Rhystic Lightning
Instant
Rhystic Lightning deals 4 damage to any target unless that permanent's controller or that player pays 
. If they do, Rhystic Lightning deals 2 damage to the permanent or player.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Prophecy
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #26093
Rhystic Lightning deals 4 damage for three mana — or 2 damage if an opponent pays 2, which they almost never will in Commander because four players means four people deciding it's someone else's problem. The card punishes the collective action problem of multiplayer better than most similar effects, making it a clean tempo play in any red deck that wants cheap interaction.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Rhystic Lightning earns its slot by exploiting the multiplayer dynamic — opponents at a full table will routinely let the 4-damage version resolve rather than spend 2 mana to shrink it, so you reliably get full value. In Pauper it's legal and the 4-damage ceiling is relevant against the format's fragile creatures, though dedicated burn decks prefer unconditional spells like Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning that don't hand the opponent any agency. In Legacy and Vintage the competition is too stiff — both formats have access to better one- and two-mana burn that doesn't come with an opt-out clause. Rhystic Lightning's real home is Commander, where the rhystic tax scales with the number of opponents and the political cost of paying keeps growing.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Rhystic Lightning is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity, and there's no meaningful floor to drop through. It holds that price because Commander demand is steady and the supply is wide, not because anyone is speculating on it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.