As with most card games, what seems like a big cost is never as costly as it might seem, especially when paired with amber or sapphires ability to convert healing into value, or amethysts new ability to move damage from your characters to opponents characters
Most likely this card will get better and better, as new items show up
If we go way too safe, we risk the other thing, where the trading card gamers say, This isnt for me. I think the reason it took so long to get where we got was that specific target we were trying to hit to do something that we feel is welcoming, and strategically exciting for trading card gamers
Then, when you ping the opponent, as long as Ballista has enough counters to survive, youll gain a life, triggering The Destined White Mage to put another +1/+1 counter on Ballista