Logan and guest Jamie have a quick game at another FLGS to test out the new Tau Empire 7th edition book! We also take a look at one of the proposed options for the ITC interpretation of the Coordinated Firepower detachment benefit for the Tau Hunter Contingent.
Note – the Aegis Defense Line in the Tau list is not legal. Fortunately, it did not come into play in this game in any appreciable form, however this has been corrected!
Be sure to check out the Tactics Corner for more great video bat reps.
Hey Jamie,
Under the two-source detachment, I run the Shield of Baal Leviathan formation along with a Combined Arms Detachment. My 1850 looks like this:
CAD:
Flyrant w/2 TL Devs, Egrubs
Lictor
Lictor
Lictor
3 Rippers w/deep strike
3 Rippers w/deep strike
3 Rippers w/deep strike
Bastion w/Comms Relay
Hive Fleet Leviathan Formation Detachment:
Flyrant w/2 TL Devs, Egrubs
Flyrant w/2 TL Devs, Egrubs
Flyrant w/2 TL Devs, Egrubs
Lictor
Lictor
Lictor
Mucolid
Mucolid
Mucolid
Mawloc
Mawloc
I know you said you weren’t thinking flyrants due to their inability to score objectives. If that’s your only objective, this list can do that in spades. You come in when you want and where you want. Lictors don’t deep strike and they can go to ground if they’re outside of synapse (which is fine since they have LD 10 and you can just bring synapse back to them the next turn and alleviate many of the GTG issues). Gives them a beefy cover save since they have stealth, so they are obnoxiously difficult to remove with 3 wounds, and if you really work at killing it, well it was a 50 point unit. Congrats. But the Lictor mauls MSU and scores super well for the points. In addition, you have the Mawlocs (which shouldn’t scatter with that many lictors) and the objective: secured rippers (same precise deep striking). I can’t tell you how amazing the bastion is (or cut some points and do a bunker if you’re tight) with the malanthrope – increasing synapse and shrouding as well as providing a giant BLOS piece for your flyrants to hide behind on turn one if they need to (and they should be getting 2+ cover even if they are seen)
Two-source format*
How does the Tau player have a fortification? That’s not an option to the Hunter Cadre
Yep – noticed that immediately after our game. It has been removed from the list!
Nice bugs Jamie,
Every version of endless swarm I’ve seen requires 3 units of termagants.
OS tell tervigons should spawn OS Gants based on RAW in the codex but the FLG guys didn’t want that OP Tervigon all over the place so gant spawn was roped in with demon summoning and FAQ’d no OS.
Trygons greatly improve the effectiveness of endless swarm as gribblies can deploy from the trygon’s tunnel when they return.
Our best 4 best formations IMO are: Skyblight, Sporefield, LAN and Endless.
FMC spam is our best build currently, not great in maelstrom but better than being tabled.
Come join the Hive Mind @ TheTyranidHive.
-Kwodd
“Every version of endless swarm I’ve seen requires 3 units of termagants.”
An early version of the digital dataslate only required 2. It was patched soon after to be 3.
“OS tell tervigons should spawn OS Gants based on RAW in the codex”
That is arguable and certainly not clearly RaW, since the codex is written for 6ed. Being a troop does not grant ob sec (nor does being created by an OS tervigon – that doesn’t even matter really). It is being a troop selection within the given detachment and they are never RaW stated as being part of the same detachment.
Same sort of deal with summoned daemons, which is the main reason ITC went the conservative route.
Being a troop from a CAD grants obsec, so being an obsec Tervigon means you’re a troop choice in a CAD and have taken a 30 blob of obsec termagants from the same CAD.
“A unit spawned by a Tervigon is identical in every way to a termagant unit chosen from the troops section of the army list, and is treated as such for all mission special rules.”
Takes some pretty creative interpretation to decide “identical in every way” means not identical to troops taken from the same CAD the army is built around.
But like most Nid players I say “F’ it, here’s another Flyrant and some Mucolids.
Not every troops selection taken from an army list is automatically Objective Secured. For example, the Leviathan detachment does not have ObSec for its troops- the rule is not innate to them.
Only models that are actually part of a detachment gain that detachment’s Command Benefits. And if you want to say that your spawned Termagants are part of your CAD than that’s fine… but now your list is over on points and you’re ejected for cheating.
*rolls for spawn termagants and triggers giant cartoon spring propelled ejection seat*
“Nooooooooooooo, damn you AP, this is your doing!”
tell from “OS tell tervigons” is an addition from my trusty iPhone.
Should read “OS tervigons”.
