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Warhammer 40K: Lion El’Jonson Rules Reveal – Get Ready For A Lion Beatstick

3 Minute Read
Mar 29 2023
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Lion El’Jonson is going to wipe the floor with entire squads who are foolish enough to get in his way. The Lion Beatdown begins!

Warhammer 40,000 is full of superbad genetically enhanced ultra-killers. And that’s just the starting wave for Space Marines. Lion El’Jonson is a Primarch — a genetic father of an entire chapter — so of course he’s gonna be super badass, too. We had a feeling he’d be on par with Guilliman. Now that we have a look at his rules those theories are now confirmed.

via Warhammer Community

“It’s enough to warm the hard heart of even the dourest Unforgiven. Despite a 10,000-year convalescence, the Lion is raring to get back to his favourite hobby – killing traitors. Any cobwebs he might have had from his slumber have been well and truly shaken off, if the stats on his datasheet are anything to go by.”

Lion El’Jonson: The Rules

So it’s not a surprise that he’s got Primarch-level stats. He’s effectively the same as Guilliman with one change to note — the 10 attacks he’s packing! That’s impressive for sure. But it’s made even more impressive by the weapon he’s wielding…

He’s not swinging the Lion Sword…but he’s got a pretty spicy blade anyhow with Fealty. The Sweep Attack is a squad clearer by itself. That’s 20 attacks, folks. Each hit is Strength 6 at AP -3 and 2 damage a pop. If you think his 2+ WS is going to get a workout, you’d be right! And if he’s up against a harder target the Strike attack is also terrifying. Clocking in at Strength 10 and -5 with 4 damage a pop, that’s a potential 40(!!!) damage.

On the defensive Lion El’Jonson isn’t slouching either. The Emperor’s shield protects!

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The Emperor’s Shield grants him a 4+ invulnerable as well as the chance to reflect up to 3 wounds back in melee as Mortal Wounds on an unmodified 6. He’s basically saying, “Go ahead…gimme your best shot.” But odds are he’s the one that’s going to get to dictate when and where he fights.

“The true nature of this empyric travel is known only to the Primarch himself, but as he lay slumbering beneath the Rock his dreams often returned to the forests of his youth. Could he be borne by the ghosts of that same arboreal realm, slain in the destruction of Caliban? He’s certainly not telling, but the practical applications of this ability to appear as if from nowhere aren’t lost on him.”

Apparently during all that nap time the Lion got he learned a thing or two about travelling. Forestwalk seems like a neat ability and will certainly allow him to get where he needs to go. If you’re feeling lucky a 9″ charge with a re-roll is certainly gambling odds!

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Your first chance at getting ahold of the Lion will be in a new boxed set with three Bladeguard Veterans as a retinue…although I think that’s more for their protection than the Lions. The box also contains some special artwork which is a nice touch!

I can’t wait to see more from the Lion in the future. Two Loyalist Primarchs are back and fighting against Chaos once again. I wonder how Guilliman is going to react…

 

Will it be hugs or slugs when the Lion reunites with Guilliman for the first time 10,000 years?

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Author: Adam Harrison
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