Lightning Rift
Enchantment
Whenever a player cycles a card, you may pay 
. If you do, this enchantment deals 2 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Commander 2020
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #17051
Lightning Rift turns every cycling trigger into a two-damage shot for one mana, and in the right shell that adds up to a win condition stapled to your draw engine. Gavi, Nest Warden makes the first cycle each turn free, which means the Rift fires for free — that's the combination that earns it a slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gavi, Nest Warden
Gavi, Nest Warden zeroes out the cycling cost on your first card each turn, so Lightning Rift deals two damage for nothing — an engine that doubles as a clock and pings out small utility creatures without spending a mana.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Lightning Rift actually sees play, almost exclusively in cycling-matters builds where repeated triggers compound fast. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but has never been a competitive piece — cycling payoffs there are outclassed by faster engines. Modern, Pioneer, Standard, and Pauper are all off the table. Oathbreaker is legal, and a cycling commander there could make Lightning Rift worth slotting, but the format's smaller card pool limits the shell's reach.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Lightning Rift is deep bulk — you're not paying for scarcity, you're paying for the card sleeve. That price is stable; it's not a card that spikes or trends, it just sits in bulk bins waiting for cycling decks to find it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.