Top 50 Cards of Wanderer (26-50)
Hello,
rulers! This is Stephanie Shaw, here
with another article, this time in two parts!
For this article series, I will be detailing what are, in my opinion,
the top 50 cards in the Wanderer format.
I will attempt to shine a focus on older cards, so some Grimm Cluster
cards may be placed slightly higher than their usage, but nothing should be
egregiously out of place.
For
the list, I focused mostly on the pure value of the card, but I did also
consider whether the card fit in a deck that was playable in the format. Cards that only fit in one specific deck, for
example, were largely dropped down in rank or left off the list entirely, with
a few exceptions. I did not consider
dual stones, Rulers, or banned cards (sorry Whisper from the Abyss!).
#50: Rapunzel, the Long-Haired Princess
A 1-2 copy staple in Grimm decks, this card is a phenomenal finisher, especially when paired in a Light build with Realm of Pure Spirits or Wind build with Rapid Growth. If Rapunzel survives a turn, it is not difficult to get her to a 1000/1000 flier that can attack 3+ times that turn, considering the high degree of 1-cost resonators that Grimm plays. In addition, as a Fairy Tale, it benefits from the search and attribute-fixing that Grimm provides.#49: The First Lie
This
card is a poor man’s copy of Whisper from the Abyss, a very deservedly banned
card from the Wanderer format. The First
Lie takes its slot in the Yggdrasil deck and helps the Yggdrasil/Yggdor combo
still exist, albeit in a much less consistent manner. The card can also be played as a 1-2-of in
chant-based burn decks, as it is Quickcast speed and your opponent should never
be able to name a number higher than you.
#48: Milest, the Ghostly Flame Stone
Milest
was released in TAT as part of a series of five “true” magic stones that could
not exist on the field in duplicates. As
such, they all had fairly high-powered abilities that were activated by resting
them and paying one will of the corresponding attribute. Milest is, in my opinion, the fourth-best of
the stones (Moojdart was unfortunately left off the list), as it is a 1-of in
almost every non-Blazer burn deck. Fire
decks usually prefer to run as few special magic stones as possible due to
Split Heaven and Earth, but Milest is one of two exceptions, due to its ability
to pump the damage of resonators *and* J-rulers without using a card. Importantly, this also applies to damage
dealt via an ability of your J-ruler.
Thus, you can use Milest to increase Cain or Sylvia’s ability damage to
more impactful numbers, if you have the will available.
#47: Tsukuyomi Noble
Tsukuyomi
Noble is much stronger than her level of play would indicate. Preventing activate abilities of your
opponent’s resonators means shutting down some of the most powerful cards in
the game, including Guinevere and will dorks.
It also helps hit some of the more obscure but still-played cards, such
as Shade, Envoy of Darkness or Flame Sprite.
In addition, if you run Moon Shade or Apollo, you can also use her
[Awakening] to gain additional value against certain decks, and have a 700/700
for 2 will. Her main drawback is her
cost, as LL is one of the hardest attribute combinations to hit in playable
decks, and many of the Light-heavy decks are archetypes not befitting a
midrange/control/prison card like Noble, such as Fiethsing’s World.
#46: Banzai Attack
This
finisher card can be played in almost any Burn deck, but its main homes are the
Crimson Girl swarm deck and Fire-based Wendy/Rapunzel Grimm deck. In the Crimson Girl deck, it provides a
+1400/+0 bonus and will close out the game by itself if resolved, and the Grimm
list runs so many 1-drops that Banzai Attack ends up giving cards like Cheshire
Cat, the Grinning Remnant combat value they don’t usually have. In addition, Grimm does not have a J-ruler
side, so he never gets destroyed by the card, and Wendy benefits ridiculously
from a +700/+0 stat increase and [Pierce].
