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
- $0.40
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 DreadfulNot legal
- 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, designed to evoke the chaotic, reactive nature of magical combat. The card allows a player to deal damage to a creature, with the unique potential for the target's controller to pay mana to redirect the spell back at the original caster or another target, creating a ripple effect of spell-casting that captures the flavor of a volatile, bouncing electrical discharge.
The Battlebond reprint, illustrated by Deruchenko Alexander, brings a modern aesthetic to this classic sorcery. Released in 2018, the set was designed specifically for Two-Headed Giant team play, and the inclusion of Chain Lightning served to support the set's high-damage, interactive environment. Alexander’s art shifts away from the surrealism of the original 1990s aesthetic toward a more dynamic, visceral depiction of the spell, which resonated well with players seeking both competitive utility and refreshed visual storytelling.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
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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