1850 Mobile Tau

The point of this list is it works well on Mech heavy lists and MEQ lists. Any advice would be grateful and I will consider and way the options of each. The reason my command unit is built up so much is that I have a horrible time keeping him alive and in quite a few tournaments the HQ being lost gives up a lot of points. Thank you

1850 Pts - Tau Empire Roster

HQ: Commander Shas'o (7#, 336 pts)
1 Commander Shas'o (HWDC; HWMT; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Positional Relay)
1 Crisis Bodyguard (Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Target Lock)
1 Crisis Bodyguard (HWMT; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Drone Controller)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (3#, 196 pts)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader; Bonding Knife; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (3#, 196 pts)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader; Bonding Knife; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (11#, 190 pts)
7 Fire Warrior (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x7)
1 Devilfish (Burst Cannon; Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Flechette Discharger; Landing Gear)
2 Gun Drones (Twin Linked Pulse Carbines)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)

Troops: Fire Warrior (8#, 95 pts)
7 Fire Warrior (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x7)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)

Troops: Fire Warrior (8#, 95 pts)
7 Fire Warrior @ 95 pts (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x7)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)

Troops: Fire Warrior (8#, 95 pts)
7 Fire Warrior (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x7)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (9#, 167 pts)
6 Pathfinder (Markerlight x6; Pulse Carbine x6)
1 Devilfish (Burst Cannon; Marker Beacon; Disruption Pod; Flechette Discharger; Landing Gear)
2 Gun Drones (Twin Linked Pulse Carbines)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (8#, 170 pts)
4 Pathfinder (Add Shas'ui; Markerlight x4; Pulse Carbine x4)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Markerlight; Pulse Carbine)
1 Devilfish (Burst Cannon; Marker Beacon; Disruption Pod; Flechette Discharger; Landing Gear)
2 Gun Drones (Twin Linked Pulse Carbines)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 155 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Targeting Array; Disruption Pod; Landing Gear)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 155 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Targeting Array; Disruption Pod; Landing Gear)

How will the list work against orks? Hordes specifically?

Well it depends on the horde list. I have enough guns to take down and I can put out a good high rate of fire but as with any Tau list a horde army is going to be rough.

You'll be able to deal with horde lists alot easier if you drop a pathfinder squad and include more Fire Warriors. Fire Warriors are alot better than most people think because they can take down most anything on the battlefield with there Str 5 Ap 5 30" range

Yea but they will miss more often as well plus the pathfinders offer a lot more versatility and gives a boost to all of my units. To many people under estimate the pathfinders.

Make those XV8s 3x2 instead of 2x3 ..smaller footprint and you can spread your fire.

I'd rather hane two HQ XV8s than that expensive bodyguard.

Why no Kroot? Outflank is brilliant and you need cheap speedbumps.

Whatever the list JT you are gonna have to cover your units every turn and not be afraid to sacrifice. Use your skimmers to block cc squads and be ready with fire support as sweep advance stalls out (yea 5th ed) Tau are tough these days and require perfect deployment and use of terrain.

Good Luck

Cool ideas mark I will look into splitting up into two hq units and I never thought of breaking down the xv8s like that. I have come to the conclusion that for the greater good some units must die so that the rest can survive.

I don't have a lot of kroots and never really thought about using them for outflanking. I will tweak the list a bit.

A transport or two dotted through the FW squads wouldn't be a bad idea too. Blocking unit lanes with those puppies can save your bacon big time.

Right now it looks a like it will play out as follows. Enemy lines up runs EVERYTHING at you. Takes a ton of casualties, gets stuck in in a few spots... and then proceeds to stomp around your lines.

It's funny, when I come back to 40k i see Tau as my fave choice to jump back in.

How about this?

