Ball Lightning
Fourth Edition 176 • rare
- Set
- Fourth Edition
- Collector number
- 176
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- red mana red mana red mana
- Type
- Creature
- Colors
- Red
- Artist
- Quinton Hoover
- Market price
- $6.99
What it does
Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.)
Haste (This creature can attack and tap as soon as it comes under your control.)
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this creature.
Where you can play it
- StandardLegal
- PioneerLegal
- ModernLegal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlLegal
- HistoricLegal
- TimelessLegal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Ball Lightning was first introduced to the Magic: The Gathering trading card game in 1994 as part of the The Dark expansion. Designed by Richard Garfield, the card was conceived as a high-risk, high-reward creature that represented the volatile and fleeting nature of magical energy, intended to provide aggressive red decks with a powerful, singular burst of damage before leaving the battlefield at the end of the turn.
The Fourth Edition release, appearing in 1995, marked the card's inclusion in the core set as a rare, featuring the iconic artwork by Quinton Hoover. Hoover’s illustration, characterized by his distinctive flowing lines and ethereal aesthetic, became the definitive visual representation of the creature for years. While the card's mechanics were initially considered difficult to manage, it eventually became a staple of 'burn' archetypes, prized by players for its ability to bypass defensive board states to deliver immediate damage.
Generated by Pi, the collecto.rs collecting companion
Who's collecting this
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About Ball Lightning
Ball Lightning is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Fourth Edition 176 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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