Lightning Dart MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2000-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Invasion
Set code	INV
Number	152
Frame	1997
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Arnie Swekel

Key Takeaways

Lightning Dart can eliminate multiple one-toughness creatures, influencing the board’s dynamics favorably.
Its instant speed and low cost enable strategic plays and tactical flexibility during the game.
Despite its utility, Lightning Dart requires card discard which can lead to strategic trade-offs.

Text of card

Lightning Dart deals 1 damage to target creature. If that creature is white or blue, Lightning Dart deals 4 damage to it instead.

Broken and punctured by dozens of Phyrexian portals, the angry sky began to spit lightning back at the world.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lightning Dart offers a unique approach to card advantage by potentially removing multiple one-toughness creatures on the board with a single card. This can then swing the game in your favor by reducing an opponent’s resources while maintaining your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although Lightning Dart doesn’t generate mana or tokens, its low casting cost facilitates a quick play, saving mana for other spells or abilities. This form of resource acceleration ensures mana efficiency and could be the edge needed during a fast-paced match.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Lightning Dart at instant speed gives players the flexibility to respond to threats immediately or strategically wait for the optimum moment during an opponent’s turn, enhancing its tactical utility in any game situation.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To cast Lightning Dart, you’re required to discard another card, which can often lead to a demanding situation, especially when your hand is sparse. Managing your hand effectively is key to gameplay, and being compelled to throw away a potentially useful card can be a significant setback.

Specific Mana Cost: Lightning Dart necessitates a particular red mana to play. This cost makes the card a less versatile choice for multicolored decks that might struggle to generate the required red mana when it’s most needed. Decks that aren’t heavily red will find incorporating this card requires careful mana base planning.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a more substantial mana cost than some other damage-dealing spells in the game, Lightning Dart doesn’t always provide the efficiency savvy players look for. In the fast-paced meta where every mana point counts, there are alternatives that can deal similar amounts of damage or provide additional effects at a lower cost.

Reasons to Include Lightning Dart in Your Collection

Versatility: Lightning Dart offers flexibility in deck building as it serves both as an efficient removal spell and a low-cost way to trigger abilities that require dealing damage or casting instant spells. Its ability to target creatures or players makes it a handy tool in various game situations.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in decks that capitalize on spell-slinging synergies. It can enable combos by dealing incremental damage or by helping to meet the conditions for casting more powerful spells that require a certain number of instants or sorceries in the graveyard or in play.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where small creatures dominate the battlefield, Lightning Dart can shift the board in your favor. It’s particularly effective when you need to maintain a clear path for your attackers or manage opposing strategies that rely on creature-based synergies.

How to beat

Lightning Dart is a versatile instant that poses a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to deal damage to creatures with flying can serve as a strategic tool for disrupting your opponent’s aerial threats. This card can swiftly tilt the scales in your favor by selectively removing key flying creatures that often evade ground-based defenses.

To effectively counter Lightning Dart, players should prioritize strategies that minimize the risk of over-reliance on flying creatures. This includes diversifying the creature base to ensure that your board isn’t heavily skewed towards flyers that could become easy targets for this spell. Utilizing instant-speed spells that can protect or regenerate your creatures when Lightning Dart is cast can also be pivotal in maintaining your board presence. Additionally, employing counterspells to prevent Lightning Dart from resolving ensures your winged warriors stay aloft to press the advantage. As always, keeping a versatile deck that can adapt to various threats remains key in prevailing over cards like Lightning Dart.

Understanding your opponent’s potential to use such direct damage spells enables you to prepare accordingly, whether by adjusting your board strategy or holding back key cards that can counteract this harmful hit. A well-rounded approach is essential in maintaining dominance on the battlefield against such targeted removal.

Cards like Lightning Dart

In the electrifying world of Magic: The Gathering, the Lightning Dart card sparks comparisons with several other damage-dealing spells. Looking at Shock, it’s evident that they both deal 2 damage to any target. Yet, Lightning Dart diverges with its potential to deal an extra point of damage if a white creature is targeted, adding a strategic layer when against certain decks.

Another analogous card is Magma Jet. Like Lightning Dart, it inflicts damage, but it comes with the added benefit of scrying, allowing for deck manipulation which Lightning Dart does not offer. Then, there’s the classic Lightning Bolt, a staple in red decks renowned for its cost-effective 3 damage at only one mana. While Lightning Dart can’t match the sheer power and simplicity of Lightning Bolt, it holds its ground in a deck that anticipates facing white creatures.

When stacking up these fiery spells, Lightning Dart may not outshine every time, but in the right context, the card can catch opponents off guard and serve as a clever inclusion in your MTG arsenal.

Lightning Bolt - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

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

Shatter - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Incinerate - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)

Guerrilla Tactics - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)

Shattering Pulse - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)

First Volley - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Surging Flame - Arena League 2006 (PAL06)

Fists of the Anvil - Tenth Edition (10E)

Magma Jet - Friday Night Magic 2009 (F09)

Where to buy

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