So after my previous crushing defeat against Tau, I was convinced that it was a the fault of my list. But a poor general blames his army, and my list had served me well in the past. So I went for a rematch. Everything was the same as the last game apart from new warlord roles (As the tau player wanted to try some of their new powers). Enjoy!
The Armies:Black Buzzards (DE)HQ
Archon, blaster, venom blade, shadow field
TROOPS
7 Warriors, blaster
Raider
10 Warriors, blaster, splinter cannon
Raider
10 Warriors, blaster, splinter cannon
Raider
10 Warriors, blaster, splinter cannon
Raider
FAST ATTACK
9 Reavers, 3 blasters, arena champion, venom blade
9 Reavers, 3 blasters, arena champion, venom blade
HEAVY SUPPORT
Ravager
Ravager
Tau Empire (TE)HQ
Fire Blade, marker drone
ELITES
3 Stealth Suits, Burst Cannon, advanced targeting
2 Stealth Suit, Fusion blasters, target lock
1 Shas'vre, Burst Cannon, Markerlight & Target Lock, advanced targeting, marker drone
3 Stealth Suits, Burst Cannon, advanced targeting
2 Stealth Suit, Fusion blasters, target lock
1 Shas'vre, Burst Cannon, Markerlight & Target Lock, advanced targeting, marker drone
TROOPS
12 Firewarriors
10 Kroot, precision ammo
3 Krootox
1 Kroot hound
10 Kroot, precision ammo
3 Krootox
1 Kroot hound
10 Kroot, precision ammo
3 Krootox
1 Kroot hound
FAST ATTACK
5 Marker drones
5 Marker drones
HEAVY
Hammer Head, Rail Gun, twin linked smart missiles, disruption pod
Hammer Head, Rail Gun, twin linked smart missiles, disruption pod
Mission: Crusade (4 objectives)
Deployment: Dawn of War
Night Fight on first turn: No
First Turn: TE
Warlord Trait DE: Master of the Ambush (Outflanking units have acute senses...)
Warlord Trait TE: Predator of the Skies (One use. Warlord and his unit can skyfire for a phase)
Combat Drugs: Adrenalight (+1A)
ObjectivesObjectives were set up as before.
Deployment:
The Tau player decided not to change his initial deployment seeing as it had served him well before, and I had yet to deploy. I deployed everything this time and set up my forces so as to stay out of as many fire lanes as possible but more importantly minimise his infiltration options. All the warriors were deployed outside of their transports, except for the Archon and his bodyguard. The reavers were deployed in such a fashion that they would get cover from the vehicles and the trees, and would be out of range of most of the infiltrating threats. The plan was to force as much target saturation as possible to mess with target priority.
The above should give you a rough idea of the 18" range bands (shown by the blue circles).
Infiltration:
The Tau Infiltrated setting up to try and contain my army.
Turn 1 (TE):
The stealth team on the left moved forward and fire its two fusion blasters into the empty raider, destroying it, the explosion killed a warriors near by. The stealth teams burst cannons fired into the warrior squad in the central forest, precision shot from the advance targeting systems killed the splinter cannon and the blaster despite the warriors going to ground, but these were the only casualties. The stealth team also managed to get one markerlight hit on the warriors. The fireblade fired his markerlight at the left most warriors and hit. The kroot on the left fired into the warriors on the left using the markerlight token for +1BS, killing three warriors. The marker drones on the left moved forward and fired at the ravager on the left scoring two hits, the hammer head next to them fired into the same ravager using the markerlight tokens to ignore cover, he missed. The right marker drone team fired into the Archon's raider (the only raider that wasn't empty) scoring one hit, the hammer head next to them fired its rail gun at the Archon's raider using the markerlight token to fire at BS5, he manages to penetrate, but the raiders 4+ cover save from the ruin negates the shot. The central kroot fired into the Archons raider, destroying it's dark lance. The right most stealth team fired it's fusion blasters into the empty raider but miss. They fired their burst cannons into the warriors in the forest, the warriors went to ground, the stealth team managed to snipe the splinter cannon and killed a warrior, but missed with both their markerlights. The rightmost kroot squad was torn between shooting a ravager, the Archon's raider or some reavers, and in the end decided it was best to try and stop the Archon from getting into assault. They fired into his raider scoring three penetrating hits and destroying it. The explosion inflict 6 wounds, the archon saved three, and the kabalites saved two, meaning only one warrior died! The Dark Eldar passed all their moral and pinning tests.
The marker drones used their assault phase move to hide behind the hammer heads. The stealth team on the left used it to move into the forest (no failed dangerous terrain tests). The stealth team on the right could have jumped into the forest but that would have left them vulnerable to a reaver assault next, turn so instead they jumped back behind the forest (still granting them a 2+ cover save from most shooting).
