Drop Pods necessary against Tau?

[Ultramarine vet]

I just can't win against the Tau with Rhinos and ground infantry. All vehicles are destroyed 1st round and literally half of my ground force is annihilated. So is it even possible to win without drop pods? I'm just not into them and I would only be using them against the Tau. Any advice in this matter would be highly appreciated.

[Eternal Warrior]

Curious about this as well as someone looking to get back in. And can sky fire be used against incoming pods and deep striking terminators? How is it resolved? Good question battle brother.

[Naminé]

Skyfire cannot effect Drop-pods but Interceptor can. Remember though that if something fires with interceptor it cannot fire again in the next shooting phase.

 

Drop-pods are very effective but they are not the only way to manage tau. Consider other fast moving units to distract the enemy as your Rhinos move up. Then you can use infiltrate, scout, deepstrike and outflank to cause headaches throughout the game.

 

If you continue to struggle with your Rhinos, consider white scars tactics and khan to give your units scout.

[Disruptor_fe404]

I would advocate Inflitrate and/or Scout, since every Riptide (and all of their mothers) seems to have Interceptor (and why wouldn't you, when you can drop a high-S, low-AP pie plate).

 

Drop Pods are still worth considering for use against Pathfinders though, and there's a limit (be it points or slots) on how many Riptides a Tau player can take, so if you're going large you'll probably find it works quite well.

[Ultramarine vet]

Skyfire cannot effect Drop-pods but Interceptor can. Remember though that if something fires with interceptor it cannot fire again in the next shooting phase.

 

Drop-pods are very effective but they are not the only way to manage tau. Consider other fast moving units to distract the enemy as your Rhinos move up. Then you can use infiltrate, scout, deepstrike and outflank to cause headaches throughout the game.

 

If you continue to struggle with your Rhinos, consider white scars tactics and khan to give your units scout.

Thanks much! I will definitely use bikers in that case. Might try out some assault marines too, but I like the toughness 5 of the bikes. Also, I only fought the Tau with the old Space Marine codex. I'm picking up the new one sometime soon. Has a whole lot of things changed? Or just little changes? 

[Ultramarine vet]

I would advocate Inflitrate and/or Scout, since every Riptide (and all of their mothers) seems to have Interceptor (and why wouldn't you, when you can drop a high-S, low-AP pie plate).

 

Drop Pods are still worth considering for use against Pathfinders though, and there's a limit (be it points or slots) on how many Riptides a Tau player can take, so if you're going large you'll probably find it works quite well.

Aye. I'm sure drop pods work really well against the Tau. I will buy pods if I must...but I would like to avoid it if I can. So I was wondering if anyone has success without them.

[Garath]

 Land Raider(s)? 

[aquamarine]

Whirlwinds had a hefty points drop in the new codex and are good against pathfinders, without whose markerlight buffs the rest of the Tau are disadvantaged.

 

AP5, Str4, ignores cover rounds deny pathfinders any saves and wound on a 3+, while the WWs can stay out of sight of Tau shooting (your shots scatter more but, you can't have everything...)

[Ultramarine vet]

Aye. Well, one Land Raider. Not plural. Might as well have been a Rhino. It got ripped apart by Rail guns I think they were. All my vehicles suffered the same fate. So demoralizing.

[Ultramarine vet]

Whirlwinds had a hefty points drop in the new codex and are good against pathfinders, without whose markerlight buffs the rest of the Tau are disadvantaged.

 

AP5, Str4, ignores cover rounds deny pathfinders any saves and wound on a 3+, while the WWs can stay out of sight of Tau shooting (your shots scatter more but, you can't have everything...)

Sweet! I do have one of those. Always have been one of my favored heavy support vehicles. With the point drop...I'm definitely getting more Whirlwinds. Those vengeance rounds are so great.

[SyNidus]

Infiltrators are definitely a great alternative. If you can get a Landspeeder storm with heavy Flamer and scouts, you're going to love it. The LSS, on top of having a Flamer template, will also have a blast template with the blind special rule. This usually means the tau units will be blinded (given their low init).

