How To Play Tau in Warhammer 40k 9th Edition
Struggling to play a lower tier Warhammer 40k army like Tau?
Wondering what you can do to beat Space Marines?
Getting frustrated that you arn't getting the results that you want to?
On this week's show of the Competitive 40K Podcast we cover how Jack has mastered and evolved his Tau army list and gameplay.
Jack takes us through the playstyle of Tau, what makes them unique and then through the problems and challenges that he overcame.
This is an exceptional podcast and something every single Warhammer 40K player will be able to relate to.
We really hope you enjoy this episode.
Introduction
Hi, it’s Jack here from Vanguard Tactics and I wanted to share my thoughts on my favourite faction the Ta’u Empire.
I have been playing Ta’u competitively throughout 8th Edition and into 9th, so this article covers my journey with the army and how I’m transitioning across to the new edition.
I thought it was time to write this article as now I have played many games of 9th edition and I can now start to see what a Ta’u 9 Edition army/playstyle may look like. I would also like to share my thoughts on the key things I would like to see in a new codex.
Struggling to play a lower tier Warhammer 40k army like Tau?
Wondering what you can do to beat Space Marines?
Getting frustrated that you arn't getting the results that you want to?
On this week's show of the Competitive 40K Podcast we cover how Jack has mastered and evolved his Tau army list and gameplay.
Jack takes us through the playstyle of Tau, what makes them unique and then through the problems and challenges that he overcame.
This is an exceptional podcast and something every single Warhammer 40K player will be able to relate to.
We really hope you enjoy this episode.
Playstyle
In my opinion the Ta’u are a co-ordinated force that make use of great defense and concentrated firepower married with a reasonable amount of mobility.
They are masters of taking a hit from an opponent then using their combined faction abilities to deal with threats and secure areas of the board.
Playstyle in 8th Edition
After many practise games and tournaments the majority of my Ta’u armies were reliant on the following key points to win a game of Warhammer 40k;
Key Advantages;
- Shield Drones
- Fly keyword - fall back and shoot
- Overwatch
- Late game scoring
Key Disadvantages;
- ‘Wrapping and trapping’ - locking non fly units in combat
- Stacking of negatives to hit
- Line of Sight blocking terrain
In 8th Edition it felt like the Ta’u codex and psychic awakening books were well rounded in terms of overall balance with other factions and that they could always compete at the highest level.
That being said there was one main archetype of army build which centred around Ta’u sept, 3 Riptides, Commanders and Shield Drone spam. With the playstyle based around shooting your opponent in the early battle rounds with drones absorbing all damage and then jumping on the objectives in the later battle rounds.
I can appreciate that in certain match-ups the combination of shield drones, falling back and shooting with the impressive overwatch could be oppressive to an opponent and could create frustrating games for certain opponents.
Therefore I could see the need for change not only to help balance certain match-ups but to also provide further options to the Ta’u player in the army build and playstyle.
Challenges Presented in 9th Edition
9th edition provided a number of rules and mission updates to freshen the game, i will focus on the key changes that affected Ta’u and their playstyle;
Key Advantages;
- Wrapping and trapping’ - Fixed by the inclusion of desperate breakout stratagem
- Overwatch - retained for Ta’u only (in the main)
- Stacking of negatives to hit - Fixed by capping to maximum of minus one to hit
- Line of Sight block terrain - by the inclusion of the obscuring key word this now provides interest interactions on how/when to unlock line of sight.
Key Disadvantages;
- Shield Drones - points increase has made this unit unfavourable plus with the increase of rate of fire across the game.
- Fly keyword - no longer being able fall back and shoot
- Late game scoring - loss of game battle round 6
- Objective scoring - changes are unfavourable to armies without resilient troops and objectives spread across the board.
As you can see from the key advantages and disadvantages from 8th edition these have been flipped on their head, e.g your strength is now your weakness and vise versa.
So, will my 8th edition army work in 9th edition? No, it’s time to change.
Overcoming the Challenges
After my first few games of 9th edition with my 8 edition style list i soon learnt that my list needed to change. I need more mobility and units to help compete on the primary objectives as well as having units to help securing secondaries.
When developing my new list I went back to basics and studied my codex and units in detail to see what units/strategies could have more relevance for 9th edition. From this research it really helped in building a new style of list.
Primary Objectives
T’au troop choices in profile aren't very survivable and slow, so how can we work around this? The Devilfish, this provides mobility and survivability to your key objective secured infantry. Thanks to the recent FAQ the devilfish is now cheaper. I currently write all of my lists with 4 x 5 man breacher units and 2 x Devilfish as a core.
