It's getting harder and harder to avoid spoilers and, after helping out with three conventions over three weekends, I'm falling quite a bit behind. I'm still slowly picking away at my Leviathan and Start Collecting boxes, too. But I'm having a bad day and I'm tried of feeling behind. So lets see how many Indexes I can put to bed, starting with the Tau.
ARMY RULES
The Tau's revealed faction rules were a little on the odd side. Rather than have rules on drones and weapons to mark targets and guide Tau shooting, Tau units instead fight in pairs, with one automatically marking a target and the other getting the bonus. This is one of the only places in which a faction receives a penalty for its faction rule. If the Guided unit shoots at the chosen target, they get +1 to BS. This is a rare bonus that allows the army to function as BS 3+ army. As I said in their faction focus though, the previous rules for Markerlights were so ubiquitous I'd honestly just thought Tau were BS 3+ army to start with! However, if the Guided unit doesn't fire on the chosen target, they get a similarly rare and painful penalty to BS. I honestly just think this is wholly unnecessary. I don't think it's flavorful, fluffy, or balanced. Tau are supposed to be good at shooting, they should never be firing with the BS of a Be'gel.
Similarly, for some reason they decided to make Kauyon a Detachment Rule. This actually does make sense in the fluff, as a Tau commander will usually choose either Mont'ka or Kauyon as their overall strategy before a battle and deploy their forces accordingly. But this also means that Tau players can't use Mont'ka until the Codex comes out, and that other specialist detachments won't be able to use these rules. Who knows, though. Maybe Farsight and Shadowsun have some new philosophies they'd like to try out.
As a rule though, it's also pretty limited. It has no impact on the game until the third battleround. And while once it takes affect, it can be very potent, it can also be played around. I don't think Tau are in as bad a spot as some other factions, but I'm pretty sure they'll need some love.
STRATAGEMS
Stimm Injectors - 1CP
Hmm . . . 1CP for a 6+ FNP. Depending on how many wounds the target has, this can be a reliable way to increase durability. But I'm not all that enthused by this.
Coordinate to Engage - 1CP
In case you'd missed it, the Observer unit doesn't have to just hold still and point. It gets to shoot too, but will not get to benefit from their targeting. This changes that, granting the same benefit the Guided unit has. Most of the time you'll probably be using dedicated Observer units to mark you targets. But if you need to use an intended Guided unit to spot, this will help.
Strike and Fade - 2CP
Fire and fade. 'Nuff said.
Point-Blank Ambush - 1CP
A further enhancement on Kauyon, this grants a potent AP buff if you can get within 9" before you shoot. Like Kauyon, you can't use it before battleround three. But if you set this up right, this is powerful.
Photon Grenades - 1CP
Okay this is potent and evil. Tau have had rules to make charges harder before, but now you get to add a Battle-shock test. You'll be using this a lot.
Combat Embarkation - 1CP
We saw this one in the Faction Focus. You do not want to be charged, and potentially don't want to do any charging either. So anything that keeps your units out of combat is a good thing.
I won't lie, before reading these I was a bit down on the faction and wasn't really impressed by the first two stratagems. And, to be fair, they're both very situational. But the last four are all fantastic and help Tau do what they want to be doing. Much better.
ENHANCEMENTS
Exemplar of the Kauyon - 15 pts
Okay. You're stuck in Kauyon until the Codex comes out, and this is only 15 pts. I'd definitely make sure I take this.
Puretide Engram Neurochip - 25 pts
This is like a nerfed version of the Captain ability we've seen throughout other Indexes. But it's still potentially useful, especially if you want to take a few dedicated Guided units. I just feel this is a bit much for it.
Precision of the Patient Hunter - 20 pts
A flat +1 to Hit for one of your Characters, especially a Commander, sounds really good. The fact you also get +1 to Wound once Kauyon kicks in is awesome!
Through Unity, Devastation - 20 pts
You're going to want to have some dedicated Observer units, and LETHAL HITS is going to be very useful for some of your weapons. It's too bad this doesn't synergize more with Kauyon. But if you've got some points left over, I'd definitely take this.
DATASHEETS
As mentioned in the Faction Focus, Drones are tokens now. This means they don't count for anything rules related and can be moved and repositioned freely, provided the unit they're affecting remains clear. This is probably mostly a good thing, honestly. It simplifies a lot of interactions that were needlessly complicated. Though there might be some initial confusion when it comes to line of sight and legal charge moves.
