Basically what it comes down to is that there are alpha strike lists, and run away+ speed bump lists. Alpha strike lists generally have a lot of fire power with Broadsides, Crisis teams, even my crazy seeker list I use sometimes is definitely an "Alpha Strike" style list.Then there are the runaway speed bump lists, with kroot speed bumps and lots of transports, no static anything (sniper drones, broadsides) everything is always moving and staying away until the perfect time to strike happens.
It is fun to discuss theory and all the nerdie "what ifs?" Basically it comes down to this: Tau don't have any tricks that have not been seen and people are looking through their codeces to try to figure out some weird new thing to exploit. Yes you could spam Vespid or take 7 firewarrior squads in devilfish (one with the Ethereal) and you opponent would be confused, but it's not gonna be a crazy "OMG I discovered a new Tau strat!"
Instead of cementing your brain meats into one play style or another
, cement your opponent's brain meat into the style you want to play against. This past weekend I was in a tournament at Phoenix games here in Minneapolis. It was a very fun tournament and there is always a crowd of diverse players. I did not take my camera because it seems impolite to take time to record during a match where you have a limited amount of time to play.
The TO used the Adepticon mission scenarios for the different matches and it was a lot of fun. My first game I played against another Tau player, my first time fighting against Tau. He couldn't have been more than 11 and was super spazzy. He brought a Farsight list and his list was not valid. Instead of just disqualifying him I helped him re-work his list before the match. I did not take him very seriously and I lost the match, mostly because I did not deploy as well as I should have and did not put much thought into tactics because I didn't give my opponent enough credit. (It was still a really fun game because the kids commentary was hilarious)
My point being, your demeanor and attitude can change how your opponent will play the game. Psychology wars are the last tricks Tau have to play.
Saying that you are killing blow or patient hunter just locks you in to a mindset that prevents you from adapting to the changing battlefield. It is good to have an organization process for list building but maybe you should make sure your list can do both. I am still working on that last one in my list building, but I am having a lot of fun doing it and that's what matters. (That and playing Disgaea 3)
P.S.
My other 2 opponents were Grey Knights and Dark Eldar who I won against. The grey knights tried to play the sit back and shoot game, and the Dark Eldar player only managed to kill 2 crisis suits with his 28 dark lances, not because I had awesome skills, but because he couldn't roll to hit or to wound 80% of the time.
-Krox
So...
ReplyDeleteYou are against building your list with a strategy in mind? Or do you simply want a multitude of strategies available?
You give an example of "locking in" to a playstyle. I would argue that we are not locked in, but we have crafted our list to take advantage of our preferred weapons.
It is the difference between knowing one form of swordplay only as opposed to starting with your favored one.
I've decided i'm a crisis suit player, and eh... I like lots of crisis suits! Playing against marines on Monday night, he has no idea my new 1500 list has a Helios unit. I know he'll be rolling with a Landraider and Hammer and Shield Termie Squad, so will be fun!
ReplyDelete@Al:
ReplyDeleteSaying this: I think there is more than Kauyon or Mont'ka. Look at the types of opponents you are up against in your area and prepare to fight that. I guess I am more of a free style fighter, that doesn't mean that I am against having a specific strategy, it means that strategy is what you do after you have brought your list to the table. OSH does it all the time. He may be building a list that is traditionally K, but that doesn't mean that he will sit there if his opponent starts doing things that seriously circumvent his ability to do that. Then again, the whole scene is going to change once the new Tau codex comes out in a year or two.
I guess I just like picking fights to get attention :) But I do agree with sticking with a favored style of play, but that play style for me is neither M or K.
@Gredus
That is more of what I am thinking. Do stuff you like to do because it works with how you want to use your army.
@Al:
ReplyDeleteAlso Al you should post some battle reports so I can get a better idea of what you are thinking with your tactics and how you respond to your opponent's movements in a match. I think you have some interesting theory points and would like to see those in action.