#45:
Tinker Bell, the Spirit // Tinker Bell, the Fairy
A
couple of the cards in my list I included together as one slot, as they are
functionally very similar. Both Tinker
Bells are very powerful tempo cards in any Grimm deck, and being able to play
eight functional copies of her helps elevate the various Wendy/Rapunzel decks
to the upper tiers of resonator-based aggro decks. Considering the high number of 1-drops in the
deck, the fact that they trigger Wendy’s recover ability and contribute to
Rapunzel’s combo, and their outrageous stats compared to their total cost,
these cards are incredibly powerful.
Unfortunately, they are largely relegated to Grimm/Millium decks, but
they are two of Grimm’s key playsets.
#44: Ame-no-Habakiri
Ame
is a very polarizing card. People who
view the card highly tend to view it extremely highly, and others consider it
largely unplayable. I’m personally on
the fence about its usage, though obviously I consider it playable if it’s on
the list. It turns on Lancelot’s attack
trigger and allows him to do an additional 700 damage to your opponent, but it
also forces you to use his ability if you attack and your opponent has no targetable
resonators in the field. It’s also a key
component in a somewhat-janky combo deck involving Liberator of Wind, Moojdart,
the Fantasy Stone, and Susanowo. In
general, the card functions in either an absolutely incredible fashion (when
paired with Susanowo or when it allows Lancelot to push through extra damage)
or terribly (when the resonator is removed in response to you playing Ame, or
when Lancelot has to burn himself on attack, etc.), similar to how polarizing
the card’s reception is.
#43: Law of Silence
The
original (and better) Final Breeze! This
card has seen all kinds of usage, including in multiple styles of decks. Towards the end of Grimm Cluster’s New
Frontiers play, it dipped off in play, but it still is a fundamental piece of
almost all combo decks, as well as the Abdul TAT-Necronomicon lock deck. For example, you can use it on your draw
phase to clear the way for a Pumpkin Witch, Pricia RDE’s God’s Art, Invitation
of Disaster, or other combo finisher; you can use it on your opponent’s draw
step to essentially take another turn against a resonator-based deck; or you can
use it to burn cancel spells from your opponent’s hand so you can successfully
play a needed resonator or addition later that turn. This card is very underrated in my opinion,
though I left it lower-ranked due to its relatively-low usage in Wanderer tournaments.
#42: Almerius, the Levitating Stone
Another
card that sees less play than its strength, Almerius suffers victim to the same
problem as Tsukuyomi Noble, as Light tends not to be the featured attribute in
the current competitive scene. However, this card is
a powerhouse when used properly. You can
make your resonators or J-ruler (!) evasive in combat or you can use it to
provide a blocker for a Gwiber or Titania, all without using a card. Arla SKL/Valentina TTW can even utilize it
with Artemis, the God’s Bow to destroy any J/resonator on the field. If Light ever sees heavy main-attribute play,
Almerius will skyrocket in play in Wanderer.
#41: Necronomicon
This card was something I debated including or not, considering it sees almost no play outside of some Valentina LEL decks. Like Ame-no-Habakiri, though, Necronomicon is absolutely crushing in a game if it sticks. It’s basically a one-card win condition. However, while the triple-Darkness cost requirement is less onerous than it looks at first glance due to Darkness’s strength as an attribute, this card is easily answered. Xeex, the Ancient Magic, Fetal Movement in Outer World, and Horn of Sacred Beasts all completely hose the card, and the format is so fast that you have to be able to slow it down to the control speed where Necronomicon is even feasible to play, which is currently isolated to only a smattering of decks, although Valentina LEL is top-tier. If you can protect Necronomicon with Seal of Wind and Light/Absolute Cake Zone (for Xeex/Fetal Movement) or Magic Rebound (for Horn) though, the card wins you the game when it lands.
