Fit in a game last night and had a hell of a time of it. This will actually break down into two post to make sure I cover both the battles in detail and the lessons learned. My army was basically half of what I fielded against the Daemons in the report earlier.
- 10-man ASM (PW/MB; 2xMG; Rhino)
- 5-man ASM (PW/MB; 1xMG; Rhino)
- Librarian (Shield; Lance)
- Priest (Meltabomb)
- 5-man Sternguard (2xCombi-Melta; Rhino with HK Missile)
The Tau forces fielded by my enemy (Jason) was built around Hammerheads as they really appealed to him. He built it on his own and then I went over it to ensure it was legal and had the proper allotment of weapons/support systems and that upgrades like Team Leader were applied so he could use certain items. Sure, some of the selections are not the best, but this is his first list and we all have to learn the game via trial and error. We don't always accept other people's suggestions as the best without knowing how things really perform first.
- Shas'el (Flamer; Missile Pod; Multi-tracker; Shield Drone)
- 2x 6-man FireWarriors
- 1-Shas'vre (Cyclic Ion Blaster; Flamer; MT)
- 1-Shas'vre (TL Fusion Blaster; Flamer; MT; Shield Drone; Stim-Injector)
- 3x Hammerhead (Ion Cannon; Burst Cannons; MT; D-pod)
Now, for the twist in this report. I got first turn and kept it, to deny the Tau an Alpha Strike so I can go Flat Out, pop smoke, go FO again, then unload into his lines. What happens, Jason rolls his magical 6 for like the 3rd game in a row and steals the initiative! As I fume, he lines up his shots and explodes the Sternguard and wreck the utility Rhino with the special characters. Well... there goes the game in my head. I can no longer zip in with Meltas to take out the tanks and have to hoof it around to get into assault. We agree right then to play a rematch with the exact same deployment but I get first turn, to see how it would be different. Pictures follow with the play by play.
Basically, that alpha strike ended the game. There was no way to take out his tanks anymore and they just picked me apart with AP3 weapons, eventho I normally had 4+ or 5+ cover saves, it wasn't enough. It was my first loss in a while and only with the new BA, but it's all good. I learned a few things about BA, but makes me confident in the Tau being viable still. The list can be refined more and be even more deadly. My only counter would be to switch to Jump Packs under the cover of a Libby Shield to fore go the Rhinos getting popped. The rematch will be posted tomorrow with pics to show you how important deployment and first turn can be!
1 comments:
Even if you do go first, it pays to set up in a more defensive formation (1 Rhino covering 2 others) to limit the effect of seizing.
Alternatively, having units with jump packs arriving via DoA or taking Pods can disrupt things early on. The unit in question will probably not survive, but it can be enough to take your opponent's focus while you get rolling.
Post a Comment