The Guardian Drones is actually really good, the Marker Drone is key to the Tau Army Rules, and the Shield Drone now functions literally as Tau players have already been using it. Interestingly though, in that last case, the Shield Drone looks like it might give a permanent +1 to Wound. This means even if a Battlesuit takes damage, if it gets healed, it can be healed up to the new Wound total. Though maybe there's a rule later that will prevent that. The other two are just more guns, which is never a bad thing. There doesn't appear to be much of an attempt to make these two drones equal, so if you have the option you're always taking the Missile Drone.
Commander Shadowsun - 140 pts
Right off the bat, she has Lone Operative. This is going to make her pretty effective even with the seemingly lacking profile. She has plenty of guns though, and can fire her weapons from outside of 12". And if your opponent tries to tie her up, she can Fallback and Shoot. But her Aura is fantastic, so she'll appreciably be increasing the damage of your army. She also helps regenerate CP.
Commander Farsight - 120 pts
The Tau's greatest hero, and one of the few Tau with the attention of a Chaos God on him, does a decent job in melee. And he gets even better when he uses his Finest Hour style ability. He also gives a very nice bonus to a Crisis unit that wants to get up close and personal. Another pretty good Character, and I'm noting there's nothing stopping you from fielding Shadowsun and Farsight together.
Commander in Crisis Battlesuit - 110 pts
As usual, that's a lot of guns you can take, though this time the options are a bit more restricted. They give their unit re-roll Hits of 1 at range, and I'm guessing this will be the generic Commander ability. I have no idea what his best loadout is, but I think the Battlesuit Support System looks really good.
Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit - 135 pts
Nope, looks like each Commander will only have the one ability and it's different for each one. This one gets Armour of Contempt for their unit. For that, an addition wound, and a 2+ Sv, you only have to pay 25 pts more. So if you want a unit to hold down a specific location on the battlefield, this is the one.
Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit - 125 pts
For 15 pts more than the Crisis, you get one more wound and greatly increase the speed of some Crisis Suits. Considering the tax GW has been putting on movement lately, I'd say this is actually pretty good.
All and all, each of the Commanders looks pretty well tailored and priced right to fill a specific roll with their Crisis Suit team. Honestly, a pretty strong start.
Cadre Fireblade - 50 pts
For only 50 pts you get three more wounds and another gun to some Fire Warriors and greatly increased damage. The Crack Shot rule is honestly gravy.
Kroot Shaper - 50 pts
This isn't bad. Depending on how good Kroot are, this is potentially nice choice. If you happen to be facing off against an opponent that has some MSU to gobble up, you can make a Kroot screen pretty tough too.
Ethereal - 50 pts
I'm sensing a pattern . . .
I'm not sure this will keep your Fire Warriors alive, but the potential CP generation will definitely make them more effective. I'd pay the 50 pts for that.
Aun'va - 65 pts
Just as in the fluff, I'm not so sure about this guy. He and his guard have Lone Operative, but then two of his special rules simply increase his durability even more. So other than not die, what does he do? He gives out an Aura of +1 to Battle-shock. That's it. I'm pretty sure that's not worth 65 pts.
Aun'shi - 60 pts
If you have Aun'shi leading some Kroot, you might get some use out of him. But you don't want your Fire Warriors in melee if you can help it. But those Kroot can then help secure objectives if you have them push ahead. But I'm not sure he's worth 60 pts for that.
Darkstrider - 75 pts
This is much closer. +1 to Wound is very good and the Jammer Array is great for screening out enemy models.
Longstrike - 170 pts
I've always gotten a kick out of how much Longstrike reminds me of an Imperial Tank Commander. For 25 points more than a Hammerhead, you basically guaranteed hits on 2s against the targets you actually care about. This frees you to use your spotters for other units. His ability to grant other Hammerheads LETHAL HITS isn't particularly useful, though.
Strike Team - 100 pts for 10 models (10 pts per model)
At first I thought the idea of paying 10 pts per model for basic objective holders didn't really impress me. Then I saw Cover Fire. You're still probably going to be using this Team to spot for other units, but you'll still be able to Overwatch on 4s.
