Topic: 1700pts hybrid tau

[Itheria]

Has always liked the look of tau and their way of playing, but unfortunately I don't have the time/money to invest in them. So I'll have to be satisfied with writing an armylist now and then. 
This is such a list and I would be glad to have some comments on it.

HQ - 100pts
Shas'el, cyclic ion blaster, plasma rifle, targeting array, HW multitracker      100pts
I don't want to spend to much points but still have a commander that can do something. And I think this is quite in the middle. His job is obviously to hunt MEQ or terminators. The sad part is that he is the only AP2 source in the army except anti-tank guns...


Elites - 344pts
2 crisis suits, both with burst cannons, missilepods, multitrackers.    100pts
Cheap, mobile fire support. Aiming for skimmers and infantry.

4 stealth suits, one with fusion blaster           122pts
4 stealth suits, one with fusion blaster           122pts
The cool ones. I put fusion blaster here to get some more anti-tank/anti-terminators. Don't know if it was a good Idea though...

Troops - 315
8 Fire warriors, shas'ui, markerlight, targetlock     105pts
8 Fire warriors, shas'ui, markerlight, targetlock     105pts
8 Fire warriors, shas'ui, markerlight, targetlock     105pts
With these squads I hope to get markerlight and minor fire support in different fire lanes, thus being able fight where I want to.
I feel a bit bad not having more troops... but I don't like kroot that much. Of course one could get more in one squad, mount one in a devilfish to get more out of them - but that requires big changes

Fast Attack - 432
6 pathfinders, teamleader w/ targetlock. Devilfish, 2 seekers, multitracker, SMS.     217
Support unit. The fish will try to keep out of LOS, at least until it has fired its seeker missiles. If I need to deep strike it would help with that to.

3 Piranhas, 3 fusion blasters, one of the also has 2 seekers.         215
Hopefully they will be able to work on a flank, giving their seekers some extra fear factor against tanks (side armour!). This is the unit I'm most uncertain of. Should I take two in different squads? or not take them at all?... What about targetting array?

Heavy Support - 503
2 xv88, A.S.S., 2 shield drones, HW targetlock, teamleader        200pts
Anti-tank, but still some element of speed.

2 sniper drones teams     160pts
Anti-heavy infantry... what more could be said?

Ionhead, multitracker, 2 seeker, pair of burst cannons,      145pts
I feel that they army would need some more mobile(!) ap3, and it doesn't need that much anti-tank, so therefore I go with the Ion cannon.

Total: 1696 Four points...

The things I'm most uncertain of is:
1) the piranhas... how many of them?
2) The fusion blasters in the stealth teams.
3) I would like the extra (mobile) markerlights the skyray offers, but I quite fond of everything else in my heavy section...
4) Is there enought ap1/ap2?

Well, what do you think?

Emomia 

[Derikari]

4 stealth suits, one with fusion blaster           122pts

Fusion is a bad idea. As it is, if you target a tank then all the Stealths must target the tank. If it’s high AV, then you waste the burst cannons, if you end up not wasting the burst cannons, i.e. rear armour, then you’re likely better off with another burst cannon instead of fusion. Then comes the fact that it’s close ranged. Getting into range to shoot it endangers the rest of the squad, getting close enough for the melta effect, and the squad is likely thrown away. If you’re out of range to shoot the fusion, then don’t you have a silly looking 32 point guy twiddling his armoured thumbs.

A team leader with a bonding knife can keep your last guy, the team leader, on the field if things go bad, keeping you a gun and ½ their VPs.

I don't like kroot that much.

And I don’t like you either.

6 pathfinders, teamleader w/ targetlock. Devilfish, 2 seekers, multitracker, SMS.     217

Decoys help, and are cheap enough to take anyways.

3 Piranhas, 3 fusion blasters, one of the also has 2 seekers.         215

Best running solo. They’re fragile so more than one can go down, the squadron itself can slow each other down through stunned and the like, and they’re a suicidal group, thus best kept cheap. Which are solo guys. Give them target arrays, it’s cheap on vehicles, and they’ll likely only have one chance to do their job, so make it count.

