Wanderer's Strike MTG Card


Exiles creatures effectively, disrupting opponents and potentially tipping game balance in your favor. Proliferate mechanic synergizes with counters and planeswalkers, enhancing your strategic plays. Demands a high mana cost, which can impact game tempo, especially in fast-paced matches.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Proliferate

Text of card

Exile target creature, then proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

"Precise, clean cuts. No one saw anything. Again. Tag the report with my code and file it." —Lavinia


Cards like Wanderer's Strike

Wanderer’s Strike stands out in the realm of removal spells within Magic: The Gathering. Its closest parallels may be drawn with cards such as Oblivion Strike, which similarly exiles any target creature. Wanderer’s Strike adds to this by empowering its controller with a +1/+1 counter through the proliferate mechanic, which can enhance an array of creatures and permanents already on the board.

Examining cards with proliferate benefits, Grateful Apparition might come to mind. This card doesn’t remove opponents’ threats but does allow frequent activation of the proliferate function with each combat damage to a player. While it’s more versatile in recurring proliferate, it lacks the immediate impact of removing a key creature like Wanderer’s Strike does.

Furthermore, comparing it to Final Judgment, a spell that exiles all creatures, presents a dichotomy in control mechanisms. Wanderer’s Strike is selective, targeting a pivotal threat without affecting the rest of the board, ideal for spot removal. Final Judgment, a broader solution, is best suited in a board state overwhelmed by multiple menaces.

Overall, while there are various exile and proliferate options in Magic: The Gathering, Wanderer’s Strike’s combination of immediate threat removal and the potential for counters synergy makes it a unique and tactical choice for players.

Oblivion Strike - MTG Card versions
Grateful Apparition - MTG Card versions
Final Judgment - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Strike - MTG Card versions
Grateful Apparition - MTG Card versions
Final Judgment - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Wanderer's Strike by color, type and mana cost

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Righteous Confluence - MTG Card versions
Purify - MTG Card versions
Global Ruin - MTG Card versions
Rout - MTG Card versions
March of Souls - MTG Card versions
Lonesome Unicorn // Rider in Need - MTG Card versions
Slash the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Promise of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Saltblast - MTG Card versions
Three Dreams - MTG Card versions
Evangelize - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Burial - MTG Card versions
Iona's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Increasing Devotion - MTG Card versions
Defy Death - MTG Card versions
Angelic Edict - MTG Card versions
End Hostilities - MTG Card versions
Fell the Mighty - MTG Card versions
Winds of Rath - MTG Card versions
Planar Outburst - MTG Card versions
Righteous Confluence - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wanderer’s Strike lets you exile a target creature, an impactful action that can remove key threats from your opponent’s board, potentially disrupting their strategy and swinging the game in your favor. This can create a form of card advantage, as it often deals with a creature that required multiple cards or resources to become a threat.

Resource Acceleration: Although Wanderer’s Strike itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, its ability to potentially remove a mana-producing creature can indirectly affect resource acceleration for your opponent, slowing them down and giving you a better position to control the game’s pace.

Instant Speed: While Wanderer’s Strike is a sorcery, the card offers another strategic layer through its proliferate mechanic which can be used after instant-speed interactions have taken place during your opponent’s turn. It allows you to add an additional counter on creatures or permanents you control that have entered the battlefield with counters due to other instant-speed plays, increasing their impact and your board state without requiring additional spells or turns to do so.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Wanderer’s Strike does not require a discard, it’s important to be mindful of other spells in your deck that may deplete your hand, making it difficult to keep enough cards to follow through with your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This removal spell costs five mana, including two Plains. This restrictiveness means it slots into white-focused or two-color decks but might be cumbersome in multicolored mana bases.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For five mana, this sorcery comes at a steep price, especially when you consider instant-speed removal options that are more mana-efficient. In a fast-paced game, its cost could slow you down just when tempo is crucial.


Reasons to Include Wanderer’s Strike in Your Collection

Versatility: Wanderer’s Strike offers a solid removal option, capable of handling troublesome creatures across a range of deck types. Its exile effect is also a clean solution against creatures with recursion abilities.

Combo Potential: The proliferate mechanic can synergize well with decks focusing on +1/+1 counters or planeswalkers, allowing you to advance your board state while disrupting your opponent’s.

Meta-Relevance: With a game where creature-based strategies are prevalent, having accessible exile effects can be a game-changer. Wanderer’s Strike fits into the meta by being a catch-all solution, capable of tipping the scales in your favor during pivotal moments in a match.


How to beat Wanderer’s Strike

Wanderer’s Strike is a white removal spell that comes with the upside of putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature with the proliferate mechanic. To effectively counter this card during gameplay, one must be clever and timely with their strategy. It’s important to maintain a diversified board state. Avoid over-committing to the board to minimize the impact of removal spells like Wanderer’s Strike.

Another key tactic is to employ instant-speed spells or abilities that can protect or regenerate your key creatures. Being able to respond and save your creature from being exiled can nullify the threat posed by Wanderer’s Strike. Additionally, making use of hexproof or indestructible creatures can make it difficult for your opponent to find a valuable target for their removal spell. It’s about having the right answer at the right time and ensuring your gameplay is fluid enough to adapt to spells that threaten to tilt the balance of the game.

In essence, thoughtful gameplay and the anticipation of opponent moves make it possible to mitigate the effects of Wanderer’s Strike. When you plan for it and maintain strategic flexibility, you’ll be able to navigate around this powerful removal and turn the tides in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Refining your MTG deck is like crafting a masterpiece; it takes time, skill, and sometimes a sprinkle of creativity. Wanderer’s Strike is more than just a removal spell; it’s a versatile card that can define gameplay, offering exile efficacy coupled with the boon of proliferate. With the MTG meta continually evolving, having Wanderer’s Strike in your repository could mean the difference between a setback and a triumphant victory. Dive deeper into strategic deck building, discover synergetic combos, and stay ahead of the curve in your MTG quests. Embrace the full potential of Wanderer’s Strike, and broaden your gaming horizons with us.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wanderer's Strike MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark and Commander Masters, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Wanderer's Strike and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wanderer's Strike Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by Sara Winters.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 382015NormalBlackSara Winters
22023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 692015NormalBlackSara Winters

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wanderer's Strike has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Wanderer's Strike card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-03-19 If a permanent has +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it, they’re removed in pairs as a state-based action so that the permanent has only one of those kinds of counters on it.
2021-03-19 Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it’s too late for anyone to respond.
2021-03-19 To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can’t choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them.
2021-03-19 You don’t have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since “any number” includes zero, you don’t have to choose any permanents at all, and you don’t have to choose any players at all.