Some say he’s a 10-foot giant, others claim him to be a paragon of ancient and forbidden gene-smithing, and others still proclaim him a forest-born wild man uplifted by the Emperor’s grace. Oddly enough, they’re all (mostly) correct, and that just goes to show how powerful the legend of the Lion truly is.
Such a singular figure needs rules to match, and Lion El’Jonson delivers. We’ve already had a peek at his rules, but now it’s time to download the full datasheet and see what he can really do.
If you thought he was a powerful enough duelist already, we have good news.* There isn’t a creature alive that can stand up to the Lion’s mix of speed and skill, so he naturally fights first in any combat – a daunting prospect for anyone who has to face down 20 attacks.
He’s also not one to let such things as random chance get in the way of a good heretic-kicking, so his Primarch of the First Legion aura lets him re-roll all hit and wound rolls of 1. Nearby DARK ANGELS CORE and CHARACTER units also get the benefit, because who could fail to be inspired by such ungodly martial skills?
Finally, the two Watchers in the Dark on his base are more than just bellhops – their strange powers help the Lion ward off psychic powers. The mysterious retainers are especially good at denying CHAOS magicks, but each attempt will burn one of the poor little guys out, so choose your time wisely.
At 320 points for the whole enticing package, he sits around the same place as his brother Roboute Guilliman, but with more bang for your buck in the close combat department. Lion El’Jonson can join your Dark Angels army soon, with pre-orders for the Lion & Retinue boxed set going up this Saturday alongside Arks of Omen: The Lion and the Black Library novel The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks.
* Unless you’re a mutant, alien, or heretic. Then it’s very bad news.