#40: Pricia, Pursuant of Exploding Flames
Pricia is, in my opinion, the second-best aggro-specific resonator. I considered Cheshire Cat CFC in this slot, but ultimately Pricia won out due to being present in almost every Wanderer (and New Frontiers) burn deck, whereas Cheshire is mostly limited to the Charlotte CFC burn list. While being a 700/400 is fairly low for a resonator with total cost three, she more than makes up for it with her plethora of keyword skills. Furthermore, the lower play of Artemis in Wanderer makes her stats not as relevant, especially considering her [First Strike] ability. She can be used to do 1200 damage for three will, or she can be used as removal on your opponent’s resonators, or she can even be played as simply Thunders #13-16. She is very versatile and can give herself evasion, and she is compatible with Flame King’s Shout. There is very little to dislike about the card; if burn decks were played in higher quantities, she would likely also jump up the list.
#39: Alice's World of Madness
Here
is the first example of a card that is ranked higher than its power level based
on its relevance to the Wanderer format.
This card is so incredibly strong against the Fiethsing’s World deck
(one of the best decks in the format) that it singlehandedly drives most
control colors to Light/Darkness/X for their three attributes. For example, the standard New Frontiers
Water/Darkness Valentina LEL lists typically don’t exist in Wanderer, usually
replaced by a Light/Fire/Darkness build instead. It also shuts down some other strong Wanderer
decks (such as Lilias Petal), and it helps keep Valentina LEL’s removal
relevant, as Unseen Pressure can destroy a 300 DEF resonator and a 600 ATK resonator
by itself with only one Alice’s World of Madness on the field. If the competitive scene shifts away from Fiethsing’s
World, this card will drop on the rankings, but it is currently a very popular
sideboard (and in some rare cases, mainboard) card.
#38: Grusbalesta, the Sealing Stone
The
second-best of the true magic stones from TAT, Grusbalesta shines
remarkably. Even if completely unused in
a game, it still allows you to play Darkness cards on Turn 1 and 2 in control,
and when it comes into play, it can really push games out of hand for your
opponent. As control mostly tends to
focus on hand discard, having a stone that essentially invalidates Tamas,
Familiars of Holy Wind, Monkeys Trapped In Life, Rasputins, Divine Birds of
Attoractia, etc. mid-to-late-game without using cards can make all the
difference. You can force Lilias Petal
into unfavorable situations by making them banish their resonators early; you
can use it to destroy low-cost blockers (especially Divine Bird); you can use
it in combination with Alice’s World of Madness to hit even more relevant
resonators such as Guinevere or Morgiana; you can kill Fiethsing tokens with
it, etc. There are so many usages of
this stone that, in a slower competitive environment, it likely would be placed in the top 25 of
this list.
#37: Sorceress of Heavenly Wind, Melfee // Fiethsing, the Magus of Holy Wind
These
cards were different enough that I considered separating them, but ultimately
they go in the same styles of decks. If
you want a card for the damage prevention, Fiethsing is generally better, as
she is guaranteed prevention and most decks that run Melfee/Fiethsing tend to
run an Elvish Priest or Sacred Elf as well, allowing you to drop either Turn 2
against burn decks. However, decks that
want to ramp as quickly as possible, such as Lumia/Hook or Pandora of Dark,
likely prefer Melfee due to the lower cost.
Either way, these cards are both great, as they help wind-based control
and combo decks push ahead of their opponents in will availability, allowing
them to push damage in while holding open will to cancel their opponent’s
spells. The damage prevention is just a
bonus that allows these slower decks to buy time against burn decks. Personally, I prefer Fiethsing in most of my
Wanderer lists, but Melfee definitely has a place in the format.
#36: Gale Force
The
first exclusively sideboard to be featured, Gale Force is a very competitive-specific
inclusion. Like Alice’s World of
Madness, this card is very good against two of the best decks in format
(Fiethsing’s World + Lilias Petal), so it sees considerable play in the
format. In addition, it comboes with
Almerius, the Levitating Stone to be able to destroy any resonator for LLWi,
and it kills any resonator affected by Pumpkin Witch’s continuous effect, all
for a single Wind at Quickcast speed.
Gale Force is very efficient removal.