Ionhead, multitracker, 2 seeker, pair of burst cannons,      145pts

Decoys, target lock.

3) I would like the extra (mobile) markerlights the skyray offers, but I quite fond of everything else in my heavy section...

Well, if 5th edition rumours are end up correct, then Marker Drones end up as a viable alternative, as long as they are in Crisis or Stealth squads.

[jonathan12]

Ionhead, multitracker, 2 seeker, pair of burst cannons,      145pts

Decoys, target lock.

well decoys are a must have but target lock if you ask me not definitely necessary, though i commit i use them to

I don't like kroot that much.

well is it because you don't like the model? or is it the fact that you never really saw how good they actually are

anyway could you tell us you're battleplan how you will deploy you're units against fast armies i believe you will have a problem since you're army is very static it could still work but that depends on how you will deploy, use and sacrifice you're units

[Itheria]

Thansk for the quick replies.

I have gone through what you said and made some changes:
Basicly I got rid of the prianhas, upgraded the ionhead to a railhead and ot some more bodies in the stealth teams.

HQ - 100pts
Shas'el, cyclic ion blaster, plasma rifle, targeting array, HW multitracker      100pts

Elites - 400pts
2 crisis suits, both with burst cannons, missilepods, multitrackers.    100pts
Cheap, mobile fire support. Aiming for skimmers and infantry.
5 stealth suits          150pts
5 stealth suits          150pts

Troops - 315pts
8 Fire warriors, shas'ui, markerlight, targetlock     105pts
8 Fire warriors, shas'ui, markerlight, targetlock     105pts
8 Fire warriors, shas'ui, markerlight, targetlock     105pts

Fast Attack - 217pts
6 pathfinders, teamleader w/ targetlock. Devilfish, 2 seekers, multitracker, SMS.     217
I don't add decoy launchers here as this tank probably will hide most of the game

Heavy Support - 550pts
2 xv88, A.S.S., 2 shield drones, HW targetlock, teamleader        200pts
2 sniper drones teams     160pts
Railhead, multitracker,target lock, decoy launchers, 2 seeker, pair of burst cannons,      190pts

Total: 1582 
Which leaves close to 100pts to do something fun with, but I'm not sure what to do.
1) add vespids
2)buy some more warriors and bonding for them and the stealth teams, maybe plasma rifles to the crisis

well is it because you don't like the model? or is it the fact that you never really saw how good they actually are

Well, both I suppose. Not too impressed by the model... But as I never have actually used them, I don't think I'm the right one to tellif they are good or not   
so maybe I should:
3) add kroots...
or after some thinking:
4) add a devilfish to one of the fire warriors squads

The list is very much inspirated from the list that oink described in the "the art of writing a Tau army list"-sticky...
So every unit should have a job, and to every job there should be one backup... sort of. The xv88 is my primary anti-tank, while the railhead may support them if necessary. The fire warriors contribut some markerlights that the elite section (those who hope fully will do most of the killing) will use. The suits will preferably work on a flank to give them some cover.

Generally I like quite mobile/shooty armies, and I thought this one into that category, but maybe I should get a devilfish to one of the fire warriors squads and thus being a bit more mobile...

Emomia

P.S. I didn't mean to offend anyone with saying I didn't like kroots. It's just that I like tau because of two things mainly - their models (though not kroot and vespids, IMHO), and their fire power (which kroot doesn't have that much of, IMHO) D.S.

[Derikari]

5 stealth suits          150pts

Since you upped the team, I’d recommend a team leader with bonding moreso now.

3) add kroots...

I’m for that. They can fill many roles, such as cheap infiltrators and distraction/bait. They is cute too.

It's just that I like tau because of two things mainly - their models (though not kroot and vespids, IMHO), and their fire power (which kroot doesn't have that much of, IMHO) D.S.

Betcha didn’t know that Kroot are more point efficient shooters than Fire Warriors eh? Against anything that they can hurt that doesn’t have a 5+ save, Kroot are more point effective shooting at it than Fire Warriors. Plus you get more guns for a cheaper price... which is why they’re more point efficient. That would also carry onto Stealths as well, as they’re basically 3 Fire Warriors in one, from a pure firepower standpoint.