Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Tau (section)

=====Units=====
======HQ======
*[[Farsight|'''Commander Farsight''']]: The rebel melee commander got better with the codex, and now Psychic Awakening gives you the tools to solve the old problem of him being the only melee model in your army. Now that reserves and deepstrike scatter no longer exist, Farsight's focused on his one true calling: Close. Quarters. Combat. His '''Way of the Short Blade''' is a 6" aura for any {{W40kKeyword|Farsight enclaves}} to re-roll 1s to hit...in the Fight phase, upgraded to any phase vs Orks because fuck Be'gel. His S+3 AP-4 D1d3 Dawn Blade effectively strikes like a power fist, but with only 4A he still has to pick his battles: finish infantry shot half to death alongside your trusty S5 3A Crisis Bodyguards, or put a dent in a tank. He's got no drones of his own, so buy some separately.
**Naturally he goes well with Crisis units. He's got a relic-tier S6 AP-4 D2 plasma rifle good for killing TEQ, but he's still the least shooty commander you'll see because that's his only gun. As such, he's perhaps the best candidate to use the '''Command and Control Node''' stratagem, and sacrifice only two shots for half a dozen battlesuits to re-roll wounds for shooting the turn they arrive. Next turn you can get closer to 6" of the enemy and get the wounds re-rolls of 1 from the tenet, and you can use Farsight's '''Genius of Mont'Ka''' extra activation to get those Fusion Blasters in position.

======Lords of War======
* '''The Eight:''' As of The Greater Good, Commander Spam is back -- if you’re willing to pay for it.<br/>As a single Lord of War choice, you get Farsight, 5 Commanders (One in an XV85), a Missileside, a Riptide, and 14 Drones, at a discount of over 100 points than if you took them individually. In exchange, you must take all of them, and their loadouts are static (including their Drones), though they do come with some unique abilities in addition to their wargear.<br/>If you take this unit, you must make Farsight your Warlord. Of course, you may not take The Eight and a second Commander Farsight using the Codex Datasheet. Additionally, this unit must be taken alone in a Super-Heavy Auxiliary detachment, and actually ''costs'' 3 Command Points to take. The book justifies this as an automatic use of the extra relics stratagem, as 3 of the unit's models carry Signature Systems. The whole unit is set up at the same time, but they don’t have to set up in cohesion with one another (though Drones are set up in cohesion with the character that brings them). With the exception of O’vesa, any character may be set up in Reserve via Manta Strike. For what you're paying (1120 points) you're getting phenomenal discounts along with very potent special rules and what its essentially 6 drops and 2 anchors all in one unit. Following setup, each of the Eight is treated as its own unit. Farsight’s profile is identical to his HQ profile. The other seven are:
** '''Commander Brightsword:''' Fusion Blades (i.e., 2 Fusion Blasters), a Target Lock, a Counterfire Defense system, and 2 Shield Drones. His Drones (and only *his* Drones) have the nifty ability to slow down enemy charges, a la Grav Inhibitor Drones - helpful, as his primary weapons will frequently keep him within easy charge range. Do note his Fusion Blasters are two extra attacks on top of his regular melee ones, unlike the normal version.
** '''Commander Bravestorm:''' Plasma Rifle, Flamer, Advanced Targeting System, Shield Generator, the Onager Gauntlet, and 2 Gun Drones. Has a better Armour Save than Brightsword and an inherent 6+++. Unlike other users, his Onager Gauntlet is an extra attack on top of his regular melee. Still, it's a single punch.
** '''Shas’o Sha’vastos:''' Plasma Rifle, Flamer, Advanced Targeting System, Shield Generator, the Puretide Engram Neurochip, and 2 Gun Drones. He carries a loadout largely identical to Bravestorm’s, but he is not as durable while having the same effective range. Serves best as a backfield buff-Commander so that he can continue generating Command Points while being screened by more expendable units.  
** '''Shas’o Arra’kon:''' +1 Wound from his enforcer suit, plus a Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Counterfire Defense System, and 2 Gun Drones. His Repulsor Impact Field ability is similar to the stratagem of the same name but goes off on a 2+. It's still just 1 Mortal Wound, but at least it's free.
** '''Sub-commander Torchstar:''' 2 Flamers, an Advanced Targeting System, a Drone Controller, and 2 Marker drones. Like Arra’kon, she has an ability named after an existing Stratagem (Neuroweb System Jammer). However, it functions differently: any shooting attacks that target her are penalized, and enemy units cannot arrive from Reserves within 12” of her. Her fluff paints her as a hot-blooded frontliner, but she may be tactically better on the backfield, buffing her Drones, denying deep-strikes, and assisting a gunline with her souped-up flamers in Overwatch.
** '''Ob’lotai 9-0:''' High-Yield Missile Pods, Smart Missile System. Seeker Missile, Velocity Tracker, and 2 Missile Drones. Takes no penalties to shooting after moving and reduces all incoming damage by 1 (min 1). Tougher to crack than a standard Broadside due to being a {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTER}}; Have him hang out with a couple of Strike Teams to keep him from being targeted.
** '''Honour-Shas’vre O’vesa''': A Riptide with an Ion Accelerator, Fusion Blasters, a Target Lock, an Early Warning Override, and 2 Shielded Missile Drones. Re-rolls 1s when shooting without the need for markerlight buffs, and doesn’t take Mortal Wounds from using the Nova Reactor on a 4+. Like the rest of The Eight, he is a {{W40kKeyword|Character}}, though his Riptide profile won't keep him safe from being shot at. Instead, it makes him eligible for (and vulnerable to) abilities, stratagems, and powers that would not affect a stock Riptide.
** Three of the individual units focus mainly on infantry (~GEQ): Torchstar, Sha'vastos, Bravestorm. Two focus mainly on heavier infantry (MEQ and TEQ): Ob'lotai, Arra'kon. Another two deal with high toughness/armour: O'vesa, Brightsword. Farsight is, of course, your warlord and can handle business on his own, but will work well when in CC with the onager gauntlet or the fusion blades and is best suited to attacking TEQ.
* The Eight are a very cinematic choice and can be effective when played to their strengths and properly supported. However, the unit will account for more than half of your army’s total points in most games it can be brought to. Furthermore, Battlesuit gameplay changed A LOT from 7E to 8E, and this guys didn't. <u>Any loadout that isn't 4x of the same gun is a waste of a Commander's BS2+</u>, and many of them are actually spaztic, combining anti-GEQ flamers with anti-MEQ plasma rifles. Yes they are stacked with relic gear, but if what you want is to merely spam Commanders, then bring the ones you want instead of the ones GW gives you: You can bring 3 Commanders (rule of three), Farsight and Shadowsun, with Commander flavours the Eight don't have (markerlight Commander, Smart missile commander, COLDSTAR MONAT). Hell, you could represent Torchstar with a Crisis Bodyguard Shas'vre (she's SUBcommander) with dual flamers and a drone controler, even give yours a 2+ save the real one doesn't have. You would miss out on Broadside Ob'lotai and Riptive O'vesa...were it not for the amazing Prototype Gear you can equip your versions with. All in all, [[your dudes]] can beat GW's 8 anytime.