It’s official; Games Workshop has confirmed the new Lion El’Jonson Warhammer 40k rules, the rumored box set and more!
Not only did they show off his rules, but they also showed the first box you’ll be able to score him in, which we’ll look at in more detail later.
Either way, it’s cool to see what the big guy can do. While this isn’t just a free datasheet like they did Azrael and Vashtorr, it does show off his full statline, wargear, and more!
Warhammer 40k Lion El’Jonson Rules Confirmed By GW!
First, check out the rules from Warhammer Community and then jump into the launch box.
While most of his characteristics mirror those of his brother Roboute Guilliman, the Lion’s sword arm is a good bit quicker with a staggering 10 attacks. That would already be enough to put his noble sibling onto the back foot, but his massive sword Fealty only enhances his capacity for mass butchery.
With 10 attacks, he is going to be a monster in combat but other than that, he looks pretty similar to Guilliman.
With their stats basically the same, this might be a good indication of Lion El’Jonson’s points, but with the rest of his rules, might be more.
Whew – safety in numbers is clearly not a concept the Lion cares for.
When you add the Sweep rule for The Lion, he can get at least 20 attacks at AP-3 and D2! This means he could quickly kill swathes of Chaos Marines! If you need to kill something more significant, he goes to S10, AP-5, and D4, still with at least ten attacks.
In combat, he will be such a monster; not much will be able to stand up to him.
What marks him out as a warrior of truly singular provenance isn’t even his sword, but rather the Emperor’s Shield. This auramite aegis was once wielded by the Emperor himself, and aside from its indomitable protective powers it reflects the force of incoming attacks right back at his foe with a sonorous boom.*
While he doesn’t have quite as good of a save as Guilliman, he bounces back Mortal Wounds to the enemy, so again, he is just super strong.
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.
Well, he’s impressive in combat, so just drop him down with free charge re-rolls anywhere on the board! Overall, he’s shaping up to be a combat monster.
New Lion El’Jonson Miniature Warhammer 40k Box Set Spotted
Games Workshop confirmed the new box set below and that Lion El’Johnson would be released as an individual box soon as well!
One question that a lot of you have is how to get hold of this incredible model. The Warhammer Community Interrogator-Chaplains have been able to extract an answer to that: the Lion will be available for the first time alongside a retinue of three Bladeguard Veterans and two pieces of special edition artwork – one a duel with Angron and the other a heroic pose.
If you don’t manage to get him in this box, don’t worry. He’ll be out on his own soon enough – just like the foul xenos commanders of the Orks and T’au, when they break out of their Boarding Patrol boxes.
These leaked box pictures come from Bolter and Chainsword, but are all over the internet at this point.
While you’ll get a new Primarch (which is fantastic), judging by the comments, the rest of the box may be a bit… bland.
The box front is pretty brooding, which is quite fitting for the Dark Angels! It’s also a bit of a throwback to the limited edition “Dark Vengeance” box set for 6th Edition Warhammer 40k from 2012 as well.
As you can see on the bottom left, it says four miniatures which immediately gave us triumvirate vibes.
Then the big contents reveal on the back of the box are at first exciting. However, once hobbyists realized those are just the normal Bladeguard Veterans painted in Dark Angels colors, online comments went downhill fast.
Compared with the normal Bladeguard, the “Lion Guard’ look to be the same models (as the torsos and even one of the poses all match the box images.) Two are just built with different posing, and all of them have new paint jobs to match the Dark Angels, with no chapter-specific bits at all!
The Lion is an excellent model, but it seems like everyone would rather have him in his own box at this point!
Times are tough out there, and this will undoubtedly raise the box’s price as Roboute Guilliman is already $70 on his own, so we don’t expect The Lion to be any cheaper. Factor in a box of Bladeguard that go for $60; we would not be surprised to see the first release of The Lion go for close to $100-$115.
If you already have Bladeguard, this is quite expensive for just one model you want, but who knows how long it will be till he’s released on his own. Either way, it feels like they could have done something remarkable for this box and gone with custom Lion’s Guard models or even some cool new Deathwing!
Regardless, get ready to spend a little more for the new Lion El’Jonson miniature on day one than expected.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
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About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
