Battling New Tau: 1,000 List: Need Advice on Archon Escort

110 HQ: Archon: + Venom Blade, Haywire grenades, Shadow Field
Combat Drugs
60 T: Kabalite Warriors x 5: +Blaster
65 Transport: Venom: + Splinter Cannon

100 T: Kabalite Warriors x10 +Splinter Cannon
80 Transport: Raider +Splinter Racks , Flicker Field


156 FA: Reavers x 6 + x2 Heat Lance:
155 HS: Razorwing Jet Fighter + Flick Field
105 HS: Talos Pain Engine + TL liquefier Gun


I have 169 points left over and was thinking about getting Grots in a raider but am concerned about the lack of the amount of troops. So many choices, even thought of getting a ravager but the Archon needs a ride and Reavers are amazing at line breaker and rapid support. I know for a fact I'm facing the new Tau and that my opponent will be using a proxy riptide but I hate tailoring even though he does it to me all the time, the "last minute changes" after he see's the models/ army I bring.

I'd pick a role for your Archon. Right now, he's not going to be too good at CC, and he's not going to have much ranged punch either.

Also, you didn't leave room to put him in any units, unless you were going to put him with the grots. And if that's the case, I'd give him an agonizer. If you aren't going to put him in a CC unit, you should dump the combat drugs and give him a blaster so you can benefit from his high BS.

As for ideas for CC units to put him in, if you decked him out entirely for CC awesomeness(huskblade/CDs/Soul-Trap), a unit of bloodbrides with shardnets isn't a bad choice to escort him. They tarpit the enemy while your archon and the syren(with agonizer) kill them. And the shadow field can help keep the bloodbrides alive long enough to get into CC, where they belong.

I would go with the loadout of 5 warriors in a venom. 5 warriors with a blaster in a a venom with an added sc runs 125 points. Your archon needs a huskblade and a soultrap, I personally love that loadout with a squad of grots, but at 1000 points it is a big point sink. I am also worried that grots won't stand up to a fire warrior onslaught, but if that one unit gets into close combat the tau gun line will crumble like wet tissue paper. I dont have much experience playing against tau so I am making observations based on battle reports and tactica's I have read.

Quote :

110 HQ: Archon: + Venom Blade, Haywire grenades, Shadow Field
Combat Drugs
60 T: Kabalite Warriors x 5: +Blaster
65 Transport: Venom: + Splinter Cannon

100 T: Kabalite Warriors x10 +Splinter Cannon
80 Transport: Raider +Splinter Racks , Flicker Field


156 FA: Reavers x 6 + x2 Heat Lance:
155 HS: Razorwing Jet Fighter + Flick Field
105 HS: Talos Pain Engine + TL liquefier Gun

You have nowhere near enough troops and this is coming from someone who runs 4-5 min sized squads at 1500. TL SMS will make those troops evaporate. They will do the same to multiple small units as well but that requires more of his units to be in range and dedicated to killing your troops or more turns to do so. Either is preferable to 2 units IMO.

I would rethink the FA and HS choices since tau can be very good against flyers and reavers both. What they dont have much of now is ap3, unless they sacrifice other things to focus on it.
Most armies, especially at this level, are going to have a few select units like helios suits (multiple units at higher pts) and iontide(s) but the majority of the army will be ap4 or worse with tons of cover ignoring firepower at S5+ making reavers far less durable as well. Ravagers would be better IMO.

IMO grots are your best unit to deliver into their firebase due to S5 for assaulting vehicles (+ archon hwg) and since their T5, fnp and wound allocation makes them very survivable in conjunction with the archons SF. IF you can squeeze em after more troops... keep em cheap though, just 3 ablative grots, maybe a liquifier although it might hurt you causing failed charges plus you cant split fire to throw your HWGs.. I go back and forth on the issue personally but liquifiers are so good their hard to pass up.

Either way lose the drugs from your archon or get a huskblade for the riptides and obligatory broadsides both of which you'll need ap2 to tackle in CQC.

Havent tried the talos here but I think it will do well if you can keep fusion occupied or eliminated early since their plasma is S6 so not that effective against T7 especially without markerlight support.
In fact this may be unusual but here id consider the chronos instead since handing out FNP whenever you inflict a wound should be super handy in this matchup and the combat potential of the talos isnt that needed, plus the chronos is cheaper. Meanwhile if you do get the opportunity to assault a skimmer then you can always smash with 2 S10 rerolling which should be plenty.

Lastly I would take out his pathfinders asap since his army will suffer pretty bad from that strike and they are armour 5+, not to mention a good first blood target.

EDIT- also dont let him try to infiltrate a unit with shadowsun it doesnt work just fyi (except stealths ofc)