[Ultramarine vet]

Infiltrators are definitely a great alternative. If you can get a Landspeeder storm with heavy Flamer and scouts, you're going to love it. The LSS, on top of having a Flamer template, will also have a blast template with the blind special rule. This usually means the tau units will be blinded (given their low init).

Could I get 2 or 3 of them? Or are they expensive in points? They are about 60 points in the old codex. But it probably changed. It seems like a pretty sound idea.

[Kierdale]

...and give the scout sergeant a combi-flamer so you get to drop an extra template. ;)

[Ultramarine vet]

...and give the scout sergeant a combi-flamer so you get to drop an extra template.

Right! The more flame...the better. Much appreciated.

[Axagoras]

I would be careful about taking a ton of pods, because that can end in disaster. Since the riptides and come of the suits will be spitting shots at you but remember if you are close to enemy models they cant put the blast down on you and are forced to shoot 3 shots at bs 3. Footslogging and moving across the board wont work unless your white scars for scout

[Ultramarine vet]

I would be careful about taking a ton of pods, because that can end in disaster. Since the riptides and come of the suits will be spitting shots at you but remember if you are close to enemy models they cant put the blast down on you and are forced to shoot 3 shots at bs 3. Footslogging and moving across the board wont work unless your white scars for scout

So drop pod assault or should I do something else?

[Axagoras]

if you do you better be able to kill the riptides/salvosides turn 1 or watch as your army melts

[Ultramarine vet]

if you do you better be able to kill the riptides/salvosides turn 1 or watch as your army melts

Understandable. How do you deal with these xenos ceatures?

[Axagoras]

um... if im not taking the first turn then i throw 15 sternguard at it with 8 melta guns and a bunch of hellfire, if im going first usually 10 can handle one. Also I usually run a chapter master (iron hands primary) with khan and 5 white scar grav bikers and that unit can tank a ton of wounds and erase squads with ease. Khan gives you scout so your in grav range and the chapter master drop his orbital bombardment turn 1

[Ultramarine vet]

um... if im not taking the first turn then i throw 15 sternguard at it with 8 melta guns and a bunch of hellfire, if im going first usually 10 can handle one. Also I usually run a chapter master (iron hands primary) with khan and 5 white scar grav bikers and that unit can tank a ton of wounds and erase squads with ease. Khan gives you scout so your in grav range and the chapter master drop his orbital bombardment turn 1

Awesome. Sounds like a really good strategy. Cheers.

[Montuhotep]

A combination of the two, maybe? Pods and scouts/storms to give the Tau fits right from the start whilst the rest of your lads move up into position as usual?

 

 Ironclad dreadnoughts in drop pods are useful at this kind of thing. 2 Heavy Flamers right off the bat.

 

 Also, the flamer pod squad: a command squad, all armed with flamers, in a drop pod, with perhaps a Master of the Forge w/combi flamer. If it's Salamanders rules as well, that is even better but 7 flame templates (5 Command Squad, 1 Servo-Harness flamer and the flame combi-shot) is just brutal against Firewarriors/Pathfinders.

[Ultramarine vet]

A combination of the two, maybe? Pods and scouts/storms to give the Tau fits right from the start whilst the rest of your lads move up into position as usual?

 

 Ironclad dreadnoughts in drop pods are useful at this kind of thing. 2 Heavy Flamers right off the bat.

 

 Also, the flamer pod squad: a command squad, all armed with flamers, in a drop pod, with perhaps a Master of the Forge w/combi flamer. If it's Salamanders rules as well, that is even better but 7 flame templates (5 Command Squad, 1 Servo-Harness flamer and the flame combi-shot) is just brutal against Firewarriors/Pathfinders.

I didn't think about putting an Ironclad Dreadnought in a drop pod. Because I do have one armed with heavy flamers. I've just always put Tactical Squads in the Pods but this is looking like a better idea. I will definitely try that. Maybe my Ironclad Dreadnought can finally do something against the Tau. :D