CGC Featured Card of the Month: Lightning Bolt

Game: Magic: The Gathering

Set: Limited Edition Alpha through Fourth Edition, Others

Card: Lightning Bolt

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What makes it special? Lightning Bolt is an Instant spell that deals 3 damage to a single target. Because the card doesn’t specify that the damage must be done to a creature, the player using the spell can damage either an opponent’s creature or the opponent themselves. What’s more, the spell is an Instant, meaning it can be used anytime.

This was so powerful in early MTG eras that the card influenced the growth of the game in its entirety. Players recognized the power of the spell and began building decks consisting of 40 Lightning Bolts and 20 Mountains to deal constant damage to the opponent for an easy win. MTG developers caught on quickly and proposed the now famous “four of one card” rule, which limits the number of any particular card in a deck to just four.

Did you know? Lightning Bolt was a staple card in every core Magic: The Gathering set from Limited Edition Alpha to Fourth Edition. After Fourth Edition, Lightning Bolt was phased out from subsequent sets. It wouldn’t be seen again for a decade, when fans were pleasantly surprised by Lightning Bolt being reprinted in the Magic 2010 core set. Lightning Bolt continues to be present in core sets to this day.

Total graded by CGC Cards: According to the CGC Cards Population Report, CGC has certified more than 1,000 English examples of Lightning Bolt across all sets, including 170 from Limited Edition Alpha.

CGC Cards median grade: CGC 8 (Limited Edition Alpha)

CGC Cards highest grade: CGC Gem Mint 10 (Limited Edition Alpha)

Sales highlights: A Lightning Bolt, Magic: The Gathering (1994) Revised Edition graded CGC 9 realized $1,187 a Heritage Auctions sale in March 2023, while a (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC Gem Mint 10 sold for $1,250 in a Heritage Auctions sale in August 2023.

CGC Cards Registry: An example of Lightning Bolt graded CGC Gem Mint 10 is included in Adam Cai’s Pristine Collectibles – MTG Alpha Set, which is the highest-ranked Limited Edition Alpha – Master Set in the CGC Registry. There are also examples of Lightning Bolt in the second-, third- and fourth-place Limited Edition Alpha – Master Sets in the CGC Registry.

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