1850 Pts - Tau Empire Roster

HQ: Commander Shas'o (3#, 157 pts)
1 Commander Shas'o (HWDC; HWMT; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Positional Relay)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)

HQ: Commander Shas'el (3#, 120 pts)
1 Commander Shas'el @ 120 pts (Airbursting Fragmentation Projector; Cyclic Ion Blaster; HWDC; MT)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)
1 Shield Drone (Shield Generator)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (2#, 134 pts)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader; Crisis Battlesuit; Bonding Knife; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (2#, 134 pts)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader; Crisis Battlesuit; Bonding Knife; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (2#, 134 pts)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader; Crisis Battlesuit; Bonding Knife; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (12#, 200 pts)
8 Fire Warrior (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x8)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)
1 Devilfish (Burst Cannon; Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Flechette Discharger; Landing Gear)
2 Gun Drones (Twin Linked Pulse Carbines)

Troops: Fire Warrior (9#, 105 pts)
8 Fire Warrior (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x8)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)

Troops: Fire Warrior (9#, 105 pts)
8 Fire Warrior (Add Shas'ui; Pulse Rifle x8)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Pulse Rifle)

Troops: Kroot Carnivore Squad (16#, 112 pts)
16 Kroot Carnivore Squad (Kroot Rifle x16)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (9#, 167 pts)
6 Pathfinder (Markerlight x6; Pulse Carbine x6)
1 Devilfish (Burst Cannon; Gun Drones; Marker Beacon; Disruption Pod; Flechette Discharger; Landing Gear)
2 Gun Drones (Twin Linked Pulse Carbines)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (8#, 170 pts)
4 Pathfinder (Add Shas'ui; Markerlight x4; Pulse Carbine x4)
1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife; Markerlight; Pulse Carbine)
1 Devilfish (Burst Cannon; Gun Drones; Marker Beacon; Disruption Pod; Flechette Discharger; Landing Gear)
2 Gun Drones (Twin Linked Pulse Carbines)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 155 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Targeting Array; Disruption Pod; Landing Gear)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 155 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Targeting Array; Disruption Pod; Landing Gear)

The thing that worries me is Marker lights taking my battlewagon cover saves away or my warbikers cover saves away...

The rest not so much worried about cause your not going to want to be to close to your edge for ol Snikrot!!!

Otehr wise sounds like testing time!!!
and make a 2500 point list for ard boyz!!!

I like hammerheads as much as the next guy but if you want to run with the big dogs in tournys your best bet is broadsides, two reasons.

They are infantry and get cover, every army has units dedicated to trashing AV14. Two hammerheads will be huge targets and I doupt they will last 2 turns.

Second, they have multiple railguns which really put the scare on. The key is saturation. One railgun is garbage, I dont even bat an eye when a railgun fires at a russ, due to BS and penetration, but multiples makes me nervous. Two HH can fire at a russ half of the game and not do anything.

Just some things to keep in mind, id invest in lighter armor as most competive lists invest in big units to kill raiders and such, so with more targets you neutralise that.

Hope that helps, this is of course from someone who plays mech guard and has been in alot of tournies including judging ard boyz rd 1 and 2 last year, only saw one tau list rd 1 and saw a couple rd 2 (which was bigger) none placed, its definitely a tough time for tau.

Well the first part you over looked about me having HH is the pathfinders. If I only need a 2+ to hit then I am not to worried about it. The other problem is all my tanks have a 4+ cover over 12" away and I can move a lot more plus with a horde army I can lay down large blast templates. The HH is a lot more versatile and fits in with this mobile list better then the Broadsides. The broadsides are a good unit and definitely worth taking but unfortunately they aren't mobile and get caught real quick in tournament settings trust me.

Thank you for your input though it was much appreciated and I did take the time to think about using the broadsides but just with my current make up on my army list I do not for see them being a benefit.

JTPitt wrote:

Well the first part you over looked about me having HH is the pathfinders. If I only need a 2+ to hit then I am not to worried about it. The other problem is all my tanks have a 4+ cover over 12" away and I can move a lot more plus with a horde army I can lay down large blast templates. The HH is a lot more versatile and fits in with this mobile list better then the Broadsides. The broadsides are a good unit and definitely worth taking but unfortunately they aren't mobile and get caught real quick in tournament settings trust me.

Thank you for your input though it was much appreciated and I did take the time to think about using the broadsides but just with my current make up on my army list I do not for see them being a benefit.

Glad I could assist. Though I don't put much stock in disruption pods these days. Even with hitting on a 2+ (when the tank is close enough to actually get marker lighted) one hammerhead still needs a 4+ to do anything. I personally hate those odds. But I understand your choice. I do disagree that broadsides are not mobile, given their range and ability to be slow and purposeful they can easily be deployed deep into your lines away from everything except lascannons, where that cover really helps. I have faced both combinations before as those are the only heavy supports anyone seems to run. I get much more annoyed at broadsides, whose soul purpose is to kill tanks and hide very easily. HH do have a leg up with the anti personnel round, which I find redundant given the fact that the pulse rifle is so good for infantry, and their mobility which I believe is marginal since its not a fast vehicle, it only fires as if its one.

