Lightning Blow MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 42

Lightning Blow - Masters Edition III (ME3)

Masters Edition III (ME3)
2009-09-07 - Number 18

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant

Key Takeaways

Lightning Blow aids card balance by effectively managing threats without hand size loss.
Its low casting cost and instant speed disrupt opponents and bolster mana efficiency.
Demanding specific mana and discarding a card can limit its strategic inclusion.

Text of card

Target creature gains first strike until end of turn. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

"If you do it right, they'll never know what hit them." —General Jarkeld, the Arctic Fox

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lightning Blow offers the critical function of potentially removing an opposing creature from the battlefield while not costing the player any loss in hand size. This makes it a valuable addition to any deck seeking to maintain card equilibrium while also managing threats.

Resource Acceleration: While Lightning Blow doesn’t directly offer resource acceleration in the traditional sense of adding mana, its low casting cost aids in efficient mana usage. This helps players accelerate their board presence and allows them to spend their mana on other spells or abilities sooner.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Lightning Blow at instant speed provides players with the means to react swiftly to threats. This timing advantage is key for disrupting opponents’ strategies during their turn, potentially changing the course of the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lightning Blow demands that you discard another card for activation. This can pose a significant setback when your hand is already running empty, forcing you to make tough decisions about resource allocation that could impede your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: As a spell that necessitates a precise mana arrangement, specifically red, Lightning Blow might not seamlessly fit into multicolored decks or those with a mana base not heavily skewed towards red sources, potentially causing it to be a dead draw at the wrong time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that might be on the higher side for its effects, Lightning Blow may not be as appealing compared to other spells in its category. Players might find other, lower-cost options to fulfill the same role but with greater flexibility and less of a hit to their mana economy.

Reasons to Include Lightning Blow in Your Collection

Versatility: Lightning Blow offers flexibility in deck building, as it serves as both a combat trick and a means of protection. It can be seamlessly incorporated into decks looking to safeguard key creatures or ones that aim to surprise opponents during battle.

Combo Potential: This card is excellent for combinations with creatures that have abilities triggered by dealing damage or surviving combat. It enhances strategies that capitalize on buffing creatures or altering combat outcomes in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where swift and cost-effective responses are crucial, Lightning Blow can be an unanticipated game-changer, effectively dealing with aggressive decks or protecting your own threats on the board.

How to Beat Lightning Blow

Lightning Blow is a dynamic combat trick that offers temporary yet significant power boosts in Magic: The Gathering, not unlike the renowned Giant Growth. What makes Lightning Blow particularly worth noting is its ability to not only increase a creature’s power but also grant first strike until end of turn. The outcome? It can unexpectedly tilt combat in favor of the buffed creature, often resulting in a favorable trade or unexpected damage to the opponent.

To counteract the effectiveness of Lightning Blow, it’s essential to anticipate and mitigate its impact. Counterspells are a straightforward solution — a timely Negate or Essence Scatter can render the combat trick null. Beyond direct counters, maintaining open mana for instant-speed removals, such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade, can eliminate the creature before the spell resolves, making your opponent’s move fruitless. Alternative tactics include withholding creatures from blocking to avoid the trick’s effect or simply outpacing your opponent with superior board presence, leaving Lightning Blow as a mere blip in your path to victory.

Understanding and preparing for Lightning Blow’s potential allows for strategic defensive plays, keeping you one step ahead and minimizing disruptive surprises during critical moments of gameplay.

Cards like Lightning Blow

Lightning Blow stands out in the pantheon of combat trick spells in Magic: The Gathering by providing a creature with a substantial increase in power. This increase is reminiscent of the effects seen in Giant Growth, a staple card that also delivers a notable power and toughness boost. However, Lightning Blow distinguishes itself with the added benefit of first strike, allowing the enhanced creature to potentially take down a foe without suffering damage in return.

Comparatively, Brute Strength follows a similar template, offering a power augmentation alongside the advantageous trample ability. Though first strike is notably strong, trample offers a different approach, particularly useful when pushing for lethal damage past blockers. Temur Battle Rage is yet another analogous spell, granting both double strike and trample but at the condition of having a creature with power 4 or greater. This conditional effect could be seen as both an advantage and a limitation, depending on the creatures in play.

In essence, when evaluating the useful intricacies of instant-speed power-boosting spells, Lightning Blow carves a niche for itself. The card provides players an excellent combat advantage through first strike, situating it as a compelling choice among its kin in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Lightning Blow by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lightning Blow MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition III, 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 Blow and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lightning Blow Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by Harold McNeill.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		42	1993	Normal	Black	Harold McNeill
2	2009-09-07	Masters Edition III	ME3		18	1997	Normal	Black	Harold McNeill

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lightning Blow has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Lightning Blow card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2009-10-01	If the targeted creature doesn’t have first strike, granting it first strike after combat damage has been dealt in the first combat damage step won’t prevent it from dealing combat damage. It will still assign and deal its combat damage in the second combat damage step.
2009-10-01	You may target any creature, not just one that doesn’t have first strike. If the targeted creature already has first strike as Lightning Blow resolves, Lightning Blow won’t affect it (since multiple instances of first strike are redundant), but you’ll still draw a card at the beginning of the next turn’s upkeep.