Wasp turns Scorpion-style play into a more flexible space puzzle.
The key rule change is simple and powerful: empty columns accept any card or movable group, not just Kings. This extra freedom increases recovery options, but it also tempts players into careless parking that destroys long-term suit flow.
Last updated: May 2026
History and background
Wasp belongs to the Scorpion family and keeps most of Scorpion’s structure: same-suit descending sequence goals, grouped moves from face-up cards, and reserve-based continuation. The differentiator is empty-column admission rules.
That one adjustment makes Wasp a practical bridge between strict Scorpion and wider sequence builders. It preserves the family’s suit-discipline demands while making tactical correction more available when the board becomes awkward.
How the game is set up
The page rules define a Scorpion-style layout with targeted flexibility:
- Tableau. Seven columns with a mix of face-down and face-up structure at start.
- Movement. You may move a face-up card with all cards above it when the destination continues same-suit descending order.
- Empty columns. Any card or movable group can fill an empty space.
- Reserve. Reserve cards are dealt later to continue play.
- Goal. Assemble all required same-suit King-through-Ace runs.
The core mechanic is flexible workspace with strict suit outcomes
Wasp gives you more ways to move cards into empty columns, but it does not relax the requirement that completed progress must be same-suit. This creates a productive tension: tactical freedom on one side, strategic strictness on the other.
High-level play uses empty columns as transit channels, not storage bins. You move blockers out, repair suit lanes, then reclaim the space quickly. When empty columns become passive parking, Wasp can lock almost as hard as Scorpion despite the friendlier rule.
Empty-column freedom is most valuable when it reduces suit dependencies, not when it only postpones them.
Strategic priorities in order
- Reveal hidden cards with purpose. Favor lines that expose cards while preserving usable suit continuation lanes.
- Use empties to untangle, then reset. Keep at least one column recoverably free after each major reorganization.
- Prioritize moves that create multiple follow-ups. Single-move gains are weaker than branches that open two or more valid suit continuations.
- Time reserve cards as problem-solvers. Reserve is strongest when used to break stalemates, not as automatic tempo.
- Keep King mobility in mind. Even with flexible empties, King-led endgame organization still matters for final run completion.
Decision walkthroughs
Fill the empty now?
An empty column can hold a legal card immediately, but that move does not reveal or clean any suit dependency.
Usually wait. Keep the slot available for a higher-leverage extraction that changes board structure.
Two legal same-suit continuations
A movable group can continue in two places. One leaves a spare flexible column, the other consumes it.
Prefer preserving flexibility unless the consuming move directly completes or unlocks a near-complete run.
Reserve card timing
You can deploy reserve now for tempo or wait one turn to first clear a blocker lane.
Wait when possible. Reserve value increases when the tableau is prepared to absorb it constructively.
Common mistakes
- Parking too early in empty columns.This wastes the variant’s main tactical advantage.
- Confusing flexibility with looseness. Same-suit completion rules still punish careless cross-suit buildup.
- Using reserve without a plan. Reserve cards should resolve specific bottlenecks.
- Ignoring follow-up density. Moves that leave only one next action often lead to avoidable stalls.
Recognizing a losing position early
Wasp is usually going bad when:
- Empty columns are repeatedly filled and refilled without reducing suit contamination.
- Reveals continue, but the newly exposed cards do not connect to viable same-suit lanes.
- Reserve usage no longer changes structure and only delays lock.
Undo to the last branch where you could choose structure over tempo. In Wasp, preserving maneuvering quality usually matters more than immediate card movement.