jump troops can charge on T2 from any intersecting point between two Teleport Homers. So the critical part of the game is positioning by T2, when the Jump Troops enter.
The Tacs with Obsec can either concentrate on scoring, countercharge, or screen the Jump Troops as needed.

Is it a little farfetched or does this stand a chance? Riptides aren't great AA, right?

Pray to the Emperor that your deepstrike units not getting blown off the broad before they even fire a shot. The EWO is way too undercosted. Any smart Tau player is going to arm their Ripetides and missile broadsides with it, usually you can expect more than a third of your deepstrikers die at the end of your own movement phase. But anyway, it maybe worth it as you can get close and EWO are not likely be supportted by markerlight, rather than you jump across the board being shot all way long.
Remember one thing, find ruins to deep strike into, better if those terrain can block LoS. Don't worry about dangerous terrain check, it is one in 18 chances to kill your own model, but it doubled your survivability facing that S8 AP2 large blast when your valuable unit come in.

But then you get minus 2 to your assualt roll.

 Xenomancers wrote:
But then you get minus 2 to your assualt roll.

I can try to pick up MTC (Ruins) and Stealth (Ruins) from the Strat table.

I get two Strat traits with rerolls, so that's a decent chance.

Deep strike can work great against Tau - First you need area saturation. First drop a big juicy unit so they shoot it as much as possible to use up there intercepting units. Drop pods are great - you disembark 1" away from Tau units so they don't drop pie plates. I regularly beat Tau with my drop pod armies.

But drop pods are weak against a lot of other list archetypes.

They don't have to be plus you don't have to run all pods.

 Dozer Blades wrote:
They don't have to be plus you don't have to run all pods.

Pods crumble in general against null deployment/ delayed deployment or anything that can survive the alpha strike really.

Yoyoyo wrote:

 Jancoran wrote:
And the Storm Raven is plenty man enough to do damage to the Riptide Wing AND they are Concussion weapons so doubly useful against Wraith Knights!

That 3x Stormraven formation seems pretty capable of getting an edge through reserves, with a Damocles Rhino you have a 35/36 chance of entering on T1. Then you can charge targets from deepstrike on T2.

What do you think of this Jancoran?

Archangels Fury Spearhead (BA Formation)
3x Stormravens, 3x Tacs w/Teleport Homer

Baal Strike Force (BA Detachment)
1x Damocles Rhino - (+1 or -1 to Reserves Roll)
1x Librarian - Veritas Vitae, Auspex, JP
1x Command Squad - JP, 3x SS
2x DC w/JP, PF
1x Vanguard Vets w/JP
2x Scouts

The Damocles can deploy out of LOS giving +1/-1 to reserves rolls. Also, a one-use Orbital Strike to discourage castling.
The Librarian generates 2x Strat traits and spots for the Stormravens with the Auspex. Also has a Force Axe and Quickening to chop up big targets.
The Command squad gives the Warlord an escort, with 3x SS and FNP to tank high-AP fire and to help with Perils.
The DC squads can apply single target damage with a PF and volume of attacks.
The Vanguard Vets are there to multi-charge with rerolls, to hold multiple units in CC as needed.
The Scouts can outflank or infiltrate, to act as cutoffs for escaping enemy troops attempting to flee the jump units.
The Tacs have teleport homers to enable assault from DS, and can deploy while zooming to take Objectives quickly.
The Stormravens can launch Concussive missiles at MCs to shape them for assault, or grind down AV targets.

I want to reserve everything except the Damocles. Scouts can infiltrate, outflank, or deploy in the Damocles as needed.
My flyer formation has a 35/36 chance of entering on T1 without interference.
If I go first, I can assault at the beginning of T2.
If I go second, I can assault at the bottom of T2.
I'm unlikely to face flyers on T1, though ground fire might cause problems for the flyers.
My jump troops can charge on T2 from any intersecting point between two Teleport Homers. So the critical part of the game is positioning by T2, when the Jump Troops enter.
The Tacs with Obsec can either concentrate on scoring, countercharge, or screen the Jump Troops as needed.

Is it a little farfetched or does this stand a chance? Riptides aren't great AA, right?

Riptides are not great AA. That's true. My Riptides usually take the ability to do it on one just because I want an option in a pinch. But really...not beter off doing it. However they are good at intercepting with a large blast. so this would depend largely on the type of riptide. I always take the Ion Cannon version, though I know some die hards are really big on the other one so again, it depends.

So i think the general approach is fine but the Deep Strike charges may not be wise to attempt against Ion Cannons without Mephiston to tank it or something like him. Making matters worse is that you cant even run into a circle formation before he fires down on you. That was generally why I chose Furiosos and a rhino to hide the charge for a round using Psykers to speed them along. I foresee interceptor as being an incredibly good counter to this and its not remotely rare on Riptides as i am sure you learned.

So the overall list has merit but it might be hampered somewhat in execution. Plus is there a downside to being a LITTLE patient and firing your missiles into the Riptides for a round before getting down and dirty? 12 STR 8 AP 1 missiles? That will definitely leave a dent and SUBSTANTIALY reduce any remaining Riptides from wanting to change the Nova Reactor or Gets hot.

Food for thought. I do like the Rhino though. A lot.

Martel732 wrote:

 Dozer Blades wrote:
They don't have to be plus you don't have to run all pods.

Pods crumble in general against null deployment/ delayed deployment or anything that can survive the alpha strike really.

Pods are great - they just suck when you put space marines in them. My friends ruin me with IG command squads in pods and vets too...uncounterable ignore cover metlas and plasmas able to get a point swing with relative easy vs any space marine unit. Can't put stuff in reserve to avoid them because hell run a a 20 point command unit that lets him get +1 to reserves and -1 to me. guess only solute against that crap is to run gladius and give him no target worth destroying.

 Xenomancers wrote:

Martel732 wrote:

 Dozer Blades wrote:
They don't have to be plus you don't have to run all pods.

Pods crumble in general against null deployment/ delayed deployment or anything that can survive the alpha strike really.

Pods are great - they just suck when you put space marines in them. My friends ruin me with IG command squads in pods and vets too...uncounterable ignore cover metlas and plasmas able to get a point swing with relative easy vs any space marine unit. Can't put stuff in reserve to avoid them because hell run a a 20 point command unit that lets him get +1 to reserves and -1 to me. guess only solute against that crap is to run gladius and give him no target worth destroying.

That unit is rather easy to take off the board.

Honestly, saying anything IG (or is it AM these days?) is uncounterable is rather...sad. its not a strong codex at all.