You wouldn't know it based on his appearance in competitive lists, but Han Solo has always been a very powerful figure. With 12 health and Cunning, he can weather a decent amount of damage, particularly when positioned with C-3PO's Distracting bonus. On top of that, his large health pool increases the chance that he'll get to role that all-important dodge and extend his time on the board even further.

In addition to his defensive abilities, Han also has a strong offense. His dice pool, composed of Blue-Green-Green, provides a high likelihood of rolling five results (five of the six sides of the green die have two results). Moreover, his surges help flatten out any influx of surges, allowing you to convert them into damage and range. Couple these factors with a decent range given his dice pool and surge abilities (minimum of 4, but easily achieves 6 or more), and you have a figure that can serve as a survivable fighter with dependable damage.

So what has the problem been over the past couple years? Mainly, his cost has been too high. Despite his strengths, Han had a difficult time recouping 12 points of value over the course of a game. If a typical match goes three or four rounds, that means that he's likely only attacking two or three times. And, while Han has consistent damage, he doesn't necessarily have an easy way to spike his damage to easily remove enemy figures.

Now, he does have Return Fire, an ability that if reliably activated would justify his large point cost. However, if you've ever played Han, this is rarely the case. Return Fire is unfortunately easily circumvented by an opponent. For one, an opponent can simply choose not to shoot at Han, thus limiting his offensive output over the course of the game. And second, unless Han rolled a dodge, it was exceedingly difficult to meet the stringent requirement of taking no damage from an attack. This has only become more difficult as the norms of Imperial Assault have edged towards increased attack dice, increased damage, and defensive dice removal.

Note: Tim and I did a podcast episode about Han Solo (prior to the reveal of Rogue Smuggler). Check it out here!