#35: Prison in the Lunar Lake
Although
a staple of the New Frontiers format, Prison sees less mainboard play in
Wanderer due to the lower quantities of decks where it’s useful against. While Lilias Petal is still good, Lumia/Hook
and the Stealth package are almost unplayed in the Wanderer format. Furthermore, Abdul VIN sees mainboard play in
control lists, reducing the need for mainboard Prisons, and Valentina LEL
typically runs Light over Water in the format. Still, Prison is a strong
sideboard card due to the dominant nature of Water as an attribute in Wanderer,
especially since Abdul’s cost is prohibitive in many decks that run Water
stones (such as Fiethsing’s World).
#34: Kaguya's Moonbeam Butterfly
Butterfly,
while being one of the best cards in the format, is another example of a card
without a home. This card could be a top
ten card in the New Frontiers format, as it is played heavily in Lumia/Hook and,
really, any other Light/Wind deck.
However, the only top-tier Light/Wind deck in Wanderer (Fiethsing’s
World) doesn’t really have a need for it.
The card is still an absolute powerhouse, though. In a format where Ruler’s Memoria is banned
and Gretel is legal, Butterfly can search out Shackles of Ice or Barrier of
Shadows in a deck that can’t actually play them for their cost, search out your
sideboard techs, or even provide an additional out to play your 2-drops on
curve with the help of a Sacred Elf/Elvish Priest.
Pay strong attention to the [Incarnation] resonators, as they take up a sizable amount of this list. Being able to get free resonators with decent stats and additional effects by banishing replaceable resonators such as Rukh Egg, Messenger Familiar, Monkey Trapped in Life, or Rasputin makes these cards very powerful. While Hastur is the weakest [Incarnation] resonator on this list, it is still an incredible card. It can be used as removal for almost any resonator, as bestowable additions and Addition: Resonators are not played that much in Wanderer, and it provides you a 700/500 body while you’re doing so. Its only real downside is that it can’t be played from hand into an empty field (as it will destroy itself), but this weakness is pretty minor compared to its impact. The relatively-low ranking is mostly due to the deck slots that Hastur takes up between itself and its support resonators, but Fire/Darkness Incarnation is a Tier 1 deck in Wanderer, and multiple rulers can be used alongside it.
#32:
Thunder // Lightning Strike // Memory to Memoria
These
functionally-similar cards are much less powerful these days than Thunder was
in the Grimm Cluster format, but the sheer fact that you can run 12 effective
copies of Thunder in a deck makes them all fairly strong. They keep burn decks functionally competitive
in the fast pace of the current Wanderer competitive environment.
If I were to run only one, I would likely run Lightning Strike due to
the fact that it is modal and does not target the opponent, providing your
opponent less opportunity to hurt you with Magic Rebound.
#31:
Abdul Alhazred, Poet of Madness
This
card got a higher rank than Prison in the Lunar Lake due to its higher degree
of mainboard play, as Valentina LEL usually runs a full playset. However, the choice between the two of them
is not that clear-cut, as Abdul dies very easily in Wanderer at Quickcast speed
(between Flame of Outer World, Stoning to Death, and Charlotte’s Water
Transformation Magic) and Prison is more splashable. In general, Abdul is strong against the same
decks that Prison is good against, and it comes mostly down to deck style and
attributes in the stone base.
Wendy
gives Grimm lists a shot in the arm in speed, requiring immediate removal or
else your opponent will start taking massive amounts of damage. For example, in a Wind list, a T1 Wendy can
swing for 400 T2, before Gretel is played, getting another stone and recovering
Wendy. Wendy swings for another 400,
then Little Red VIN is played with the new stone and recovers Wendy again. Wendy swings for another 400, and Little Red
swings for 600. If your opponent doesn’t
have a T1 answer, they have already taken 1800 damage and are staring down a
lot more damage in the upcoming turns.
