Lightning Rift MTG Card
2002-10-07 - Number 217
2014-06-16 - Number 178
2020-04-17 - Number 155
2023-01-13 - Number 129
2002-06-24 - Number 32571
2004-01-01 - Number 5
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- Lightning Rift enables card advantage and game pace control through damage while cycling or discarding.
- Instantaneous damage triggers elevate Lightning Rift, offering strategic flexibility in real-time play.
- Despite resource acceleration, the card’s discard requirement can deplete hands, needing careful management.
Text of card
Whenever a player cycles a card, you may pay o1. If you do, Lightning Rift deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Options will cost you, but a lack of them will cost you even more.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Lightning Rift offers a repeatable source of damage, effectively diminishing your opponent’s life total or handling creatures while you cycle or discard cards. This continuous threat helps you control the pace of the game, leveraging cycling synergies to trim down an opponent’s resources without losing your own.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana acceleration, Lightning Rift’s low casting cost allows you to establish an early game presence. Additionally, by using it in tandem with cycling cards, you can filter through your deck efficiently, reaching your key spells and lands more quickly, hence indirectly affecting your resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: Lightning Rift’s ability triggers at instant speed, providing flexibility to deal damage. This means you can cycle a card in response to an opponent’s actions, disrupt their plays, or simply apply pressure during their turn, thus making Lightning Rift a versatile tool in any game situation.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the constraints of utilizing Lightning Rift is its requirement to discard cards. This can be a double-edged sword; while cycling cards helps filter through the deck, it could also deplete your hand when you might need a variety of responses to opponents’ threats.
Specific Mana Cost: Being a card that leans heavily on red mana, Lightning Rift might not be the optimal choice for multi-colored decks or those that cannot reliably generate red mana. This limits the card’s versatility and restrains it to certain deck archetypes that can satisfy its mana needs.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Lightning Rift has the potential to be a powerful asset, its initial setup cost is not insignificant. Requiring two red mana and two of any color, it demands a considerable investment before it begins to affect the game. This can be a setback in formats where speed and efficiency are pivotal, and other cards may provide similar benefits for less mana.
Reasons to Include Lightning Rift in Your Collection
Versatility: Lightning Rift offers utility across various strategies, adapting seamlessly to both aggressive and control-oriented decks. Its ability to deal damage provides a consistent threat that can target both creatures and players, ensuring its place as a flexible choice for any collection.
Combo Potential: This card shines in decks built around cycling or discard mechanics. By integrating Lightning Rift with a suite of cycling cards, players can unleash a barrage of damage while digging through their decks for key pieces, turning each cycle into a dual-purpose action.
Meta-Relevance: In metagames where smaller creatures dominate or where the board is kept clear of threats, Lightning Rift offers a way to control the field whilst chipping away at an opponent’s life total. Its relevance increases in formats where cycling is supported, making it a potent tool for certain metagame conditions.
How to beat
Lightning Rift is a versatile enchantment in MTG that presents a steady source of damage with its ability to deal 2 damage to any target whenever a player cycles a card. This cycling mechanic can rapidly diminish an opponent’s life total or clear the board of creatures with low toughness.
Even so, overcoming Lightning Rift hinges on a few strategic moves. Employing enchantment removal spells like Disenchant or Naturalize can dismantle Lightning Rift before it becomes a threat. Alternately, using counterspells to prevent it from ever hitting the battlefield is a clean way to deal with it. Additionally, redirecting or preventing the damage through cards like Deflecting Palm or Leyline of Sanctity can negate the effects of Lightning Rift, rendering it ineffectual against you.
Denying your opponent the chance to cycle through their deck by cards that limit card draw or hand size, such as Narset, Parter of Veils, can also stifle the power of Lightning Rift. By understanding these tactics, players can effectively neutralize the potential threat posed by this persistent damage-dealing enchantment.
Cards like Lightning Rift
Lightning Rift is an intriguing enchantment in Magic the Gathering that brings utility and damage to the table. Its nearest parallel is the card Psychic Corrosion, which also turns a common occurrence—drawing cards—into a means of whittling down the opposition. Unlike Lightning Rift, however, Psychic Corrosion focuses on milling your opponent’s deck, rather than dealing direct damage.
When examining cycle or discard tactics, a card like Drake Haven enters the comparison. It shares a similar trigger to Lightning Rift, rewarding players each time they cycle or discard a card. However, while Lightning Rift deals 2 damage to any target for each occurrence, Drake Haven’s effect creates a 2/2 Drake creature token, offering a different strategic advantage by expanding your board presence.
Ultimately, Lightning Rift stands out among its counterparts, especially in decks that heavily utilize cycling. This gives it an edge as both a controlled damage source and a constant threat that must be addressed by opponents throughout the game.
Cards similar to Lightning Rift by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Lightning Rift MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Onslaught, 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 Rift 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 Lightning Rift Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2002-10-07 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 32571 | 2003 | normal | black | Eric Peterson | ||
| 2 | 2002-10-07 | Onslaught | ONS | 217 | 1997 | normal | black | Eric Peterson | |
| 3 | Friday Night Magic 2004 | F04 | 5 | 2003 | normal | black | Eric Peterson | ||
| 4 | 2014-06-16 | Vintage Masters | VMA | 178 | 2015 | normal | black | Eric Peterson | |
| 5 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 155 | 2015 | normal | black | Paul Scott Canavan | |
| 6 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 129 | 2015 | normal | black | Eric Peterson |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Lightning Rift has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Lightning Rift card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-12-08 | You choose the target when Lightning Rift’s ability is put on the stack, but you choose whether to pay the mana as the ability resolves. Once you make that choice, no player may take actions until the damage is dealt and the ability has finished resolving. |
