The Inquisitor isn't really a bad figure. He has a lot of the hallmarks that I associate with good and sometimes great figures. He has 15 health, a free defensive bonus, a three-dice attack, and 5 Speed. He also has what I think is one of the most unique surge abilities in the game, Cleave 3 that can be activated off of a ranged attack (Cleave 5 with his Command Card, Hunt Them Down). Unfortunately, my experience is that the Inquisitor has a bit of a cohesion problem, in that while all of these abilities are good, they fail to come together as a meaningful threat for 9 points.

This problem begins with the Inquisitor's Lightsaber Throw ability. While it's an interesting skill, it also reduces the Inquisitor's dice pool to a red and yellow die (down from red, green, and yellow). I understand the desire to balance the damage of the ranged attack, but unfortunately this drastically reduces the utility of the skill, almost to the point of unplayability. The Inquisitor isn't cheap at 9 points and part of his cost is the benefit of a three-dice attack. Lightsaber Throw is interesting as an ability, but losing the green die is too significant a sacrifice on a figure at that cost.

A similar problem presents itself with the Inquisitor's Defensive ability. Undoubtedly, a free block is better than no block, and maybe this ability was much better when running against many low-damage troopers. However, in the current meta where Hunters do five to seven damage per attack on the low end, a single block doesn't improve the Inquisitor's longevity by a significant degree.

And worst of all, at 9 points, the Inquisitor just doesn't do enough damage. With no rerolls and no surge for +2 damage, the Inquisitor's offensive impact is unreliable. I see his Cleave 3 as an offset for his low damage, but unfortunately that benefit doesn't square with one of the most sound strategies in Imperial Assault - focusing damage. Cleave 3 lets you split an impressive amount of damage, but it doesn't make up for a mediocre attack.

I want to reiterate that I don't think the Inquisitor is a bad figure. He's just not spectacular. And as figures are being costed more and more aggressively, it's harder for the Inquisitor to compete in the current meta. That said, I want to give him one more try and focus on a strength that I had failed to leverage when I first started playing - the Hunter trait.