Two new datasheets for Warhammer 40k are here! Check out the new rules for Valerian & Aleya, the latest Talons of the Emperor.
Good news/ bad news here folks. New datasheets are here for Valerian and Aleya, but at first glance, they may be unplayable.
UPDATE: Since the latest official GW previews, it looks like Custodes and Sisters of Silence will be getting a rules tweak to be playable with one another in-game.
New Models Valerian and Aleya Datasheet SPOTTED
An Adeptus Custode and a Sister of Silence have banded together in one of the latest novels from the Black Library. To celebrate the book, GW also revealed the models for them earlier on. But they’re also going to be fieldable in 40k and even come with matched play points.
Coming from GAINAX01 on Reddit, we’ve got a full look at the datasheet.
So there are a couple of things to point out about this rules sheet. These two characters come as a unit so you have to field them both if you want to use one. They both have named weapons which slap about as hard as you’d expect a Custodes/ SoS character to slap in melee. On top of that, they both come with a few unique rules to set them apart.
- Valerian: Let’s you reroll 1’s for other Custodes and has a 5++ invuln (which is all pretty standard issue). However, the Golden Laurels gives you a nice little power spike once per game giving you a free reroll on the hit, wound, or damage.
- Aleya: Aleya is obviously squishier than the Custode, but she can mess up a Psyker’s day. The fact that she can’t be targetted by Psychic power is also really nice. And she’s just another way to debuff Psykers with your other SoS force.
The “Unplayable” Part
Up until now, all of these stats seem pretty dope. Except there’s a major discrepancy that we’re seeing in the keywords and points. For starters, Valerian and Aleya have their own keyword bracket and the ONLY keyword they share is the IMPERIUM keyword.
If you remember the FAQ that shut down hardcore soup lists at the start of 8th, you can’t just have the only keyword as Imperium anymore.
Of course, with the way that the keywording works, this unit is technically unfieldable. However, even if it were usable on the tabletop, the egregious points cost would turn players away as well.
Note that is says Points per MODEL: 188. Seeing that there are two models in the unit, that comes out to a whopping 376 pts for a T5 model and a T3 model. For 376 pts you could basically be bringing a Knight.
If you were stoked to be using these guys in your next game you might be better off just using them as an unnamed character for their faction (i.e a Shield-Captain for Valerian for example).
What are your thoughts on the new datasheet for the characters? Is GW continuing to show us that they’re moving too fast for the rules department?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
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About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