Board Control
Board control and applying pressure are key elements of the 9th edition missions. T’au have great access to screening units such as two man drone units to fly across the board to help with secondaries such as engage on all fronts but also provide a screen from deepstrikers.
Applying pressure can be in the form of Ghostkeels and stealth suits, these units can be employed to give your opponent a deployment headache and to act as a ‘speed bump’ that your opponent has to deal with first before heading towards your gun line.
Limit your enemies options
Employ tactics like charging ghostkeels and devlifish into units that you know can’t kill them in one swing. This removes options from enemy general. Typically that unit cannot then shoot, charge or perform actions. You can make use of small drone squads to get into places where your enemy has to deal with them and try to force ‘bad trades’ for them.
Overall List Balance
Balancing defensive, board control, gun line and markerlights is tricky and will vary depending on your play style and sept choices. I critically review my games and evaluate the units in my list to check they are performing the role that was intended for them.
Personally I’m currently having the most fun than I have ever had playing T’au and I feel like they have the options to start to compete in 9th edition.
Thoughts on the New Codex - remove from show notes??????
It’s important to remember that we are currently playing 9th Edition with an 8th Edition codex. I have the uttermost faith that all sept traits, warlord traits, relics, stratagems, secondaries etc will be brought in line in terms of effectiveness with what we are seeing in the most recent releases.
I do want to focus on some key mechanics that I would like to see in the new codex as i feel these are the abilities that Ta’u require to be able to compete at the top levels at tournaments. I’m not suggesting these rules are army wide and will require moderation via restrictions such as stratagems or targetted buffs.
- Jump, Shoot, Jump
This will allow a unit to not only shoot and hide but more importantly you could eliminate an opponent off an objective and then jump on to allow better competition over the objectives
- Fall Back and Shoot
Being caught in combat with Ta’u currently can lead to an instant loss, having access to fall back and shoot will provide great tactical flexibility for the Ta’u. Engage and Re-engage feels like a style suited to the Ta’u. Now Monk’ta has been FAQ’d to allow a once per game fall back and shoot this is a massive boost to the army and step in the right direction.
- Upgraded Unit Abilities
To make certain units special such as crisis suits, maybe BS3 on stat line or in built fall back and shoot. Pathfinders will shoot and move could be some great editions.
- Master of War
To work in a similar way to space marine doctrines and necron directives, this could be a great opportunity for overall game strategy.
Examples;
- Fall Back and Shoot
- Reroll hits when stationary
- Advance and shoot
- Reroll ones to wound
- Support Systems rework
This could be a great design space to provide special abilities to battlesuits and provide great choices between damage output and tactical flexibility
.
Examples;
- Ignore negative to hit in engagement range
- Ignore benefits of cover
- Jump Shoot Jump
- Faction Secondaries
Addition of late game or kill secondaires could really help the Ta’u
Jack’s Tau List
Battle Size [12CP]: Strike Force
Battalion Detachment (T'au Empire)
Custom Sept: Hardened Warheads, Up-gunned
Emergency Dispensation (1 Relic) [-1CP]
Starting CP = 11
HQ
Commander in XV8 Crisis Battlesuit - Warlord: Through Unity, Devastation
Drone controller, Flamer
. 2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
Ethereal: Honour blade, Hover drone
2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
Troops
5 x Breacher Team
2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
5 x Breacher Team
2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
5 x Breacher Team
5 x Breacher Team
Elites
3 x XV25 Stealth Battlesuits with Burst Cannons
3 x XV25 Stealth Battlesuits with Burst Cannons
5 x XV8 Crisis Battlesuits Relic - Gatling burst cannon
4 x: 3 x Burst cannon
1 x 2 x Burst cannon, Shield generator, XV8-02 Crisis Iridium battlesuit
2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit
2x Flamer, Fusion collider, 2x MV5 Stealth Drone, Shield generator
XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit
2x Flamer, Fusion collider, 2x MV5 Stealth Drone, Shield generator
Heavy Support
3 x XV88 Broadside Battlesuits
2x High-yield missile pod, 2x Smart missile system, Advanced targeting system
2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
3 x XV88 Broadside Battlesuits: Relic - Magna rail rifle
Broadside Shas'ui: 2x Smart missile system, Advanced targeting system, Heavy rail rifle, Seeker missile
2x MV7 Marker Drone: 2x Markerlight
Dedicated Transport
TY7 Devilfish: 2x Smart missile system, Burst cannon
TY7 Devilfish: 2x Smart missile system, Burst cannon
Boxes required to build this army
- 2 x Tau - Get Started Boxes
- 1 x Commander
- 2 x Stealth Suits
- 2 x Ghostkeels
- 6 x Broadsides
- 2 x Devilfish
Head over to Entoyments website today to start your T’au Army!