Help vs. Tau

[Tro_lee boy]

Hello B+C

 

I play most of my games against tau and am having trouble coming up with a good list using what I have. A great example was just a week ago when I used my shiny new Land Raider Redeemer against his shiny new pathfinders and broadsides. All I have to say is that it didn't end well and my Hammernators were walking.

 

I know I could use things like vanguards and sang priests to help tie up back of field shooting and help increase my durability getting up the field but I can't really get both of these with any speed. So what list would you use with the following:

 

AoBR models

10 man Assault squad w/ PW and 2 IP

5 man DC with JPs and IP

5 man SangGuard w/ CB + IP

Dante

Mephiston

TH captain

Honour guard (footslogging, various weapons)

Honour guard JPs 4x MG

5 Hammernators

LRR w/ MM

Stormraven AC MM HB

 

 

Any ideas?

[knife&fork]

Right now your force lacks focus. You can go in any direction with what you have, but you need to focus on one thing at the time. I'd say the first thing is to get some more bodies, either jump pack assault squads or razorback assault squads.

 

At what points level are you playing?

[Brother Biskit]

Tau just can't hurt marines fast enough in a full out charge across the table. Run every bit of infantry you can find at them and get in combat as quick as possible. Don't bother with Terminators as a well built Tau list will be able to maul them with battle suits with plasma rifles, instead run as many RAS as you can, preferably with cover from priests. These are the kind of squads Tau players have nightmares about.

 

Don't waste points on vehicles, Railguns will shred any armour you put on the table with alarming ease.

 

Hope this helps.

[The Crimson Cartel]

Tau just can't hurt marines fast enough in a full out charge across the table. Run every bit of infantry you can find at them and get in combat as quick as possible. Don't bother with Terminators as a well built Tau list will be able to maul them with battle suits with plasma rifles, instead run as many RAS as you can, preferably with cover from priests. These are the kind of squads Tau players have nightmares about.

 

Don't waste points on vehicles, Railguns will shred any armour you put on the table with alarming ease.

 

Hope this helps.

 

^

Brother Bis is right. The absolute key to beating tau is to get there and punch them in the mouth. They fold like paper in close combat (especially w/furious charge ). With BA being fast, this should be easier to achieve. I know you really want to run that new shiny raider, but again, its just gonna pop easy and fast against shooty tau... just overwhelm him on the charge with bodies.

 

-CC

[breng77]

I would look at making a deepstriking list using the termies, and your jump infantry (so probably use dante), get in your opponents face on turn 2 with as much stuff as possible, give him 1 round to try to kill you through shooting, and if he fails, you assault and that is ballgame against Tau

[Hannibal.Lictor]

I tabeled Tau last night in a 2k game. I have Dante with a bannered SG, a liby in ta with ss riding in a SR with assault terms (2 TH/SS). then a tac and ras squad a couple f dreads and a rifelman dread. The key is to CC the crap out of them. Use your jump infanty to tie up the heavy hitters (broadsides, hammerheads....) and just get in theor face and roll them. No finesse other than using the right unit to engage with.

 

Oh and I have a DS HG with 4 meltas. Drop and bomb. With 4 meltas and 1d6 scatter you will pop a tank, or drop some battlesuits. I also usually keep my SR in reserve if I loose initative, like I did last night. Dante and crew rolled throu a battle suit squad, 2 firewarior squads and a xv 88.

[thade]

I very seldom do this, but given your list and the target, this is one of those rare cases.

 

I would Deep Strike the Land Raider.

 

Granted, this requires a pretty good chunk of area where it could land "safely" without a mishap (i.e. far enough from other units and impassible terrain) but I'd think nothing of dumping it right into cover smack in the middle of them all. Even if it gets immobilized it's still The Drop Pod From Hell. Just make sure when you place it that it's guns are facing a useful direction.

 

Best-case, your LR is mobile and in their faces. If it can't move, you're still very close; climb your termies out into cover and start chewing up Fire Warriors. (Worst case, you got too close and have a Mishap to deal with.)

 

Otherwise, take EA on the Raider and move him through as much hard cover (i.e. no LOS) as you can to get him close.

 

Deep strike everything else you can in close (Descent of Angels will help here) as close as you can. Meph can ride in on the bird. I'm serious. Get Meph into assault range and he'll tear up Tau like soggy papier-mâché. (Go on and picture it. It's a good time)

 

All of this assumes that your list is "what you have" and that you don't have other options; if that's not the case, take other advice here into consideration. <3

[Tro_lee boy]

Thanks for all the responses.

