After finishing building my tank based Guard army (I call them Guard, and they’ll always be called Guard) and my Raptors Space Marines I decided to jump in with both feet into building a handsome looking Tau army. I’ve always loved the fluff of the space fish and the models are great so I dived straight into building my first 8th edition Cadre.
After selling a majority of my 30k Imperial Fist (about 5000 points worth!!) army I ploughed the funds into buying the foundation of the Tau army. My first purchases were 2 Coldstar Commanders, a Ghostkeel, 9 Stealth Suits, a Y’Vahra and 50 fire warriors. Some people said I went overboard on the initial purchases, in my eyes, those people just aren’t committed to the life.
The models arrived en masse and I got building when suddenly it dawned on me, my painting skill is distinctly mediocre. I usually just dip my models in paint, shake off the excess and be done (exaggeration but not far off). I wanted this army to look amazing so I decided to get the entire army commissioned and what I’ve got back so far I’m very happy. Check out the pics, they’re sick!
My main focus is for the army to look cool whilst being pretty competitive. Not LGT Tri-Surge competitive but something that can hold its own. Do non-horde LGT lists look cool on the table? I’m not so sure, and are they even fun to play? I’ve got a pretty negative opinion of these style of spam armies which maybe I’ll cover another time.
With the 3 Stealth units and Ghostkeel holding the middle of the table with my two Coldstars flying up the flanks, it’ll look so sweet. Also having 40 odd firewarriors in the backfield won’t be a bad thing.
I’ve watched a few battle report videos and the Y’Vahra is getting decent reviews. However, I’m not convinced having a 400 point plus model in a 1750 list is a good decision. Once I’ve got a few games under my belt my mind will be made up. It is an awesome model so who knows, the rule of cool will probably win in the end.
The theme behind the army is an expeditionary force on the front lines of an expanding empire. The Sept colour is green, this will allow me to switch between Sept Tenets without it looking strange.
The things I’m planning on adding over the next few weeks are a unit of kitbashed Vespids….these will be normal Pathfinders with jetpacks attached. I’ve found some from Puppets War and they look pretty cool.
Here is my approximate army list:
**++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (T’au Empire) [56 PL, 1054pts] ++**
**Emergency Dispensation (1 Relic)**
**T’au Empire Sept Choice:** Bork’an Sept
**+ HQ +**
**Cadre Fireblade:** 2. Through Unity, Devastation, Markerlight, 2x MV4 Shield Drone, Puretide engram neurochip, Warlord
**Commander in XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit:** 4x Fusion blaster, 2x MV4 Shield Drone
**+ Troops +**
**Strike Team**
. **Fire Warrior Shas’ui:** Markerlight, Pulse rifle
. **9x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle**
**Strike Team**
. **Fire Warrior Shas’ui:** Markerlight, Pulse rifle
. **9x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle**
**Strike Team**
. **Fire Warrior Shas’ui:** Markerlight, Pulse rifle
. **9x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle**
**Strike Team**
. **Fire Warrior Shas’ui:** Markerlight, Pulse rifle
. **8x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle**
**+ Fast Attack +**
**XV109 Y’vahra Battlesuit:** Advanced targeting system, 2x MV52 Shield Drone, Target lock
**+ Heavy Support +**
**MV71 Sniper Drones:** 4x MV71 Sniper Drone
**++ Vanguard Detachment +1CP (T’au Empire) [39 PL, 691pts] ++**
**+ HQ +**
**Commander in XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit:** Advanced targeting system, Burst cannon, High-output burst cannon, Missile pod, 2x MV4 Shield Drone
**+ Elites +**
**XV25 Stealth Battlesuits:** MV7 Marker Drone
. **Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon:** Burst cannon
. **Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon:** Burst cannon
. **Stealth Shas’vre:** Drone controller, Fusion blaster
**XV25 Stealth Battlesuits:** MV7 Marker Drone
. **Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon:** Burst cannon
. **Stealth Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon:** Burst cannon
. **Stealth Shas’vre:** Drone controller, Fusion blaster
**XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit:** 2x Burst cannon, Fusion collider, 2x MV5 Stealth Drone, Shield generator, Target lock
**+ Fast Attack +**
**Tactical Drones:** 6x MV4 Shield Drone, 6x MV7 Marker Drone
**++ Total: [95 PL, 1745pts]