Did the Tau'Va get their groove back?

[Panxer]

I've recently picked up and read the new faq for Tau empire, and it seems that our fishy friends have gotten much of their groove handed back to them. Is this true? I've pretty much walked away from the game for a while, and I was wondering what tau players thought about the tactical advantages 6th ed as well as the new faq have handed us.

[ElectricPaladin]

I'd say "got their groove back" is premature. It would be more accurate to say "the Tau have received intelligence as to the location of their groove and are in the planning stages of an operation to retrieve it." They have the tools to surprise their opponents. Some traditionally worthless models have a little more life. However, there are a great many models like sniper drone teams and vespid that still don't do what they were designed to do, and some of their core models are still overcosted.

The problem is that a lot of the advantages based on 6th edition won't prove too useful in most metas purely because they are so drastic. Firewarriors can now glance some vehicles to death? That's great... except it's such a huge change that everyone will plan around it. The same is true for overwatch (though I'll grant that there's less an opponent can do about that except not charge us, which is great). Most of the real meat of the FAQ was just making our toys work again. It restored us to where we should have been for the latter days of 5th, not put us where we need to be for 6th.

I think Tau players will win a few more games with the new edition and the FAQ tools. I don't think it's a revolution - I think we have to wait for our new codex for that.

[Learn2Eel]

Tau can still work, you just have to compensate for over-costed models or units that have no clear purpose - i.e. what ElectricPaladin said. Battle-suit heavy armies can be brutal though if used correctly.

[Skari]

Safest tanks in the game.

Actual usefull core troops.

Access to real merks (orks, sm, eldar)...

I think the Tau really got a boost.

[DrLove42]

I agree with E Paladin above ^^ They're better but not where they should be

All tanks took a boost, witha 3+ cover save at near enough all times, 2+ if you hide a little bit in ruins.

Rapid Fire took a boost.

But simple fact is its duct taping the cracks in the Titanics Hull. Everything in the book is overpriced. Hell the stat line for the new chaos cultist isn't far off a fire Warriors (T3, WS + BS3, 1 W, Ld Low) and they're 5 points (with a worse gun i'll admit). Is the Taus 4+ save and gun really worth double the cost? We need a new book. Roll it on for next year...

[DWest]

Is the Taus 4+ save and gun really worth double the cost?

Let me preface my statement by saying that I only play Tau when helping my friend who actually owns a Tau army debug his list; however, I have to say yes the 4+ save is worth its' share of the cost (4+ armor is costed at ~3 points/model, judging by the Grenadiers upgrade for Imperial Guard Vets), and the reason I think it's worth the cost is 4+ is the first "real" saving throw, since almost every army has AP 5 or at least AP 6 on their basic infantrymen (obviously not Imperial Guard, but the flashlight-wielders aren't much more than bullet sinks for the special weapons). Fire Warriors are one of the few Troops choices who can still hope to get a save when they're not in cover, and when the flamers come calling. Combine that with a gun that can ping even Rhinos to death, and Fire Warriors seem to be pretty solid.

This is just a wild guess based on other recent codices, but I would suspect that Fire Warriors will either go to 9pts a model in the next book, or stay at 10 and get their Defensive Grenades automatically.

[Bouboukis]

Hello fellow Tau and non Tau players
I have to agree with everyone here.
Yes we are overpriced even for 5th ed standars , fw for example, in the new codex i dont care to pay 10ps each of them even 12 with the same gear but just one improvement bs4 its stupid for a shooting army his troop and especially his elite forces to have a bs of 3 even fluff wise its not correct... hunters usually have remarkable shooting skills am i right. Also thinking fluff wise they should probably get a better ld they are supposedly fighting for the greater good and that makes them short of cuttlists in a way ( dont hate me too much for this ) or if they got a ethereal in line of sight to get a ld boost like go to 10 ...
Battle suits why again such low bs they are elite troops ... yes i know marker lights ...come on everybody who plays against us the first units to kill are our pathfinders, or tetras( by the way the new fw rules for them are insanely good 4ml at bs4 for 55ps + reroll deep strike yes i want 3 of those and no pathfinders).
Transport for a mobile army like we want to call our selfs ( we are not tbh) 80ps for a naked devilfish ? no thanks.
prefer to take a 10man kroot unit

There are also the units that are just occupying the selves, vespids heavy gun drones and snipper teams.

We need a new codex to be again in the game , we still are but we have to get lucky or to play really smart and wit opponents who doesnt know our weaknesses of our army.

As for me i tend to turn to bootau armies a lot of fw and kroots working well most of the times but still we are weak.

I am sorry for the wish listing here hope that we get back at the top armies soon.

[Wolfshade]

Hello and welcome Bouboukis!

I think the FAQ was a nice step in the right direction, but in order to get back onto the level playing field they would need a new codex, which I think we all know. Having seen some of the new Chaos stuff, it does make me wonder what sort of pretty goodies will be available for the greater good.

[Aegwymourn]

My tau are currently 2-2 in our 6th edition league. I would have to agree that between the new edition and the FAQ tau got a boost, enough to compete fairly well. There are a number of points others have already brought forward. At the very least they are more fun to play from what I have experienced.

[Anggul]

I certainly think so. You're right that there are still too many useless things, but they're certainly good again, especially the boost Fire Warriors got. I love me some mobile 30" S5 Markerlit shootyness.