How to play Tau in Killteam

So, you want to play Tau in Killteam, eh? Great choice. I get a lot of people asking about starting Tau in Killteam, so I decided to write this guide. It’ll cover everything from what model kit to buy first to stratagems and overall tactics. If you’re a seasoned Tau player, let me know what you think. If you’re a new player, feel free to comment or PM me any questions you have.​Getting Started/What kit to buy firstYou may be tempted by Tabletop Minion’s video to buy a kit of Fire Warriors first. If you have the kit already, then by all means use them. However, if you’re just starting out, I strongly recommend getting the Pathfinder kit instead. Not only is it cheaper, but it contains our strongest unit: Rail Rifles. A correctly set up (We’ll get to what that means in a minute) rail rifle is almost guaranteed to eliminate one unit every turn. Not only that, the kit will put you EXACTLY at 100 points (if built correctly). Here’s how to build them to achieve that number:-3 pathfinder gunners with rail rifles-6 pathfinders-pathfinder shas’ui-recon drone-gun drone-another drone of your choice​On: Rail RiflesRail rifles are so good that I feel the need to elaborate on them a little further. They’re guaranteed to wound on 3s against the entire game except for an Eldar Wraithguards and Wraithblades. They wound on 2s against anything weaker than a space marine. Almost no model* gets a normal save against it. It can also shoot twice at 15” range. It does D3 damage, so you’re statistically very likely to take a model out of action during a damage roll. Overall I can’t recommend them enough. Their only weakness is that they’re a little too good, and your friends might be a little frustrated playing against you if you bring them to every game.​SpecialistsIn Killteam, you can pick up to three specialists and a leader. For Tau purposes, you’re going to want to pick: Sniper, Comms, and Demolitions. You’re going to want to appoint one Rail rifle as sniper, and the other as demolitions. Most people choose the third rail rifle to be their comms. However, I find it’s more efficient to appoint this job to a generic pathfinder. This frees up another one of your precious rail rifles to get into rapid fire range. Otherwise, it probably won’t be hitting anything if you put it in the Tau castle (described in the next paragraph). As for the demolitions, he has +1 to wound naturally against obscured targets. You can also spend 1 command point to get +1 to wound on ANY target which is good for high value targets out in the open, but you’ll almost never need to do this if a target is already obscured (remember, a rail rifle wounds on a 2 or a 3 against almost everything).​The Tau Killteam CastleRemember how I said a correctly set up Rail rifle will eliminate 1 unit per turn? This is where we go over what “correctly set up” means. Here’s what you’re going to want to do. Find the best vantage point possible in your deployment zone. Pick a place where you can see most of the board. This is usually the highest point. I’ve literally flipped a Manufactorum armored container on its side and used that when nothing else was available. Next, put your sniper, comms, and recon drone on top of this vantage point. This is what I call the “Tau Killteam Castle.” When the shooting starts, spend one command point on the Careful Aim stratagem to give your sniper +1 to hit. Use your comms’ special ability to give your sniper an ADDITIONAL +1 to hit. Finally, use your recon drone’s ability to ignore the obscuring penalty on whatever target you pick. The recon drone is also great for using its savior protocol ability to save your sniper from any stray shots (something you should always do; it’s better to lose your drone than your sniper**). After all the buffs, your sniper should be hitting on 2s or 3s. Combine this with wounding on 2s or 3s, virtually no normal armor saves, and multiple damage in the injury roll, and I hope you can see how potent this strategy is. Simply pick what you deem to be the most important target on the table and work your way down from there.​StratagemsHere are a few stratagems I’ve found to be useful in my games. Most of them are more situational than Careful Aim, they’re still useful. I believe that to be a good player, you should know your faction as well as possible.-Recon sweepGreat if your gunner can’t see anything/has no targets. Preferably used if you are going second, so he won’t get targeted by your opponent.-Stealth fieldsMostly useful in 200 point games where you can actually afford three stealth suits.-Focused fireWe wound on 3s against almost every other faction. This is a great way to wound on 2s instead against enemy teams with a low model count (alternatively, it’s great against Death Guard and Custodes, who have a toughness of 5).-Neuroweb system jammerGreat against other Tau castles or charging units.-Support turret replacementIf your tactical support turret can’t find targets where it is, use this stratagem to set it up somewhere else. Be careful, it’s expensive.-Tandem hunting patternUse this if your opponent has a unit that you KNOW will kill you before you get to even shoot. It’s also useful if you feel the absolutely feel the need to make your rail rifle gunner a comms specialist (but again, not recommended)-Prudent retreatVery situational, but useful if your opponent has to make a long charge distance to get to you-The baited trapI prefer this one instead. No explanation needed really. Try and keep it a surprise until you get the chance to kill a valuable unit. Be careful, it’s expensive.-Multi spectrum sensor suiteIf your recon drone dies, you can use this instead to gain the same bonus. Or, you can effectively have two recon drones at once.​Moving forward/What to buy next.“Rail rifles are nice and all, but pathfinders are too squishy. They can’t take objectives effectively. My leader also keeps getting killed. What gives, OP? I was thinking that Tau we’re going to be good!” Worry not, Shas’la. Now we’ll talk about what to get after the Pathfinder kit. In order to fix your squishy pathfinder problem, you’re going to want to replace all of them (except your comms) with gun drones instead. With the exception of a lower leadership, they’re better than a pathfinder in every way. Don’t let their lower BS worry you, you’re almost always hitting on 6s in Killteam anyway. Plus, they have double the shots, so it works out. Use them to take objectives (with their fast movement and fly ability) and keep your pathfinder gunners safe with their savior protocols. Ignore what the core rulebook says about them having a 5+ save, this is a typo that got changed in an FAQ. As for your leader, I recommend getting a stealth suit and making that your leader. They’re -1 to hit, have a toughness of 4, and 2 wounds. This makes them much more survivable. I strongly recommend the burst cannon over the fusion blaster. You could argue the fusion blaster against very tough enemies like Custodes or Death Guard, but I would trust my rail rifles to do the heavy lifting in situations like that***.​Final thoughtsThat’s it, really. That’s all I have to say about Tau in Killteam for now. If this post gets enough attention, I can talk a little about what to bring to a 200 point game. As for what sub faction to pick in the elites expansion, I strongly recommend Borkan sept. In my opinion, it stands a head and shoulders above the other sub faction benefits. Feel free to comment below or PM me with any questions you have. I’ll try to help you any way I can. Until next time, For the Greater Good!​*except for terminators, custodes, lords of contagion, and bullgryns with slab shields.**also, a flesh wounded drone can still use savior protocols, but a flesh wounded sniper now has -1 BS and has to take nerve tests.***and honestly, against a Killteam like that, it’s better to play the objectives anyway. via /r/Tau40K https://ift.tt/3eTByMR