Thanks guys this helps alot I will have to buy some more models now lol I am interested in the lictor shanaagins
Gah, the ignores cover shooting vs. the Bugs is so brutal! Playing to the mission is the only option.
Yeah, it was nasty, and the stuff that did the major damage wasn’t even really the spread buffs. Wall of Mirrors taking out the Malanthrope was ridiculous… 4 BS5 Ignores Cover 18″ Melta, and then another 16 Ignores Cover S5 shots O_O
I’m still interested in knowing how this game would have played out, so expect a rematch in the future! MSU seems to be very strong against “new” Tau lists that are focused around making use of Coordinated Firepower.
Nids struggle vs. Tau in general terms, so that isn’t a huge difference. But, I think it will be even tougher for the poor bugs, now. Mawlocs needs to have big games vs. Tau to make it work, and first turn is a must. Nids rely on cover saves and with Tau largely ignoring it, they just get pounded.
That was my experience BEFORE the new formations. They are pretty much the same army, pumped up with formations and some new models. Almost an autolose match up for bugs barring luck or some good gameplay/weak tau list. Flyrants won’t do as well as they will against other opponents because Tau can also field a lot of cheap anti air. I think even if they buff nids a bit in an upcoming expansion, Tau will still be tough.
I agree. Bugs are too slow and when you take away their cover saves, they just melt. Seriously, the game would come down to Mawlocs going ham. If you have three, they all come in and they all hit, taking out key units like Broadsides, etc. then Nids have a chance, otherwise they’re just picking up models =(
aye tyranids vs tau is seriously easy for tau before this dex even
Yeah, that and DE are super rough. Unless you go Flyrant spam, you’re in for a tough road.
I believe that an Aegis line is always legal – it is the minimal requirements for one of the formations in the Stronghold Assault book. So you can always take a single Aegis line (and add a few tank traps).
I think Battlescribe agrees with me, btw 🙂
I think there is a strong argument to be made that those two force orgs can only be used in “Siege War Mission.” …and I do trust Battlescribe more than an email from a random GW intern on rules interpretations, but not in this case 🙂
Only detachments that have a Fortification slot can take one, and the Tau Hunter Contingent does not.
that being said, CAD is pretty cheap, and you can throw darkstrider and two units in (if you want super cheap, get gueseva for 25pts)
also cad lets you field more exotic units, or things like sky rays solo etc
Yeah, totally, and Darkstrider!
CAD is a nice way to fill some gaps and sneak in an Ethereal/Commander/Darkstrider without having to bring stoopid Crisis suit bodyguards.
Btw Reece, are you still doing an article on whats good/bad in the coxex? I’m guessing it would be a hard write up without deciding upon a ruling for the co-ordinated firepower rule.
Will definitely be doing a Good, Bad and Ugly review! Just haven’t had time, been swamped.
Man, why does everyone have such a hard-on for Darkstrider? That guy is kinda garbage. I mean I guess with the Hunter Contingent he’s… sorta okayish? if you’re doing nothing but throwing S5 at them?
well when you consider his rules and combined fire, it makes toughness 4 marines toughness 3, etc… hell if you get hammer heads using the same rule, a single str 10 shot has a chance to instant kill a riptide or any other toughness 6 monsterous critter.
Sure, it’s a cute trick for IDing a monstrous creature, but in order to do it you have to take two units that you probably otherwise wouldn’t AND get your super-fragile HQ into position without him getting pulped. That seems like jumping through a lot of hoops when I could just take an Ethereal or another shooty unit instead.
well if you have the gunrig fortification, darkstrider himself can be shooting =D
Sure, but then you’re 400pts deep into a strategy and you’re forcing a character whose main advantage is mobility to sit still on a fortification, so…
The fortification does move though abusepuppy
Yes, but it can’t take advantage of his “move d6 after consolidating” ability, nor is it likely to get within 18″ of the enemy like he needs to be.
abusepuppy, his ability while cool, is not something you want to be taking advantage of. Just because he has the ability doesn’t mean he needs to be in positions where he is using it…
We had an idea to run hundreds of hormigants in a 2 cad list with void shield and I think bastion was the other fortification. Protecting the hormies with malethrope/venomthrope and hive tyrant support, the game plan was to win kind of like you did, but with over a hundred ob sec hormigants to sit on those objectives in place of your endless swarm. It’s a list that requires a lot of planning and thinking, since you probably don’t even want to assault with your gants, so the idea is to win in the deployment phase, never give up kill points by always hiding some gants stretching back into your deployment zone, and strongly playing mission point denial for your opponent. This horde style doesn’t rely on flyrants for mission points so may be more your style, but when played perfectly it’s supposed to be a very boring game.