Turn 1 (DE):
The warriors on the far left fired into the kroot on the left killing five despite the kroots 4+ cover saves (the splinter cannon didn't move so put out 6 shots). The ravager on the left fired at the hammer head on the left but failed to hurt it. The pinned warriors in the middle snapfired at the kroot in the centre killing one. The other ravager fired into the hammer head on the right causing one glancing hit. The two raider fired into the same hammer head causing a second glance. The warriors on the right who had gone to ground snapfired at the kroot on the right but didn't do any damage. The reavers on the left bladevaned the stealth team in the open killing four. The other reaver gang bladevaned the kroot squad on the right who went to ground but still took five casualties despite their 2+ saves, they fled! The remaining tau passed all their moral tests. The Archon and his squad fired their two blasters into the kroot in the central ruin before charging them (they didn't fire their splinter rifles). The kroot overwatch killed a warrior, but the dark eldar made it! The archon killed three kroot, the kroot fought back and killed four warriors, the surviving warrior attacked killing a single kroot, tying combat.
Turn 2 (TE):
The kroot on the left fired into the warriors in the centre who went to ground and lost a single kabalite. The stealth team on the left fired into the warriors on the left, the warriors went to ground an suffered two wounds and a markerlight hit. The fire warriors moved forward and shot the Dark Eldar warriors on the left using the markerlight token for +1BS, they killed the rest of the warriors. The stealth suits on the left fired into the reavers nearest to them, but failed to hurt them, however they manage to get a markerlight hit. The marker drone team furthest away fired into the same reavers scoring one hit. The hammer head on the left fired a submunition round at the reavers using the markerlight tokens to ignore cover, however it missed, and also failed to do any damage with any of it's snapfiring smart missiles. The marker drones on the the right scored a hit on the nearest reavers. The hammer head on the right fired its submunision round at the reavers furthest away as they were more bunched up, it hit and managed to kill three reavers. The kroot who continued to flee used the markerlight token on the nearby reavers to snapfire at BS2, killing three reavers. In close combat the Archon and the last remaining warrior kill three kroot, the kroot fought back killing the last warrior. The Dark Eldar won combat by two, and the kroot broke, getting cut down by the Archon. The Archon consolidates 4" towards the nearest hammer head. The reavers passed their moral tests.
The stealth team on the left used its assault move to get into the forest, again no casualties from dangerous terrain. The marker drones on the left used their jump move to hide behind the hammer head on the left. The marker drones on the left tried there best to move away from the hammer head, but rolled 5" for their assault move.
Turn 2 (DE):
Two raiders fired at the hammer head with one hull point to no effect. The ravager fired into the same hammer but failed to damage it (damn cover save!). The other ravager fired into the same hammer head finally destroying it. The warriors on the right fired into the three man stealth team on the right killing two of them! The reavers on the far right bladevaned the surviving stealth suit, killing him and earning them their first pain token. They made sure to stay out of range of the fire warrior squad (unless the firewarriors moved). The warriors on the left snapfired into the stealth team killing one suit! The reavers bladevaned the kroot who were falling back killing five and forcing the rest to run off the board (you auto fail moral test when you are falling back) earning the reavers a pain token. The Archon moved and charged the marker drones, they overwatch and the drone squadron near by fire supporting overwatch scoring two markerlight hits (that no one could use). The Archon killed a single drone, and they in turn failed to wound him (needing 5s to hit sucks), they broke and the Archon cut them down (earning him his second pain token). The Archon consolidates 1" just managing to get him out of rapid fire range of the fire warriors!
Turn 3 (TE):
The stealth team fired into the warriors on the right, who went to ground and passed all their 3+ saves. However the stealth team did get a markerlight hit in. The kroot used the markerlight token and fired at the same warriors at BS4 killing one (go 3+ saves!). The marker drones missed all their shots at the reavers. The fireblade used split fire to fire his markerlight at the reavers, getting a hit. The fire warriors fired 24 shots into the Archon, inflicting eleven wound...the Archon saved the first eight, and passed two fnp saves taking only one wound! The hammer head fired a submunition round at the reavers and use the marker light token for +1BS, so it could snapfire it's smart missiles at BS2 (as it had to move to keep up its 4+ cover save), the blast hit two reavers but failed to kill any, however the smart missiles killed two. The marker drones used their assault jump move to get behind the hammer head and make sure they were within 6" of the firewarriors to provide supporting overwatch.
