Chain Lightning
Battlebond 171 • uncommon
- Set
- Battlebond
- Collector number
- 171
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Mana cost
- red mana
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colors
- Red
- Artist
- Christopher Moeller
- Market price
- $0.36
What it does
Chain Lightning deals 3 damage to any target. Then that player or that permanent's controller may pay red mana red mana. If the player does, they may copy this spell and may choose a new target for that copy.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperLegal
- 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
Chain Lightning was originally printed in the 1994 Legends expansion for Magic: The Gathering, designed to offer a dynamic, albeit riskier, red burn spell. The card mechanics—allowing the opponent to cast a copy back at the original caster—reflected the chaotic and high-stakes design philosophy of the game's early years. It was later reprinted in the 2018 set Battlebond, which focused on two-headed giant play, as part of a strategic effort to bring iconic, legacy-power cards into a more accessible format.
Christopher Moeller illustrated the Battlebond version of the card, capturing the raw, volatile energy of the spell through his signature painterly style. By integrating the spell's thematic intensity with a modern frame, the art sought to honor the card's history in formats like Legacy while fitting the cohesive visual aesthetic of the Battlebond set. The reprint was well-received by players who valued the card for its efficient damage output and the interactive, skill-testing nature of its copying mechanic.
Generated by Pi, the collecto.rs collecting companion
Who's collecting this
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About Chain Lightning
Chain Lightning is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Battlebond 171 • uncommon. 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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Where does the Chain Lightning catalog entry come from?
The catalog entry for Chain Lightning is sourced from Scryfall. Catalog-level facts stay consistent across every collector; your own data (condition, edition, acquisition notes) is yours.
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