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So as a bit of a challenge, local league has made the next few season CADs only with no formations. Below is what I've come up with.

Commanders go with Drone squads for marker support. Tetras and Skyray (though I'm considering dumping the skyray and taking a hammerhead for more dakka) also provide secondary marker support. Flamer and fusion blaster suits start in reserves. Both breacher squads load up into the fish and rush forward. All others provide gunline support and move forward as they can. Except for the broadsides, they're staying nice and comfortable in whatever cover they can get supported by some fire warriors.


+++ League List (Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition v2027) (2000pts) +++

++ Combined Arms Detachment (Tau Empire: Codex (2015) v2010) ++

+ HQ +

Commander [2x MV7 Marker Drone]
XV8 Commander Crisis Suit [Drone Controller, 2x Missile Pod, Target Lock]

+ Elites +

XV104 Riptide Battlesuits
Riptide Shas'vre [Advanced Targeting System, Ion Accelerator, Stimulant Injector, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Flamer, Vectored Retro-Thrusters]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod, Vectored Retro-Thrusters]

+ Troops +

Strike Team [9x Fire Warrior with Pulse Rifle]
DS8 Tactical Support Turret [Smart Missile System]

Strike Team [8x Fire Warrior with Pulse Rifle]
DS8 Tactical Support Turret [Smart Missile System]

+ Fast Attack +

Drones [5x MV7 Marker Drone]

Tetra Scout Speeder Team [FW]
Tetra [Sensor Spines]

Tetra Scout Speeder Team [FW]
Tetra [Sensor Spines]

++ Combined Arms Detachment (Tau Empire: Codex (2015) v2010) ++

+ HQ +

Commander
XV8 Commander Crisis Suit [Drone Controller, 2x Missile Pod, Target Lock, XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit]

+ Elites +

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod, Vectored Retro-Thrusters]
Crisis Shas'vre [Command and Control Node, Multi-spectrum Sensor Suite, Puretide Engram Neurochip]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [Fusion Blaster, Twin-linked Fusion Blaster]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [Fusion Blaster, Twin-linked Fusion Blaster]

+ Troops +

Breacher Team [6x Fire Warrior with Pulse Blaster]
TY7 Devilfish [Sensor Spines, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

Breacher Team [6x Fire Warrior with Pulse Blaster]

+ Heavy Support +

TX78 Sky Ray Gunships
TX78 Sky Ray Gunship [Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

XV88 Broadside Battlesuits [3x MV8 Missile Drone]
Broadside [Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]
Broadside [Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]
Broadside Shas'vre [Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

Created with BattleScribe (http://www.battlescribe.net)

Couple notes.

If you need to keep the list fundamentally the same for model reasons, at least consider playing Enclaves. The bonding tax isn't that expensive but would allow you to take your Crisis as troops, which not only gives them obsec but frees slots up for you to take them as solo suits which increases their survivability.

If you're willing to change the list, my competitive CADs are built around Y'Vahras. They're so good; whatever they can't kill, they can blind, but that isn't much. These guys almost always punch above their weight class. They work best in pairs, and are one of the coolest models around. Worth picking up, especially if you can get em second hand.

 The Shrike wrote:
Couple notes.

If you need to keep the list fundamentally the same for model reasons, at least consider playing Enclaves. The bonding tax isn't that expensive but would allow you to take your Crisis as troops, which not only gives them obsec but frees slots up for you to take them as solo suits which increases their survivability.

If you're willing to change the list, my competitive CADs are built around Y'Vahras. They're so good; whatever they can't kill, they can blind, but that isn't much. These guys almost always punch above their weight class. They work best in pairs, and are one of the coolest models around. Worth picking up, especially if you can get em second hand.

Yeah, model reasons are my main limit really. Y'vahras are badass, but I don't really know how to get my hands on one.

The reason I have some of them so bunched up is I worry about not having enough markerlights if I split them all as individual suits. How would you suggest splitting them up in a FSE list?

You have enough disparate marker sources to cover them. Fusion suits often only need BS buffs anyway, most tanks will be close to them and will lack intervening cover if you're in melta range. I would take as many solo as you can, unless you're going to run an all-plasma squad. Those Inwould take together, they'll need to ignore cover.

Also a random note. Take a marker drone away from the FA slot and give it to the commander, you'll save 2 pts.

Do you think the skyray is worth taking over a hammerhead if I've got enough markerlights, or do you think this is the appropriate balance?

Also, to something you said earlier. You run the Y’vahras in pairs. What is the reason for that as opposed to just running them individually?

Edit: Updated List as Follows.


