Battle Recap - Experimental Prototype Cadre versus Fellhammer Siege Host
It’s Sunday, which means practice as we gear up for Mebane Mayhem. I’m on a tighter schedule than I’d like to be, but Kyle and I figure we can jam a quick game before I have a hard out at noon. He’s been on a bit of a hot streak with the Fellhammer Siege Host lately, and I’m trying out the new Experimental Prototype Cadre.
His list is sturdy- Two units of chosen and a unit of terminators make up the meat of his army, each with characters (including Abaddon), that make for some really difficult-to-shift threats with insane killing power if they so much as touch one of my units. Kyle likes to sit on objectives and dare you to try and knock him off, and with his detachment it’s a supreme effort to do it at range.
I’m feeling confident with what I’m putting on the table as well. I’ve got two commanders leading a squad of Sunforge suits and Starscythe suits, alongside some breachers and riptides. This will also mark the first time I’m putting broadsides on the table in ages, and I’m hoping to really pop off with their missile loadout.
The Game
We’re on Mission F, with Burden of Trust as primary. This one has hidden supplies as the mission rule, with a second objective now in the center. This allows for some really juicy primary points- provided I can actually hold an objective.
Considering his lack of shooting, we both deploy pretty aggressively. I want to really see what this detachment can do, plus the sooner we start taking stuff off the table the faster we can get moving. I get first turn, and I hit the gas.
I charge forward with my fusion suits with riptides close behind, then angle my broadsides to pummel his chosen with missiles. He pops a strat to get a feel-no-pain, and suddenly my barrage becomes a gentle breeze. I’ve popped the lethal-sustained strat on my suits and they just can’t make it happen. I kill a couple guys, and then Abaddon’s unit tanks my fusion suits before they get cut down on his turn. I had pulled no prisoners that turn as well, and had been banking on being able to really get in there and do some damage. I inhale, adjust for my losses, and then train everything on Abaddon for turn two.
As a T’au player my experience with big bricks of tough units is to just hurl shots into them until they’re gone, and just hope they’re out of models before you’re out of gun. Kyle pops the feel-no-pain again, but I just hammer into him with everything. Flamers, pulse blasters, pathfinder rifles, Skyray missiles, and ion rifles all rip into the unit- each activation taking away one or two models until it’s just Abaddon left. I don’t take any chances and pop my Riptide’s devastating wound ability. Two sixes finish off Abaddon and I exhale.
Turn three, and the next squad of chosen go down easier than the first, thanks to Abaddon’s early departure. I use the Experimental Ammunition strategem on my flamer suits and end up completely beefing my hazardous test. Two suits die in the effort- probably need to be sent back to the lab.
Killing the chosen and their characters is a bit of a hollow victory, though. Kyle’s massive terminator brick is able to hold two points, and I simply don’t have the time or the power to kill it. We speed things up as noon approaches, and he ends up winning with 75 pts to my 63.
Final Thoughts
I’m pretty happy, despite the loss. New list, new detachment, and I’m shaking off about a month of rust since Cherokee. I definitely know where I made mistakes, but also I really enjoy having the extra range for my breachers and crisis suits. I think this list is going to get run back a few times- and it will most likely perform better against armies that aren’t as tanky against ranged units.
I wouldn’t say I’m in love with the new detachment, but it did feel pretty nice to not have to worry about what turn it was or if one guy was within however many inches of another. I’m not 100% sold, but I’m looking forward to experimenting more!
March to Mayhem - Tau Infantry Roundup!
After months of testing plus 8 games at the Cherokee Open, I am ready to rebuild my T’aulist from the ground up. Part of this means re-evaluating every unit in the army and reassessing how best to use them to their full potential. As part of this series, I’ll be going through selections of T’au units, looking at use cases, and doing the math on just how much damage they can do.
Today, we’re starting at the basic units in the army - infantry. Strike Teams, Breachers, and Pathfinders are all going to feel the markerlights on them for a change!
Strike Teams
Strike teams are the most basic unit we’ve got. 75 points gets you 10 models armed with your choice of a pulse rifle or carbine, plus a couple drones to give some extra firepower or utility.
While you don’t get access to any special weapons like our friends in the Astra Militarum, the basic pulse weapons make their Lasguns look like laser pointers. At Strength 5, they’re wounding nearly every other battleline unit on 3s, plus a 30” range on the basic rifle means you’ve got time to line up shots. The carbine shortens the range to 20”, but gives an additional attack without needing to get into rapid fire range.
