Chain Lightning
Mystery Booster 2 (MB2) #55 · Common · Sorcery
Mana cost: {R}
Chain Lightning deals 3 damage to any target. Then that player or that permanent's controller may pay {R}{R}. If the player does, they may copy this spell and may choose a new target for that copy.
Illustrated by Christopher Moeller · Released August 2, 2024
Prices
- Nonfoil: $0.28 USD · €0.37 EUR
Nonfoil price since July 17, 2026: up $0.04 USD (16.7%) to $0.28 USD; low $0.24 USD, high $0.28 USD.
Printings
- Arena Anthology 3 #12 (AA3) · Common · 2025
- Secret Lair Drop #2047 (SLD) · Rare · 2025 · $2.77 USD
- Secret Lair Drop #2052 (SLD) · Rare · 2025 · $10.07 USD foil
- Mystery Booster 2 #55 (this printing) · Common · 2024 · $0.28 USD
- Dominaria Remastered #113 (DMR) · Common · 2023 · $0.37 USD
- Dominaria Remastered #316 (DMR) · Common · 2023 · $0.36 USD
- Secret Lair Drop #370 (SLD) · Rare · 2021 · $19.97 USD
- Jumpstart #302 (JMP) · Uncommon · 2020 · $0.42 USD
- Battlebond #171 (BBD) · Uncommon · 2018 · $0.40 USD
- Amonkhet Invocations #26 (MP2) · Special · 2017 · $27.90 USD foil
- Eternal Masters #123 (EMA) · Uncommon · 2016 · $0.40 USD
- Vintage Masters #153 (VMA) · Common · 2014
- Premium Deck Series: Fire and Lightning #16 (PD2) · Common · 2010 · $1.78 USD foil
- Magic Online Theme Decks #A55 (TD0) · Common · 2010
- Magic Online Theme Decks #B14 (TD0) · Common · 2010
- Masters Edition III #90 (ME3) · Common · 2009
- Legends #137 (LEG) · Common · 1994 · $10.84 USD
Legality
- Standard: Not legal
- Alchemy: Not legal
- Pioneer: Not legal
- Historic: Legal
- Modern: Not legal
- Brawl: Legal
- Legacy: Legal
- Timeless: Legal
- Vintage: Legal
- Pauper: Legal
- Commander: Legal
- Penny: Not legal
- Oathbreaker: Legal
- Duel: Legal
Rulings
- 2022-12-08 · wotc — The copy of Chain Lightning is created on the stack, so it's not cast. Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger. Players may respond to that spell before it resolves.
- 2022-12-08 · wotc — The player putting the copy of the spell on the stack controls that copy.
- 2022-12-08 · wotc — As Chain Lightning resolves, either the original or one of the copies, the targeted player or the controller of the targeted permanent may copy it. The copy has the same text, target, and color as the resolving spell, though the player creating the copy may choose a new target for it. Once that copy is created (or not), the Chain Lightning finishes resolving and leaves the stack.
- 2022-12-08 · wotc — If the targeted player or permanent is an illegal target as Chain Lightning tries to resolve, the spell doesn't resolve and none of its effects happen. It can't be copied.
Played in these commander decks
- Firesong and Sunspeaker · in 6% of 47 decks