Special Forces Robin Sage - (Tau - 2000 pts)

[Yeahbuddy42]

I had this idea to make a Tau army designed around the fighting principles of the U.S. Green Beret.

A small group of well trained men infiltrate enemy territory and train the indigenous population to fight against whatever enemy they both have in common. Smart, if you ask me.

Here is the list -

HQ:
Shas'ui - 2x Gun drones, Drone Controller, Multi-tracker, markerlight
9 X Fire Warrior Honour Guard - Photon/EMP Grenades

Shas'ui - 2x Gun drones, Drone Controller, Multi-tracker, markerlight
9 X Fire Warrior Honour Guard - Photon/EMP Grenades

TROOPS:
Shaper - Pulse Rifle
14 X Kroot Carnivore Squad - 6+ Save
12 X Kroot Hound - 6+ Save

Shaper - Pulse Rifle
14 X Kroot Carnivore Squad - 6+ Save
12 X Kroot Hound - 6+ Save

Shaper - Pulse Rifle
14 X Kroot Carnivore Squad - 6+ Save
12 X Kroot Hound - 6+ Save

Shaper - Pulse Rifle
14 X Kroot Carnivore Squad - 6+ Save
12 X Kroot Hound - 6+ Save

FAST ATTACK:
5 X Gun Drone Squadron
5 X Gun Drone Squadron

Then the Special Forces units typically have some great Artillery, Sniper, and Air Power backup...

HEAVY SUPPORT:
Sky Ray - Decoy Launchers, Disruption Pods, Target Lock, Multi-Tracker, 2 Markerlights
2 Sets of 3 X Sniper Drone Team
2 X Broadside Battlesuit - Advanced Stab, Shield Drone, Shield Drone

Never played a list like this before, and I was wondering what everyone thought of it.
I like "themes" to my lists, so if there is not enough AT then that's ok, but if it is ULTRA-FAIL, then I'd like a heads up :-)

Thanks guys.

[seabo76]

That's a lot of Kroot...
Take it they're the indigenous population?
Can Shapers take a power weapon? Can't remember off hand but it migjt be useful as Kroot are bound to get into combat.
The lack of AT may hurt against some units but, who cares? It's meant for fun
I would go with it lol.

[Tynskel]

I thought you have to take 1 firewarrior squad.

[DarkLink]

You do. I guess you can use that as your Green Berets, and the Kroot are the indigies.

[Commander Vimes]

Well, it's not a legal list. You can only take the Honor Guard as a retinue for an Ethereal, which you don't have. Also, HQ suits are +1, as are standard Fire Warrior squads.

As to the list itself, well it's pretty bad from a competitive perspective. At 2000 points I field 6 Broadsides, 16 pathfinders, plus a bunch of missile pods as anti-tank and that's mostly sufficient. The Broadsides are your only anti-tank and if they go down, you'll struggle to kill a rhino. A lot of mech lists could probably table you with just tank shocks, without ever leaving their transports.

Unfortunately the Tau Codex has a lot of cool things that are in practice just awful. Photon grenades actually help your opponent by increasing the chance you'll stick in combat. EMPs are horribly over priced. Gun Drone squadrons are horrible at shooting for their cost. 5th edition turned sniper drones from a solid choice to a huge liability, their fire power is mediocre with the prevalent cover saves, and they die to a stiff breeze because of wound allocation. The Sky Ray is flat inferior to a normal Hammerhead, and I'm not even a fan of those personally. Shapers in Kroot squads are okay, but the Pulse rifle is a bad choice because it makes you pay to lose an attack. The armor upgrade is also not worth a point. Stick in cover and you'll be good.

If you're playing a lot of fluffy armies without many vehicles, you might be okay. But if there are some competitive players around, you'll be losing before the game starts, which is no fun.