I am going to get more assault marines after I buy some sang guard for priests, a libby and a reclusiarch.

 

knife&fork We play mostly at 1500-1750. I am most interested in playing a DOA army but I bought the new vehicles for some variety.

 

If you guys had to make a list out of what I have + 3 sang priests a libby and a Reclusiarch what would you do?

[knife&fork]

Thanks for all the responses.

I am going to get more assault marines after I buy some sang guard for priests, a libby and a reclusiarch.

 

knife&fork We play mostly at 1500-1750. I am most interested in playing a DOA army but I bought the new vehicles for some variety.

 

If you guys had to make a list out of what I have + 3 sang priests a libby and a Reclusiarch what would you do?

 

Are you (or your opponent) opposed to using a few things "count as"?

[Tro_lee boy]

knife&fork not too much nothing serious like a rhino as a raider :o

[knife&fork]

Pardon if you think I "butcher" your model collection, but you have some great things that currently don't work great together. :D

 

Pool the death company, MG honor guard and assault marines to make 2*10 man melta assault squads. Put one priest (with PW) in each, combat squad if needed. You'll be worse off in regards to killpoints but better off in terms of target saturation. 5 marines can still kick a lot of tau butt.

 

Use the sang guard as Vanguard.

 

Take the hammernators and deep strike them. They might not be able to catch up with anything but they can take a lot of punishment and cannot be ignored. Try to use them to herd things in assault range for the rest of your force.

 

JP librarian (with shield, of course) to go in one of the assault squads, or perhaps use the footslogging HG as JP HG.

 

Try to get, or proxy, a cyclone missile launcher for your AoBr termies, deepstrike them.

hot tip: http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/cav/latest/24589

 

I'd resist the temptation to take Mephiston. He might be a wrecking ball but you already have a huge edge vs Tau in CC and he can be brought down quickly by low AP fire. Plus he would need the stormraven for delivery.

[Tro_lee boy]

Nice find on the cyclone missile launcher.

That army sounds quite different to my normal one. Don't you think it's a bit risky deepstriking the terminators? They are quite a big investment to lose from a bad deep strike roll. The extra d6 makes such a huge difference. Plus there is the problem that they might not come in until late game.

[knife&fork]

Nice find on the cyclone missile launcher.

That army sounds quite different to my normal one. Don't you think it's a bit risky deepstriking the terminators? They are quite a big investment to lose from a bad deep strike roll. The extra d6 makes such a huge difference. Plus there is the problem that they might not come in until late game.

 

It's slightly smaller than GWs original, but I think it's acceptable.

 

BA can do a lot of different playstyles, why not give it a try for one game and see how you like it?

 

Deep striking can be a bit risky with no homers or beacons, yes. For the normal terminators I don't think it's a problem but for the hammernators you'll probably be taking a risk. They can show up later than the rest but odds are pretty good that you'll have everything on the table on turn 3. Showing up late can sometimes work to your advantage as well, specially for the relatively slow terminators.

[Hannibal.Lictor]

I find that deep striking assault terminators is a waste, especially with having a stormraven. Put the terminators in there with a dread and liby or something and either keep it in reserves or move it flat out in the first turn. This gives you a four up save, and its good to keep your opp worried about other things. Have a sang gaurd with Dante perhaps and another dread.

 

The unit that can use DS most effectivly is a shootie HG with packs. Try a squad with 2 meltas and 2 plasma guns. Its not to hard to drop near some valued armor or high damage out put shootie units and perforate it. I personally hold my stormraven and HG in reserve. I have Dante and crew fly around terrain and have my rifleman dread shoot stuff in the turn one. I always have my HG roll reserve on turn 2 and its a 50/50 with the storm raven. Alt of times the SR comes out in turn 3 and I can move from my table edge and intercept some fool.

 

VV can use Deep strike but its a gamble and yuo can really sink a ton of points into them.

[knife&fork]

I find that deep striking assault terminators is a waste, especially with having a stormraven.

 

 

 

The stormraven is a huge points investment and it's not going to last long against tau. AV12 is simply no match for them.

 

There are many different ways to do things but I'm trying to limit my advice based on the models already avaliable to him.