I personally prefer the rifles over the carbines, as that extra 10” of range means an easier time activating the Suppression Volley ability. Any infantry you hit gets a -1 to hit- a great way to keep the strike team from getting picked up on the crackback, or making an anti-vehicle unit struggle to put shots into your tanks or battlesuits. They’re also great spotters, freeing up some space in the markerlight economy. I usually give them the markerlight drone as a way to let them spot while having some extra mobility.
They are as fragile as you’d expect for basic infantry, but the optional guardian drone wargear makes them harder to wound- a real asset when most things will be wounding on 2s or 3s into their toughness of 3. That extra durability makes them less susceptible to indirect fire, and allows them to really exploit having such an incredible range.
I’ve found them best as a backline objective holder. Let them screen the back, hold the home, and help out with markerlights and with battleline units that decide to chance their firing line. That said, I’ve never made them my first choice, as we’ll see below.
Breacher Team
With their insane damage potential, breachers are a hammer into any unit stupid enough to think they can hold an objective near them. 10 models for 100 points, each with a blaster rifle that punches up into nearly every infantry unit in the game. They hit on 3s, reroll wounds against any targets on objectives, and the native -1 ap on their guns means that whatever they shoot is going to have that much more difficult of a time weathering the storm.
While they have the potential to clear all but the sturdiest models off a point, they have quite a few drawbacks as well. A 10” range on their shotguns means getting dangerously close to an enemy, and a well-timed overwatch has the potential to either blunt (or flat out delete) the squad. This means they are usually hanging out in a Devilfish until go-time, which means an additional 85 points to get them to combat.
Similar to the Strike Team, these guys are flimsy. You can give them the same guardian drone as well, but taking a point and holding a point are often different stories. If they don’t delete whatever they were targeting, they are more than likely going right back in the carrying case.
Arguably, the biggest problem with the breacher team is that they really want to be spotted by a Stealth Suit. Pushing them to hit on 2s while rerolling ones means 20 shots hitting, and with the wound reroll on objectives they can force opponents to make a lot of saves. It’s not a point either against or for them, but with the markerlight economy being what it is, sometimes you need to make hard choices about where that buff is going to go.
My experience with breachers has been feast or famine. Sometimes, they pick up a 5 Chosen. Sometimes, they kill a single space marine before being mulched by chainswords. Them’s the breaks.
Pathfinders
Pathfinders are some of the best position players in the T’au arsenal. For 90 points, you get a set of 7 Pathfinders with Pulse Carbines, plus 3 special weapons. Couple that with a wider selection of Drones, and you have a unit that can clear enemy infantry and even punch up into enemy armor, all while screening out charges and dishing out extra markerlights.
The ability to spot for an additional unit is nearly reason alone to take them, but their ability to control the board is something special. Yes, they’re squishy, but opponents will have to work to get within melee range of them and the damage potential of their guns means a rough time for anyone who fails a charge.
As far as special weapons, Pathfinders get access to railguns or ion rifles. While both guns natively hit on 5s (with the heavy profile), they’re punching up into vehicles or just obliterating marines. You do run the risk of self-destructing off the Hazardous rail rifles, but the damage potential makes it more than worth it.
The Shas’ui gets a choice of one of three drones- one upping the range of pulse rifles, one that gives some additional guns and the infiltrator keyword, and the aforementioned drone that gives a -2 to charge. The recon drone is incredibly useful, especially coupled with the scout ability, and lets your guys really explore the battlefield early.
I’ll be honest- I’ve slept on these guys. After running a squad at cherokee they absolutely getting some more space in the list. While they aren’t battleline units, I think my next list is going to get the full three squads on the field.
Leaders
The T’au currently have 3 units that can lead infantry - Ethereals and Cadre Fireblades can head up both flavors of Fire Warrior, while the Epic Hero Darkstrider can head up a unit of pathfinders.
Darkstrider
As the only unit capable of leading Pathfinders, he offers some great screening potential with a 12” bubble that prevents deep strikes. He can also flex into a unit to give their guns a +1 to wound, while also having some decent damage of his own in his custom pulse carbine “Shade”. He’s a great tech piece against deep strikers, but he can take a squad’s damage potential to another level. It’s a shame he’s the only leader on the table for the squad at the moment, but there’s something to be said for quality over quantity. At 60 points, he is a difficult inclusion, and I personally don’t think he’s worth it over something like a Piranha.
Ethereals
An Ethereal, with armor looted from a vanquished Custodian
While I tend to see them more as solo pieces, Ethereals can be attached to either Strike or Breacher Teams. While they do give units a 5+ feel no pain and a better leadership save, they’re also capable of farming additional command points. This is a big boost in some of our hungrier detachments, but it being on a 4+ means there is an element of chance to it. I do think they are ultimately better as a tech piece, and there are worse ways to spend 50 points, especially since they can carry some valuable enhancements.