Turn 3 (DE):
A raider moved flat out towards the warriors on the right. The warriors snapfired into the stealth team to no effect. The two ravagers and a raider managed to stun the second hammer head (sigh). Both reaver squads bladvaned the fire warriors killing eleven. The Archon moved around the hammer head and charge the drones, they overwatched getting a hit, the two fire warriors and the fireblade rapid fired overwatch at BS2 inflicting one wound, which the Archon shrugged off thanks to FNP. The Archon made the charge and killed two drones before cutting the rest down, earning his third pain token (making him fearless), and consolidating into the forest.
Turn 4 (TE):
The stealth team moved out and fired into the nearest reavers killing one and getting a markerlight hit. The fireblade left the fire warriors and joined the kroot who fired into the lit-up reavers killing another reaver. The two fire warriors rapid fired the Archon in the woods. Who took a wound, leaving him on a single wound. The hammer head snapfired its smart missiles. But fails to wound the Archon (go FNP). The reavers passed their moral test.
Turn 4 (DE):
The two ravagers and a raider finally manage to wreck the last hammer head. The warriors on the right embark in the raider and move flat out towards the central objective. The Archon shot and charged the two fire warriors killing them both and earning him his fourth pain token. The reavers both moved forward and fired into the kroot killing two. The squad of two reavers charged the kroot to bate overwatch, the stealth team killed one and got a markerlight hit (with supporting overwatch), and the kroot overwatched at BS2 killing the second reaver. The other squad of reavers charged both the stealth team and the kroot, impact hits killing a kroot. The kroot and the stealth suits struck first killing two reavers. The reavers fought back killing five kroot. Having lost combat by four (remember the impact hit) both the kroot and the stealth suits broke, and were mercilessly cut down by the reavers earning them three pain tokens (one for the kroot, one for the stealth team, and one for the fire blade). The Tau were no more! The Dark Eldar are Victorious!
Overview
Well over the course of those two games I learnt a lot!
I lost the first game because I deployed poorly against an infiltration based army and kept too much in reserve. Against Tau you can't afford to do this as the fewer units you have on the board the more their markerlights can buff each other (as there are less targets). You really need to mess with target priority by forcing your opponent to make tough decisions. By having more on the board not only will you note get tabled, but you will take less damage, as the damage is more likely to be spread across several units, as you are limiting the number of units that can be in range by forcing your opponent to spread out.
For all their talk of a mobile war doctrine, Tau are only slightly more mobile than guard at best. Our strength is mobility, in the first game I let myself get pinned in. By spreading out and preventing the surround that happened in the last game I kept more movement options open. Jet pack infantry are slow, sure jump shoot jump is nice, but they can only move 6" and shoot. Most of our units can move 12" and shoot, this makes all the difference.
Markerlights can only ignore so much cover. By having everything in cover your force saturation, at best the Tau player will be denying cover to two units a turn, all your other units wills still be getting that nice cover save. Not to mention cover can make the difference between having six reavers still standing when the dust clears or none at all, with BS3 can your opponent really count on being able to ignore a units cover save? Because if he doesn't get enough markerlight hits it could change his game plan significantly, as a unit they were counting on being dead will be very much alive.
Supporting overwatch is annoying, especially with supporting markerlight fire. One of the reasons I bladevaned the fire warriors on turn 3 was because they could provide supporting overwatch to the drones against my Archon. It can be a real deterrent that you need to watch out for.
Target locks. Being able to split fire is nice, but the only vehicles next to my warriors were empty raiders, so those fusion blasters were not exactly shooting high priority targets.
Advance Targeting Systems are annoying as they let the Tau snipe your special weapons, not the end of the world but something to be prepared for.
Kroot are LD7 without a shaper, and shapers are expensive (so won't be taken that often). Drones are LD7. Without a Shas'ui fire warriors and pathfinders are leadership seven (you need to buy the Shas'ui for LD8). LD7 fails 41% of the time. Exploit this.
Hammer heads are hard as nails, they just won't die. That being said they have to keep moving in order to get a jink save, unless they risk area terrain (or pay for the upgrade to ignore it), this limits the effectiveness of their secondary weapon systems.
Markerlights are great for many reasons, but their ability to allow snapfiring units to fire at increased BS is fantastic. Fleeing units can be a huge threat (as was shown by the fleeing kroot firing at BS2), vehicles can move and shoot more effectively. You can go to ground and still shoot reasonably well. Overwatch can become deadly. Flyers become less of a problem. Being able to boost snapfire with markerlights is what I think makes the Tau so dangerous as it leads to unexpected manoeuvres. BS2 is not bad when your weapons are twinlinked ask any Ork.
Dark Eldar don't need first turn or nightfight to win.
I hope some of the tips above will be useful to other Dark Eldar Archon's when facing the new Tau.
Hope you enjoyed the report!
Subject: BR22: The Black Buzzards VS Tau (Rematch) - 1500pts 
Wed Apr 10 2013, 08:48
