How to play Lando Calrissian
Lando is the Light Side's card cycler. His skill throws away your hand and deals you a new one, and every time he does it he gambles for free energy. Played well, he always has the right answer in hand and more energy than his opponent. Here's how his kit actually works, with the numbers from the game files.
Numbers come from the game's own data tables: base level 1 stats, skill values and the full perk table. Reborn is early, nobody has every leader maxed yet, and the Reborn team tunes balance, so treat matchup advice as the current read and check the What's new page after patches.
At a glance
| Side and era | Light Side · Rebel Alliance |
|---|---|
| Type | Organic · Ranged |
| Health (level 1) | 1,008 |
| Attack (level 1) | 83 |
| Max level | 8 (every perk is open by level 7) |
| Unique card | Nien Nunb · 2 energy |
| Skill | Tactics, 26 second cooldown |
| Passive | Gambler (free energy on every Tactics) |
| Attack | Blaster that penetrates after consecutive shots |
His kit, explained
- Basic attack: Lando fires a blaster at one target, and after consecutive attacks his shots start penetrating, hitting enemies standing behind the first one.
- Skill: Tactics (26 second cooldown). Swaps every card in your hand for new cards from your deck, possibly including a card you just played. Use it when your hand doesn't answer what's coming, or to dig for your best card twice in a row.
- Passive: Gambler. Every time Lando uses Tactics, your energy is instantly recharged by a random 1 to 2. That is free energy every 26 seconds, which adds up to several extra cards a match.
- Why players love him: Tactics fixes bad draws, and Gambler means using it is never a waste. He rewards knowing your deck: you always know what you could draw next.
Perks and when they unlock
Perks unlock as the leader levels up and cost Perk Points and Credits. Leaders max out at level 8, and the fifth perk needs level 7, which is why so few players have seen a fully perked leader yet.
| Perk | Unlocks at | What it does | Perk Points | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Level 1 | Increases Movement Speed by 0.25. Easier to keep at range. | 1,000 | 6,000 |
| 2 | Level 3 | Increases Attack Power by 7%. More blaster damage. | 3,450 | 10,000 |
| 3 | Level 4 | Increases continuous attack penetration by 3 and damage by 30%. His penetrating shots reach further and hit 30% harder. A big jump for his own damage. | 8,500 | 16,000 |
| 4 | Level 5 | Increases max Energy recharged when skill is used by 1. Gambler now rolls up to 3 energy. The best perk for his energy engine. | 16,000 | 32,000 |
| 5 | Level 7 | Decreases cooldown by 3 seconds. Tactics every 23 seconds instead of 26. More swaps, more free energy. | 31,750 | 136,000 |
| All five perks | 60,700 | 200,000 | ||
Game plan
- Build a deck with no dead cards. Tactics shows you new cards fast, so every card should be playable in most situations. Avoid 7+ energy cards that sit in hand.
- Tactics when you're stuck, not on cooldown. Use it when your hand can't answer the push in front of you, or right after you spend energy so the Gambler refund refills you.
- Stun cycle. Players at the top of the ladder pair Lando with C-10 Stun Grenade and cycle into it again and again. Stun, Tactics, stun again.
- Stay behind your frontline. Lando has only 1,008 HP. His job is to shoot and swap, not to tank.
- Push when Gambler hits. A 2 energy refund on top of a full bar is your signal to commit to a double-lane push.
A deck to start with
| Card | Job | Why it is here | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Nien Nunb 2 energy, 620 HP | Unique, cheap damage | Two energy, dodges melee and deals area damage. A cheap Unique keeps Tactics flowing. |
 | Rebel Troopers 2 energy, 142 HP, x4 | Cheap screen | Two energy to protect Lando and absorb the first hit. |
 | Wookiee Warrior 3 energy, 1,291 HP | Tank | 1,291 HP for three energy. Holds the lane while Lando shoots from behind. |
 | Rebel Grenadier 3 energy, 240 HP | Swarm clear | Area damage for swarms and grouped troopers. |
 | C-10 Stun Grenade 2 energy | Control | Two energy stun on the enemy leader. The heart of the stun cycle. |
 | Rebel Demolitionist 3 energy, 241 HP | Anti-heavy | Out-ranges turrets and breaks AT-STs and tanks. |
 | X-Wing 3 energy | Air strike | Three energy line clear and leader finisher. |
Keep the average cost low, around 3. Lando's whole plan is to cycle, and expensive cards slow the cycle down.
How to beat Lando Calrissian
- Dive him. At 1,008 HP he is on the fragile side for a leader. Assassins, Boba Fett's missiles or a quick leader push punish him.
- Watch the cooldown. Push right after he uses Tactics. You have 26 seconds before he can swap again.
- Thrawn players: the community's top Lando mains say Lando beats Thrawn by stun cycling. If you are the Thrawn, don't clump your organics where a stun lands.
Best and worst matchups
Community votes from the leader matchup chart.
Loading community matchups...
What players are saying
On the SWFAR Discord, high-ranked Lando mains are among the most active helpers, and Lando sits near the top of most player tier lists right now. If you want one-on-one tips, ask in the Discord's arena-talk channel. Join the conversation in the SWFAR Discord or the SWFAR Facebook group.
Put it to work. Build the deck in the deck builder and share the link, vote on the community tier list, or rank every card your way with the tier list maker and post it in the SWFAR Discord.