Forked Bolt
Sorcery
Forked Bolt deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two targets.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Price
- $0.31
- EDHREC rank
- #11434
Forked Bolt deals two damage split any way you choose across any targets for a single red mana — that's Lightning Bolt math when token armies and X/1 mana dorks are on the table. In Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot decks it's not just removal; it's a trigger engine that doubles as a board clear for small creatures.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot rewards dealing exactly 1 damage, and Forked Bolt lets you split two separate 1-damage pings from a single spell — two triggers, one mana.
Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph
Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph adds 2 damage whenever a source deals exactly 1 damage, so Forked Bolt split across two targets becomes a 6-damage event for R — one of the most efficient activations in the deck.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Forked Bolt punches above its cost in token-heavy metas where killing two X/1s or a mana dork plus a small blocker for one mana is a real tempo swing. Pauper is where it's most competitive — the format's threats are small enough that splitting two damage often handles two meaningful permanents, and the card sees genuine play there. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but outclassed; Bolt is just better when you need to hit players or larger creatures, and you're almost never in a spot where splitting damage is worth losing that ceiling. Modern has access to too many efficient one-mana options that don't require splitting to get value, so Forked Bolt sits on the fringe there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.31 bulk tier
At $0.31, Forked Bolt is bulk — grab a copy from a commons box and don't think twice about it. Supply is wide enough that the price isn't going anywhere meaningful, and it's not the kind of card that spikes.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.