[Believer]

Hey everyone

So, here's the deal. I spent a week visiting my brother and we spent the majority of our free time playing some 40k. I brought my recently assembled/purchased Tau and my brother fielded his fully-painted, frequently played IG. The first couple days we just played some 500 point games so I could get a feel for the game. I was quite satisfied to draw our first game and win the second. Feeling confident, I decided we should go ahead and move on to 1000 points.

...and then, my brother proceeded to beat me like a red-headed step child

At least a reasonable part of this was due to my inexperience and some horrendous rolling. I had forgotten that my brother's Vendetta full of melta-vets was outflanking(big, BIG, mistake). Also, a single normal shooting phase from a single heavy weapons platoon inflicted 3 glancing hits and 2 penetrating hits on my pathfinder Devilfish, of which I saved a whopping none with my DP rolls(yeah, not a single 4+).

So, that aside, I'm looking for some feedback on how I can improve my list. Below I've posted copies of my list and my brother's. There are some units I fielded that were effective in 500 points but, I found, weren't very useful in 1000. Rather than cluttering this already lengthy post with my findings, though, I'd rather keep silent on my own thoughts and hear what suggestions the community here has to offer. I would love to hear both strategic advice(e.g. - how to minimize Sly Marbo's pie plate of death, how to deal with Vendettas) as well as simple list critiques.

My goal is not to just cheese my list to beat my brother's. I want my list to be designed to handle "all comers." I would, however, like it to stand up strong against this list

Thanks a lot for any help you can give me. If you have any questions about how I played the list or my own preferences, please feel free to ask. As it is, I'm open to any suggestions.

Again, thanks. And here are the lists.

[size=14pt]My List[/size]
HQ 1: XV8 Shas'el (TL Missile pod, Positional Relay, Stimulant inj.)
Total: 93
[size=7pt]I wanted to test the Positional Relay.[/size]
[hr]
Elite 1: 2x XV8 Shas'ui (TL Missile pod, Flamer)
Total: 94
[size=7pt]Light vehicle hunters. Flamers to handle hordes.[/size]
Elite 2: 2x XV8 Shas'ui (TL Flamer, Target lock)
Total: 72
[size=7pt]Surgical Deep Strikers to take out high priority infantry targets[/size]
[hr]
Troop 1:
6x Fire Warrior 'la (Pulse rifle)
Devilfish (Burst Cannon, 2x Gun Drones, Disruption Pod, Multi-tracker)
Total: 155
[size=7pt]Scoring unit. Sit on an objective; deploy FWs only as a last resort. [/size]
Troop 2: 10x Kroot Carnivore
Total: 70
[size=7pt]Scoring unit 2. Designed to outflank or infiltrate onto an objective in cover.[/size]
[hr]
Fast Attack 1:
5x Pathfinder 'la
Devilfish (Burst Cannon, 2x Gun Drone, Disruption Pod, Multi-tracker)
Total: 155
[size=7pt]Markerlights. Or cannon fodder, when used by me [/size]
[hr]
Heavy Support 1: Hammerhead(Railgun, SMS, Landing gear, Targeting array, Disruption pod, Multi-tracker, Target lock)
Total: 180
[size=7pt] Primary anti-armor. Anti-horde as well. [/size]
Heavy Support 2: Hammerhead(Railgun, SMS, Landing gear, Targeting array, Disruption pod, Multi-tracker, Target lock)
Total: 180
[size=7pt] Primary anti-armor. Anti-horde as well. [/size]
[size=14pt]Army Total: 999[/size]
[hr]
[hr]
[size=14pt]The Guard List[/size]
HQ 1: Company Command Squad w/ Astropath & 3x GL
Total: 95
[hr]
Elite 1: Sly Marbo
Total: 65
[size=7pt]The freaking devil incarnate.[/size]
[hr]
Troop 1:
Infantry Platoon
Platoon Command Squad w/ 2x GL
Infantry Squad w/ Meltagun
Infantry Squad w/ Meltagun
Heavy Weapon Squad w/ 3x Autocannon
Heavy Weapon Squad w/ 3x Autocannon
Total: 410
Troop 2: Veteran Squad w/ 3x Meltagun
Total: 100
[size=7pt]Outflanks with the Vendetta... *grumble* [/size]
[hr]
Heavy Support 1: Leman Russ Battle Tank w/ Hull Heavy Flamer
Total: 150
[size=7pt]Stupid front armor 14...[/size]

