So today, GW's Digital folks released another dataslate. This one, unlike Be'Lakor yesterday, represents a formation and unlike the FW, Apocalypse and other Expansion formations, this one is meant for use in 40k. It is a detachment all to itself and has some potency that will likely see it used. I will include the details below and then pose the question of what this means for 40k and how we play our game:
So the Tau Firebase Support Cadre is made up of a Riptide and two, Three-man (has to be three) Broadside teams. It literally is the box set bundle called "Tau Firebase Support Cadre" they are selling right now.
What does it do - Well, being a formation, it can be added to your army as a detachment following the rules of the Allies matrix. Here is what the rules say for Allied Formations:
Formations do not count as your army’s Allied Detachment, even if they are made up of units from a different codex to your Primary Detachment, and they do not stop you from taking an Allied Detachment in the same army. However, the Levels of Alliance rules from the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook do apply to them and units chosen from a different codex that
are in the same army
So this means they can be added in similar to how Inquisition can be added in, but without the usual ally detachment FOC structure.
Additionally, the formation itself gets free access to Preffered Enemy Space Marines (defined the same way as the Hatred rules for CSM) and also gets Tank Hunters. As a side note, opposing Space Marines get Hatred against the Cadre.
Now, this all sounds pretty powerful, but really, the formation costs a ton of points before upgrades and then when you look at trying to make broken Ally combos, you start to run out of Schlitz quickly in your average 1850 list.
What does this mean for 40k?
Whether or now you think this is powerful, you have to wonder how this will be recieved by the community.
I am a tournament player mostly and thus, wonder how it will be recieved by the competitive side of the community. I think there will certainly be a knee jerk reaction, if not a long term reaction to it - which may actually depend on how the next couple of Formations pan out.
My personal opinion is to allow the formations into standard and competitive play. I really think, just looking at this first one, that it won't break the game, it won't change the meta (at the moment anyway), so let's let them play and see what happens.
SO, with that said what do you think of the Fire Support Cadre? What do you think of adding formations into standard 40k? How do you think this will play out?