The Battlefield

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

$21.86

Walking Ballista

$9.28

AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Walking Ballista

Overview

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed gives Walking Ballista a continuous +1/+1 power/toughness boost and grants it undying; undying cares only about whether the creature had any +1/+1 counters when it died, not whether it had a continuous +1/+1 effect from Mikaeus .

Step 1

Walking Ballista enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it per its oracle text; Mikaeus’s static effect then makes Ballista’s power/toughness effectively one higher and grants it undying while Mikaeus remains on the battlefield.

Step 2

Undying’s return condition checks whether the creature had any +1/+1 counters on it when it was put into a graveyard; continuous effects that modify power/toughness (Mikaeus’s “get +1/+1”) are not +1/+1 counters and do not count for the undying check .

Step 3

If Ballista dies with zero +1/+1 counters (for example, X=0 or you removed all counters before it died), undying will trigger and return it to the battlefield with a single +1/+1 counter on it when that trigger resolves .

Step 4

If Ballista dies while it still has one or more actual +1/+1 counters on it, undying will not trigger and it will remain in the graveyard .

Step 5

If Ballista has been dealt damage earlier in the turn, that marked damage plus Ballista’s current toughness (including Mikaeus’s +1/+1 boost to toughness) determines whether removing counters to deal damage will cause it to die due to lethal damage from marked damage; check state-based actions for destruction .

Step 6

If Ballista and Mikaeus die at the same time, undying granted by Mikaeus still triggers for Ballista based on the last-known information from before they left the battlefield; the trigger can return Ballista when it resolves [Ruling 2018-12-07].

Resolution

If Walking Ballista dies while it has no +1/+1 counters on it, the undying granted by Mikaeus will trigger and return it to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it . If Ballista had one or more actual +1/+1 counters when it died, undying will not return it . If Ballista and Mikaeus die at the same time, the undying trigger for Ballista granted by Mikaeus will still trigger and resolve to return Ballista (see ruling) — use last known information where relevant .

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