Tau 500

[Burn_Tide]

Guaging from the lists presented, I would first try out...

HQ= 1x 'el Cmdr @ 87
[Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multitracker]
E= 1x 'ui Crisis @ 62
[Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multitracker]
E= 1x 'ui Crisis @ 53
[TL Fusion Blaster, Targetting Array]
E= 3 Stealth Suits w/ targetting array @ 120
T= 6 Firewarriors @ 60
T= 6 Firewarriors @ 60
FA= 4x Gun Drones for a FA Gun Drone Squadron
[490 pts]

Gives you access to a lot of units with varying degrees of ballistic skill, a deep striker or two, and a lot of str 5 firepower. All but the firewarriors could assault move jetpack too! If not first, try it later when you start to devalue the HQ's presence.

I know a few people that love to deep strike TL Flamers, Burstcannon, HWMT suits, and yea, it hurts. Been on the receiving end a few times. In my larger games though, I like more melta available to cut the broadsides some slack. I just have a terrible tendency to lose stealth teams to multi-assaults, which is why I did not give them a melta weapon.

Yea, i was planning on removing the fusion blaster from the stealth team. I don't plan using deep striking methods until im more adept at the army, but thanks for the help!

I was wondering though, i didn't think that stealth suits could have Battlesuit systems, i thought they could only have wargear (the third column on the upgrade page)

[marsdonut]

On the tau codex page 35, under equipment, it mentions the battlesuit support system availability. Adding support systems (middle column on pg 25) make them a rather bloated point choice, but for small games, they could be really devastating if the stealthyness pays off.

Also, I think you should allow yourself to experiment deep striking certain units (which by codex are only HQ, gun drone squads and elite choices). Sure, they could come in really late, but you're also challenging yourself to utilize the option to reserve, which might provide a worthwhile experience. (Do I deepstrike too close or do I go somewhere safe.. they can't move or fan out afterwards.. is this what I want the squad to really do? And so forth)

[Captain Ismer]

I've never run stealth suits with a support system before - a large volume of high BS shots could be devastating, but I can't vouch for their effectiveness, and spending 30 pts on something like that at 500 doesn't sound appealing to me.

I would scrap TA's, and use the points for either more gun drones or more stealth suits. Usually, I would lose the stealths entirely and get a kroot squad - 120 pts will almost buy a full sized squad, with enough left over for a drone or firewarrior. I've done some pretty nasty things with an outflanking kroot squad.

But my best advice would be just play a game and see what works. It all boils down to personal preference, and there are so many different lists you can run, we could talk about this for a while.

[Rahakanji]

I experimented with marker Stealth Suits, 3guys with 6Marker drones (or 4Marker drones and 2other drones). They provide mobil markers and thanks to the pseudo night fight they are pretty solid. For 500Points defenetly to expensiv but maybe later you want to have an alternativ for Pathfinders!

[Joshuawesome]

I experimented with marker Stealth Suits, 3guys with 6Marker drones (or 4Marker drones and 2other drones). They provide mobil markers and thanks to the pseudo night fight they are pretty solid. For 500Points defenetly to expensiv but maybe later you want to have an alternativ for Pathfinders!

I agree at 500 points, markerlights are expensive. That's cos u seldom have full gunlines/crisis teams to take advantage of the markerlights.

[Anggul]

I'd trade the stimm injector for a targeting array. Also it seems counter-intuitive to have the markerlights in the squad with assault weapons, switch them to the pulse rifle squad as they're going to be sitting still more often anyway.

[Chexmix282]

This is what I have taken to 500 point tournaments, with great success:

Shas'el 99
-Missile Pod, Fusion Blaster, Multi-Tracker, HW Done Controller & 2 Gun Drones

3 x Crisis Suits 211
-Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Mult-Tracker; Team leader w/ HW Done Controller & 2 Gun Drones

2 x 6 Fire Warriors 120

10 Kroot 100
-5 Kroot Hounds

500

It has a surprising amount of firepower and durability for this points level. The Kroot act as a bubble wrap for the shooty units. The Commander has a Fusion Blaster just in case somebody brings heavy armor, he usually never uses it.

Looking back on my tournaments, MP/BC suits might be better. Here's another list that you may enjoy, with fun amounts of shooting:

Shas'el 79
-Missile Pod, Fusion Blaster, Multi-Tracker

3 x 2 Crisis Suits 300
-Missile Pod, Burst Cannon, Multi-Tracker

2 x 6 Fire Warriors 120

499

[Render Noir]

I like adding kroot as bubble wrap. Maybe lose some wargear to add a Gun Drone squad for another layer of bubble wrap.

[Urza8188]

You dont need to change the crisis suits for wound allocation. If you just take them and make them montats you keep the same points and effect and you can split them up across the map to attempt to split the enemy or at least ensure that one will be shooting non stop all game. This also means you can shoot at different targets w/o spending 5 on a target lock and 5 on team leader if you went that route. The only advantage of keeping them together is that it increases the effect of a markerlight but personally this low in pts i think markerlights are mostly a waste.

Two markerdrones on one FW squad is probably a bad idea because the arent mobile markers. You can take that 12 man squad and leave it bare put the marker and drones on the stealthsuit team and you have made the markers safer and very mobile, It also costs 5 points less for the leader upgrade on the stealthsuits.

Personally i would drop the fusion blaster on the HQ and give em another missile pod. If you want fusion blasters your best bet is piranhas or stealthsiuts. The crisis suits perform best IMO by providing consistent long range shots. JSJ up on top of elevated terrain or behind a wall all game to ensure you never get shot.

[Drakkan Vael]

Small Points ist an interesting challenge.
In general I'd try:
cheap
1x 2 Deathrain Crisis (TL MP, Flamer, Teamleader, HW DC 1 gun, one shield) (124 pts)
1x single Deathrain (47 pts)
and a
Fireknife Commander (Shas'el, MP, Plasma, MT, HW DC 1 gun, one shield) (112 pts)
10 Kroot with 4 hounds (94 pts)
12 FW (120 pts)

497 pts in all. (You can never have too many Crisis)

You can team up the commander with the single suit to increase survivability or split the FW in two units.


@Chexmix282: The points in your first list are off by thirty in the total.