Tau Ethereal

[Panxer]

I'm a Tau player who laments his Tau. Usually and standardly by turn 3, most of my jump infantry have run off of the board and whomever I'm playing will casually mop up the rest, making me either concede or combat ineffective. Typical game night ends for me with a hot shower while crying that I'll never get clean because I've been violated so many times... I both love and HATE my Tau, but they're my army, and I stick with them.

BUT!!!!f I never typically played Ethereals before when building my list, and I have to say, that my last couple games have been spectacular and actually...FUN!

Since I've put this little blue dynamo in with our fishy friends, I've actually made it past turn 3 with no real losses and have stood a fair chance of winning or at least a very strong tie... I'm impressed. Ok, you sacrifice another slot for XV commander with all kinds of cool gadgets and firepower... BUT, whomever your Ethereal is attached to is FEARLESS! (You already knew this) AND! Every Tau unit within line of sight of him gets to re-roll their poor morale! (You already knew this too) BUT IT'S STILL COOL!

So! You put the little blue boss and his 2 shield drones in with a sqd of broadsides with plasma rifles and shield generators and guess what?! They don't skin their knee and run screaming off the board anymore! HOOSAH!

He's totally saved my little blue posterior at least 2 times in each game! Failed morale again? Can you see Aun Ah-sum? You can!? Roll again, and guess what?! You get a second chance to stay in the fight and shoot some more!

And that's not all! He can take infantry stuff! EMP grenades and pop vehix at a distance with S10 rail death/24" plasma OR up close with his S5 4 attack honorblade- along side his 2+SV/4+ Invul 2 attack S5 friends!

Wait... But what if he dies?! I'll have to take a morale check?! If I'm not an HQ my best leadership is 8! I'm doomed! Fret not, little smurf friend...If you're a fire warrior, and you're in a vehicle, the GW FAQ says you don't have to! So keep yer little hooves in the devilfish for as long as you can! But after you get out of your vehicle you and all your XV friends have PREFERRED ENEMY! I know you knew this already, and I don't care, IT'S STILL COOL!

Do you play an Ethereal in your Tau army? I wanna hear about it! What Tactics do you use him with? Why don't you use him? What have you heard about Ethereals in the upcoming codex?

[Rapture]

Ethereals are bad. It is a fact. What is also a fact is that unconventional tactics can surprise and confuse opponents. The problem is that most people have a small circle of potential opponents. Eventually, people will figure out that you leader is a little blue liability. Keep in mind that the ethereal lets Tau units reroll the morale checks, not only their failed morale checks. This can be helpful when you want a unit to run away in the shooting phase or to get swept in that assault phase so that the rest of your army can shoot them in your turn.

Just keep waiting for the new codex. Hopefully the grey knights author gets to write the unit entry for the ethereal

[Wildeybeast]

Sorry but etherals are a liability. I always play with one for fluff purposes but I curse him with every breath. Any opponent worthy of the name will make a beeline to kill the little chump and stuff up your battle plans. Whta use is preferred enemy in a Tau army? To use it you have to be in combat and if any of your Tau units are in combat then you have already lost.

[Panxer]

I'm not a tourney player. It's a game to me and that's how I treat it. I've played Tau sans ethereal for about a year, and my guys would ALWAYS run back off the board by turn 3. I just put my blue boss in with a sqd of Broadsides with plasma, and you have a unit that's hard to get to (placed properly and bubble-wrapped) and if I make it past turn 3, I'm a happy camper.

I know you sacrifice some shooty, but he's cheap, and what he does is pretty cool for the price you pay. He's saved my *** at least 2x per game!

[Anggul]

The only real use I can see for them is the BS4 Fire Warrior squad, just because it means you can just throw it in without having to balance your markerlight support.

For 50pts he isn't bad for what they do for you. The problem, though, is what they does against you. I would happily pay 50pts to let my entire army re-roll morale and a few more points for a BS4 Fire Warrior squad, but the cost of death far, far outweighs the benefits.

[Panxer]

To each their own. After 60 or so consectutive losses due to morale issues (ie, they almost always skin their knees and run off of the board by turn 3), I've actually won one and tied the other in the last week.

Yes, he can cause a morale check and your suits could fall back, but that's why Tau jesus invented bonding knives and marker beacons for deep strike so your suits have a better chance than most to land accurately (not to mention fowling up your opponent's march forward and get into CC strategy)- meaning, that suppose the blue boss dies and your suits have to fall back, ok suits fall back 3D6, BUT if you deep struck them (or they aren't even on the table yet from reserves *thanks Positional Relay) they stand a very good chance, should they fail, of regrouping before the next phase.

AND I'll also note (that at least for me) I don't play FW spam. I micro them, maybe give them EMP grenades, and keep them in the fish. So a BS4 squad at 12pt per FW could be better spent on TL missile pods and burst cannons if you ask me.

But they have 30" range and hit on 3's; 2's if they have marker light support! Ok, but they still only have 4+ armor and I'd rather keep those fragile minions safe inside of a tank and pull them out only in the case of that tank becomes a smoking roadblock.

Use what you use! I'm just saying that I've had a very positive experience using him! I've actually had 2 games now where my broadside team didn't lose a drone and run screaming off the board! That's amazing for me! Not to mention, all I did was kit up the boss with shield drones and gave the XV88's shield generators and plasma, put them up high and BAM 3 TL Railgun shots per turn! I might lose the boss, but they're going to have to get through all that fire and 8 wounds w/ 2+ armor and 4+ invuls to make that a reality.

