Tactics vs Tau

Hi all

I looked for a search function but I couldn't find one, sorry if this has been posted elsewhere.

How does everyone deal with masses of marker lights, crisis suits, riptides and storm surges?

Tau are top tier, DE are... well... not. So this is a very tough match up. Play to win the mission is your only hope, NEVER forget the mission!

This is what i do...

Get as much LOSB terrain on the table as possible.
Go extreme fast MSU. Lots of reavers.
If I get first turn deploy everything and overwhelm 1 flank and try to roll him up.
If opponent gets first turn hide a few units and reserve everything else.

Kill markerlights yesterday.

Sometimes it is best to avoid/ignore his super-tough riptides and stormsurges, slaughter his infantry and tanks first.

Be aggressive, control the table, keep him locked up in his dep zone.

Play the mission, Love the mission, Win the mission.

Just have fun with it! No-one expects you to win so if you do you are legend!

I have yet to have the "pleasure" of playing against Tau.

As Painjunky stated, play the mission. If you need to take Objective 3, then its fine to boost a venom onto it (of course the venom will die next turn).

Target priority: Markerlights, Fast things, DS things that are in your deployment.

CC is your friend. Especially if he has left stuff outside of his "Supporting Fire" range.

And as always, be a good sport, regardless of the game outcome

As long as the faq isn't official I would use a grotesquerie and an archangel bomb combined with Armour of Misery in a WWP Raider. If the faq is in effect, just deep Strike without Raider.

Try to disrupt all support elements that way and play the mission.

CptMetal wrote:

As long as the faq isn't official I would use a grotesquerie and an archangel bomb combined with Armour of Misery in a WWP Raider. If the faq is in effect, just deep Strike without Raider.

Try to disrupt all support elements that way and play the mission.

Are you suggesting deep striking into the middle of an army that has interceptor coming out of its backside with S8/9, AP2, Ignores Cover large blasts?

I assume you are referring to the FAQ not allowing the Armor to work in the transport but the Arch-angel never worked in the transport so either way you have to get out. Not to mention an ethereal totally negates all the leadership penalties to pretty much their entire army.

I have a friend who loves Tau and plays them well, he doesn't use formations so that helps a ton. But as others have said Kill the marker lights ASAP. If you get to turn 2 and he still has some on the table you didn't try hard enough. If they are using an ethereal that's priority number two.

Remember that they have slightly more limited range and mobility than us on most of their units, pay close attention to this. Broadsides can actually be ignored until you are ready to deal with them provided you are using dark lances and splinter cannons and not coven.

Keep reavers in reserve / back until nearly the end of the game.

Remember the Mission

Count Adhemar wrote:

Are you suggesting deep striking into the middle of an army that has interceptor coming out of its backside with S8/9, AP2, Ignores Cover large blasts?

Technically, since you wouldn't scatter with a WWP, as long as it was only 3 grots and a single character, you could probably deep strike so close between 2 units that they couldn't be targetted by a large blast without hitting one of their own units.

BetrayTheWorld wrote:

Count Adhemar wrote:

Are you suggesting deep striking into the middle of an army that has interceptor coming out of its backside with S8/9, AP2, Ignores Cover large blasts?

Technically, since you wouldn't scatter with a WWP, as long as it was only 3 grots and a single character, you could probably deep strike so close between 2 units that they couldn't be targetted by a large blast without hitting one of their own units.

True, but in that case they just wheel out some of the massive amount of S7 or S5 firepower they have and blow them away through pure rate of fire. It's not a tactic I'd recommend, although I confess I'm struggling to come up with something I would recommend.

This is all good stuff.

Does anyon bother taking night shields? I figure they're useless until you take out the marker lights but after that there might be some utility?

prince_machiavelli wrote:

This is all good stuff.

Does anyon bother taking night shields? I figure they're useless until you take out the marker lights but after that there might be some utility?

5th edition Nightshields Hell yeah - 7th ed Hell no. Tau Smart Missile Systmes laugh at your Nightshields. Take as much ranged fire power as possible (Lances, Splinter Cannons, Disintegrators) and gang up on one of his flanks, killing markerlights first. Stay outside of 30" range for as long as you can

grots with raider with Aether to be a distraction as your other units support. hit one side of his army trying to use LOS blocking terrain to deny reproach from the other side. Try to stay in cover to keep shooting. DO NOT JINK.

Things i also saw through my play experience, Ignore riptieds with shooting. Venomes can do a wound or 2 but its usually not worth it. there are more dangerous units out there and what would be better is try to get riptieds in melee.

Also, the biggest thing i see from people is they try to beta strike the tau. this is were they excell over other armies is the fact they have so much interceptor denying that. its far better to not reserve anything and instead target key items. Broadsides without shield drones or body guard with darklight, kill marker lights as soon as possible. hit one side then keep pushing from there. And as others said keep the mission in mind.

Has anyone tried MSU mandrakes? For 36 pts you get a small unit that can kill 2-3 fire warriors each turn, and you are shooting from outside his rapid fire range. If he is using his marker lights to target a 36 pt squad for ignores cover, we win.

*Theory only. I have yet to try this out

i actually dont use mandrakes. (mostly due to them not being painted)

I have in fact used Mandrakes against Tau, and if in a good place to get close to Pathfinders in the first turn (and hopefully get the first round of shooting) they are actually quite useful for taking down a Pathfinder unit before they can get their Marker Lights away.
Of course if Marked themselves they're completely screwed, but Mandrakes actually are a decent option against Tau.

Why do people like aether sales? they just seem like a waste of 5 points we already can move 30" with a raider, is 36" actually any better? Or is it just in case of hammer and anvil setup?

Seshiru wrote:

Why do people like aether sales? they just seem like a waste of 5 points we already can move 30" with a raider, is 36" actually any better? Or is it just in case of hammer and anvil setup?

You're not wrong. It's not worth even the 5 points in my opinion. I frequently advise people as such. If the sails added 6 inches to combat speed or something, it'd definitely be worth it. Adding it to flat out is sort of pointless because they can already move so far at that point.

I've been in situations when 30" hasn't been enough, but 36" would be great.

Those situations can usually be summarized in to two categories:

*Fighting against tau
*Chasing riptides

Best units/weapons for dropping markerlight drones quickly/efficiently?

MarcoAvrelis wrote:

I've been in situations when 30" hasn't been enough, but 36" would be great.

Not saying it's impossible. Just so unlikely that it's not worth spending points on.

Tau is 1 of my main opponents and my MVP unit is my precious dark artisan. It is feared by him, for good reasons.

The dark artisan is great. Haven't used it against Tay, but it works as a great fire magnet and sponge. Do you use the haemy as your warlord to get the reroll on FNP?

prince_machiavelli wrote:

The dark artisan is great. Haven't used it against Tay, but it works as a great fire magnet and sponge. Do you use the haemy as your warlord to get the reroll on FNP?

I do. I have nowhere else to put my warlord to prevent him to get snipped. And most of the time, I manage to keep him alive.

I've used Dark Artisans against tau.

Even when they shoot everything at a Dark Artisan, they have a hard time killing it.

I once tried 2 dark artisans versus a skilled tau player. Lost all but the Haemi (Who was the warlord that tournament, and the only warlord to never die that tournament) in one unit, while the other only lost a talos. Still won.

I don't think the second dark artisan is the best choice. If I had points, I'd take a corpsethieft claw

If I had the models, So would I.