| “ | In living jade lies raw spell-power bound to stone – a bestial conduit of sorcery! | „ |
Jade Lion is a 
Grand Cathay monster unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer III with Shadows of Change.
Recruitment[]
Unlocked with: Celestial Tower
Description[]
Guardian Lions are living statues crafted by the Wizards of the Celestial Court using massive blocks of jade or jet. As to be expected from a creature made of pure rock with the size and strength of a dozen men, a Lion’s close-range attacks wreak havoc upon enemies who stray into its kill-zone, although it is its effects on and against magic that are most valued by the mighty hosts of Cathay. The nature of a Lion's power is dependent on whether it is of jade or jet, with Jade Lions acting as conduits to boost sorcery and spellcasting, while Jet Lions are used for their anti-magical properties.
Attributes[]
- Guardian Lions
- ▲ Harmony: Yang: This unit counts as a Yang unit and gains increased melee defence and leadership when near Yin units.
- ▲ Armour-Piercing Melee: The damage of armour-piercing weapons mostly ignores the armour of the target, making them the ideal choice against heavily-armoured enemies. They are often heavier and attack at a slower rate though, making them less efficient against poorly-armoured targets.
- ▲ No Forest Penalty: Large units do not suffer penalties when moving through forest, simply smashing through the undergrowth instead.
Bound Spells[]
Unit Abilities[]
Passive[]
Strategy[]
Both lions are highly effective and versatile single entities in the mid-game. They can be used to 'block' enemy single entities by meeting them ahead of your infantry line, giving your casters and ranged units more time to take them down; or if you don't need them to do that you can simply have them freely charge into non-spear infantry. In the late game they need to be used more conservatively if at all, because the greater amount of anti-armor, anti-large and melee attack the enemy will be rolling with will cause them to get melted very quickly.
The Jade Lion is the more aggressive pick, giving your casters a really nice universal power regen. The Breath attack is simply a reskin of the Dragon's Breath spell and is very forgettable. Overall it's the better choice if you're facing a more melee-focused foe such as the Greenskins - although there's obviously nothing stopping you taking a number of both.
One of the primary, underrated abilities of the Jade lion is its providing Mastery of the Elemental Winds on a cheap mass recruitable unit. Rather than having to jam multiple of Cathays squishy limited hero's in one army (or spam the mediocre compass unit) you can add 2-3 jade lions into a basic stack with an Alchemist and Astromancer to get near max intensity and great recharge rate. So even if its combat stats are just ok it is a very overall cost effective and reliable unit. A single jet lion along side a pack of jade lions also provides mobile harmony and negates magic attacks. It may not necessarily beat more artillery or missiles but the combo of boosted magic on a decent single entity is very useful.
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