[plawolf]

To each their own. After 60 or so consectutive losses due to morale issues (ie, they almost always skin their knees and run off of the board by turn 3), I've actually won one and tied the other in the last week.

Yes, he can cause a morale check and your suits could fall back, but that's why Tau jesus invented bonding knives and marker beacons for deep strike so your suits have a better chance than most to land accurately (not to mention fowling up your opponent's march forward and get into CC strategy)- meaning, that suppose the blue boss dies and your suits have to fall back, ok suits fall back 3D6, BUT if you deep struck them (or they aren't even on the table yet from reserves *thanks Positional Relay) they stand a very good chance, should they fail, of regrouping before the next phase.

AND I'll also note (that at least for me) I don't play FW spam. I micro them, maybe give them EMP grenades, and keep them in the fish. So a BS4 squad at 12pt per FW could be better spent on TL missile pods and burst cannons if you ask me.

But they have 30" range and hit on 3's; 2's if they have marker light support! Ok, but they still only have 4+ armor and I'd rather keep those fragile minions safe inside of a tank and pull them out only in the case of that tank becomes a smoking roadblock.

Use what you use! I'm just saying that I've had a very positive experience using him! I've actually had 2 games now where my broadside team didn't lose a drone and run screaming off the board! That's amazing for me! Not to mention, all I did was kit up the boss with shield drones and gave the XV88's shield generators and plasma, put them up high and BAM 3 TL Railgun shots per turn! I might lose the boss, but they're going to have to get through all that fire and 8 wounds w/ 2+ armor and 4+ invuls to make that a reality.

Ever play against a Blood Angel army?

Broadsides would already be a tempting target for Vanguard, and attaching an Ethereal to them will all but guarentee that that unit will be first turn assaulted by a HI vanguard squad.

A shunting GK interceptor squad could do something similar. And I am sure there are other units in the game with similar capabilities as those are just the two ottomh.

Generally, in my view, it is not a good idea to place too many eggs in one basket.

If you want to play an Ethereal, go for it, but maybe think about putting him with a lower profile unit so the enemy has to make a tougher choice on which to priorities on.

Never make the enemy's job easier by making the hard decisions for them.

[Anggul]

To each their own. After 60 or so consectutive losses due to morale issues (ie, they almost always skin their knees and run off of the board by turn 3), I've actually won one and tied the other in the last week.

Yes, he can cause a morale check and your suits could fall back, but that's why Tau jesus invented bonding knives and marker beacons for deep strike so your suits have a better chance than most to land accurately (not to mention fowling up your opponent's march forward and get into CC strategy)- meaning, that suppose the blue boss dies and your suits have to fall back, ok suits fall back 3D6, BUT if you deep struck them (or they aren't even on the table yet from reserves *thanks Positional Relay) they stand a very good chance, should they fail, of regrouping before the next phase.

AND I'll also note (that at least for me) I don't play FW spam. I micro them, maybe give them EMP grenades, and keep them in the fish. So a BS4 squad at 12pt per FW could be better spent on TL missile pods and burst cannons if you ask me.

But they have 30" range and hit on 3's; 2's if they have marker light support! Ok, but they still only have 4+ armor and I'd rather keep those fragile minions safe inside of a tank and pull them out only in the case of that tank becomes a smoking roadblock.

Use what you use! I'm just saying that I've had a very positive experience using him! I've actually had 2 games now where my broadside team didn't lose a drone and run screaming off the board! That's amazing for me! Not to mention, all I did was kit up the boss with shield drones and gave the XV88's shield generators and plasma, put them up high and BAM 3 TL Railgun shots per turn! I might lose the boss, but they're going to have to get through all that fire and 8 wounds w/ 2+ armor and 4+ invuls to make that a reality.

Absolutely everything you just said about them falling back would happen anyway because whoever they are, no matter the situation, they can and will kill the Ethereal with laughable ease, thus causing not only the occasional injured squad to take a morale check, but most of your army.

[Panxer]

Ok, they kill the ethereal. All Tau infantry in tanks don't have to take morale checks, XV suits and pathfinders do, but that's about it! Ok, the blood angels run up and kill the ethereal and the broadsides he's with, If you've been smart, you have a positional relay on the board and have been trickling in your reserves reducing the liability from his death while gaining preferred enemy when you come in and get assaulted.

I agree, I'd rather have 2 shooty hq's. More shots= more math-hammer. My point it that I've had so many expensive units literally skin their knee, fail moral and run right off of the board by turn 3! This little blue boss has saved my Taucuss at least 2 times a game with regard to morale.

Ok, you'll assault me... If you're smart, you've put them up somewhere with overwatching fields of fire anyway, not to mention made a NICE Kroot speed bump which will slow you down for at least a turn... You can't stop loosing units BUT you can make it very difficult and expensive to get your fleshy reward.

[Tynskel]

I still like the Ethereal.
They are useful, you just have to know the limitations and plan accordingly. One of the more important things: Don't line your troops along the back board edge. If the Ethereal pops, you have a good chance that your army will just be gone. Second, get those bonding knives so you can rally.