Overall, I'm quite happy with the choices we have in the new
HQ slot. Last edition it was pretty
much only Crisis Suit Commanders as a viable choice, but now... sooo many
tempting options. So lets dive into
them:
Commander Farsight:
Pros: No Deep Strike Scatter. Best Tau close combat option. Can take 7 bodyguards to free up Crisis Suit
elite slot. AP2, 2d6 penetration close
combat weapon. Preferred Enemy vs
Orks. Model looks awesome. Has 4+
invul save.
Cons: Can't add systems. Pricey.
Notes/Tactics: I really like the idea of taking Farsight, 6x
bodyguards with Fusion Blasters, Plasma Rifles and Target Locks. Then one bodyguard with a Command and Control
node (squad can reroll failed to hit rolls), Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite (squad
ignores cover), Puretide Engram Chip (Monster Hunter, Tank Hunter or Stubborn
for squad) and no weapons. Deep strike
this wherever you like and murder heavily armoured infantry, monstrous
creatures or tanks. Its definately
expensive, but it's also definately scary too.
I really like Farsight.
He's a definate improvement over the last codex and has no silly
limitations to FOCs that he used to have.
I really like how you can play him in a very aggressive manner too, which
is a nice contrast to the typical "sit back and shoot" tau
mentality. Plus the new model is very
nice with a great pose. Overall I give him B+.
Commander Shadowsun:
Pros: Gives unit she is with a +3 to their cover
save. Stealth suits auto-Look Out Sir
for her. Jet Pack units she joins get
3d6" Jump Shoot Jump move. Can
fire Fusion Blasters on different units.
Shield Drones confer 3+ invul saves.
Has Infiltrate. Precision Shots
on a 5 or 6. Not a bad points cost for a
somewhat durable IC.
Cons: Only Toughness 3, can be insta killed with
lucky shot. Drones are pricey. Only a 18" range on guns.
Notes/Tactics: Initially you would think putting Shadowsun
in a unit of Stealth suits would be the best option, and to be honest its not a
bad option. But, put Shadowsun in a unit
of crisis suits, broadsides or a riptide and you give them Stealth/Shrouded. So units that already have 2+ and 3+ armour
saves will also have +3 added to their cover save. Awesome!.
Personally I like the idea of putting her with Crisis
Suits/Riptide because they also benefit from the 3D6" jump move. Maybe the best option would be a unit of
plasma rifle/fusion blaster Crisis Suits with the Puretide Engram Chip on a
Shas'vre? Give the rest of the suits
Target Locks and you have lots of options.
That 3d6" will really help your suits get out of charge range after
laying down Plasma Rifle and Fusion Blaster shots, which dont exactly have the
longest range in this army.
Overall I like Shadowsun A LOT. She's a great support HQ that can really
benefit your heavy hitting firepower units.
I give her a B+.
Ethereal:
Pros: Very cost effective. Flexible invocations give you nice options
that can be different each turn, Storm of Fire (extra Rapid Fire shot) is a
particularly useful Invocation especially in overwatch. 12" leadership bubble is very nice.
Cons: Awards an extra Victory Point if slain. NO ARMOUR SAVE. Low Toughness 3, easy to instakill. Only 2 wounds.
Notes/Tactics: Most Tau players are going to be playing a
lot of firewarriors this edition as your only Troops options are Firewarriors
and Kroot. Ethereals are a great
support unit for your Firewarriors. They
help them with their leadership and they also help them get more shots on the
enemy. As opposed to the Fireblade,
they can help more than one squad too.
I would suggest either putting your ethereal in a 12 man
squad of firewarriors to soak up wounds or better yet, put him in a Devilfish
with a Firewarrior squad to prevent him from being instakilled by a plasma
cannon. The Devilfish will also increase
his 12" leadership/invocation bubble reach (Devilfish is MUCH bigger than
the Ethereal model heheh). If you dont have any immediate Ethereal
instakill threats you can have a Firewarrior squad ride the Devilfish to a
distant objective with that mobility.
Overall, I love the new Ethereal rules and if it wasn't for
his lack of armour save and generall weak stats I would say he should be an
auto include in every army. But I still give him an A overall.
Aun'va:
Pros: Can perform 2 Invocations per turn. All Tau units on the ENTIRE BATTLEFIELD can
reroll failed Fear, Morale, Pinning and Regroup tests. Relatively cheap HQ. Resistant to high AP weapons with Paradox of
Duality. Stubborn. Can regroup if below 25%. Has a total of 6 wounds in the unit.
Cons: If killed he awards enemy 2 victory
points. No shooting attack. 5+ armour save, somewhat susceptible versus
mass small arms fire. Not an
Independent Character so can't join units, so he is an easy target. Very Bulky so can't hide in vehicles. Only Toughness 3, easy to instakill. Can't take additional gear.
Notes/Tactics: First off, this HQ is tremendously improved
over the laughable unit from the last codex.
If he dies you only give away 2 victory points instead of the
possibility of your ENTIRE ARMY running off the board. His leadership and invocation abilities make
him a great support HQ option to boost the rest of your army.
But with that being said, his low toughness, lack of
Independent Character status and inability to hide in a vehicle make him rather
vunerable so you'll have to take care in how you deploy him. Try to avoid line of sight at all costs,
especially versus horde armies with low AP weapons. Overall
though I think he's pretty good and I'd give him a B-.
Aun'shi:
Pros: 4+ invul.