+++ League List (Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition v2027) (2000pts) +++

++ Combined Arms Detachment (Tau Empire: Codex (2015) v2010) ++

+ Uncategorised +

Farsight Enclaves

+ HQ +

Commander [2x MV7 Marker Drone]
XV8 Commander Crisis Suit [Drone Controller, 2x Missile Pod, Target Lock]

+ Elites +

XV104 Riptide Battlesuits [Bonding Knife Ritual]
Riptide Shas'vre [Early Warning Override, Earth Caste Pilot Array, Ion Accelerator, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

+ Troops +

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits [Bonding Knife Ritual]
Crisis Shas'ui [Advanced Targeting System, 2x Missile Pod]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits [Bonding Knife Ritual]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits [Bonding Knife Ritual]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits [Bonding Knife Ritual]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Flamer]

+ Fast Attack +

Drones [4x MV7 Marker Drone]

Tetra Scout Speeder Team [FW]
Tetra [Blacksun Filter, Sensor Spines]

Tetra Scout Speeder Team [FW]
Tetra [Blacksun Filter, Sensor Spines]

++ Combined Arms Detachment (Tau Empire: Codex (2015) v2010) ++

+ HQ +

Commander [2x MV7 Marker Drone]
XV8 Commander Crisis Suit [Drone Controller, 2x Missile Pod, Target Lock, XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit]

+ Elites +

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod]
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Missile Pod, Vectored Retro-Thrusters]
Crisis Shas'vre [Command and Control Node, Multi-spectrum Sensor Suite, Puretide Engram Neurochip]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Fusion Blaster]

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
Crisis Shas'ui [2x Fusion Blaster]

+ Troops +

Breacher Team [6x Fire Warrior with Pulse Blaster]
TY7 Devilfish [Blacksun Filter, Sensor Spines, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

Breacher Team [6x Fire Warrior with Pulse Blaster]

Strike Team [8x Fire Warrior with Pulse Rifle]
DS8 Tactical Support Turret [Missile Pod]

Strike Team [8x Fire Warrior with Pulse Rifle]

+ Fast Attack +

Drones [4x MV7 Marker Drone]

+ Heavy Support +

TX78 Sky Ray Gunships
TX78 Sky Ray Gunship [Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

XV88 Broadside Battlesuits
Broadside [Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]
Broadside [Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]
Broadside Shas'vre [Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System]

Created with BattleScribe (http://www.battlescribe.net)

I love Skyrays, I say keep em.

One new note I didn't catch before, split up your Tetras so they are four units of one. You have the slots.

Y-tides work best in pairs for two reasons. The first is fragility. With four wounds and operating so close to the enemy, they die quicker unless there is a ton of terrain and you roll well on your jumps (I usually can't afford to give them FnP). The second reason is alpha strike efficacy. If you want to be able to wipe out your opponent's scariest unit, or cripple it, you probably need two Ion Discharge Cannons that are nova'd to cripple a knight crusader (and blind him) or two Phased Plasma Flamers on full rotation to take out enough bikes/warlocks/dogs/librarians etc.

A stormsurge with D missiles works really well too to enhance your alpha strike. But two y-tides , a surge and enough marker support to make the surge work properly and you'd just be running my competitive list lol. The latest iteration of which is below, just so you can see a different way to do it:

Farsight Enclaves CAD

Fireblade

Crisis: 2x Airbursting Fragmentation Projector
Crisis: 2x Missile Pod
Crisis: 2x Missile Pod

Y'Vahra
Y'Vahra
2x Tetra

Stormsurge: Shields, EWO, VT

Farsight Enclaves CAD

Fireblade

Crisis: 2x Airbursting Fragmentation Projector
Crisis: Twin-linked Fusion

2x Tetra
Tetra
Tetra

Canoptek Harvest

6x Wraith, Whip Coils
3x Scarabs
Spyder

Total: 1848

 The Shrike wrote:


One new note I didn't catch before, split up your Tetras so they are four units of one. You have the slots.

Ah, well, I've only got the one piranha, and i'm hoping to borrow a second. So at this point I've only got 1, maybe 2, "tetras. Not 4. Otherwise I totally would.


That's a pretty dope list. How do you like the airbursts? I haven't gotten a chance to try them out yet.

They are like flamers, only useful lol. They murder zombies and the like with ease from a distance that isn't suicidal for the bearer.

Do you DS them?

Usually, unless I'm playing GSC or something.

Right on, thanks for all the help man. I think i'll turn the dual flamers suit into a frag suit. Now to shave off a few more points.

Played a couple more games and have refined the list a bit. Any thoughts? The iridium commander, who is also the warlord, joins the broadsides. Plasma squad either deep strikes or goes hunting for targets depending on who we're fighting.


