Lightning wants a deck that makes everyone swap their hand for a fresh one. It also works in a deck built around Humans, Library Manipulation or Soldiers.
Mana cost
Red ()
Power / toughness2 / 3
RarityRare
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Whenever Lightning deals combat damage to a player, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card for as long as you control Lightning.
Picked for what they do in Lightning's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Lightning's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Lightning works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast6 Jun 2025
If another player gains control of Lightning, you won't be able to play any of the exiled cards, even if you later regain control of Lightning. Similarly, if Lightning leaves the battlefield and later returns, you won't be able to play the cards that were exiled the first time it was on the battlefield since it's a new object.
Wizards of the Coast6 Jun 2025
You pay all costs and follow all timing rules for cards played this way. For example, if the exiled card is a land card, you may play it only during your main phase while the stack is empty and only if you have an available land play remaining.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryRPlayers write colors as letters: R for red.WheelsWheel decks make every player swap their whole hand for a fresh one, then profit from all that drawing. One way is making opponents lose life for each card they draw. The name comes from the card Wheel of Fortune.Open the Wheels pageDrawDraws you extra cards. More cards means more choices every turn, and in a 100-card deck it is the main way to find the pieces you need. Rhystic Study, SkullclampOpen the Draw pageCard SelectionImproves what you draw rather than how much: you look at the top few cards of your library and decide what stays on top. Ponder lets you rearrange the top three, Serum Visions lets you scry, and Consider lets you surveil. It makes your draws more reliable without giving you extra cards.Open the Card Selection pageSaboteurTriggers when a creature deals combat damage to a player, so the reward comes from connecting rather than from the damage itself. Evasion makes these far more reliable. Ragavan, Nimble PilfererOpen the Saboteur pageEvasionAn ability that makes a creature hard to block, so its attacks reach the player. Flying, menace, landwalk and plain 'can't be blocked' are the common kinds.Open the Evasion pageLibrary ManipulationCards that let you look at, rearrange or play from the top of your deck, so you control what you draw next.Open the Library Manipulation pageImpulse DrawExiles cards from the top of your library and lets you play them for a short time, usually only that turn. You have to use them or lose them. Act on Impulse Prosper, Tome-BoundOpen the Impulse Draw page
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