Good WS and Initiative. Honor
Blade gives +2 Str, making him Str 5.
Same powers as Ethereal. Can get
rending on his Challenge attacks. Can
reroll failed saves on his Challenge attacks.
Cons: Expensive!
More expensive than Aun'va and twice as expensive as a regular Ethereal
all just for some pretty good close combat abilities? Meh. Toughness 3 makes him easy to
instakill. No Shooting attack. Can't take additional gear. Gives 2 Victory Points if slain.
Notes/Tactics: Aun'shi just seems really out of place in
this codex. He's basically an Ethereal
with some added close combat skills and stats, but honestly why the heck would
you ever want to have your ethereal in close combat? Not only is he out of place he's rather
expensive compared to the other Tau HQ options, again twice as expensive as a
regular Ethereal.
Aun'shi seems to me like a leftover rule from an early
version of this codex. I remember
hearing rumors that there was going to be an Honor Guard close combat unit in
Tau and it seems like Aun'shi would have fit well with that at least fluff
wise.
But honestly he doesn't really benefit the army that much. I could see maybe adding him to a Battle
Brothers Ally contingent for challenges, but both Eldar and Space Marines have
much better close combat options. I think Aun'shi is pretty much pointless
and I give him a D-. The only reason
he doesn't get an F is because of his Ethereal powers but honestly I'd rather
pay half the points cost for those with a regular Ethereal
Darkstrider:
Pros: Has power that can subtract 1 from Toughness
for unit you are shooting at. BS5 markerlight. Him and unit can Consolidate D6" after
Overwatch shot. Can give Scout to
Firewarrior squad. Has 3 wounds.
Cons: Can only join Pathfinders and
Firewarriors. Armour save only 5+. Toughness 3 makes him easy to instakill. Unlike ethereals, he can only benefit one
squad. Not that cheap.
Notes/Tactics: I really like the idea behind Darkstrider
and I really like that he helps keep charging enemy units. Putting him with a squad of Firewarriors
will help them Wound better (and maybe instakill some weaker T3 Independent
Characters), give them the Scout rule and help them escape enemy charges. With Pathfinders you can load up on Ion
Rifles or Rail Rifles to again try and instakill some multi-wound models or
independent characters. Add a Grav
Inhibitor Drone and your Pathfinders will be hard to charge.
Unfortunately I think Darkstrider suffers from being in an
FOC slot that is already pretty full with good options. I like the fluff behind him and I think he
really adds character to the army, but from a strictly pragmatic viewpoint
there are better options. I give Darkstrider a C+.
Cadre Fireblade:
Pros: BS5 markerlight is nice. 3 wounds isn't bad. Pretty cheap price. Can Split Fire with his markerlight. Can take drones. Volley Fire gives an extra shot to your unit
pulse rounds, if you don't move.
Cons: Can only benefit one unit, unlike
ethereals. Toughness 3 makes him easy to
instakill.
Notes/Tactics: The Cadre Fireblade is pretty darned
good. His support abilities focus on
the strengths of the Tau... more shooting!
Put him in a rear objective-holding unit of Firewarriors and just shoot
away at people as they get close. Better
yet pair him with an Ethereal and get both extra shots for not moving AND an
extra shot in rapid fire range. With
proper Support Fire positioning, very few units will be able to effectively
charge you.
A Fireblade with a Firewarriors unit in a Devilfish is one
of your better troop choices to take distant objectives as well, seeing that
you probably wont be within your Ethereals bubble of influence on the other
side of the table. Plus at 60pts he's
very cost effective.
Overall I give the
Cadre Fireblade an A-.
Crisis Suit
Commander:
Pros: BS5.
Leadership 10. 4 wounds. Can take 4x ranged/support systems. Can take any number of Signature
systems. Can take drones. The ability to take Bodyguards frees up
elite slots for Riptides or more crisis suits.
Bodyguards can take drones, signature systems too. Bodyguards can auto pass Look out sir rolls.
Cons: To make the most of Commander you need to
take more equipment, which can get expensive.
Doesn't offer buffs to other
units like Ethereals do.
Notes/Tactics: While a Crisis Suit Commander doesn't really
buff your other units like an Ethereal, he can be a valuable addition to your
army. First off, the Tau Elites slot is
even more crowded with choices with the addition of the Riptide, but Crisis
Suits are still a necessary addition to Tau armies. So the Commander's ability to add Crisis
Suits without an Elite slot is very valuable.
His ability to load up on special support and signature
systems is another great reason to take him.
Puretide Engram chip is a great choice with lots of options for your
Commander and Bodyguards.
But the commander is also one of the more cost effective
ways to get some very good BS5 marker support.
Take 2x Bodyguards and you can get up 6x BS5 markerlights if you give the
Commander a drone controller. Plus you
dont have to take another Fast Attack slot with Pathfinders if you do this.
Overall I give the
Crisis Suit Commander a B+.
The HQ section of the new codex is much improved over the last codex. I think the Ethereal and Fireblades are your best bang for the buck (and a great combo btw), but both Shadowsun and Farsight also give lots of great perks and are still considerably cheaper than Special Characters in other codexes. You'll have plenty to choose from when you are creating your army lists.
If I missed anything or if you think I'm flat out wrong on my opinions, PLEASE comment below and let me know what you think. Did I not see an awesome combo that you found? Let us know below!
The next codex section I review will be Elites...
