Tau Deathstar

[IW Raptors]

So i've experimented with Tau crisis stars of varying degrees, from the small 3 suits & buffmander + a handful of drones, to the full nine suits, buffmander & shadowsun. I'd consider the latter, a small sized star in comparison to the real deathstars of 40k! At least you can shoot it/assault it. 

 

One combination I haven't tried, is the full Tau Deathstar, e.g. the 9 crisis suits with target locks, buffmander, shadowsun, full 20 gun drones and the Warscaper Drone upgrade, because after running the 9 suits+buffmander+shadowsun, I can tell you, difficult terrain tests are a regular occurrence and a pain in the ass with such a large footprint! 

 

Like every Tau player, I have heaps of spare drones and was thinking of putting them to use, but I only get to play 2-3 games a month, so if this is an exercise in "novelty but not practical", it would be cool to know that now and save the time! 

 

The immediate issues are similar to the the crisis star sans drones, it is not fearless and hits the armies overall scoring ability. On the other hand, it dishes out a ridiculous amount of firepower, is pretty quick and durable. I'd probably run the crisis suits with missile pods, to extend the threat range of the unit. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lord Hanaur]

AP and STR are probably a better way to go on a Deathstar.  Range is important to a point but with enough firepower and the fear of overwatch, range becomes LESS of an issue.  The speed of a Tau Suitstar is also in the other units that go along with it.  On one side drops in the suitstar.  On he other, something else nasty.  its not out there alone.

[Talonwinter]

This tau star is no joke but to use it to full effect in the meta you would problem need to look at Terra's. I know sacrilege. They are effective.

[splinx]

I was randomly thinking of trying out 9 suits with my buffmander and then using a combo of different drones. I don't know if the missile drones will be out effective but if you give the buffmander the drone controller for the high BS they may be pretty handy! 

[WestRider]

I was randomly thinking of trying out 9 suits with my buffmander and then using a combo of different drones. I don't know if the missile drones will be out effective but if you give the buffmander the drone controller for the high BS they may be pretty handy! 

Unfortunately, a) Missile Drones can only be taken by Broadsides, and b) Drone Controllers specifically only work with Gun, Marker, and Sniper Drones.

[splinx]

Yes totally correct! I learn something new every day! :)

[IW Raptors]

Yeah, missile drones for everyone would be sick, especially with the drone net formation!

 

Think I'm gonna shelf the full crisis star, the unit footprint is is soooooooo big!

 

Shadowsun, buffmander with tanky gear and 9 suits, most with target locks and the command link drone is large enough without the fun drones coming to party as well.

 

Btw, shadowsuns command link drone and a full unit of Ghostkeels in the optimised stealth cadre is pretty dang nice! Twin links their cyclic ion rakers effectively.

[Guest]

Yeah, missile drones for everyone would be sick, especially with the drone net formation!

If GW sold them in packs of 5 models for $50 each, every unit could take missile drones....

[AbusePuppy]

There actually is a Drone unit pack that is something like two Drones for $14 or something ridiculous like that.

[IW Raptors]

Just a minor bump to the thread, I've run the full 9 crisis suits, buffmander with tanky gear (iridium, shield, Stims) and Shadowsun as warlord for half a dozen or so games, more sans Shadowsun. In each game, I've run the crisis suits with missile pods, for the missiles all round stats. The unit has performed well and is surprisingly mobile. I feel that switching to lower ap weapons might be the way to go, the missile pods are like a safety blanket, they are never bad for any situation, but I think more aggressive play is required, as I've struggled in some games to dominate the midfield.

 

The question is, out of the weapon choices, should I go all plasma, fusion, a mix of the two? Or the cyclic ion raker as an interesting third choice?

 

I'm also running a OSC with fusion blasters and a lone double fusion crisis suit, so I kinda feel that heavy AT is covered, bar multiple Knights, which is a thing I guess.

[Lord Hanaur]

a mix of plasma and fusion makes them good against everything.  so i would do that

[IW Raptors]

Thanks, about half and half split then?

[Lord Hanaur]

that would be my advice.  Or 60% plasma, because meltas tend to blow things up when within 9" so it takes less of them to get the job done really.  If you twin link some of the meltas you can definitely go less meltas.  

[AbusePuppy]

Missile Pods' main advantage is their range and consistent rate of fire- they allow you to hit targets across the table as needed. In a squad of nine, I would start with ~5 Crisis with dual Missiles and then the remaining three with Plasma (presuming that you are doing it "right" and using a Multispectrum Sensor/Command Node on one member.) Shadowsun herself should cover your heavy anti-tank needs pretty easily, as BS5 twin-linked Ignores Cover Tank Hunter melta is going to vaporize most things short of a Knight.

 

The Cyclical Ion Blaster is a solid weapon, but the 18" range is a big limiter- I find it's better to think of it as an upgrade to the Burst Cannon than a sidegrade from the Missile Pod.

[IW Raptors]

I actually run the Buffmander Commander as a 2nd HQ, rather then sticking the gear on an average joe in the squad. The buffmander also gets all the tanky gear, so he can absorb some fire upfront. Between ignore cover and barrage weapons, i'd be too cautious to go without him! 

 

Interesting that you prefer a mix of missile & plasma, I haven't heard that one before. 

[AbusePuppy]

Missiles are the best all-rounder weapon in the Tau arsenal- you use them for cracking tanks, killing light infantry, etc. Plasma kills MCs and heavy infantry and can do some damage to lighter tanks if needed; between the two (and Shadowsun's Fusion Blasters) you are pretty well covered. Both weapons also have a superior reach compared to other options, which allows the deathstar to maintain a bit more distance that you otherwise might- and considering that it can quite easily fold up to an unexpected assault, that is very important.

[IW Raptors]

Thanks, I appreciate the input! Funny enough, as a small aside, speaking of fast assault units, recently, I ended up using the crisis star as an unexpected assault unit vs warp spiders, as the short range of most Tau weapons and the spiders speed/jump shenanigans, it seemed easier in the end to split fire at other units, put the bare minimum shots into spiders and go for the assault!   

 

Perhaps a lack of experience using the unit is contributing to my issues as well, getting the balance right between aggression and overextending with the deathstar+OSC can be tricky, some builds, such as the really fast, durable assault units (Wolfstar variants/Fortuned/Invisible Wraithknights, Eldar Corsairs) have given me allot of trouble, as I just can't hold the mid or realistically expect to table them. I thought more AP2 may help, but I guess it may be a faction issue as well.