Heavy Support 2: Leman Russ Battle Tank w/ Hull Heavy Flamer
Total: 150
[size=7pt]Stupid front armor 14...[/size]

[size=14pt]Army Total: 1000[/size]
[hr]
[hr]

[jonnyp]

To deal with the vendetta at least, you might consider keeping one hammerhead in reserve, and when it out flanks bring it in with the relay and ninja his sneaky behind. Another thing to perhaps consider is really pulling out the stops with your commander ^^. I do like death rains along, however, give him a CIB and AFP, and he will tear Geq a few new ones.

Since you said you wanted some all comers advice, ill see what i can do. first off consider dropping the pathfinders, anything less then 1500 points i find it hard to justify them. Second, think about switching out a hammerhead for a broadside team. They give some great anti-tank and a bit more accurate, and can survive longer if they have shield drones.

Suit wise, id switch out the flamers for something with a bit more punch. Here TL MP wouldnt be a bad choice, gives good fire power with good accuracy, and if you want you can keep the flamers on them in case things get to close. Stealth suits, if you dropped the pathfinders these are a good replacement. Give the team lead a markerlight, and HWDC with a marker drone, and you will have a quality support unit. It can hit fairly hard with thier BC, as well as field some markerlights.

Troops wise, FW team looks solid, not much fire power, but itll do fine for objectives. Kroot....MOAR KROOT! If you field them, it is much better to field ALOT. That way they can really put some hurt on in assault, and have much better staying power.

[Lord Zambia]

The thing about Tau is that even though we are a shooting team, without proper experience we can be outshot by opponents. I personally suggest LOTS OF FIREWARRIORS as these guys pierce the guard armour, and with rapid fire S5 shots they are guard massacres (2+ to wound, no armour save) so id put at LEAST 2 squads of them, maybe 3.

Take pathfinders out, small skirmishes like this pathfinders arent too crash hot under 1500 points, but jonnyp pointed this out nicely so i wont go into that.

The hammerheads get a free targeting array and landing gear, so that total should come to 175 per head if i remember correctly?

commander needs cyclic ion blaster and some other big gun. Either a burst cannon or if you have the points an Air Fragmentation as these will kill guardsman left right and centre all at once. Also replace the positional relay on your commander with targeting array so he hits on 2+. This rlly hurts. Um against hordes maybe use flamers and burst cannons on the same suit with a hard wired or hard point multitracker so you can deal more damage.

As for the stealthsuits - depends on the situation. I like them coz they annoy people with their fields and what not, but more fire warriors will hurt him more.

as fro front armour 14, deepstrike some twin linked fusion blaster crisis suits BEHIND his tanks, and hit him with a melta in his rear 11 armour i think? These are way better then missile pods as he is using no light vehicles, and they just dont kill enough guardsmen :P

my two cents

Zambia

[juraigamer]

What everyone else said, + the following

Drop the SMS and target locks on the hammerheads, you should be in the back with these guys and the out-flankers have a better chance of dying at 6 shots rather than 4.

Remember that you should stay in the middle of the map, to keep the vendettas troops from bothering you too much. Also, make sure your opponent understands exactly how you deploy units from going flat out with a vendetta, you roll dangerous terrain checks twice with each model when deploying.

Your devilfish doesn't need a multi-tracker. Target locks won't really help flamers that much.

Change your TL missile pod team to two single units or one team of TL fusion and flamer. There is just not enough light armor on the field to justify using them. Use your relay to bring your suits down on the third and fourth turns on enemy armor or troops if none are left.

Keep the pathfinders, the deep strike re-roll is great, however lower their numbers down to 4 and drop the devilfishes multi-tracker.

[WolfLord]

I agree with what lord zambia said lot's of fire warriors they have longer range than all the average guardsmen weapons like the lasgun and grenade launcher. Your hammerheads should easily take the leman russ's. You could keep your hammerheads away from the sides of the board which is where his outflanking vets come from.

If you have any stealth suits and some wellplaced terrain you could infiltrate them as close as you can to the leman russ's without getting shot, or winning priority first a melting them to molten slag. try to get the rear armour of the tanks and with 6'' and you have one cooked lemon. However you will probably then get shot by the other one. But i don't play tau so don't listen to me.