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Hello Dakka-land! Long time lurker, first time poster.

Recently joined a gaming group which have decided to do a slow grow campaign. Max is 1850pts, you submit your list at the start of the campaign and then 'Unlock' these choices as time goes on or you gain enough points to do so.

Decided to go back to my very first army from when I was a nipper, give me a bit of variety from my heavy close combat space wolves. However, this means I am incredibly rusty when it comes to Tau tactics (hell, I played them when they had to include a unit of fire warriors and target priority was a rule where you need to pass a LD test to not shoot at the closest unit!).

I've come up with a list which I feel happy with for my trial by fire but wanted some more experienced players to rip it to shreds. Idea is this is more of a vanguard army, hence the lack of heavy tanks or riptides/stormsurges. The Broadsides sort of go against this but I'm put off using sniper drones.

Hunter Contingent - 1850pts
Core: Hunter Cadre – 1066pts

[i]HQ - 200
Commander
-Fusion Blaster
-Drone controller
-Shield generator
-Vectored retro-thrusters
-Neuroweb system jammer

Cadre Fireblade

Troops – 422pts
Fire warriors: Breacher team (x10)
-Shas’ui
-Guardian Drone
-Bonding knife
-TY7 Devilfish

Fire warriors: Strike team (x10)
-Bonding knife
-Pulse rifles (x7)
-Pulse carbines (x3)
-DS8 Turret (with smart missiles)

Fire warriors: Strike team (x10)
-Bonding knife
-Pulse rifles (x7)
-Pulse carbines (x3)
-DS8 Turret (with smart missiles)

Elites – 114pts
XV8 Crisis battlesuits (x1)
-Fusion Blaster
-Plasma Rifle
-Vectored retro-thrusters

XV8 Crisis battlesuits (x1)
-Fusion Blaster
-Plasma Rifle
-Vectored retro-thrusters

Fast attack – 190pts
Drones (x5)
-MV 7 Marker Drones (x5)

Pathfinders (x5)
-Bonding knife

Pathfinders (x5)
-Bonding knife

Heavy support – 140pts
XV88 Broadside Battlesuits (x1)
-Twin-linked high yield missile pod
-Early warning override

XV88 Broadside Battlesuits (x1)
-Twin-linked high yield missile pod
-Early warning override

Optimised Stealth Cadre – 391pts
XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit (x1)
-Cyclic ion raker
-Twin-linked fusion blaster
-Early warning override
-Velocity tracker

XV25 Stealth Battlesuits (x3)
-Shas’vre
-Homing beacon
-Fusion Blaster
-Target Lock
-Bonding knife

XV25 Stealth Battlesuits (x3)
-Fusion Blaster
-Target Lock
-Bonding knife

Optimised Stealth Cadre – 391pts
XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit (x1)
-Cyclic ion raker
-Twin-linked fusion blaster
-Early warning override
-Velocity tracker

XV25 Stealth Battlesuits (x3)
-Shas’vre
-Homing beacon
-Fusion Blaster
-Target Lock
-Bonding knife

XV25 Stealth Battlesuits (x3)
-Fusion Blaster
-Target Lock
-Bonding knife

So whats the plan?
Commander teams up with the marker drones (a Mark'O is what the kids are calling this right?)

Fireblade goes into a strike team, with the strike teams and Broadsides sticking close together to benefit from the Run then Shoot if the enemy get too close for comfort. They'll sit on an objective and look tasty for any unwary foe.

Breachers are more a personal choice, love the idea of these guys zooming up the board, vaporizing something, and then dying horrifically. Primarily a speed bump unit, cause alarm for units entering the midfield giving the backfield time to prepare for the rest of army. If I could get Darkstrider into the Cadre I'd have used him, but can't have everything I suppose!

Pathfinders do what pathfinders do best, cower and play with their disco lights.

The stealth cadres either work together in a combined strike force on the midfield or take opposite sides to force the enemy into the middle, where the battlesuits will drop down and take out the enemy armour.

The whole Idea of the list is to isolate and neutralise. Rather than hit the enemy in their deployment zone, let them split their forces for me and then take them out. Once done, push forward with the strike teams to take the midfield while the remaining suits take care of the homeguard. Hordes will be an issue, as will a gunline army I reckon, but can't win them all!

Any thoughts and critiques are much appreciated! Dug out most of my old models but will need repainting and supplemented with some new models, so still very open in terms of additions/subtractions to the list.

Hi, a few things i have noticed are on the crisis suits taking diffrent weapons is a no go since we can just take double of the same ones which is far more efficent also im not sure about taking retro thrusters it dosent make much sence. the lone crisis will die to pretty much anything let alone survive a round of combat to roll a 1 or 2 to get out of combat.

The wargear on the mark'o dosent make much sence i would just roll drone controler, iridium suits, target lock and maybie a couple of missle pods so you are matching the range of your drones that way you can keep back and be effective with the whole unit.

Other than that it seems like you have alot of bloat upgrades which cost a fair bit but wont help the list as much as cutting them and taking more models. Things like bonding knifes on a 3 man stealth team that is totaly useless. and im not sure why you are running mixedd rifle/ carbine units.

Thanks for the speedy response!

