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Lightning Bolt

Instant

Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.

CMC
1
Mana cost
{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Secret Lair Promo
Price
$638.76
EDHREC rank
#156
Buy on TCGplayer
Lightning Bolt card art
Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage for a single red mana — the most efficient rate damage-dealing has ever seen at instant speed. It kills creatures, closes out opponents at low life totals, and slots cleanly into tutor packages like Firemind's Foresight; the only commander where its value dips is Storm, Force of Nature, and even there it's in 78% of lists.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Storm, Force of Nature

Storm, Force of Nature

77.8% of decks · synergy 0.67

Storm, Force of Nature triggers off instants and sorceries, and Lightning Bolt is the cheapest spell you can cast to fuel that engine — one mana for a trigger, plus real damage attached.

02
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot

Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot

67.1% of decks · synergy 0.56

Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot cares specifically about dealing exactly 3 damage, which Lightning Bolt hits precisely every time — making it one of the most consistent trigger sources in the deck.

03
Tor Wauki the Younger

Tor Wauki the Younger

70.6% of decks · synergy 0.52

Tor Wauki the Younger adds a damage rider to every instant and sorcery, turning Lightning Bolt into a four-damage spell for one mana — an absurd rate that explains the 70% inclusion.

04

Kuja, Genome Sorcerer

69.3% of decks · synergy 0.51

Kuja, Genome Sorcerer copies spells, and Lightning Bolt is the cheapest spell worth copying — one mana in, six damage out when the copy resolves.

05
Krark, the ThumblessSakashima of a Thousand Faces

Krark, the Thumbless // Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

78.8% of decks · synergy 0.50

Krark, the Thumbless // Sakashima of a Thousand Faces flips coins on instants and sorceries, and Lightning Bolt is the floor-cost spell that makes every flip profitable — worst case you net zero mana and three damage, best case it bounces to hand and fires again.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

In Legacy, Vintage, and Pauper, Lightning Bolt is a format-defining card — the baseline against which all red removal is measured. Modern has used it as a cornerstone of burn since the format's inception, and it remains legal and heavily played there. In Commander, the calculus shifts: 40 life means Lightning Bolt rarely kills opponents outright, so it earns its slot by picking off mana dorks, protecting your threats, and enabling damage-trigger commanders like Tor Wauki the Younger. Pioneer and Standard have never had access to it, which is a large part of why red removal in those formats feels noticeably weaker.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Lightning Bolt has no true budget replacement — the one-mana, three-damage, instant-speed combination is unique. Shard Volley matches the rate but costs a land, which is a real drawback in Commander; Shock halves the damage for the same mana, which matters in creature-heavy metas where two damage misses the mark.

Price Context

Current price

$638.76 premium tier

At $638.76, this is the Alpha or Beta printing — the card itself in its cheapest modern printing sits well under a dollar, so that price reflects collectible condition, not gameplay value. For anyone building a deck, grab a recent reprint and spend the difference on the rest of the 99.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.