Breacher Team - 115 pts for 10 models (11.5 pts per model)
For 15 pts more, you can get some decent fire power for when you try to claim an objective. Pulse blasters look legitimately good, especially when combined with Breach and Clear. Just have an exit strategy.
Kroot Carnivores - 75 pts for 10 models (7.5 pts per model)
These look fine. I'm not sure I'd waste Aun'shi or a Shaper on them, but they still look fine. I really wouldn't count on getting Grisly Feast off.
Krootox Riders - 35 pts per model
While I like the synergy they gain with Carnivores, and think this might help make a Kroot list more interesting, I just don't think these are worth taking. At T5, Sv 6+, and W4, they're not going to last very long to get anything done.
Crisis Battlesuits - 195 pts for 3 models (65 pts per model)
Here we go! The real reason you're playing Tau! While not that tough, they bring a ton of firepower. You'll still definitely want to take a Commander with any team of Crisis Suits to help get their value back. While they only have a 3+ Sv, hopefully the new reduced AP will help them survive the counter attack they'll inevitably receive.
Stealth Battlsuits - 75 pts for 3 models (25 pts per model)
That feels like a lot for a slightly faster Space Marine profile. This unit is set up to be dedicated Observers, with some additional potential to help bring in your Crisis teams. They do get a lot of shots at least, and that Fusion Blaster looks mean.
Ghostkeel Battlesuit - 170 pts
Oh wow! At first I was taken a bit back by the idea of paying 170 pts for a T8 Walker. Then I saw the rules. Yeah, this is potentially a really mean piece of tech. It has a legitimately good chance to get into its ideal strike range and then remove an important target.
Firesight Team - 70 pts
Our first dedicated Guided Unit, I'm just not sure this can do its intended job. And for 70 pts, I don't like that I'm not sure about its capabilities, even with Lone Operative.
Pathfinder Team - 120 pts for 10 models (12 pts per model)
Our previewed dedicated Observer unit, this team actually packs an impressive amount of firepower compared to other teams we've seen. It could actually really use being the Guided Unit, if you can Scout it forward and then find a good spot for it to fire from. Hopefully we'll find other units besides Crisis Teams for this to support.
Piranha - 55 pts per model
That's actually a nice time to make an enemy take a Battle-shock test. Obviously, hitting the enemy in their own turn is always better. But if you're going to do it on your turn, the earlier the better. This also feels like a pretty fair cost for that profile, though I'm worried about its actual ability to deal damage.
Vespid Stingwings - 75 pts for 5 models (15 pts per model)
This is potentially a pretty destructive unit. Drop it down near a unit of elite Infantry, remove that unit, then place this one back in Strategic Reserves. That's honestly not bad for 15 pts per model.
Kroot Hounds - 30 pts for 4 models (7.5 pts per model)
These remind me a lot of my Hormagaunts, but in smaller numbers and trading some armour for additional speed. The stealth helps a bit though. While these might work well alongside Carnivores, I'm still not sure the whole package works well enough to justify including it in your list. Definitely come back here when we have a Kroot focused Detachment.
Broadside Battlesuit - 110 pts per model
Well, this might be a good way to judge just how much you should pay for damage, because that's all this is. With its rule doing nothing but slightly increase its survivability, and it's profile being just tough enough to help it get one or two shots off, you're basically only paying for that gun. And, I mean, that is a gun! But this feels overpriced.
Riptide Battlesuit - 235 pts
This also feels over-costed. While there are some decent weapons on this, its just a lot to pay for a flying walker. I can't help but compare it to similar Knight choices, and end up feeling like this is just paying a huge premium for its movement.
Hammerhead - 145 pts
Wow. I'm now much less impressed with Longstrike and even more sure that the Broadside and Riptide are over-costed. Though I do think there is potential to have Longstrike support an ion cannon Hammerhead. If you want big guns, this looks like the best way to get them so far.
Sky Ray Gunship - 160 pts
For 15 pts more, you can swap out the Railgun for a slightly weaker weapon with more shots. Honestly I feel like this is more of a side-grade than an upgrade to the Hammerhead, and I feel it should have a much more similar cost.
Devilfish - 95 pts
Rapid Deployment is great, and you want access to Combat Embarkation. Bring your Devilfish!