 Kendowned wrote:
Crisis suits taking diffrent weapons is a no go since we can just take double of the same ones which is far more efficent also im not sure about taking retro thrusters it dosent make much sence. the lone crisis will die to pretty much anything let alone survive a round of combat to roll a 1 or 2 to get out of combat.

I did um and arh about taking the same weapons or not. Thought it gave some flexibility having two separate weapons but can see the point! Do you recommend twinlinked or just two of the same?
Haha, yeah the retrothrusters were chosen purely because I had some points left over and wasn't sure where to stick them. If I somehow survived combat thought it gave me a slim chance to make it out alive. But might as well drop them.

 Kendowned wrote:
The wargear on the mark'o dosent make much sence i would just roll drone controler, iridium suits, target lock and maybie a couple of missle pods so you are matching the range of your drones that way you can keep back and be effective with the whole unit.

Hmmm...yeah...so no excuse for my randomness here!

Basically I liked the idea of the system jammer and wasn't sure if I was able to take multiple signature systems on one model. This led to the shield generator being chosen. The retro-thrusters were chosen in case the marker drones got caught up in melee, better a slight chance of running away then none at all. And the fusion...was...errr...chosen Yeah good catch on the missile pods! I was going to have him with no weapons at all but felt he needed something. The fusion blaster was just a deterrent more than anything! I'll take your advice and go down the iridium route.

 Kendowned wrote:
Other than that it seems like you have alot of bloat upgrades which cost a fair bit but wont help the list as much as cutting them and taking more models. Things like bonding knifes on a 3 man stealth team that is totaly useless. and im not sure why you are running mixedd rifle/ carbine units.

I will admit, some upgrades are certainly more useful than others! The bonding knives are related to my fear of coming from an army that cares very little about morale (space wolves). I've become so used to just rallying and carrying on that the thought of the unit forever running away scared me a little. However, you are completely right that the stealth suits as they are currently probably don't need them. The target locks were for the fusions so I don't have to fire the unit just at a vehicle. The mixed rifle and carbines is related to the pinning rule on the carbines. The rifles give me the range to start pummeling units, but the carbines give me the chance to ground a unit as it gets closer, giving me another turn to blast them/focus on other threats before they hit...well...if they are going to hit. I assume this is not the norm? Used to do it when I started just as it seemed to make sense but if it is a worthless tactic might as well stick with the rifles.

You mention bringing up model count. Where do I seem to be lacking? Where would you shift points to? With the changes you suggest I free up a few points but wondering what you would suggest to free up more?

 Returnoftheclown wrote:
I did um and arh about taking the same weapons or not. Thought it gave some flexibility having two separate weapons but can see the point! Do you recommend twinlinked or just two of the same?

Two of the same best bang for your buck! especially when you are buffing BS with markerlights.

 Returnoftheclown wrote:
Basically I liked the idea of the system jammer and wasn't sure if I was able to take multiple signature systems on one model. This led to the shield generator being chosen. The retro-thrusters were chosen in case the marker drones got caught up in melee, better a slight chance of running away then none at all. And the fusion...was...errr...chosen Yeah good catch on the missile pods! I was going to have him with no weapons at all but felt he needed something. The fusion blaster was just a deterrent more than anything! I'll take your advice and go down the iridium route.

The retro thrusters there are more usefull than in the lone crisis squads as it can use the I4 of the drones, but if they are in combat they are not going to last long but if you have points spare its not the worst option.

 Returnoftheclown wrote:
I will admit, some upgrades are certainly more useful than others! The bonding knives are related to my fear of coming from an army that cares very little about morale (space wolves). I've become so used to just rallying and carrying on that the thought of the unit forever running away scared me a little. However, you are completely right that the stealth suits as they are currently probably don't need them. The target locks were for the fusions so I don't have to fire the unit just at a vehicle. The mixed rifle and carbines is related to the pinning rule on the carbines. The rifles give me the range to start pummeling units, but the carbines give me the chance to ground a unit as it gets closer, giving me another turn to blast them/focus on other threats before they hit...well...if they are going to hit. I assume this is not the norm? Used to do it when I started just as it seemed to make sense but if it is a worthless tactic might as well stick with the rifles.

To be honest the only time i would take bonding knifes is if i was taking a farsight list where it is mandatory. A mix of carbines and rifles is not the norm pinning is so unlikey to do any work these days its not worth the loss in range for Especialy in the unit with the fireblade where you can happly blast 2 shots each at 30" or 3 shots if they are silly enough to be within 15".

 Returnoftheclown wrote:
You mention bringing up model count. Where do I seem to be lacking? Where would you shift points to? With the changes you suggest I free up a few points but wondering what you would suggest to free up more?

Moar of the good stuff! I could tell you to go shopping and buy 3 riptides and a stormsurge but i doubt thats very helpfull, To be honest the base of you list seems fairly strong maybe fit a few more crisis in. or take out the pathfinders and replace them with a Drone net formation, though it requires you to have 12 + marker drones. When im not feeling like being abused by the people at the flgs for bring to much filth I love to run the stealth cadre, though i havent tryed 2 out i cant imagine it being bad they can provide support to the advancing breachers.