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Card Dissection: DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol (AW51) – Don’t Leave Home Without It

When you’re a Rebel smuggler, you can’t leave home without your trusty DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol (AW51). This blaster should be a staple in any Yellow Hero deck as it has the potential to add some serious damage to your rolls.

The Art

For this card, Fantasy Flight used the art of Alexandre Dainche to focus primarily on the blaster itself. I appreciate Fantasy Flight utilizing artwork for this game from artists outside of their organization. I would have loved to see some additional detail on the blaster, but I do like that it was made the focal point of the card. Even though this is Han’s go-to blaster, the card implies that any Rebel could be using it.

Ability

I am a huge fan of this card’s ability, and playing it at just the right time will help you get an opponent’s die out of their pool for that round. Now, the text on the card does allow your opponent to choose the die that is removed, but you can still force them to make a tough decision depending on what they have available. I tend to play this card when my opponent’s strongest character dice are in play. This may prevent them from re-rolling into higher damage or remove some damage altogether. This card also has Ambush, which can swing the momentum of a round in your favor. Having that additional action is key when you’re trying to keep control of the round.

Cost

At a cost of three resources, this card is not one you typically play as the first upgrade out of your hand. To save on resources, this is a perfect card to upgrade to mid-game so you only have to pay the difference in resources. It’s much easier to play the DH-17 Blaster Pistol (AW54) out of your hand early on for one resource cost so that you have additional ranged sides available to you, knowing that you can upgrade to the DL-44 later. You can also do an even trade to replace upgrades like Cunning (AW65). Honestly, this card is worth the three resources it takes to get it out.

Die

The die provides you with three ranged damage sides that can quickly change a bad roll into something worthwhile. With 3 Ranged at no cost, 3 Ranged at one resource cost, and a +2 Ranged side, you can quickly deal lethal damage against your opponent. The downside to this card is its two blank sides, which can cost you a card from your hand to attempt to re-roll. If you pair this card with a character such as Admiral Ackbar (AW27) or with an upgrade like Jedi Robes (AW40) or Comlink (AW61) that give you focus options, you can likely avoid the re-roll and turn this to the free 3 Ranged damage. You also do have a Resource side on this die that can come in handy when you need it. But let’s be honest, you’re not adding this card to your deck for the resource.

Deck Options

The DL-44 is a must for any deck that includes a Yellow Hero character, even if all you’re focusing on is the ranged damage opportunities. It pairs both thematically and logistically with Han Solo best. The Ambush text on the blaster allows you to activate Han’s ability and gain a shield when it’s played. If you happen to pair your Yellow character with Rey (AW38), then you can really capitalize on the additional actions. When you play the DL-44 on Rey, you get an additional action because the blaster carries the Ambush keyword. But you also get to utilize Rey’s ability for playing an upgrade on her and gain an additional action. You now have two additional actions to take and now you’ve completely taken control of the round.

Final Thoughts

I have a tendency to build Red/Yellow hero aggro decks, and I have never left this card out of any of them. Even if your primary character and upgrades focus on melee damage, it’s worth considering adding the DL-44 Heavy Plaster Pistol to your deck. Your opponent may be able to use Block (AW153) and remove your melee damage, but you could still potentially have three ranged damage in your dice pool to use. This is a solid card that if you aren’t utilizing it in your hero decks today, you should consider it.


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