Lightning Blow
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Magic: The Gathering
Mana cost
- Card type
- Instant
- Rarity
- Rare
- Indicative price
- 0.99 € · 1.02 $
- Mana value
- 2
- Colour
- White
Card text
Target creature gains first strike until end of turn. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.
Format legality
- CommanderLegal
- DuelLegal
- LegacyLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- PauperLegal
- PaupercommanderLegal
- PennyLegal
- PredhLegal
- PremodernLegal
- VintageLegal
Legalities follow the imported catalogue; check format rules before a tournament.
Data imported on 2026-10-06 (UTC).
Indicative Scryfall prices, updated daily. ★: foil; ★ E: etched foil. EUR and USD represent different markets.
Printing information
- Illustrator
- Harold McNeill
- Card language
- English
- Release date
- 1995-06-03
Flavour text
"If you do it right, they'll never know what hit them." —General Jarkeld, the Arctic Fox
Rulings
If the targeted creature doesn’t have first strike, granting it first strike after combat damage has been dealt in the first combat damage step won’t prevent it from dealing combat damage. It will still assign and deal its combat damage in the second combat damage step.
You may target any creature, not just one that doesn’t have first strike. If the targeted creature already has first strike as Lightning Blow resolves, Lightning Blow won’t affect it (since multiple instances of first strike are redundant), but you’ll still draw a card at the beginning of the next turn’s upkeep.