Lightning Reaver
Creature — Zombie Beast
Haste; fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, put a charge counter on it.
At the beginning of your end step, this creature deals damage equal to the number of charge counters on it to each opponent.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BR
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Alara Reborn
- Price
- $0.61
- EDHREC rank
- #19426
Lightning Reaver closes games: haste plus cumulative charge counters means it swings for more damage every turn it survives, and the chaos damage piles on top passively. Five mana for a 3/3 with no immediate protection is the honest cost — Lightning Reaver needs a deck that keeps the board clear or ends things fast.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Lightning Reaver actually belongs — multiplayer tables let the charge counter damage snowball across three opponents simultaneously, and one unblocked swing can represent six or more damage split however chaos dictates. In Legacy or Vintage it competes against threats that end the game faster at lower mana, so it never sees serious play there. Modern is technically legal but Lightning Reaver is strictly a casual card in that context. Stick to Commander if you're sleeving it up.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.61 bulk tier
At $0.61, Lightning Reaver is firmly bulk — low enough to throw into any zombie or chaos-damage list without hesitation. Demand is narrow and casual, so the price is unlikely to move in either direction.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.