Well, when picking a wand, I use this other forum I found via Google, where the GM listed a whole bunch of cores and wood types, along with what wood or core is good for what kind of magic. I don't know if it's all canon, but it had a fairly balanced setup. I usually first imagine what classes my character would be good at and then pick out a wand that goes along with it. For example:<br/><br/>TK: good at Charms, Transfiguration and Marine Essence.<br/><br/>So the materials I picked are:<br/><br/>Hippogriff Talon: Excellent for Charm Work.<br/>Alder: Transfiguration and Charms