22, Jan, 25

Walking Ballista Variant Spoiled for MTG Aetherdrift

Walking Ballista is the type of incredibly powerful card that players have mixed feelings about. The card has become so powerful in past metagames that it threatened a homogenizing effect over the entire format. Similar to The One Ring, Walking Ballista is colorless, meaning everyone can run it. Currently, Walking Ballista is banned in Pioneer thanks to creating problematic infinite combos.

The good, or bad news, depending on your perspective, is that this new Walking Ballista variant won’t be killing your opponents with infinite mana. It can, however, grow infinitely large and, if it dies, draw infinite cards.

Marketback Walker

Marketback Walker is an obvious callback to cards like Walking Ballista and Hangerback Walker from the original Kaladesh block. Structured almost exactly like Walking Ballista, Marketback Walker gains its counters in the exact same ways for the exact same mana values.

That said, Walking Ballista and Marketback Walker are definitely playing different roles. While Walking Ballista ended games, Marketback Walker is an attrition engine. You can draw a concerning number of cards with this artifact, especially if you have +1/+1 counter support for it. This card goes really well with Innkeeper’s Talent in Standard, for example. This, sadly, means that the new Walker may be a lot more difficult to use. While Walking Ballista could be turned into a win condition or instant removal when needed, Marketback Walker just grows large and draws cards.

This likely disqualifies Marketback Walker from seeing play in older formats. Walking Ballista is the stronger alternative for any format that has that choice. Why draw a ton of cards with this new Walker when Walking Ballista just wins the game?

Lines Up Poorly

Marketback Walker, sadly, showed up in a metagame that is very hostile to it. In Standard, exile-based removal is at an all-time high. Temporary Lockdown and Sunfall are common role-players in the format, and both cards completely annihilate anything that wants to die.

In order for the new Walker to draw cards, it needs to die. This makes the card very susceptible to exile-based removal. The card’s mana value is technically zero after it finishes resolving, which makes it fair game for mana-value restrictive cards like Temporary Lockdown. Sadly, this means that Marketback Walker may not see Standard play unless the metagame shifts.

That said, there is already excitement for this card for formats as old as Vintage. The card offers to draw your entire deck if you can create infinite mana, after all. It could be strong in Mishra’s Workshop decks.

Marketback Walker likely has the most potential in the Pioneer format. Walking Ballista was banned, and there are some big mana decks that use Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to generate tons of mana. You could use ”Walking Ballista at home’ as a mana sink to draw a ton of cards.

Obviously, Marketback Walker has massive Commander potential. Any decks that are looking for mana sinks, or have +1/+1 counter, artifact, or activated ability synergies may want to try this card out. The card already has eyes on it thanks to it being so similar to an infamous card.

Ultimately, Marketback Walker looks like an exciting, but balanced return to Walking Ballista. This card cannot win the game on its own but certainly has the potential to run away with it.

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