Digging Into the Auxiliary Cadre

[Tawnis]

So, I'll be the first to admit that as a die hard Kroot player, I was a bit luke-warm on the Auxiliary Cadre Detachemnt. However, now that I've looked at it a little more and see it as an interested hybrid / halfway point Detachment, it does bring some interesting tool to the table. I will be comparing this mostly to the Kroot Hunting Pack Detachment as that's what I have the most competitive experience with, so if there's anything I miss in relation to the other Tau Detachments, please feel free to jump in and discuss. 

 

Detachment Rules: 
Targeting Triangulation: 
Kroot and Vespid units are all quite mobile and it's not hard to get them within 9" of an enemy early on, especially if they forego a charge for an advance roll. Adding Ap-1 across the board to all Tau units that shoot an enemy within 9" of a Kroot or Vespid will add up to a lot of extra AP in the game. I feel like Breachers especially will see a lot of love in this Detachment as brining their guns up tp AP-2 (along with other buffs) will be huge. That being said, it leaves the squishy Kroot and Vespid units exposed to a counter-attack, and if they are cleaned off the board right away, it will heavily impede your army's damage output. 

Localized Stealth Projectors: 
Not being able to shoot Kroot or Vespid outside of 18" isn't going to be that impactful in a game where you want them within 9" for your main buffs. That being said, it's not nothing and might be able to protect you from a little first turn shooting if you happen to go second. 

 

Enhancements:
Student of Kauyon: Giving three Kroot units Deep Strike for 15 points sounds good on paper, but I don't see much practical use for it in this Detachment. You have to Deep Strike outside of the 9" range that gives you the AP buff so you can't set that up, and you've also very likely got a few Vespid units that can up/down every turn to take advantage of gaps in your opponents screen. I don't think I'd use this even if it was free. 

Admired Leader: Giving a Kroot or Vespid unit +1OC and +1Ld for 20pts doesn't sound that great even if it didn't have the caveat of  having to be within 12" of the Tau character you give this to at the start of the command phase. At 20 models per unit and OC2, Kroot already out OC a lot of things and it's just so niche that while it might occasionally get you on objective, more often than not, I see this being 20 points and doing nothing. 

Fanatical Convert:  For 10pts a Kroot unit can use FTGG. It's not flashy but it's solidly decent. You could put this on a Lone Spear to have an extra spotter, or to ensure they are guided to connect. Or you could put it on a character in a 20 blob of Carnivores to give the +1 BS for some more anti-infantry firepower and use them as guiding units when their numbers get low. I'd play it, but I think it's just okay. 

Transponder Lock Module: For 25 pts you can Deep Strike a unit of suits turn 1, but they have to be within 12" of a Vespid or Kroot unit (and not inside 9" as normal).  Between Hounds and Vespid both having crazy move profiles, it's not hard to set this suit unit up anywhere on the board within 9" of a target. Thing is, it's not like they wouldn't have been able to do that anyway on turn 2, and when they know you can do this, they can screen key targets on turn 1. It's something I'd have to play with more, but seems kinda meh to me. Best thing I can think of since Tau can get the buff if the Kroot are within 9", but they don't have to be, is to drop some Starscythe Suits into a sturdy infantry brick and go at them with 6 S:5 AP:-2 flamers, then do it again on your opponents move phase with overwatch. It's a lot of anti-infantry output, though with the amount of Kroot and Vespid you're brining to make this list work, I don't think you'll be that hard pressed to find anti-infantry fire, especially since I see Breachers being real good here. 

Stratagems:
Experimental Modifications: Kroot's main weakness is their lack of AP so giving them an extra pip is good. It's no Trap Well Laid, but it serves a slightly different function and works on Vespid to. Totally fine strat, will see lots of use. 

Multisensory Scanning: Now this is a good one. Re-roll 1's to wound for the phase, or if targeting a Kroot or Vespid unit, full re-rolls to wound. This has some serious damage output potential with a unit like Rampagers. 

Interlocking Manouevers: This is a neat one. At the end of the fight phase, a unit (that was eligible to fight) can either make a 6" move, or a fall back move. This is going to have a lot of positioning utility, and is just strictly better than fall back shoot/charge that most armies get. I like this a lot. 

Pheromone Waypoints: Auto advance 6 for Kroot or Vespid isn't very flashy, but there are times when it will be needed. It's not amazing, but a good little trick to have in your back pocket. 

Alien Expertise: Now we're talking, Kroot were sorely missing advance/charge in their detachment, but it does make a lot of sense going into the detachment where they will be used while being more squishy at the same time. Depending on how much CP you have to spare, you could rocket a large unit of Rampagers across the board and delete almost anything. 

Guided Fire: Giving a Tau unit +1S in shooting or +2 if they are within 9" of a Kroot unit doesn't seem like a lot at first, but I can see this being used to great effect on Breachers for some absurd damage output. 

Overall Thoughts:

- While squishier than the Kroot Hunting pack because you loose out on the 5+ invul at range, there are some good speed and damage output tools here to make up for that. While I think the Kroot units are still stronger in their own detachments, they get enough buffs here that I think it will draw a lot of people that are running hybrid lists in the Hunting Pack to this list instead and Hunting Pack will be just the Kroot purists like myself. 
- While the enhancements are lackluster, all the stratagems are at least decent, with most being very good. I expect you to want to take at least one Etheral in this army to farm more CP, you're going to need it. 

- Keeping your Kroot and Vespid alive to give your AP buff and use most of your strats is key. Hainvg hounds in the list will be a must, they can screen turn one and provide the buffs for your big guns, while enabling the rest of your Kroot and Vespid to stay safe for the turn 2 ambush. 
- There are some really good wombo combos to pull off here if you have enough CP to invest into them. Here are just a couple off the top of my head.
        - With a full unit or Rampagers, with the Experimental Modifications and Multisensor Scanning you are making 24 Attacks (Sustained 1) at WS: 3+ S: 6 AP: -2 D: 2 as well as 18 (Lance) WS: 3+ S: 5 AP: -2 D: 1, with full re-rolls to hit from a Lone Spear and full re-rolls to round with the strat. That's not even counting the mortals on the charge. That's going to delete pretty much anything that's not a super heavy. You can even advance and charge them if you have extra CP for more distance. 
        - Devilfish Breachers are no stranger to Tau lists, but wow can they output in this one. Taking them with a Cadre Fireblade and dropping them out next to a Kroot unit, guiding them, then using the Guided Fire strat gives you 30 BS: 2+ S:8 AP: -2 D:1 attacks. 

This Detachemnt feels like it can be very strong, but it's also a bit of a Glass Cannon and will require a lot of skill to pilot correctly. I think it's another good addition to the Tau Datasheets though, and while Hunting Pack is still by far my favourite, I look forward to a bit more testing with this one. 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by Tawnis