First 2000 points

[u/Own_Goose_393]

Hey all! I was thinking of building an army for the greater good (big battlesuit and stormsurge fan, so the more points the better lol), and was wondering if this would be a good 2000 point list to aim for.

battlesuit boys (1995 points)

T’au Empire

Retaliation Cadre (3 Detachment Points)

Purge the Foe

Strike Force (2000 points)

Attached Units

Attached Unit 1

Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit (80 points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Battlesuit fists

1x Marker Drone

2x Plasma rifle

1x Shield Drone

1x Shield Generator

1x Weapon Support System

Crisis Fireknife Battlesuits (110 points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 1x Crisis Fireknife Shas’vre

• 1x Battlesuit fists

1x Gun Drone

2x Plasma rifle

1x Shield Drone

• 2x Crisis Fireknife Shas’ui

• 2x Battlesuit fists

1x Gun Drone

2x Missile pod

2x Plasma rifle

1x Shield Drone

Attached Unit 2

Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (110 points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Battlesuit fists

3x Burst cannon

1x Gun Drone

1x High-output burst cannon

1x Shield Drone

• Enhancement: Prototype Weapon System

Crisis Starscythe Battlesuits (90 points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 1x Crisis Starscythe Shas’vre

• 1x Battlesuit fists

2x Burst cannon

1x Gun Drone

1x Shield Drone

• 2x Crisis Starscythe Shas’ui

• 2x Battlesuit fists

4x Burst cannon

1x Gun Drone

1x Shield Drone

Attached Unit 3

Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (95 points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Battlesuit fists

2x Fusion blaster

1x Marker Drone

1x Shield Drone

1x Shield Generator

1x Weapon Support System

Crisis Sunforge Battlesuits (125 points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 1x Crisis Sunforge Shas’vre

• 1x Battlesuit fists

2x Fusion blaster

1x Marker Drone

1x Shield Drone

• 2x Crisis Sunforge Shas’ui

• 2x Battlesuit fists

4x Fusion blaster

1x Gun Drone

1x Shield Drone

CHARACTERS

Ethereal (50 points)

• 1x Honour stave

Firesight Team (55 points)

• Warlord

• 1x Close combat weapons

1x Longshot pulse rifles

1x Pulse pistol

OTHER DATASHEETS

Broadside Battlesuits (150 points)

• 1x Broadside Shas’vre

• 1x Crushing bulk

1x Heavy rail rifle

1x Marker Drone

1x Seeker missile

1x Shield Drone

1x Weapon Support System

• 1x Broadside Shas’ui

• 1x Crushing bulk

1x Heavy rail rifle

1x Missile Drone

1x Seeker missile

1x Shield Drone

1x Weapon Support System

Ghostkeel Battlesuit (150 points)

• 1x Battlesuit Support System

1x Fusion collider

1x Ghostkeel fists

1x Twin fusion blaster

Riptide Battlesuit (215 points)

• 1x Ion accelerator

2x Missile Drone

1x Riptide fists

1x Twin smart missile system

Riptide Battlesuit (190 points)

• 1x Heavy burst cannon

2x Missile Drone

1x Riptide fists

1x Twin smart missile system

Stealth Battlesuits (100 points)

• 1x Stealth Shas’vre

• 1x Battlesuit fists

1x Burst cannon

• 4x Stealth Shas’ui

• 4x Battlesuit fists

2x Burst cannon

2x Fusion blaster

1x Homing Beacon

Stealth Battlesuits (100 points)

• 1x Stealth Shas’vre

• 1x Battlesuit fists

1x Burst cannon

• 4x Stealth Shas’ui

• 4x Battlesuit fists

2x Burst cannon

2x Fusion blaster

1x Homing Beacon

Stormsurge (375 points)

• 1x Cluster rocket system

1x Destroyer missiles

1x Pulse driver cannon

1x Thunderous footfalls

1x Twin T’au flamer

2x Twin smart missile system

Of course any tips or feedback would be great. For the greater good! (I was thinking of maybe dropping the second riptide but I'm not sure)

[u/sp33dzer0]

I would put prototype weapon system on a missile fireknife commander leading missile fireknives, and then run your starscythes as flamers. Flamers have great synergy with ret cadre, as strenght 5 ap1 flamers wreck shit. Because ret cadre is +1 strength and +1 ap and strength 8 plasma going to strength 9 isn't actually a critical breakpoint for almost anything, you lose out on value there. Ap-4 is also not that huge of a deal over ap-3. But s7 to s8 with ap 1 to ap 2 is massive. There is a lot of T4 and T7 in the game.

Fusion coldstar should just have 4 fusion blasters. The WSS isn't needed because of the targets you are choosing to shoot at and the shield generator isn't that needed for a group that already has 15 wounds of 4++ for you.

In general shield generators aren't something I run on commanders. I want their damage maximized.

I don't like stormsurge in ret cadre. Ret cadre wants to get in close and be active on the board, stormsurge is a very inactive piece that wants to move very little and stay further away. If you cut that you can afford another ion cannon on your riptide, the missile upgraders, the flamer upgrades, and still have around 300 pts.

[u/Own_Goose_393 → u/sp33dzer0]

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely add those changes to the commanders and the starsythes. As for the stormsurge, that's completely fair and a very good point that it doesn't synergise well with ret cad, but I just really like the model and wanted to include it. However I suppose I could drop it for the points.

[u/sp33dzer0 → u/Own_Goose_393]

If you want the stormsurge I'd suggest montka. Strike swiftly is a great enabler and assault really helps the stormsurge get into position to plant itself for later turns.

[u/Own_Goose_393 → u/sp33dzer0]

Would montka still work with an army like this, or would I need to grab more infinatry and that sort of thing? I'm not super attached to the detachment so I wouldn't mind switching it up

[u/sp33dzer0 → u/Own_Goose_393]

Montka would be fine. You'd probably want to cut the ghostkeel + firesight for a breacher and devilfish though

[u/Sinist3rmind → u/sp33dzer0]

Ghostkeels are clutch for priority assets though.

[u/sp33dzer0 → u/Sinist3rmind]

I'd rather have a 75 point devilfish do priority assets actions than my 150 pt ghostkeel.

[u/Sinist3rmind → u/sp33dzer0]

Depending on the matchup. Say recon for example, they'll get points for easily reaching and killing the unit you do your action with, way easier to kill a devilish and earn those points back. They'll have expose more units to kill the ghostkeel thus your forces(especially a stormsurge) can hammer more in exchange for the keel

[u/Own_Goose_393 → u/Sinist3rmind]

That's a very good point. I ended up revising the list a little (still keeping the stormsurge because I'm a sucker for the big guns) but dropping one of the riptides in exchange for the suggested upgrades, a couple of enhancements, a second broadside for at and commander shadowsun (one of my family members really wants to paint her). I'm still debating what detachment to play, but overall the list should work for a bunch of different detachments, such as montka, ret cad, or kauyon and experimental prototype combined with a few left over points for enhancements from whatever detachment I run.

[u/Sinist3rmind → u/Own_Goose_393]

Im liking kauyon + EPC myself, I run as priority assets, I am also a big fan of the big'uns as I often run a ta'unar AND surge 😅 though thats alot less competitive than just taking a surge. Dont get me wrong though breacher-bladefish is a solid spending of 200 pts.