The Swarm vs Wicker Man

Vintage is the reversed stat — the older ride wins. Every number here is the same one printed on the card; see /methodology for how Build Cost and Throughput are sourced.

The verdict

The Swarm sweeps every comparable stat. There is no line on the card where Wicker Man is the better pick, so the only way this duel turns is on who calls the stat.

The Swarm is a steel Wing Coaster coaster at Thorpe Park, GB, built by Bolliger & Mabillard. Wicker Man is a wooden Wooden coaster with fire-effect pass-throughs coaster at Alton Towers, GB, built by Great Coasters International.

Both are in GB, which puts them in the same conversation for anyone planning a trip there.

Stat by stat

• Height goes to The Swarm at 127 ft against 72 ft — nearly double.
• Speed goes to The Swarm at 59 mph against 43 mph — a long way clear.
• The Swarm inverts 4 times against nothing at all from Wicker Man — the widest kind of gap there is on this stat.
• Throughput goes to The Swarm at 1,600 rph against 952 rph — nearly double.
• Build Cost goes to The Swarm at 31.8 $m against 21.3 $m — a long way clear.
• Vintage is reversed, so The Swarm's 2012 takes it from Wicker Man's 2018 — 6 years in it.