Special Rules
Accompanying Drones
22 units can be accompanied by Drones. This gives you a lot of potential extra models without taking the Drone units. With Saviour Protocols (see the Drones), that's a lot of potential extra wounds for your key units.
For the Greater Good
Multiple units can Overwatch when one unit is charged! This is a key ability for the T'au, who want to not be in combat. Be aware that a careful opponent can use this against you, so always consider if you need to activate it.
Master of War
A once per game choice of either stay still and shoot better (Kauyon) or move faster and still shoot normally (Mont'ka). It only lasts for one turn. I'd recommend building your army with an eye towards which one you are likely to activate but to keep the other in mind in case it ends up being a better tactical choice.
HQ
Commander Shadowsun
On her own, she isn't that impressive. Where she shines though is with her ability to activate Master of War - Kauyon, even if you have already used the ability, and her Command Drones. The Command-link Drone saves on Markerlights for a key unit. A great choice for a Warlord.
Commander Farsight
A melee model for the T'au, he helps nearby units get a few extra hits in the Fight phase and also lets you activate Master of War - Mont'ka, even if you have already done so this battle. An interesting choice for a close combat army, but it's going to be an uphill struggle.
Commander in XV8 Crisis Battlesuit
All the Support Systems are good, but this model is begging to be given 4 of the same weapon and aimed at the enemy. Can also upgrade to have a 2+ Armour Save.
Commander in XV85 Enforcer Battlesuit
As the regular Commander, but with an extra wound. Worth the extra 4 points, although you lose the 2+ save option, so a good budget choice.
Commander in XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit
Both a 20" Move and a 20" Advance, this can deliver the firepower you want, where you want. Combine with Mont'ka to ignore the hit penalty too.
Aun'Va
He reverses the effect of AP from weapons that shoot at him and can activate 2 Elemental powers a turn. Where he falls down is against massed low AP firepower, as his bodyguards aren't characters and remove the protection that keyword gives him. Pass.
Aun'Shi
Only worth it over a regular Ethereal if you are expecting him to get into melee. And you don't want that. Pass.
Ethereal
Failure Is Not An Option and Invocation of the Elements are both fantastic rules, so you would be hard pressed to justify not taking at least one Ethereal in your army.
Cadre Fireblade
Not only does he come with a Markerlight and decent Ballistic Skill, but he gives nearby Pulse weapons extra shots. A great choice for an infantry heavy army.
Darkstrider
A Markerlight, a boost to wound rolls and allows your infantry to shoot even if they fell back. This guy is fantastic.
Longstrike
A better Hammerhead that buffs nearby Hammerheads. Worth a look, but I find the other HQ's (apart from the named Ethereals) are better choices.
Troops
Breacher Team
The closer the enemy is, the better their guns get. These are your mobile infantry.
Strike Team
Your regular infantry. Take Rifles for the gunline, or Carbines for mobility.
Kroot Carnivores
Better in melee than the rest of the army, but still poor compared to the rest of the game. They can scout move at the start of the game though, which can be key for controlling the battlefield.
Elites
Kroot Shaper
Worth taking to buff your Kroot, but bear in mind that it can't scout move with them.
Krootox Riders
The gun on this unit is alright, but it feels weird in a T'au army. Would be better if you were taking a pure Kroot army, but they lack an HQ choice.
XV25 Stealth Battlesuits
Infiltrating, harder to hit and Burst Cannons. A great unit for denying objectives to the enemy.
XV8 Crisis Battlesuits
The typical T'au unit. Deep strike and decent weapon choices make these guys great.
XV8 Crisis Bodyguards
Not worth taking over regular Crisis suits, as the Sworn Protectors role is performed at a much cheaper cost by Drones.
Firesight Marksman
Worth taking if you have Sniper Drones, otherwise avoid.
XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit
Harder to hit and infiltrate, it's a bigger and more powerful Stealthsuit. It's going to be frustrating for your opponent to deal with.
XV104 Riptide Battlesuit
Still an absolute beast of a unit. The Nova Reactor is amazing, especially Nova-charging the Heavy Burst Cannon.
Fast Attack
Pathfinder Team
Scout move and Markerlights. They also have Pulse Carbines if you would rather have the extra firepower. The Ion and Rail Rifle options are interesting too.
TX4 Piranhas
A fast Fusion Blaster delivery system for when you run out of Commanders. Just be aware that they aren't too hard for the opponent to kill.
Tactical Drones
They ignore the penalty for moving and firing Heavy weapons, so make these your main source of Markerlights. Take the other options as your attached drones with other units.
Vespid Stingwings
Fast moving, deep striking and decent anti-Marine firepower. Often overlooked and they really shouldn't be.
Kroot Hounds
The only thing holding them back from being an amazing assault unit is the Strength 3.
Heavy Support
XV88 Broadside Battlesuits
I really like the Heavy Rail Rifle, but I see why people take Missile Pods. These guys are slow, so try and deploy them with good lines of fire and consider Drones to keep them alive longer.
TX7 Hammerhead Gunship
The Railgun suffers from its solid shot only being 1 shot, which makes bad dice worse. Otherwise a pretty standard battle tank.
TX78 Sky Ray Gunship
An odd tank, as it's primarily a source of Seeker Missiles. Pass.
MV71 Sniper Drones
Harder to hit, and they are like normal snipers, but with Strength 5 guns. A solid choice for taking out utility characters, especially alongside the Firesight Marksman.
Dedicated Transports
TY7 Devilfish
A solid transport with decent weapons and survivability.
Flyer
AX3 Razorshark Strike Fighter
An anti-flyer flyer, it's Ballistic Skill gets worse against ground targets. Avoid unless you are expecting a lot of Fly keyword targets.
AX39 Sun Shark Bomber
The Drones that come with this have a great weapon and its bomb is really good. Not sure it's worth the points investment, but your mileage may vary.
Fortifications
Tidewall Shieldline
Like a really slow transport, except the passengers can still fire. The ability to reflect shots is ok, and it seems a good choice for a gunline army with lots of infantry.
Tidewall Droneport
Another mobile bunker, this one comes with Drones.
Tidewall Gunrig
A mobile bunker that comes with a Railgun, but has more shots than the Hammerhead? I'm not sure why you don't see more of these.
Lord of War
KV128 Stormsurge
The thing holding this back the most is Toughness 7. The Pulse Blastcannon is shortish ranged but gets stronger the closer it gets and its "worst" profile is pretty good.
Matched Play Rule: Commanders
This limits the number of Commanders you can take. While some argue that this rule isn't needed while you have the Rule of Three in the FAQ, 5 datasheets have the Commander keyword.
Sept Tenets
While each of these encourages a specific playstyle, the T'au Sept's improved Overwatch is too good to ignore.
Stratagems
Stand-out Stratagems
- Fail-Safe Detonator
- Automated Repair System
- Neuroweb System Jammer
- Repulsor Impact Field
- Command-and-Control Node
- Uplinked Markerlight
- Branched Nova Charge
- Point-Defence Targeting Relay
- Stimulant Injector
- Focused Fire
- Strike and Fade
- Drop Zone Clear
All of these are good, and because none of them regains Command Points, you don't feel forced into one choice.
Signature Systems
Stand-out Relics
- Puretide Engram Neurochip
- Solid-Image Projection Unit
- Vectored Manoeuvring Thrusters
- Dynamic Mirror Field
- Grav-Inhibitor Field
No comments:
Post a Comment