Cheers.

archite666 wrote:

I do disagree that broadsides are not mobile, given their range and ability to be slow and purposeful they can easily be deployed deep into your lines away from everything except lascannons, where that cover really helps. I have faced both combinations before as those are the only heavy supports anyone seems to run. I get much more annoyed at broadsides, whose soul purpose is to kill tanks and hide very easily.

While broadsides can use the slow purposeful upgrade you only have a possibility to move up to 6 inches a turn and find that its not as helpful as being able to move up to 12" and still shoot my Railgun.

archite666 wrote:

HH do have a leg up with the anti personnel round, which I find redundant given the fact that the pulse rifle is so good for infantry, and their mobility which I believe is marginal since its not a fast vehicle, it only fires as if its one.

While the Pulse Rifle is good at anti infantry it is still only str 5 and ap 5 which leaves plenty of things the ability to survive it. The railguns str 6 and ap 4 on the blast prevents tyranids from getting saves. It also allows the extra damage against horde armies that the broadsides can't bring. Trust me the moving up to 12" and getting the save from Disruption Pods has helped out tremendously.

JTPitt wrote:

archite666 wrote:

I do disagree that broadsides are not mobile, given their range and ability to be slow and purposeful they can easily be deployed deep into your lines away from everything except lascannons, where that cover really helps. I have faced both combinations before as those are the only heavy supports anyone seems to run. I get much more annoyed at broadsides, whose soul purpose is to kill tanks and hide very easily.

While broadsides can use the slow purposeful upgrade you only have a possibility to move up to 6 inches a turn and find that its not as helpful as being able to move up to 12" and still shoot my Railgun.

archite666 wrote:

HH do have a leg up with the anti personnel round, which I find redundant given the fact that the pulse rifle is so good for infantry, and their mobility which I believe is marginal since its not a fast vehicle, it only fires as if its one.

While the Pulse Rifle is good at anti infantry it is still only str 5 and ap 5 which leaves plenty of things the ability to survive it. The railguns str 6 and ap 4 on the blast prevents tyranids from getting saves. It also allows the extra damage against horde armies that the broadsides can't bring. Trust me the moving up to 12" and getting the save from Disruption Pods has helped out tremendously.

Ap 5 over 4 is also marginal in an edition knee deep in 4+ cover. Ap is actually very over rated in this edition period. You are correct on the mobility accessment of the HH. I'm just playing devil's advocate. It goes without saying that both choices have their own evasion abilities. I simply find the HH a jack of all trades, master of none. Naturally your play style and remainder of the list influences what you need heavily. I just find that fire warriors pack a huge punch to MEQs and horde alike and I find no need for the extra template. There is also no arguing the HEAVY existence of tanks in the tournament scene, especially av14. I believe broadsides bring the perfect amount of tread fething to the table. After all, any tournament player will tell you that you don't win games by betting on 25% odds, you win games by saturation or "overkill"

Please subtract any hint of patronizing from this post and add a big spoonful of friendly opinion. Cheers.

No Piranhas? What are you going to do to stop the fast rush toward your lines. I would try to squeeze in a unit of two broadsides with shield drones. The second HQ doesn't do anything for you (CIB is garbage) and you don't need bonding knives on 2 man suit squads. (the only way to be less than 50% is to be dead.)

Actually if one guy gets killed in the squad the squad is at 50%. Piranhas are garbage and don't really work well with this list. They are too much of a point sink.

JTPitt wrote:

Actually if one guy gets killed in the squad the squad is at 50%. Piranhas are garbage and don't really work well with this list. They are too much of a point sink.

Agreed

JTPitt wrote:

Actually if one guy gets killed in the squad the squad is at 50%. Piranhas are garbage and don't really work well with this list. They are too much of a point sink.

I'm not sure if you're saying the lone suit could regroup or not, but if so read page 46 of the Black Reach rule book.