Razorshark Strike Fighter - 165 pts
We're not seeing a lot of aircraft yet, so I'm not sure the Razorshark will be needed. But this feels fine.
Sun Shark Bomber - 150 pts
One of the units that sparked the much needed change in Aircraft, the Sun Shark also seems fine currently. On average, it's only going to do a handful of mortals with each flyover. It's got other guns, but none of them seem particularly dangerous for a vehicle with this level of mobility.
Tidewall Shieldline - 85 pts
This is an interesting way to do a Fortification, and feels like it makes more sense than the Aegis. This is yet another indicator these Indexes were written by a team and not one person. It still remains to be seen if common terrain layouts will actually allow something like this to see play.
Tidewall Droneport - 85 pts
Wow! This thing gets to shoot at every eligible target? That's potentially a lot of dice to chuck at your opponent. And though it's big, it's certainly not the largest model people play with. This might actually see play.
Tidewall Gunrig - 90 pts
Or maybe you just want another railgun. This is going to be incredibly swingy, and I think you're probably better with the Droneport if you want one of these.
Stormsurge - 465 pts
One of the Towering units that recently saw a nerf, I think this still looks good. While Towering is a thing, the range on many of its weapons will make sure you're always getting your money's worth. And though it lacks the Toughness of its Knight equivalents, it gets a full 4+ Invuln and a base save of 2+. Plus, that's just a lot of guns. Additionally, while Knights (including the Wraith variety) are good, you'll frequently make use of its Titan-killer ability.
Tactical Drones - 70 pts for 4 models (17.5 pts)
What? So you can still take units of Drones, but you're not going to. Seriously, who thinks these are worth the same as an Intercessor?
Kroot Farstalkers - 105 pts for 12 models (8.75 pts per model)
This actually looks like an interesting choice, with a good mix of ranged an melee options. It's not going to be a better assassin than the Firesight, but it does legitimately have potential to punch up above its weight.
R'varna Battlesuit - 235 pts
This is a nice tough vehicle and seems priced as such. But its gun is unimpressive and its rule just gives it the new version of Transhuman. I think most Armies can just safely ignore it though.
Y'vahra Battlesuit - 235 pts
The Y'vahra, on the other hand, has plenty of guns and firepower. It also gets a cool ability to jump into the enemies face once per game and unleash all of it. Despite the reduced toughness, this is a much more attractive choice. It still feels overpriced, though.
Tetras - 80 pts for 2 models (40 pts per model)
Another dedicated Observer, and possibly our best one! That's a fast and defensive profile for 40 pts per model and a really good buff. While it's not going to do a lot of damage by itself, your opponent isn't going to feel good about putting out the firepower needed to take these down.
Remora Stealth Drones - 160 pts for 2 models (80 pts per model)
No. Just no. That is a nice shot these can take, but it's not enough to justify 80 points for them.
Ta'unar Supremacy Armour - 790 pts
That is a lot of guns on a pretty meaty torso, but I don't think it's worth that much. I'm pretty sure this is an unfortunate victim of the near blanket nerf to Towering. 685 is much more reasonable.
Barracuda - 220 pts
Now this is a flyer! I think this might be one of the best Aircraft I've seen so far!
AX-1-0 Tiger Shark - 275 pts
This is interesting, but I don't think it's something you'll ever want to bring. Even with Knights as strong as they are, the gun is just so incredibly unreliable. I don't think this is worth 55 points more than a Barracuda.
Manta - 2100 pts
This model is more of a dream than an actual fieldable game piece. I'm not even a Tau player, and I think it would be cool to put this on the table, deploy a literal army before it, then turn something big into a smoldering crater. Honestly, I have no idea how to even think about deciding if its worth its points.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tau seem fine, honestly. There are definitely pieces in this that are over-costed. Seriously! Who decided the Tactical Drones should be 17.5 pts per model? I get the distinct impression that GW just doesn't want people to field them, and get used to using them as tokens. But other than a few pieces, I think there's real play in these units. It's just the Army and Detachment Rules that feel a little underpowered.
10th Edition is not as lethal as its predecessor, but it's still not a game you want to form gunlines in. Because of this, it's probably going to take a bit to learn the full potential of this faction. Still, I can understand some of the doom and gloom, and I know Tau players are going to really want their Codex as soon as they can get it.
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