Lightning Javelin

Sorcery

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

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
common
Set
Magic Origins
Price
$0.08
EDHREC rank
#25342
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Lightning Javelin card art
Lightning Javelin deals 4 damage to any target and replaces itself with a Scry 1 — the effect is real, the problem is the four mana you pay for it. Better instant-speed removal exists at every price point, and this is the card you cut when you find one.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander
legacy
modern
pioneer
standard
vintage
pauper
oathbreaker

In Commander, Lightning Javelin is a passable filler piece in decks that are desperate for reach and have nothing better — the Scry 1 softens the cost inefficiency, but four mana at sorcery speed is a hard sell when opponents are fielding commanders that demand answers immediately. In Pauper, where the card pool is constrained, it competes with Shock, Electrickery, and similar commons that do more for less; Lightning Javelin rarely makes the cut there either. Across Vintage, Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, it simply doesn't exist as a consideration — the power floor in those formats is too high for a four-mana deal-four that can't even be cast at instant speed.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.08 bulk tier

At $0.08, Lightning Javelin is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not the effect. That price won't move; there's no spike waiting on a card this replaceable.

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Mentioned

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