Warhammer 40K: This Week’s Meta Hotness – T’au Kroot Hounds
Let’s take a look at a unit that is a real good boy, T’au Kroot Hounds.
In the ever-shifting meta of 40K, armies rise and fall. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about armies that are hot or not, but a lot less time looking at units that are running the show. Today let’s start by taking a look at one of the hottest units currently running around the tabletop.
The Unit
Kroot Hounds are a T’au Empire fast attack unit. These four legged relatives of the common Kroot serve as Auxiliary units in the T’au Empire. Light and fast, they are the swiftest assault unit in the T’au arsenals. They are a fast, skirmishing/light close combat unit with a few tricks.
Why are Kroot Hounds Good?
Kroot Hounds are not really good in the traditional sense. Their stats on the whole are quite lackluster. Strength and Toughness 3, with 1 wound and a 6+ plus is almost as bad as it gets. The lack of any shooting weapon does not help. The fact that they get 3 attacks at WS 3+ is about all that keeps them from having one of the worst stat lines in the game. However even with 3 attacks their low strength means they are not particularly deadly as an assault unit.
They have but two saving graces, mobility and cost. With a 12″ move and a pre game free move they can get around. The added benefit of re-rolling advance and charge moves helps them get where they need to be (hopefully in cover). On top of that they are a measly 6 points a model, with a minimum unit size of 4. 24 points for a unit counts them at one of the cheapest units in the game. Cheap units as we have seen, do have uses. From board control to camping or stealing far flung objectives. This is a unit that’s value is not in what it can kill, but in doing random tasks you don’t want to tie a real unit up with.
A Sample List
Saying a unit is hot is all well and good, but let’s take a look at how players are using it. Kroot Hounds have been in a number of lists that have done well at recent tournaments. One list that uses them is the following: run by Jack Harpster for a top place finish at the 2022 Cherokee Open.
++ Farsight Allies Patrol Detachment ++
+ Stratagems +
Stratagem: Emergency Dispensation [-2CP]: 2x Additional Relics
+ No Force Org Slot +
Crisis Bodyguards x3 each w/ ion and double plasma, 1 iridium battlesuit and 1 shield drone.
+ HQ +
Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit w/ Burst Cannon, DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon, High-output Burst Cannon, 2x Plasma, Solid-image Projection Unit, Stratagem: Promising Pupil for Exemplar of the Mont’ka & 1 Marker Drone, 1 Shield Drone
Ethereal w/ 2x Marker drones, Hover drone, Humble stave, Sense of Stone, Wisdom of the Guides
+ Troops +
Kroot Carnivores x10
+ Elites +
Crisis Battlesuits x5 each with Ion, 2x Plasma & shield generator, one w/ Stimm Injectors & Iridium battlesuit. 3 shield drones , 1 marker drone
Stealth Battlesuits x4 w/ burst cannons, Homing Beacon, 1 marker drone, 1 shield drone
+ Fast Attack +
Kroot Hounds x4
Kroot Hounds x4
++ Farsight Allies Patrol Detachment ++
+ No Force Org Slot +
Crisis Bodyguards x3 each w/ ion and double plasma, 1 iridium battlesuit and 1 shield drone.
+ HQ +
Commander in Crisis Battlesuit [9 PL, 202pts, -1CP]: 1. Precision of the Hunter, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Iridium battlesuit, Stratagem: Promising Pupil, T’au Flamer, The Be’gel Hunter’s Plate, Thermoneutronic Projector & 1 Marker Drone, 1 Shield Drone
+ Troops +
Kroot Carnivores x10
+ Elites +
Crisis Battlesuits x5 each w/ 2x Frag, Flamer, Target Lock, 1 w/ Iridium battlesuit & 3x shield generator Drones, 1x Marker Drone
+ Fast Attack +
Kroot Hounds x4
++ T’au Sept Supreme Command Detachment ++
Commander Shadowsun [8 PL, 150pts]: 2x High-energy Fusion Blaster, Warlord
Using Kroot Hounds
Jack’s list makes use of three minimum sized units of Kroot Hounds. These are by no means a main part of his battleline. In fact they should not be in the battle line at all. In a list that is dominated by several large and expensive units of Battlesuits, he needs some light unit to preform miscellaneous tasks. Enter the Kroot Hounds and two units of Carnivores. While the Carnivores are better preforming actions, being infantry, and tying up units in combat, the faster Hounds have their role as well. These guys can get where you they need to be. Small and fast they can hide out of sight to contest table sections or claim objectives. They can even tie up a vehicle for a round. They act as a strong utility unit in the army.
Let us know what units you think are hot right now, down in the comments!
