Good layout trumps everything else. If it doesn't flow good through the wrist area it won't work. I prefer quartersawn because the figure is more consistent from side to side.
Here are some pictures of a circassian blank I sold on this forum not long ago. Notice the really nice grain flow on the top (3rd picture) and the flow on the bottom (4th picture) specifically in the wrist area. Also notice on the first two pictures (left and right sides) of the blank the grain flows directly into receiver dead on. From a structural standpoint this is about as good as it gets:
PS. I bought a few nice looking blanks are few years ago that looked great from the sides (both sides). However it cut across the wrist at about a 30 degree angle. I ended up cutting them into forearm blanks.