Warhammer 40K: This Week’s Meta Hotness – T’au Crisis Bodyguards
Let’s take a look at a unit that would keep you safe in an emergency, T’au Crisis Bodyguards.
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
Crisis Suits are the iconic unit if the T’au Empire. The Crisis Bodyguards are elite troops wearing Crisis Suits, dedicated to protecting T’au commanders. Though and fast, they are super modular and able to carry a ton of mission specific weapons. They act as heavy T’au fire support units and bodyguards to command units.
Why are T’au Crisis Bodyguards Good?
Crisis Bodyguards share a lot with normal Crisis Suits. They start off with a pretty solid stat line. Move 10 keeps them nimble, while T5 4 wounds and a 3+ save means they can take a lot of damage before going down. Three attacks and S5 is also nothing to laugh at if they can hit you. The one big draw back to the units stats is the hitting part. WS 5+ and BS 4+ aren’t super amazing, though T’au have some ways of mitigating this.
Of course the suits are really just platforms to mount a ton of different weapons on. Each suit can mount 3 weapons, a suit system and up to two support drones, with up to 6 suits in a unit thats nearly infinite combinations. Crisis suits have access to a number of deadly weapons, from heavy hitters like Plasma Rifles, now upgraded, and Fusion Blasters, to specialist high right of fire weapons like T’au Flamers or Airburst Fragmentation Projectors.
Bodyguards Just Get More
Normal Crisis suits really combine the best of all worlds. With the ablity to deep strike, fly and 10″ move they can get around. A large unit supported by drones brings a absolute ton of wounds to the table that are hard to remove. They put out a ton of firepower and can be kitted out to kill any kind of target. On top of that being Battlesuits means not even locking them up in combat will stop them from shooting.
Bodyguards get all of these bonuses, with a few slight restrictions on options, and some added buffs. Thanks to being a different unit they let you by pass the rule of 3 and effectively take extra units of Crisis Suits. They also get rules to protect characters adding a bit of versatility and don’t take up force org slots.
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. Crisis Bodyguard’s 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 Crisis Suits
Jack’s list makes use of two units of three suits each. Since Jack already took two large units of Crisis suits he is effectively bypassing the rule of 3 and fielding 4 units of Crisis suits here. The Bodyguard units are cheaper and smaller than the other units, but still deadly. Double plasma and ion sets them up very well to deal with MEQ and heavier infantry as well as light armor. 2 D3 shots and 3 D2 shots each means they can chew through high value targets.
A shield drone and iridium suit each give them some extra survivability. Speed, as well as deep strike, combined with Farsight means they will almost always be getting a +1 to hit. These units allow him to double down on suits for a really hard hitting list.
Let us know what units you think are hot right now, down in the comments!
