Translated from https://www.fowsystem.com/es/
Hello, friends of Force of Will!
Hello there, FoW friends! Welcome to a new episode of FoW Top!
Due to last Friday’s announcement, today we are going to discuss Wanderer (Surprise surprise! Alejandro raving about Wanderer). Wanderer is my favourite format, just as for a significant part of the community. It is a place to create wonderful decks, full of fun interactions and infinite choices. Now that it is set to become the only competitive format in the game, I would like to share with you what makes Wanderer special (in my humble opinion). Also, perhaps a decklist or two. Let’s go!
Wanderer, unlike the soon-to-be extinct New Frontiers, it has many things that make it fabulous. After over 30 sets, it is the widest format, where we can combine all the mechanics released over the years. However, what does Wanderer have that others don’t?
Regalia
Regalias are a type of cards released in Alice Cluster, giving rulers bonus skills and stats, as well as changing the game forever. Several of those cards, such as Deathscythe, the Life Reaper (SKL-096), or Horn of Sacred Beasts (SKL-099), have established the gameplay for many decks. When they are combined amongst themselves (whether as sideboard cards, or as support for the new Ruler Alice, Tales of Creation (GRL-067) // Order of Genesis (GRL-067J), I am certain that we will see Regalia on the battlefield more often than what we used to.
Chant-Standby Area
One of the least used zones in the game, yet one of the most powerful ones, is the Chant-Standby Area. Any card in your hand can be set face-down by paying [2] will of any attribute. Then, you can play it at the right time once its Trigger condition is met (Editor’s note: In the original in Spanish, there is no explicit mention to Trigger abilities of Chant-Standby cards). These cards are rather powerful and can be played at Quickcast speed, despite lacking this keyword. They also allow to assemble plays that can easily overwhelm your opponent, such as casting two Riza, First of the Dead (BFA-074), and two Melder, Last of the Dead (BFA-071) right before your opponent’s block phase. Study all possible plays with Chant-Standby cards and you will see everything you can do!
Rune decks
New Valhalla cluster brought Rune Decks with it (after a rather failed test with a certain Extra deck that will be discussed later). Ten rulers, twenty Master Runes, 10 Divinity points. This ability allows us to have an extra deck of 5 cards with different names next to our main one. Cards in the Rune Deck must have different names and be Runes or Chant/Runes to be added to this deck. Finally, the former’s will identity must match that of your ruler. For example, Brunhild (SDV1-005) // Brunhild, Caller of Spirits (SDV1-005J) her Runes must be of light attribute, but Chant/Runes can be of any attribute. To play these cards, we follow the same procedure as if they were in our hand. However, we cannot carry on playing Runes if the total Divinity value of these exceeds that of our Ruler – we can all the way up to Divinity 10, but we cannot surpass it. Rune decks have been the backbone of Wanderer for the past two years, so get up to date with them.
Powerful interruption additions
Many of the powerful abilities in New Frontiers could be stopped using an interruption addition. Shackles of Ice (VIN003-040) stops any of the Six Sages’ plays; Barrier Seal (LEL-045) halts the plays of Violet, Atomic Automaton (ADW-030) // Violet, Atomic Automaton [J-Ruler] (ADW-030J); Barrier of Shadows (TTW-073) detains the God’s Arts of Belial (TST-073) // Belial [J-Ruler] (TST-073J) or Astema (TST-067) // Astema [J-Ruler] (TST-067J)… There are many old additions that interfere with other decks’ strategies, such as The Milky Way (MPR-050) or Wind-Secluded Refuge (VIN003-060), whilst being much harder to remove due to being additions instead of J/Resonators. I encourage you to do your research in the database to discover what other interruption additions are available.
