Magic: The Gathering · memorabilia

Lightning Bolt

Old Border Era

Pro Tour Collector Set · #mj208 · common · 1996

Instant

Listings

No active listings

From

—

Market reference

$14.15

TCGPlayer

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Current listings on The Game Traders

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Card facts

Quick reference for collectors and graders.

Collector number: mj208 / 308
Release year: 1996
Rarity: common
Illustrator: Christopher Rush
Colors: R
Frame: 1993
Border: gold
Finishes: nonfoil
Printed: 1996-05-01

Card analysis

Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.

Primary role: Removal
Mana value: 1
Type: Instant

Also does

Instant

Strategy & play

How Lightning Bolt plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.

Seen in 21% of recent tournament decks that can run it, usually 4 copies.

Competitive performance

From real Pauper tournament decks over the last 180 days.

Meta inclusion: 21% of decks; 3.5 copies on average · 30 decks
Match win rate: 51.2%; +0.5 pts vs the 50.7% field average

Plays well with

Cards most often run alongside this one in tournament decks over the last 180 days — ranked by how distinctive the pairing is.

Fiery Temper

in 63% of decks · 19 seen

Fireblast

in 50% of decks · 15 seen

Guttersnipe

in 40% of decks · 12 seen

Voldaren Epicure

in 67% of decks · 20 seen

Searing Blaze

in 27% of decks · 8 seen

Jagged Barrens

in 23% of decks · 7 seen

Tectonic Hazard

in 23% of decks · 7 seen

Razortrap Gorge

in 17% of decks · 5 seen

Budget alternatives

Cheaper cards that fill a similar role in Standard decks. Reference prices — most-played option first.

Hydroblast

$4.95 · in 23% of decks

Blue Elemental Blast

$2.02 · in 22% of decks

Lightning Bolt

$2.80 · in 21% of decks

Swords to Plowshares

$1.66 · in 18% of decks

More by Christopher Rush

This card was illustrated by Christopher Rush.

View all 462 cards →

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Lightning Bolt

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About this card

Mana cost: {R}

Type: Instant

Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.

Tournament legality

Current legal status across competitive formats.

tlrLegal

duelLegal

brawlLegal

predhLegal

legacyLegal

modernLegal

pauperLegal

vintageLegal

historicBanned

timelessLegal

commanderLegal

gladiatorLegal

oldschoolLegal

premodernLegal

oathbreakerLegal

paupercommanderLegal

competitivebrawlLegal

Pricing reference

Latest snapshot from the upstream catalog. Actual marketplace prices fluctuate by condition, edition, and grade — use this as a reference, not a quote.

Scryfall pricing

Variant	Price
USD (non-foil)	$14.15
EUR (non-foil)	€7.75

Frequently asked

How can I tell if my Lightning Bolt is real?

Lightning Bolt is not on our list of commonly-counterfeited cards, but counterfeits exist across every set. Check the print quality and cardstock (real cards have a distinctive blue inner core visible from the edge), the rosette pattern on the back, the security stamp on planeswalker / mythic cards from recent sets, and confirm the collector number and set code match the official Scryfall record. For high-value copies we recommend submitting to a professional grader (PSA, BGS, CGC) for tamper-evident authentication.

What is Lightning Bolt worth?

As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Lightning Bolt is $14.15; there are no active listings on The Game Traders right now. Actual value depends on condition, grading, edition and printing variant — graded high-condition copies (PSA 9–10) trade at a substantial premium over raw copies.

What set is Lightning Bolt from?

Lightning Bolt is from the Magic: The Gathering set "Pro Tour Collector Set" in the memorabilia series, released in 1996.

What rarity is Lightning Bolt?

Lightning Bolt is a common card in the Pro Tour Collector Set set.