[DISCLAIMER: There is some debate over how wargear options from Index units, Legends status, and the “What Datasheet Rules Should I Use?” flowchart interact. With that in mind, I won’t be discussing units that may (or may not) have lost wargear options, only units with datasheets that have been moved to Legends.]
Like a superhero crossover event, the 40K world has been waiting for Warhammer Legends to come to the Grimdark universe we know and love – with much of the same questions for the fans: “Who will live?” “Who will die?” “Who will become a Legend?” Well Warhammer Legends has been rolled out to the 40K game – you can find it here https://warhammer-community.com/legends/
Now it’s time to look at some of the units that have become Legends, lost forever to the world of Competitive/Matched Play (unless, of course, your TO allows Legends). As of right now, the largest 40K event in the world, the Las Vegas Open (LVO) has come out and said they will not be allowing Legends at their event – so you can expect most Major events to follow suit. There are literally pages of units that have been sent to Legends – though curiously, it appears nothing from Forge World has been, yet. Will this change? Probably! But for now, let’s see what we consider to be the top 5 units that have ridden off into the Legends sunset.
#5 — Legion of the Damned – Damned Legionnaires
First mentioned in Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition), then getting their own PDF mini codex in 6th Edition, the Legion of the Damned is now officially Legendary. While I can’t remember the last time I saw an actual unit of Damned Legionnaires on the tabletop, this is, in effect, a “Squatting” of that faction from competitive play. Is this going to radically alter the meta? No, no it is not. But it does change the status of an entire faction, and that’s why it made this list.
#4 — Adepta Sororitas – Uriah Jacobus
What’s this? Didn’t the Sisters of Battle just get a new codex? What’s the deal? Well the deal is, Uriah Jacobus, missionary madman, has preached his last sermon in competitive play. Sure, the only thing unique about Jacobus, rules-wise, was the Banner of Sanctity and his named shotgun, The Redeemer. Prior to the new Codex: Adepta Sororitas he was a points-efficient HQ choice in an army that was (and still is) lacking in depth for HQ units. Since he didn’t appear in the new codex, the writing was on the wall – this doesn’t come as a big surprise. Jacobus is an iconic part of the Adeptus Ministorum lore, being the epitome of a raving ecclesiarch, bringing redemption in one hand and judgement in the other. He will be missed.
#3 — Daemons – Herald of Slaanesh on Steed
This cheap, efficient, fast-moving Herald of Slaanesh has popped up in a few Daemons armies from time to time. It was a very good option for keeping up with fast-moving Daemonette units and putting those much-needed buffs where they were needed. While this loss will definitely be felt, it’s been mitigated somewhat by the additional Herald options found in Chapter Approved 2019. Still, this herald moving to Legends reduces the number of choices Daemon players have, Slaanesh players in particular.
#2 – Orks – Big Mek
The Index: Xenos 2 Big Mek – and the shokk attack gun he could take as a weapon – is now a Legend. This is a big deal because some competitive Ork lists were exploiting a loophole in the Rule of 3 that let them take 3 “Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun” units from Codex: Orks and 3 “Big Mek” units from Index: Xenos 2 for a total of 6 Big Meks with shokk attack guns. I don’t think anyone is surprised by this move – it was an exploit that needed to be closed, and now it has been. Bonus hit: Bek Mek on Warbike (which could also take a shokk attack gun) has also gone to Legends.
#1 – Astartes, Adeptus and Heretic – HQs on Bikes
Oh boy, this is a big one. If you have a space marine HQ unit that’s on a bike, and it’s not the Khan on Bike from Codex Supplement: White Scars…it’s a Legend. This affects a large swatch of models, both loyal and heretic: Captains/Chaos Lords, Librarians/Sorcerers, Chaplains, Apothecaries, and Techmarines. Chaos Lords also lost all of the Chaos-god-specific rides (e.g, Palanquin of Nurgle, Steed of Slaanesh). Dark Angels additionally lost the Interrogator-Chaplain. Space Wolves also lost their equivalent units: Rune Priest, Wolf Priest, Iron Priest, Wolf Guard Battle Leader and Wolf Lord. Space Wolves also lost Iron Priest on Thunderwolf Cavalry and the entire Wolf Guard on Bikes unit.
Okay – let’s be real here: none of these niche units were burning up the top tables at Major events, but they had all found places in a variety of armies all over the world. Space Wolves probably got hit harder than most – Wolf Lords and Rune Priests on bikes were one of the few ways they could keep up with Wulfen. Now it looks like the only choice for fast-moving HQ units of any kind is a jump pack—unless, of course, you play White Scars. This does make the Khan on Bike a truly unique unit. This also ruins the plans of several people I know of that were planning on giving the Techmarine on Bike the Master of the Forge upgrade. The impact of all these units moving to Legends will probably take a while to be fully felt – I know people have had to change lists because of this already!
Conclusion
What does all this mean? It means there’s quite a few armies with less choices. However, as I said in my disclaimer, there’s still some question about what this means overall for wargear options in the various Indexes. Case in point: Craftworlds Autarch. I know several Eldar players paddling canoes on rivers of salt about the loss of his Index wargear options…but there is literally nothing in any of the Legends PDFs that say the “What Datasheet Rules Should I Use?” flowchart is no longer valid. As such, Rules As Written…Index wargear options on datasheets not specifically included in Legends are legal for play – regardless of the intent. I hope GW clears this up soon. In the meantime, if you’re planning on using units sent to Legends or wargear from Index units in an event, check with your TO before the event to clarify if it will be allowed or not.
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