Is Walking Ballista legal in Standard, Modern, and Commander?

Walking Ballista is legal in: Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander. It is banned in: Pioneer.

What type of card is Walking Ballista?

Walking Ballista is an Artifact Creature — Construct. Its oracle text reads: "This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. {4}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: It deals 1 damage to any target. Power/Toughness: 0/0"

Walking Ballista

Artifact Creature — Construct

This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it.

: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.

Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: It deals 1 damage to any target.

Power/Toughness: 0/0

Set Double Masters

Rarity Rare

Mana Value 0

Artist Daniel Ljunggren

Collector # 306

Scryfall

Standard	Not legal
Pioneer	Banned
Modern	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Commander	Legal
Pauper	Not legal
Historic	Not legal

Why Play Walking Ballista

Walking Ballista excels as a flexible threat that scales with available mana while providing immediate board impact through its damage ability. The card shines in artifact-based strategies, +1/+1 counter decks, and any shell that can generate excess mana to fuel its growth. Its ability to remove +1/+1 counters for direct damage makes it an excellent answer to low-toughness creatures and planeswalkers, while also serving as a repeatable source of reach to close out games.

Format Notes

Modern sees the most competitive play for Walking Ballista, particularly in Hardened Scales decks and various artifact strategies where it serves as both engine and win condition. The card was banned in Pioneer due to its oppressive combo potential with infinite mana generators, making games end too quickly and consistently. In Commander, it's become a staple inclusion in artifact decks and counters-matter strategies, valued for its versatility and ability to impact multiplayer games at any stage.

Combos & Synergies

Hardened Scales creates explosive turns by doubling the counters Walking Ballista receives, enabling rapid growth and increased damage output. Heliod, Sun-Crowned forms an infinite combo when Walking Ballista has two or more counters, creating unlimited life and damage loops. Animation Module provides excellent value by creating additional artifacts whenever Walking Ballista gains counters, supporting both wide artifact strategies and enabling additional counter synergies.