Strength of Will + Walking Ballista + Benevolent Hydra

Strength of Will

Walking Ballista

Benevolent Hydra

How it works

1. Cast Strength of Will by paying 1, targeting Walking Ballista.
2. Activate Walking Ballista by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to it.
3. Walking Ballista triggers, putting two +1/+1 counters on it due to Benevolent Hydra.
4. Activate Walking Ballista by removing a +1/+1 counter from it, dealing 1 damage to any target.
5. Repeat from step 2.

This clever loop turns Walking Ballista into a self-sustaining artillery piece by leveraging its own counters for ammunition. When you target Walking Ballista with Strength of Will, it gains the ability to grow whenever it takes damage instead of dying. This creates a net positive loop with Benevolent Hydra, whose replacement effect ensures that every time Walking Ballista pings itself to trigger that growth, it receives more counters back than it spent. You can then redirect those extra activations to clear the board or finish off opponents, all while Benevolent Hydra quietly supercharges the entire recycling process.