Lightning MTG Card

Lightning cards foster card advantage, dealing damage while maintaining board control. Instant speed allows flexible responses and dynamic play, enhancing your strategy. Drawbacks include a discard requirement and a specific mana cost limiting versatility.

Type	Card
Released	2020-06-18
Set symbol
Set name	Jumpstart Front Cards
Set code	FJMP
Number	21
Frame	2015
Layout	Token
Border	Black
Illustred by	John Stanko

Text of card

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Cards like Lightning

Lightning is a key spell in MTG that brings both historical impact and contemporary relevance to red decks. It shares the immediate damage aspect with cards such as Lightning Bolt, widely known for its efficiency in dealing three damage to any target for just one mana. However, while similar, Lightning Bolt stands out as a cheaper and unconditionally stronger spell.

Comparing Lightning with other spells, we look at Shock – a spell that also costs one mana but deals only two damage. It lacks the punch that Lightning commands, though its low cost makes it an accessible alternative in early game scenarios. Next, Chain Lightning introduces an interesting twist, offering the same damage as Lightning for one mana with the option for the spell to chain if the opponent also has red mana.

In essence, Lightning’s blend of damage and mana cost positions it in a nuanced spot in MTG. For players looking for cost-effective, hard-hitting spells, Lightning and its kin offer a diverse spectrum, whether you prioritise power, efficiency, or strategic depth in your red deck.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Lightning MTG card is pivotal in strategies aiming for card advantage. Its ability to deal damage to creatures or players often translates into eliminating opposing threats while maintaining your own board state, effectively edging you ahead in resource competition.

Resource Acceleration: Cards like Lightning Bolt may not produce additional resources directly, but they efficiently clear the way for your creatures to attack and reduce the opponent’s life total, which can indirectly accelerate your win condition, saving valuable mana for subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: The intrinsic value of a Lightning card is amplified by its instant speed. This flexibility allows you to adapt to the battlefield dynamically, reacting to opponents’ actions or removing creatures before they can become a threat to your game plan.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Many lightning-themed cards necessitate discarding one or more cards to activate their powerful effects. This can be a troublesome trade-off, especially if your hand is already scarce in options, forcing you to make decisions that could hamper your strategy later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Lightning cards typically require red mana, which means that they fit primarily into red or multicolored decks. This mana specificity reduces their versatility across various deck types, potentially limiting their utility for players who do not favor red mana-centric builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite their potential for dealing a hefty amount of damage, lightning cards often have a higher mana cost when compared to other spells of similar effect. This can disadvantage players by consuming significant mana resources that could have been allocated to casting multiple spells or fielding creatures instead.

Reasons to Include Lightning in Your Collection

Versatility: Lightning cards are iconic due to their ability to be slotted into various deck styles. Their straightforward damage output makes them suitable for aggressive strategies as well as for controlling the board in more adaptive decks.

Combo Potential: Lightning cards often work seamlessly within combo decks, serving as the linchpin to execute swift, game-ending plays. Their instant speed allows for surprising interactions and the ability to respond decisively to an opponent’s moves.

Meta-Relevance: Lightning cards maintain relevance across different metagames. Their direct damage capabilities enable them to deal with an array of creatures and planeswalkers that dominate competitive scenes, ensuring that your deck remains a threat at any tournament level.

How to Beat

Lightning cards in Magic: The Gathering deliver swift damage, making them formidable, especially in the early game. They embody the essence of red’s signature quick strikes and can disrupt your opponent’s strategy by removing key creatures or directly lowering their life total. To effectively counter this electrifying threat, one must be strategic. Deploying creatures with toughness higher than three can render Lightning’s damage insufficient, as most Lightning spells usually deal three damage or less. Additionally, employing spells or abilities that grant hexproof or shroud can make your cards invulnerable to targeted spells like these.

Moreover, understanding the tempo of the game is crucial. Consider keeping mana open to counter Lightning spells if you’re in blue. Lifegain strategies can also negate the impact of Lightning’s direct damage, especially in white or black lifegain decks. For those playing green, leveraging cards that increase your life total will help withstand the assault. When facing a deck heavy on Lightning cards, ensure your creature plays generate value beyond the battlefield to minimize the downside of potential removal.

Ultimately, overcoming a deck featuring Lightning requires a blend of proactive defense, strategic creature selection, and lifegain measures. Adequate preparation and reactive plays will douse the flames of these high-speed threats and keep you in control of the match.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lightning MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart Front Cards, 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 Lightning and other MTG cards:

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