Ballista Watcher // Ballista Wielder
Creature — Human Soldier Werewolf // Creature — Werewolf
, 
: This creature deals 1 damage to any target.
Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Innistrad: Crimson Vow
- Price
- $0.22
- EDHREC rank
- #20087
Ballista Watcher // Ballista Wielder gives you a repeatable tap-to-ping effect on the front face and a daybound/nightbound flip that turns it into a mana sink for direct damage — all on one card that untaps at your end step when night falls. The cost is real: it asks you to care about the day/night mechanic, which taxes your deck-building unless you're already in a werewolf or darkness-matters shell.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Ballista Watcher // Ballista Wielder is too slow for open-table play — pinging for one at the cost of tapping a creature rarely keeps pace with 40-life totals and three opponents. It earns its slot only in dedicated werewolf builds like Tovolar, Dire Overlord, where day/night flips are consistent and the Wielder's activated ability becomes a legitimate mana dump in the late game. In Modern and Pioneer it's fringe at best, outclassed by creatures that either threaten faster or don't depend on a fragile transform condition. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in this effect at this price point.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.22 bulk tier
At $0.22, Ballista Watcher // Ballista Wielder is firmly bulk — the kind of card you pick up as a throw-in without thinking twice. It won't appreciate unless a day/night mechanic suddenly becomes competitive, which isn't on the horizon.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.