Differential cross sections, vector and tensor analyzing powers of the (d\ensuremath{\rightarrow},t) reaction on $^{120}\mathrm{Sn}$, $^{116}\mathrm{Sn}$, $^{90}\mathrm{Zr}$, $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$, $^{16}\mathrm{O}$, and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ have been measured at 200 MeV bombarding energy. Deuteron elastic scattering measurements have been performed on $^{116}\mathrm{Sn}$ and $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ at the same energy. These data have been analyzed together with previous ones on $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$ and $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ to get best fit optical parameters describing deuteron elastic scattering. The (d\ensuremath{\rightarrow},t) experimental survey bears on 28 transitions populating well known valence levels, including previous data in $^{207}\mathrm{Pb}$ and $^{27}\mathrm{Si}$. The vector and tensor analyzing powers exhibit striking similarities for transitions measured in different nuclei. The angular distributions are found to strongly depend on the number of nodes in the neutron form factor and on the coupling of spin and angular momentum ${\mathit{j}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$=l-1/2 versus ${\mathit{j}}_{+}$=l+1/2. The j effect is especially pronounced, for both analyzing powers for n=1 transitions. The slopes of the differential cross sections in different nuclei depend mainly on the number of nodes. Exact finite range calculations including S and D components have been performed, using two sets of deuteron parameters together with a deep triton potential. Both analyses reproduce rather well the differential cross sections and currently adopted spectroscopic factors. The conventional analyses with deuteron parameters fitting elastic scattering data reproduce rather well analyzing powers of ng1 transitions (with l=0,1,2), but disagree with the data for n=1 transitions (except for ${\mathit{j}}_{+}$${\mathit{A}}_{\mathit{y}\mathit{y}}$ values). Good or qualitative agreement is achieved for all transitions with the second deuteron potential, characterized by larger spin orbit terms and an additional imaginary tensor term. This allows using the reaction as a spectroscopic tool.