Cadre Fireblades
Gue’vesa Cadre Fireblade
For 50 points, you can add an additional attack for all your infantry. What else is there to say?
Giving your breacher teams 30 shots in total is a pretty good use of your resources, and while the Devilfish, the Fireblade, and the Breachers costs over a 10th of your army, they can and will delete nearly anything in the game. It is a massive amount of damage, especially with some of the potential stratagems and detachment rules available to push it further. I’ve never really seen them with strike teams before, but the extra attacks math is less favorable given their points cost.
Detachments
Three detachments have rules that buff up T’au infantry- Kauyon, Mont’ka, and the Auxiliary Cadre. Each one has their own benefits (and challenges) that are worth examining
Kauyon
The original index detachment, Kauyon gives T’au units sustained hits starting on round 3, with sustained hits 2 if the unit is being guided. The sustained 2 will often be most relevant for the breachers, as it’s rare that you’re going to be guiding pathfinders or strike teams. Guided by a stealth team, your breachers will be hitting more than their initial attacks- and couple with the rerolls to wound, there’s a potential to wound 25 or more times (or even into the 40s with a Cadre fireblade)
Kauyon also offers some choice stratagems as well. Combat Embarkation lets your infantry jump back into a transport when charged, while photon grenades lets you force a leadership test while making charges harder. On the offensive end, you can give a unit +1 to wound on a trapped objective, additional ap when firing into units with 9”, or let them get the ballistic skill bonus into a unit they’ve spotted.
As far as enhancements go, the Exemplar of the Kauyon lets your detachment rule kick in a round early for a unit, letting a squad pop off early into someone who really wants to close the gap. Through Unity, Devastation, gives a spotted unit Lethal Hits on top of the sustained 2 for even more killing power, and the Solid-Image projection unit lets you redeploy valuable assets.
I’ve found breachers to be very effective here, absolutely incinerating units that think they can hold objectives better than they can. With the volume of fire and the right stratagems (and you will have lots of CP available on Turn 3 given the restrictions on when you can use things) Even units of custodes and big knights will have trouble weathering the sheer amount of fire you can put out.
Mont’Ka
The opposite of Kauyon, Montka gives weapons assault, as well as lethal hits in for guided units rounds 1-3. Lethal Hits are killer, though often your infantry will be at the advantage when it comes to wounding. Pathfinders are great here, where the additional movement from assault lets them really fly around the board.
The available stratagems here let your units move faster and kill harder. My personal favorite lets two units dump all their fire into a single target for an additional AP, letting a riptide and a squad of infantry absolutely ruin something brave enough to get close. Otherwise, auto-advance rolls are always nice, and for two CP you can severely hamper a units movement for a turn.
Mont’ka’s most powerful stratagem, the pinpoint counter offensive, lets you get full rerolls on any enemy unit that takes out one of yours. It’s a great way to fish for lethals, but the restriction on T’au units only means you can’t just hurl a krootox at a problem to fish for the activation and a clever opponent can play around it by finishing off a unit with something less valuable.
I haven’t played enough Mont’ka to make crazy proclamations here, but I do think the immediate killing power is really strong. However, I think the assault keyword is usually irrelevant for strike teams, and Breacher teams already have that built in.
Auxiliary Cadre
Is there a kroot hound near you? If so, you will have a Bad Time. Additional AP is great across the board, and there are some killer combos as far as stratagems go. Pathfinders especially love this detachment, where they can dump ap 3 ion cannon shots into a unit of marines and see them get immediately picked up off the table. Breachers with AP 2 are also terrifying, with the potential to delete anything off an objective.
There are some powerful stratagems available- though the strongest gives weapons a bonus to strength when in range of one of the auxiliary units, giving breachers a potential for a strength 8, ap 2 weapon. Another nice option is the ability to move or fall back a unit at the end of the opponents fight phase, letting pathfinders set up shots with their heavy bonus.
The problem is the requirement to activate the detachment rule, which means devoting a portion more of your army to fragile auxiliaries. I had a mixed success with my breacher and pathfinders teams at Cherokee in this detachment- and while that should be taken with a grain of salt (because I am bad), I do think infantry are more useful in other detachments.
Final Thoughts
With their current point costs, Pathfinders are most versatile option for T’au players. While they lack the killing potential of Breachers, the ability to spot twice and punch up with special weapons means they can be useful against a wide variety of threats.
I plan on testing lists with 2-3 units as I prepare for Mebane Mayhem later this spring, especially as I play around in different detachments!