Star Wars is flush with iconic characters and there's no lack of iteration in those characters making their way into cards in Star Wars Unlimited. But there's no character as established, as iconic, as Luke Skywalker. Today we're diving into ranking the six iterations of Luke Skywalker Unit cards that have appeared so far.

Before we get started, I'd like to take a second to mention that two of the Luke cards we're talking about are also Leaders. For the sake of this article, we'll try to focus on the Unit side of stats and effects for Luke, but they're worth talking about and ranking in the same conversation since, while deployed, they're still Units.

If you don't know Luke, I'd like to see the rock you're living under. Luke Skywalker is the main character of the Star Wars original trilogy who starts his life as a simple farm boy who ultimately leads the Rebel Alliance to successfully overthrow the Galactic Empire. In the sequel trilogy he returns as a bitter old mentor in conflict with his destiny. But Luke, without a doubt, is the most heroic and arguably the most meaningful character in the series.

#6: Luke Skywalker - A Hero's Beginning

The thing about designing iconic characters like Luke is they need to always be somewhat playable to let players use the cards they enjoy collecting. Even the lowest ranked Luke is a solid card compared to most, and can come in handy while playing the current Force-heavy meta. With 5 Health, this Luke can survive long enough to pull off his ability, keeping him alive and getting stronger. The ability on this Luke is exactly that; survival. Keep him alive long enough to take advantage of his growing Experience tokens is key to a good strategy and, looking at current competitive decks, there's a hope of building Luke up high enough to get in a single good base raid to change the game.

Why is he all the way down here, then? Because the practical side of pulling off the ability several times is narrow when you need to meet two different conditions. You need to build a deck able to consistently enough draw other unique units while also building a deck that consistently enough gains the Force. While this Luke has a high ceiling of potential, it can be a struggle to get him above 6 attack before he dies.

#5: Luke Skywalker - Do You Read Me?

At 7 resources, this Luke Skywalker needs to be able to end games. Unfortunately, his abilities aren't quite powerful enough to secure victory. This version of Luke comes from the recently released Intro Battle: Hoth two player starter set meant to entice board gamers and casual card gamers to dip their toe into the world of Star Wars Unlimited. It makes sense that a product like that needs to have a version of Luke to show off the depth of characters available to the game.

Luke provides Restore 2 which can be found on cheaper Force characters like Jedi Temple Guards, other Vigilance Units like Owen Lars - Devoted Uncle and Razor Crest - Reliable Gunship, and other unique Units like Tarfful - Kashyyyk Chieftain. Also, unlike many of those units, Luke here doesn't have much in the way of protection or evasion that would increase his utility in combat. What Luke has going for him here is an average stat line for his cost and the ability to clear an enemy ground unit as soon as he's played.

#4: Luke Skywalker - Hero of Yavin

Our first Leader of the Luke squad comes in at number 4 in our rankings. His stat line is slightly above average and comes with Piloting to provide some flexibility with his deployment. On his own, Luke doesn't do much except survive with a fun line that says he can't be defeated by card abilities which lets him dodge some removal.

While attached to a ship Luke provides an excellent stat boost and, more importantly, wants to be stuck on a Fighter (like an X-Wing) which gives him a 3 damage first strike during an attack. Unlike Sabine, these 3 damage can be assigned to any unit. Because this ability is restricted behind a certain type of ship it can be hard to truly value what that means. There are some good Fighter space units out there, but so far nothing that seems to blow me away when deck teching with this Leader.

#3: Luke Skywalker - Faithful Friend

The other Leader Luke leans into the survivability of all main characters, but especially Luke Skywalker. Even though he deploys late at 6 resources Luke's On Attack might be one of the most high survivability effects in the game. When Luke attacks he's only hitting for 7, but no matter what his target is he provides a Shield token to another unit. It's like handing out candy on Halloween - no matter who's on your team you add a shield to get a little more out of them. This also feels, narratively, like a Luke learning true enlightenment and realizing his best plan is relying on his friends and teammates who can execute their plans.

#2: Luke Skywalker - Jedi Knight

I can hear the screams of the internet now, demanding I be thrown in prison for even suggesting this Luke isn't the best. He's seen play as a closer since the game first came out, and that's unlikely to change. Yes, yes, I hear the mob forming at my office door. But let me explain before you light your pitchforks.

Luke Skywalker - Jedi Knight costs 7 resources and other than having 7 Health (which is great!) he has no real survivability. His When Played is a much better version of Do You Read Me? and will likely defeat an enemy, buying you some time. And if you get in a single attack with him it's a potential 9-point swing! I get it! He's good! But he's a frail man.

#1: Luke Skywalker - You Still With Me?

If I had a nickel for every Luke Skywalker unit inspired by the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back that featured a question mark in his subtitle I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it is weird that it's happened twice. Thankfully, this one is much more interesting and sees more play thanks to a low cost and efficient stat boost with Piloting.

The best part of You Still With Me? is his survivability. In the film, Luke's Snowspeeder is taken out, and our hero ejects from his vehicle into the snow - continuing the assault on the Empire's machines. This unit is meant to mechanically represent that moment where Luke keeps on, and it offers survivability in a unique way. Narratively it doesn't make much sense since in Unlimited you can put Luke on a space unit only for him to eject... from space... into the ground. But don't think about it too much! This unit also has great keywords for Command including both Force and Rebel like many other Lukes that won't survive.