Lightning Strike
Instant
Lightning Strike deals 3 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Theros
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #2588
Lightning Strike deals 3 damage to any target for two mana — clean, instant-speed, no conditions. Fire Lord Azula and similar burn commanders run it because it pulls double duty as creature removal and a face-pointed finisher in the same slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Fire Lord Azula
Fire Lord Azula triggers off noncombat damage sources, and Lightning Strike pointing at a player feeds that engine while also clearing blockers when needed — it's one of the most efficient two-mana spells in the 99.
Imodane, the Pyrohammer
Imodane, the Pyrohammer copies any spell that deals damage to exactly one target, which means Lightning Strike becomes 6 damage split across two players for two mana — the math there is just correct.
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus doubles noncombat damage dealt to opponents, turning Lightning Strike into a 6-damage instant for two mana and making it one of the most mana-efficient burn spells in the deck.
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell adds 2 to every source of red damage, so Lightning Strike hits for 5 rather than 3 — a 67% damage bonus on a two-mana spell is exactly why burn staples overperform under Torbran.
Electro, Assaulting Battery
Electro, Assaulting Battery rewards casting cheap spells in rapid succession, and Lightning Strike's low cost lets you chain it with other instants to stack triggers while still removing a threat or pressuring life totals.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Lightning Strike is a role-player rather than a headliner — 3 damage rarely kills a 40-life opponent outright, but it earns its slot in dedicated burn or damage-doubling builds where every spell is an engine piece. In Pauper, it's a genuine staple: the format's creatures are smaller, common-only card quality keeps the ceiling lower, and efficient removal at common rarity is genuinely scarce. Modern and Pioneer have largely moved past Lightning Strike in favor of Unholy Heat or Shock variants with upside, so it sees fringe play at best outside budget builds. Standard legality makes it a format consideration whenever it's in a current set, but it rarely displaces format-defining options unless the format's removal pool is shallow.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Lightning Strike is deep bulk — you're buying these out of a common box, not tracking prices. It reprints frequently enough that it will never meaningfully appreciate, so run your copies and don't think twice about the cost.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.