Cards that cancel abilities
You may think “but there is Witch with a Pointy Hat (ADW-060)” in New Frontiers. Now imagine using this card without needing to unlock its Seal ability – exactly, I am talking about Laurite, Seven Luminaries Astrologian (TSW-094). J/Resonators’ abilities are progressively becoming more and more powerful, only to be able to interact with them from our fourth turn onwards. Wanderer’s wider array of options gives more possibilities to play with from the very start of the game, stopping those automatic or triggered abilities that are so detrimental for our decks.
A great variety of stones
Wanderer has the largest collection of usable Special Magic Stones – from the classic dual stones (such as Magic Stone of Dark Depth (TAT-095) or Magic Stone of Scorched Bales (TAT-098)); to the Magic Stones from Vingolf 3 (that offer a main attribute and a second one, only to be used twice); to the most powerful 5-colour stones: Ruler’s Memoria (TTW-102) and Magic Stone of Moon Shade (MPR-100). There is a Special Magic Stone, Little Red, the Pure Stone (MPR-098), that has four alternative secret versions. No more using basic stones unnecessarily!
Multiple win conditions
Have you heard of Time Will? What about Colossal J-Rulers? Have you ever faced a Ruler that, instead of receiving damage, it sends cards to the removed area? How about Water Kimono of Twelve Parts (RDE-024)? There is that and much more in Wanderer. There are cards with exclusive mechanics that will stop the opponent, others that offer alternative win conditions, that force different deck builds only for existing. Do not forget to run a Magical Arrow (PofA-023), in case you face an Yggdrasil, Malefic Verdant Tree (ENW-068) in a tournament.
Community’s favourites
All the community’s favourites are legal in Wanderer! From now onwards, you will be able to play any tournaments with your favourite Rulers. Would you like to play Girl in Twilight Garb (TTW-076) // Dark Alice, Maiden of Slaughter (TTW-076J) and clear the battlefield? You can do so! Would you rather test the power of Lumia, the Fated Rebirth (LEL-071) // Lumia, Saint of the Crimson Lotus (LEL-071J) and trigger multiple times your resonators’ [Enter] abilities? Go for it! Would you be interested in playing Zero, Six Sage of Light (CFC-015) // Zero, Master of the Magic Saber (CFC-015J) and remove your opponent’s abilities? Suit yourself! Is Pricia, True Beastmaster (RDE-076) // Reincarnated Maiden of Flame, Pricia (RDE-076J)’s [Resonance] abilities right up your alley? Is Valentina, the Princess of Love (SKL-048) // Valentina, the Ruler of Paradise (SKL-048J)’s ability to flash in the battlefield cost-2-or-less resonators? You may do it in Wanderer! Now is the time to play all those resonators that have been waiting for their chance to shine.
Banned list
The most important aspect that Wanderer has and New Frontiers does NOT is a banned list- after many years of not being updated, this document is being updated again to keep overpowered cards in check. Per the last official article, this list will be updated every three months. Many of you will remember the dark times when Reflect, Child of Potential (TTW-063) // Refrain, Child of Convergence (TTW-063J) or Speaker of Eternal Night (TSW-109) // Scheherazade of the Catastrophic Nights (TSW-109J) dominated New Frontiers for Months, just as Fiethsing (MSW-053) // Fiethsing [J-ruler] (MSW-053J) and Carlina (TST-075) // Carlina [J-Ruler] (TST-075J) are doing right now. The most fearsome opponent of those cards is the banned list itself, which will hopefully stop these situations from ever happening again (or at least I hope so).
Also, since I know that you like powerful decks, I thought it would be appropriate to show you what Scheherazade would look like if she were legal in Wanderer. I have been playing this deck for fun and it is still as powerful as it used to be, if not more. Luckily, this deck is banned (which hopefully will never change).
This is it for today! As a professional player and a collector alike, I am very happy and hopeful about this wonderful turn that Force of Will has taken in becoming a single-format game. I can’t wait to see what those new products featuring old and new cards will be like, as well as seeing how old rulers get support without leaving the new ones untaken care of. From what I am concerned, I will carry on playing FoW as I have done until now, testing new decks and creating fun and wild lists.
See you soon!!
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