Actually Piranhas are just what you need. I take a squadron of 3-4 loaded with: Fusion Blasters, Target arrays, Flachette Dischargers and Disruption Pods. First turn they move flat out, in a line perpendicular to the enemy's formation. Battlewagons, Land raiders, clustered transports or other high value targets. Just put them as close as you can get. Now your opponent has to make a decision. Do they go after the the annoying small skimmers that are going to go for rear armor shots with melta guns next turn or my Hammerheads, Pathfinders, and Broadsides? Shoot them? i have a cover save and you have wasted that turn shooting Piranhas. Assault them? You might not live through the Flachettes and need 6s to hit. I would prefer it. Either way, my Deathrains, Railheads, Broadsides, and Fireknives or my Piranhas are going to rip you.

BrianL wrote:

JTPitt wrote:

Actually if one guy gets killed in the squad the squad is at 50%. Piranhas are garbage and don't really work well with this list. They are too much of a point sink.

I'm not sure if you're saying the lone suit could regroup or not, but if so read page 46 of the Black Reach rule book.

Actually Piranhas are just what you need. I take a squadron of 3-4 loaded with: Fusion Blasters, Target arrays, Flachette Dischargers and Disruption Pods. First turn they move flat out, in a line perpendicular to the enemy's formation. Battlewagons, Land raiders, clustered transports or other high value targets. Just put them as close as you can get. Now your opponent has to make a decision. Do they go after the the annoying small skimmers that are going to go for rear armor shots with melta guns next turn or my Hammerheads, Pathfinders, and Broadsides? Shoot them? i have a cover save and you have wasted that turn shooting Piranhas. Assault them? You might not live through the Flachettes and need 6s to hit. I would prefer it. Either way, my Deathrains, Railheads, Broadsides, and Fireknives or my Piranhas are going to rip you.

Agreed. As a former Tau Player, people get frustrated at a group of 5 of these coming at you. Toss in your gun drones and releasing them into the folds of your enemy even worse. Then if you really want to be an @$$, give them a missle too. Lot's of destruction....and gets your troops to their objectives with suit back-up.

CJ wrote:

Agreed. As a former Tau Player, people get frustrated at a group of 5 of these coming at you. Toss in your gun drones and releasing them into the folds of your enemy even worse. Then if you really want to be an @$$, give them a missle too. Lot's of destruction....and gets your troops to their objectives with suit back-up.

I can't tell you how many games I've won with a late game flat out move to contest an objective or two. It's even better when drones are still attached. That's two units now contesting your objective and you can't shoot one of them.

So here is the updated list and I see where the piranhas can come in handy for a late game steal. I will be play testing it more to see how it feels and how it works. Thanks for all the advice. This is a 61 model count including all the tanks, vehicles and drones.

1844 Pts - Tau Empire Roster

HQ

1 Commander Shas'o @ 222 pts AFP; BK; HWMT; MP; DC
1 Crisis Bodyguard - CIB; PR; MT
2 Shield Drones


Elites

1 Crisis Battlesuit @ 134 pts - Team Lead; BK; MP; PR; MT
1 Crisis Battlesuit - MP; PR; MT

1 Crisis Battlesuit @ 134 pts - Team Lead; BK; MP; PR; MT
1 Crisis Battlesuit - MP; PR; MT


Troops

8 Fire Warrior @ 105 pts - PR x8
1 Shas'ui - BK, PR
1 Devilfish - BC; DP; FD; 2 Gun Drones

8 Fire Warrior @ 105 pts - PR x8
1 Shas'ui - BK, PR
1 Devilfish - BC; DP; FD; 2 Gun Drones

8 Fire Warrior @ 105 pts - PR x8
1 Shas'ui - BK, PR


Fast Attack

7 Pathfinder @ 179 pts - Markerlight x7; Pulse Carbine x7
1 Devilfish - BC; MB; DP; FD

2 Piranha Light Skimmer @ 170 pts - FB x 2; FD x2; Seeker Missile x2; 2 Gun Drones

2 Piranha Light Skimmer @ 170 pts - FB x 2; FD x2; Seeker Missile x2; 2 Gun Drones


Heavy

Hammerhead Gunship 165 pts - Railgun; Two BC; TA; DP; MT

Hammerhead Gunship 165 pts - Railgun; Two BC; TA; DP; MT

I'll give you a game @ECG if your available daytime..

I'm available any day this week.