+++ League List (Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition) [1998pts] +++

++ Combined Arms Detachment (Tau Empire: Codex (2015)) ++

+ HQ +

Commander: 2x MV7 Marker Drone
···· XV8 Commander Crisis Suit: Drone Controller, 2x Missile Pod, Target Lock, Neuro Web System Jammer

+ Troops +

Strike Team: 5x Fire Warrior with Pulse Rifle
···· DS8 Tactical Support Turret: Smart Missile System

Strike Team: 5x Fire Warrior with Pulse Rifle
···· DS8 Tactical Support Turret: Smart Missile System

+ Fast Attack +

Drones: 4x MV7 Marker Drone

+ Heavy Support +

XV88 Broadside Battlesuits: 4x MV8 Missile Drone
···· Broadside: Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System
···· Broadside: Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System
···· Broadside: Early Warning Override, Twin-linked High-Yield Missile Pod, Twin-linked Smart Missile System

++ Combined Arms Detachment (Tau Empire: Codex (2015)) ++

+ Uncategorised +

Farsight Enclaves

+ HQ +

Commander
···· XV8 Commander Crisis Suit: Command and Control Node, Multi-spectrum Sensor Suite, Puretide Engram Neurochip, Stimulant Injector, Talisman of Arthas Moloch, XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit

+ Elites +

XV104 Riptide Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual
···· Riptide Shas'vre: Early Warning Override, Earth Caste Pilot Array, Heavy Burst Cannon, Twin-linked Smart Missile System, Velocity Tracker
···· Riptide Shas'vre: Early Warning Override, Ion Accelerator, Target Lock, Twin-linked Smart Missile System

+ Troops +

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Fusion Blaster, Twin-linked Fusion Blaster

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Fusion Blaster, Twin-linked Fusion Blaster

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual, 2x MV1 Gun Drone
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Counterfire Defence System, 2x Plasma Rifle
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Counterfire Defence System, 2x Plasma Rifle
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Counterfire Defence System, 2x Plasma Rifle
···· Crisis Shas'vre: 2x Plasma Rifle, Vectored Retro-Thrusters

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Missile Pod, Twin-linked Missile Pod

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Missile Pod, Twin-linked Missile Pod

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits: Bonding Knife Ritual
···· Crisis Shas'ui: Missile Pod, Twin-linked Missile Pod

+ Fast Attack +

Tetra Scout Speeder Team [FW]
···· Tetra: Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines

Tetra Scout Speeder Team [FW]
···· Tetra: Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines

+ Heavy Support +

TX78 Sky Ray Gunships
···· TX78 Sky Ray Gunship: Blacksun Filter, Sensor Spines, Twin-linked Smart Missile System

Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

 The Shrike wrote:
Couple notes.

If you need to keep the list fundamentally the same for model reasons, at least consider playing Enclaves. The bonding tax isn't that expensive but would allow you to take your Crisis as troops, which not only gives them obsec but frees slots up for you to take them as solo suits which increases their survivability.

If you're willing to change the list, my competitive CADs are built around Y'Vahras. They're so good; whatever they can't kill, they can blind, but that isn't much. These guys almost always punch above their weight class. They work best in pairs, and are one of the coolest models around. Worth picking up, especially if you can get em second hand.

I would tend to agree with most of these sentiments. Regarding YVarhas though, they are so terribly dangerous that they will be concentrated on. The greatest issue with YVarhas in my experience is their range. If they shoot at an opponent's model and the target lies in the midfield or their backfield, the Yvarha will be in range of basically every gun in the game and likely in EASY charge range. Even the ork's only Instant Death Weapon (tellyport blasta) will be in range. I own 3 Y'Varhas. Love em. But They will only shine if they are well protected.

 doktor_g wrote:

 The Shrike wrote:
Couple notes.

If you need to keep the list fundamentally the same for model reasons, at least consider playing Enclaves. The bonding tax isn't that expensive but would allow you to take your Crisis as troops, which not only gives them obsec but frees slots up for you to take them as solo suits which increases their survivability.

If you're willing to change the list, my competitive CADs are built around Y'Vahras. They're so good; whatever they can't kill, they can blind, but that isn't much. These guys almost always punch above their weight class. They work best in pairs, and are one of the coolest models around. Worth picking up, especially if you can get em second hand.

I would tend to agree with most of these sentiments. Regarding YVarhas though, they are so terribly dangerous that they will be concentrated on. The greatest issue with YVarhas in my experience is their range. If they shoot at an opponent's model and the target lies in the midfield or their backfield, the Yvarha will be in range of basically every gun in the game and likely in EASY charge range. Even the ork's only Instant Death Weapon (tellyport blasta) will be in range. I own 3 Y'Varhas. Love em. But They will only shine if they are well protected.

Some day I will acquire some Y'Vahras, but i'm on that grad school budget for now