In Light decks, Realm of Pure Spirits requires your opponent to have
Quickcast-speed removal. In Fire decks,
she complements your existing burn strategy for a very low cost. Her low DEF does make her more vulnerable to
removal, but Rapid Growth/Realm of Pure Spirits does help protect her
significantly, depending on the attributes played.
#29: Wall of Wind
A
beneficiary of the speed of the format, Wall of Wind really aids in maintaining
a strong tempo advantage over your opponent.
For example, on the play, preventing a Turn 1 Lapis’ Dark Storm can be
the difference between winning or losing a match against a control deck with
Fiethsing’s World, as that random card can be devastating. In addition, it makes Sacred Elf/Elvish Priest
significantly stronger, as cancelling your opponent’s Turn 1 play when they’re
on the draw *and* having two more will than them on your next turn is a threat
that must be respected, often forcing them to burn their Energize coin on your
Turn 1 to remove the will dork before it can rest for will. In addition, Morgiana and Cheshire Cat make
the card significantly less problematic to dead-draw mid or late game in
Wanderer vs. New Frontiers.
#28: Captain Hook, the Pirate
While
significantly weaker in Wanderer than New Frontiers, especially with Tell a
Fairy Tale banned, Captain Hook still sees decent amounts of play. In the alternate Light/Fire/Water build of
Fiethsing’s World, it can be rushed out with Gwiber and Alice’s Castling to
generate significant tempo on your opponent.
It’s also usually played as at least a 1-of in any Grimm list due to its
searchability or use as a discard outlet for Grimm. Its versatility as a card, allowing it to
either remove potential attackers/blockers or push your opponent severely back
on tempo, plus its high stats and Water attribute all contribute to it being a
very strong card in Wanderer.
#27: Tama, Familiar of Holy Wind // Familiar of Holy Wind
While Tama is the more-played version of the card, there are arguments to be made for either case in the decks that play them. Unfortunately, both cards have awkward issues in Wanderer, since Tama doesn’t hit the right math a lot of the time, but Familiar requires an additional will to banish itself. Personally, I usually use a 3-2 split of Tama/Familiar in Fiethsing’s World and Lilias Petal with 2 Familiar in the sideboard, as the preference is heavily matchup-dependent. For example, against Lilias Petal, Tama is significantly better as it kills all their low-drops and Familiar doesn’t deal with any resonators that Tama does not. However, against Fiethsing’s World, Familiar is necessary, as you need to hit 300 so you can destroy Morgiana (and occasionally Sacred Elf if they run it over Elvish Priest).
As
for why the card is good, it replaces itself and contributes to the Adombrali →
Gwiber strategy in Fiethsing’s World and Nine-Tailed Fox’s ability in Lilias
Petal. It’s especially strong in decks
that run Morgiana, as it functions as a Summon from Memoria that also gives you
a body or removal.
#26:
Alice’s Pursuit
(Errata: http://www.fowtcg.com/card/1551)
Just missing out on my top 25, Alice’s Pursuit closes out Part 1 of this series with quite possibly the most ubiquitous sideboard card in Wanderer. Considering it’s a 1-will instant in the best attribute in Wanderer and replaces itself, Alice’s Pursuit is a great tempo card. While the errata weakens it, it pushes Fiethsing’s World back entire turns and can deal with all three Chimeras in Lilias Petal, whereas Gale Force can only hit The Manticore and Griphon. In addition, it can be run *in* Fiethsing’s World to bounce blocking Gwibers to hand to push flying damage through, and it also allows you to use Morgiana’s replacement effect. The card is one of my pet cards in the format, and it belongs as a 2-4-of in the sideboard of literally any Water deck.
Thank
you guys for reading Part 1 of my “Top 50 cards in Wanderer” series!! I will be back next week with Part 2, just in
time before the first major worldwide Wanderer event of Season 3 in Maryland,
United States on April 1st! There will
be quite a few Wanderer events in April, so make sure to keep tuned and/or
prepare!
~
Stephanie