Lightning Javelin MTG Card

Magic Origins (ORI)
2015-07-17 - Number 153

Lightning Javelin - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 1002

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number ORI-153

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Scry

Key Takeaways

Lightning Javelin adds card advantage by placing a new card in your hand.
Instant speed casting offers flexibility and fits in various strategies.
Scry effect aids in aligning draws with your mana curve and strategy.

Text of card

Lightning Javelin deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)

The harpies descended without mercy upon Akros, only to find their attack put them within range of the javelineers.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lightning Javelin offers strategic benefits by placing a card from the top of your library into your hand after casting, keeping your options plentiful and your hand well-equipped.

Resource Acceleration: This spell doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration but the scry effect it offers helps to ensure your future draws align with your resources needs, smoothing out your mana curve and helping you get to your powerful spells more consistently.

Instant Speed: Lightning Javelin can be cast at instant speed, providing you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves adequately or end-of-turn, making it a versatile choice in both offensive and defensive strategies.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Lightning Javelin does not inherently require a discard, its situational utility might result in an indirect discard disadvantage. If it’s the only non-creature spell in hand, a player could be forced into a painful decision to discard a potentially more crucial card later on.

Specific Mana Cost: Lightning Javelin asks for a specific mana investment including one red mana, which may not seamlessly integrate with all deck types. This can restrict its inclusion to predominantly red or compatible two-color decks, potentially sidelining it in favor of more flexible removal options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing four mana, with three generic and one red, may be seen as steep for a single target removal spell. Players may find that at this cost point, other spells in the game provide lower-cost removal or additional benefits that Lightning Javelin lacks, making it a less appealing option in a tightly contested mana curve.

Reasons to Include Lightning Javelin in Your Collection

Versatility: Lightning Javelin is a flexible addition to various decks, fitting nicely into burn strategies while also serving as a removal spell that can deal with mid-sized creatures or finish off weakened opponents. Its ability to scry 1 ensures added value in helping you find the next card you need.

Combo Potential: This card can be a part of combos that take advantage of instant or sorcery casts, particularly in Izzet (blue-red) builds where every spellcast counts. It can also synergize with prowess-like mechanics or be used to trigger heroic abilities in specific deck builds.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment dominated by creatures, Lightning Javelin can be a crucial tool for controlling the board and maintaining tempo. The damage to creature or player flexibility means it remains relevant whether you’re keeping the board clear or closing the game.

How to beat

Confronting a Lightning Javelin in Magic: The Gathering requires strategic finesse. This card presents a dual threat by offering both removal and direct damage capabilities. It allows the caster to deal 3 damage to any target and scry 1 at sorcery speed, which can significantly disrupt an opponent’s board or even close out a game.

This challenge, however, is not insurmountable. One can employ instant speed creatures or spells with the flash mechanic to outmaneuver the sorcery speed limitations of Lightning Javelin. Additionally, giving creatures hexproof or indestructible, through cards like Blossoming Defense or Selfless Savior, can effectively counteract the targeted removal aspect. Prioritizing threats that require immediate answers and deploying them wisely can also stretch your opponent’s removal resources thin, diminishing the impact of a single Lightning Javelin.

Ultimately, the key to outplaying Lightning Javelin lies in cultivating a diverse and resilient board state, as well as maintaining the capacity to react promptly. By doing so, you’ll negate the advantages this card offers, keeping the upper hand in your matchups within the realm of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Lightning Javelin

Lightning Javelin serves as a striking representative of direct damage spells in Magic the Gathering. This card is closely related to others like Lightning Strike, sharing the common ground of dealing damage directly to creatures or players. However, Lightning Javelin steps up with the added versatility of a scry 1 effect, enabling a slight deck manipulation by looking at the top card of the library and deciding its fate.

Comparing it to Lava Spike, which deals a static three damage to a player, Lightning Javelin offers targeting flexibility, albeit at a higher mana cost. Arc Lightning is another related spell with the capability of dividing three damage among one, two, or three targets. Although it lacks the scry feature of Lightning Javelin, its division of damage can be crucial in eliminating multiple threats on the board.

Evaluating these aspects, Lightning Javelin holds its ground in the pool of red damage spells within Magic the Gathering. While it may not be the cheapest option, its dual utility of inflicting damage and setting up future draws makes it a noteworthy card for players to consider.

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

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lightning Javelin MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins and Mystery Booster, 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 Javelin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lightning Javelin Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Seb McKinnon.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2015-07-17	Magic Origins	ORI	153	2015	Normal	Black	Seb McKinnon
2	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	1002	2015	Normal	Black	Seb McKinnon
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	ORI-153	2015	Normal	Black	Seb McKinnon