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

#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

#40: Pricia, Pursuant of Exploding Flames

#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.

#33: Hastur, the Unspeakable

#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.

#30: Dreaming Girl, Wendy

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