Wandering Champion MTG Card
2015-01-23 - Number 29
2018-12-07 - Number 42
2019-11-07 - Number 272
2020-09-26 - Number UMA-42
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Monk |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Wandering Champion excels in selective card advantage and deck filtering when dealing combat damage.
- Its low cost and potential for rapid board development make it a viable early game threat.
- Requires strategic play to navigate its discard requirement and specific mana cost for optimal use.
Text of card
Whenever Wandering Champion deals combat damage to a player, if you control a blue or red permanent, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
"Learn from your enemies, but do not tolerate them."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Wandering Champion provides players with a unique opportunity to sift through their deck by letting them reveal the top card of their library whenever it deals combat damage to a player. If it’s a creature card, you can choose to put it into your hand, creating a strategic edge through selective card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: As a low-cost creature, Wandering Champion can act as an early game pressure point, prompting your build-up at a faster pace. Though it doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, its potential to expediently fetch creature cards accelerates your board presence, effectively snowballing your in-game resources.
Instant Speed: While the card itself isn’t an instant, Wandering Champion can be supported by instant speed spells to remove blockers or give it protection. This synergy allows smart sequencing during gameplay, leveraging its combat damage trigger more effectively and ensuring your champion forges a path on the battlefield.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Wandering Champion requires you to discard a card upon activation. For players seeking value and card advantage, this can be a challenging hurdle, especially in tight game situations where every card in hand counts.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a particular mana setup to be cast, which might not always align with your mana base, especially in multicolor decks that could struggle with consistency in mana availability.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the overall utility and pace of your deck, the mana cost of the Wandering Champion may be steep considering its in-game impact. In many cases, players can find alternative creatures or cards that provide a more substantial effect for the same, if not lower, mana investment.
Reasons to Include Wandering Champion in Your Collection
Versatility: Wandering Champion offers a range of possibilities for deck-building. Its ability to potentially draw cards upon dealing combat damage to a player makes it an asset in decks focused on aggressive strategies and player interaction.
Combo Potential: This creature’s triggered ability synergizes with mechanics that care about the number of cards in hand, such as prowess or cards like “Library of Leng” which allows for maximizing hand size, thus enhancing combo executions.
Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-shifting dynamics of MTG’s meta-game, the Wandering Champion can find a place in environments where connecting with a player through combat is feasible, especially considering its ability to filter through cards and keep your hand filled with options.
How to beat
Wandering Champion presents a formidable challenge on the battlefield with its prowess in card drawing and selective hand refinement. This ability to discard cards allows players to cycle through their deck, searching for key pieces while disrupting the opponent’s strategy with its trigger when dealing combat damage to a player. It can be the cornerstone of a focused attack, demanding an immediate answer.
Countering the Wandering Champion demands strategic planning. Effective tactics include using instant speed removal spells before the attack phase, limiting the opportunity for the Champion to trigger its ability. Utilize blockers with high toughness to neutralize it before it can become a recurring threat or leverage enchantments that hinder its ability to attack. Creatures with deathtouch also pose a significant deterrent, ensuring that the Champion’s journey is cut short. Always be mindful of mana availability, anticipating the potential for combat tricks that could keep the Champion afloat.
Ultimately, early intervention is critical to prevent the Wandering Champion from overwhelming you with card advantage. Manage your resources wisely, maintain pressure, and the Champion’s journey will end before it truly begins.
Cards like Wandering Champion
Wandering Champion, a unique card in the MTG universe, shares common ground with other renown-based creatures. It’s closely related to creatures like Taranika, Akroan Veteran which also accentuates combat tricks and boosts from becoming renowned. However, Wandering Champion can selectively loot, a perk triggered when it deals combat damage to a player if you control a blue or red permanent. Taranika doesn’t offer this card filtering advantage.
Moving forward, there’s another comparison to be made with Elite Inquisitor, a card that presents a powerful passive bonus of protection from various creature types. Although Elite Inquisitor doesn’t pack the renown ability, it starts as a stronger presence on the board without needing to connect with a player. Then we have the stalwart Champion of the Parish, a creature that grows with each fellow Human entering the battlefield, fostering a different but equally rewarding build-up. Unlike Wandering Champion, it doesn’t require combat to get stronger.
When analyzing the dynamics and interactions of various creature cards, Wandering Champion offers a distinct blend of aggression and utility that fills a niche within MTG’s combat-oriented creatures, especially within decks that can exploit its looting ability.
Cards similar to Wandering Champion by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Wandering Champion MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged and Ultimate 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 Wandering Champion and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Wandering Champion Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Willian Murai.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 29 | 2015 | normal | black | Willian Murai | |
| 2 | 2018-12-07 | Ultimate Masters | UMA | 42 | 2015 | normal | black | Willian Murai | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 272 | 2015 | normal | black | Willian Murai | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | UMA-42 | 2015 | normal | black | Willian Murai |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Wandering Champion has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Wandering Champion card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-12-07 | If the only blue or red permanent you control is a creature that’s dealt lethal damage at the same time as Wandering Champion deals combat damage, Wandering Champion’s ability triggers. |
| 2018-12-07 | If you don’t control a blue or red permanent as Wandering Champion’s ability resolves, you can’t discard and draw a card. The blue or red permanent you control as the ability resolves doesn’t have to be one you controlled as the ability triggered. |
| 2018-12-07 | Wandering Champion’s ability doesn’t trigger if you don’t control a blue or red permanent immediately after it deals combat damage to a player. |
