Lightning Surge
Sorcery
Lightning Surge deals 4 damage to any target.
Threshold — If there are seven or more cards in your graveyard, instead Lightning Surge deals 6 damage to that permanent or player and the damage can't be prevented.
Flashback 
(You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Judgment
- Price
- $0.36
- EDHREC rank
- #27485
Lightning Surge deals 4 damage to any target for four mana — or 6 damage with threshold active — but competing instant-speed burn at this cost does more for less in nearly every shell. It's a fine rate if you're filling a graveyard anyway; otherwise it's just an overcosted Char.
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 |
Lightning Surge is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but sees virtually no competitive play in any of them. In Commander, the threshold condition is achievable but 4 mana for a single-target six-damage spell rarely pulls weight when the format demands card advantage and board-wide impact. Legacy and Vintage have access to far more efficient burn options, so Lightning Surge doesn't register there either. Oathbreaker is the only fringe case where a graveyard-heavy aggressive Planeswalker strategy might squeeze value out of the threshold upside, but even then it's a stretch.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.36 bulk tier
At $0.36, Lightning Surge sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to climb without an unexpected synergy breakout. Pick it up freely if a specific threshold or graveyard build calls for it, but don't hold copies in anticipation of demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.