Lightning Blow
Instant
Target creature gains first strike until end of turn.
Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Ice Age
- Price
- $1.02
- EDHREC rank
- #26965
Lightning Blow gives a creature first strike until end of turn for a single red mana — combat trick, nothing more. It's narrow enough that most Commander lists won't want it, but in aggressive red decks that win through combat it can steal a key fight.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Lightning Blow is a Pauper-viable combat trick where one mana tempo swings matter more than in higher-powered formats. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but invisible — those formats don't care about first strike at sorcery speed. Commander is where Lightning Blow struggles most: one-for-one combat tricks at 100-card tables rarely justify the slot when a single board wipe invalidates the whole plan, though voltron commanders that win through repeated combat can occasionally find a use for it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.02 cheap tier
At $1.02, Lightning Blow sits at the high end of what a narrow combat trick warrants — demand is low enough that this price is mostly floor, not ceiling. Don't expect it to move much in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.