XV-8 Crisis Battlesuit
The XV-8 Crisis team is the signature unit of the Tau army. There is a wide variety of team configurations that can easily bewilder new players. Before committing to a configuration with plastic cement, I recommend attaching weapon and sensor systems with Blu-tac (poster putty works, too) first and practicing with them. I personally like the Blinding Spear Pattern (one Shas'vre with plasma rifle, burst cannon, multi-tracker, hard-wired Drone Controller with two Gun Drones; two Shas'ui with plasma rifle, burst cannon and multi-tracker) and the Fire Knife Configuration (one Shas'vre with plasma rifle, missile pod, multi-tracker, hard-wired Drone Controller with two Gun Drones; two Shas'ui with plasma rifle, missile pod and multi-tracker - the team is Bonded) for my style of play.

The best use of battlesuits with jetpacks (and their drones) is to move just within range, pepper the enemy with fire, and then jump back outside range, preferably behind cover or friendly troops. This tactic will certainly annoy your opponents – which is good, since I want them to be annoyed! My hope is that they'll waste their time trying to chase the Battlesuits down while my Fire Warriors and Heavy Support blow his army away.

Remember that Crisis battlesuits can move normally during the Movement phase, but must use their jetpacks for their movement during the Assault phase. Therefore, deploy behind woods, rocks, and hills, and then move into the difficult terrain/cover with normal movement. Be sure that there is less than 6" of woods between the Crisis team and their target/shooting location so that they can shoot. After shooting, just use the jump packs to blast out of and behind the woods. Then the enemy cannot target them, infuriating them even more!

XV-15 Stealth Battlesuit
Besides the XV-8 Crisis teams, there are the XV-15 Stealth teams. They function in the same way as Crisis teams. However, they can also Infiltrate, and that can spell the doom for any enemy Infiltrators. I use them in conjunction with the Kroot during the Deployment phase to wedge holes in my opponent's line or to slow his forward momentum.

Infiltration is better for Stealth teams than Deep Striking. Save Crisis teams for any Deep Strike tactics. I take large Stealth teams with drones to increase their firepower. Remember that Stealth teams always count as being in cover and use this fact to gain an advantage since the enemy usually charges them in the 1st or 2nd turn.

A markerlight can be a real asset for the Stealth team leader. If the team remains stationary during the Movement phase, then the team leader can use the markerlight. The team may then move using their jetpacks during the Assault phase. With this tactic, the Stealth team is very useful in delivering a seeker missile to just the right spot.

Next: Troops Choices.
Previous: HQ Choices.