Homing Lightning MTG Card
2013-02-01 - Number 96
2020-07-17 - Number 335
2024-01-12 - Number 112
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Instant |
Key Takeaways
- Board control is enhanced with Homing Lightning’s precision in targeting and eliminating significant creature threats.
- Flexibility at instant speed allows for strategic casting decisions that maintain a dynamic in-game edge.
- Specific mana costs and higher casting cost require strategic deck building to maximize its effectiveness.
Text of card
Homing Lightning deals 4 damage to target creature and each other creature with the same name as that creature.
"I see countless worlds. What makes them think I can't find them in just one?" —Ral Zarek
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Homing Lightning is pivotal for maintaining board control by targeting and potentially removing key threats with its ability to deal 4 damage to a single creature. This can translate to card advantage, as it may eliminate a creature that required several cards to enhance or protect.
Resource Acceleration: While Homing Lightning itself does not directly offer resource acceleration, its efficiency in handling problematic creatures can help preserve your own resources. Efficient removal spells like this allow you to spend less mana on controlling the board and more on progressing your own game plan.
Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Homing Lightning provides flexibility, allowing you to react immediately to threats as they arise and decide the best moment during the battle to cast it. This can be during your opponent’s turn, in response to another spell, or even after attackers have been declared, keeping your foes uncertain and on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Homing Lightning lacks this drawback, but when comparing to cards that manipulate hand content, this can become a point of contention for deck synergy.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two red mana can be challenging in multicolored decks, making Homing Lightning less versatile when it comes to mana bases.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, it competes with other impactful spells, which might diminish its appeal when curating a strategy focused on efficiency.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Homing Lightning is an adaptable removal tool that can be slotted into various red decks. It’s great at targeting creatures with pesky abilities and can serve as both a mainboard inclusion or sideboard tech depending on the deck’s needs.
Combo Potential: Its damage-dealing effect has synergy in decks that capitalize on instants and sorceries. Combine it with cards that let you copy spells or with prowess creatures to leverage the spell’s impact further on the game state.
Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to hit creatures regardless of hexproof or shroud, Homing Lightning is relevant in metas with creatures that utilize these evasive abilities. Ensuring your deck has answers to a diverse range of threats is crucial, and Homing Lightning provides just that.
How to beat
Homing Lightning is an interesting card to face on the battlefield, as it brings a certain level of predictability to the game, targeting a creature with a solid four damage. It’s particularly effective against decks that rely heavily on singular beefed-up creatures. This spell can easily disrupt an opponent’s strategy, removing key components of their gameplay. However, it’s not invulnerable. To outmaneuver Homing Lightning, it’s smart to diversify your threats on the board.
Consider cards that grant indestructibility or those that can buff your creatures beyond the four-damage threshold. Spells like Boros Charm or Selfless Spirit can make your creatures tough enough to withstand Homing Lightning’s impact. Alternatively, countermagic strategies using spells like Negate or Disallow can directly counter the spell, keeping your creature safe and your game plan intact. It’s also important to be mindful of the four mana cost of Homing Lightning, as playing around this can allow you to time your plays to minimize its effectiveness.
Understanding and adapting to opponents’ potential moves makes Homing Lightning less of a threat. With the right cards and strategy, you can turn the tables and maintain your board presence despite this potent spell.
Cards like Homing Lightning
Homing Lightning stands out in the realm of targeted removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its main competition comes from cards like Lightning Strike, which deals 3 damage to any target at the cost of two mana. Although Lightning Strike has a lower mana cost, Homing Lightning offers the potential to remove multiple copies of a creature with the same name from the game by dealing 4 damage, which can be a game-changer during play.
Another comparable spell is Mizzium Mortars, which can also be overloaded to affect every creature your opponent controls. However, Mizzium Mortars requires more mana to reach its full potential, while Homing Lightning provides a more immediate and specific solution. Then you have Searing Spear, with a lower cost but without the capacity to disrupt a swarm of identical creatures, proving that Homing Lightning has certain strategic advantages in specific scenarios.
Comparatively, in a game where multiple creatures share a name, Homing Lightning is an excellent way to neutralize such threats. It gives a strategic edge in games that feature token generation or decks built around a single creature type.
Cards similar to Homing Lightning by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Homing Lightning MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash and Jumpstart, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Homing Lightning and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Homing Lightning Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2013-02-01 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-02-01 | Gatecrash | GTC | 96 | 2003 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 2 | 2020-07-17 | Jumpstart | JMP | 335 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 3 | 2024-01-12 | Ravnica Remastered | RVR | 112 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Homing Lightning has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Homing Lightning card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-01-24 | Homing Lightning has only one target. Other creatures with that name are not targeted. For example, a creature with hexproof will be dealt damage if it has the same name as the target creature. |
| 2013-01-24 | The name of a creature token is the same as its creature types unless the token is a copy of another creature or the effect that created the token specifically gives it a different name. For example, a 1/1 Soldier creature token is named “Soldier.” |
