Crazy Dave from No Turtles Allowed posted up his version of what he envisions as a “competitive” Tau army list.
I have to admit that I’ve played against a variant of this list, and well it takes some getting used to when it comes to battling against it.
The framework for the list he lays down below is a pretty good starting point for anyone starting to play Tau, or switching their lists over from 5th Edition.
We also talk about this list en depth on Episode 9 of our podcast, Forge The Narrative, so be sure to listen to our discussion if your’re interested in getting more insight on the list itself!
From Crazy Dave
Here is an updated version of my previous Tau lists. I am very comfortable with this one.
Fusion
Missile
Iridium Armor
Drone Controller
Target Lock
Puretide Chip
2x Marker Drones
3x Crisis Battlesuits
3x Fusion
3x Missile
3x Target Locks
4x Marker Drones
Rip Tide
Stimulant Injector
Ion Accelerator
Rip Tide
Stimulant Injector
Ion Accelerator
10kroot
1 hound
10kroot
1 hound
10kroot
1 hound
10kroot
1 hound
10kroot
3x Broadsides
High Yield
3x Velocity Trackers
Bonded
6 Missile Drones
Hammer Head
Submunitions
Longstrike
Sky Ray
I enjoy this list a lot. It has 73 infantry models @ 82 wounds, plus the two Rip Tides and the 2 AV13 vehicles.
The army can dish out:
32 S7 AP4 shots
6 S7 AP2 or 2 S8 AP2 Large Blast
6-8 Fusion shots
32 S5 AP5 ignore cover no LoS
6 S8 AP3
50-100 Sniper shots
1 S10 AP1 BS5 Tank hunter
8 Markers
Some interesting things about the list: The hounds give acute sense to the outflanking Kroot. The Unit of Crisis suits is joined by the Commander, He gives all the marker drones BS5 and since he and the suits have Target Locks, this means the Markers can light up a target(averaging 5 hits) while the unit lights up 1-4 other targets(using pure tide chip if needed) This + the BS4 markers on the Sky Ray makes for much more efficient markers than Pathfinders. IMO better than Tetras too.
Dave along with “TheHod” have their own blog where they muse about modeling and the competitive scene. You can check it out here No Turtles Allowed
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at the Las Vegas Open, each of which attracts thousands of players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the 2011 Adepticon 40k Team Tournament. He was even featured for his painting in issue #304 of Games Workshop’s White Dwarf Magazine.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
