Here are a few things I've learned from my games last weekend. Then I'm going to try throwing around some ideas for how to improve my tau list.
1. Things that can't move, suck! Man, I love my broadsides but wow did no moving blow. Just a couple inches here or there to get LOS oon a target, or get out of threat range, or be a screen without sacrificing fire power. That would have made a world of difference in a lot of my games.
2. I have no freaking clue how to use prianahs properly lol. I used them correctly against Eric in round 4, and that's all. Either I sacrificed them prematurely, and didn't get enough use out of them, or I presented them as a viable target and they died. Either way, for me to use this unit I have to learn what to do with it!
3. Kroot win games, but too many kroot isn't a good thing. After my first few test games with tau (before BFS) I found kroot to be ridiculous for 7 points each, to the point where I actually wanted 80-100 in my list. I hated being limited to the 30 that my friend Rich owned but them's the breaks. That was foolish, while kroot are great, taking more than 10 in a unit is an iffy prospect, and taking more than 12 is just not worth it.
Bonus points if you can tell me why taking 12 has better advantges to taking 10 (other that just getting 2 more kroot on the table lol)
4. We all know the difference between BS 3 and BS 4 is enormous, but the same holds true to the difference between BS 3 twin linked and BS 4 Twin linked. When I played against Rich's tau and he was paying so many points to upgrade his suits to BS 4, I thought it was foolish considering they were already twin linked, man was I wrong.
5. The Tau player must learn when to castle and when not to castle. It's funny, with most of my armies I've pretty much mastered when to throw up screens, spread out, castle etc. with ease. Not at all with tau, which is a shame considering it's the basis of their army tactics.
6. 2 Devilfish, 1 Hammerhead (or any combo of them) + 3 piranahs can cover an entire short table side when spaced properly. Very handy against those khan and al rahem players.
7. Plasma, while stupidly useful, is just too over priced.
8. Marker lights are hot! The guys who get them (pathfinders and drones) not so much... going into the tournament I figured I would need to cut a piranah for a unit of path finders. Coming out of the tournament I don't know how I feel about relying on up to 8 T3 4+ sv stationary infantry in cover.
9. Flamers for the win. Seriously flamers would have made a world of difference in so many games.
With all that in mind, here is what I've come up with.
HQ
Shas'el- twin linked missile pod, flamer, gun drone 82
Body Guard- twin linked missile pod, flamer, HW target array 77
Shas'el- twin linked missile pod, flamer, gun drone 82
Body Guard- twin linked missile pod, flamer, HW target array 77
Elites
2 Battlesuits 125
Suit A- twin linked missile pod, target lock
Suit B- Team leader, twin linked missile pod, flamer, HW target lock, 1 gun drone
2 Battlesuits 125
Suit A- twin linked missile pod, target lock
Suit B- Team leader, twin linked missile pod, flamer, HW target lock, 1 gun drone
2 Battlesuits 125
Suit A- twin linked missile pod, target lock
Suit B- Team leader, twin linked missile pod, flamer, HW target lock, 1 gun drone
Troops
6 Fire Warriors 60
Devilfish- distruption pod 85
6 Fire Warriors 60
Devilfish- distruption pod 85
10 Kroot 70
10 Kroot 70
10 Kroot 70
10 Kroot 70
Fast
Piranah- fusion blaster, distruption pod, target array 75
Piranah- fusion blaster, distruption pod, target array 75
Piranah- fusion blaster, distruption pod, target array 75
Heavy
2 Broadsides 180
Broaadside A- Advanced Stabilization system
Broadside B- Team leader, Advanced Stabilization system, 1 gun drone
2 Broadsides 180
Broaadside A- Advanced Stabilization system
Broadside B- Team leader, Advanced Stabilization system, 1 gun drone
Hammerhead- rail gun, burst cannons, distruption pod, target array, multi tracker 170
Thoughts?
I was about to say it is similar to the list I was trying, but granted it is tau so most lists will look alike.
ReplyDeleteI am the other way though, I can use piranhas fine, it is kroot I have yet to master.
First, I'm putting my theory forward to claim bonus cookies. 12 kroot are better than 10 because an opponent needs to kill 4 models to force a 25% shooting casualty Morale check (whatever it's called) vs the 3 models from a 10 kroot squad.
ReplyDeleteFor some other Tau thoughts, I will point you to the wisdom of my friend John (steelforge) who posted the following on the FLGS forum:
http://www.battlegroundgames.com/forum/index.php?topic=3723.msg31587#msg31587
I like the direction you are going with this. The one thing I would caution you about is losing the second gun drone in many of the units. Many armies are able to put multiple S8+ hits on the suits, risking the suits going down rather quickly to failed saves. For the extra points, reducing the chance of a suit getting IDed is worth it.
ReplyDeleteIt was an honored to get spanked by Tau :p
If it was just morale checks, it'd be better to take 11, as you still have to kill 4 to force a 25% check.
ReplyDeleteIt probably also has something to do with the fact that when 12 spread out they can cover 36 inches of board edge, iirc, which is an entire short table edge (providing you can block the 12 in your deployment zone otherwise).
(And for the record, I'd still rather see another broadside unit over that silly hammerhead)
Great points there and you're already a master of Tau as I can see.
ReplyDeletePiranhas can be tricky, they are a sacrificial unit in most games as they block ground vehicles. Against skimmers, they generally go aorund dog-fighting in my games, but are still useful and important as move blockers. They're two free gun drones are worth their weight in gold too.
That list is pretty much as finely tuned and powerful as you can get, but I personally don't like hammerheads anymore. I'd rather get two more BASS.
This is a little different could have some potential. Probably a little rough around the edges.
ReplyDelete3x 2 Broadsides with ASS, Leader has TL, Knife and 2 Gun Drones
3x 3 Crisis Suits flamer, missile pod, BS 4
2x 20 Kroot 12 Hounds
2x 6 Firewarriors Fish with D Pod
2 Piranhas in a squadron with Arrays and D Pods
Shas'el Airburst, Missile Pod, Array
Squadrons are KP denial, still have plenty of bodies to force the issue, don't need to split fire with crisis suits with 6 Broadsides blowing up tanks. Shame the BS doesn't help the Crisis flamers.