Lightning Bolt is reprinted in M10! I was the last one to know… despite being the guy to “preview” the card.
Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I was reluctant to believe that Lightning Bolt would be coming back with M10. I don’t typically talk about non-officially previewed cards at all, and in this case I thought it would be just silly to reprint the card. I mean Lightning Bolt? Really? The Japanese find every excuse in the book to play Shock. I personally made room for Tarfire in Extended (and played a full set in my Blightning Beatdown deck). Did no one remember how good Rift Bolt was? Do you think that people just liked paying three mana for their sorceries?
But no, Lightning Bolt is back, in all it’s glory:
My initial reluctance to believing Lightning Bolt was coming back came from the fact that the so-called spoiled art was just that — the art — without being attached to the rest of a card. I assumed it was a mis-translated Russian Lightning Blast or some such. But nope. Lightning Bolt. Yes! Lightning Bolt!
I can’t even remember the last time I played Lightning Bolt. Okay, I can… It was Grand Prix Philadelphia – a Legacy deck (not one of my best efforts). But I am still excited anyway. I mean Lightning Bolt is going to be so good in control decks!
Nope, you didn’t read wrong: control decks.
Think about it.
Wren’s Run Vanquisher… Boggart Ram-Gang… To a degree even Putrid Leech and a half a dozen other cards that are better on their turn than they are on your turn. Lightning Bolt is an absurd friend to decks that can draw extra cards cheaply, especially in small bursts or at instant speed (I’m talking to you, Esper Charm).
So while we will definitely see Lightning Bolt next to Ball Lightning (maybe I can pull Dave Price out of the mothballs), I think that we will also see this card as the official banner bearer of Tier One in decks that tap Islands (okay Vivid Creek) and not just Mountains.
LOVE
MIKE
Bonus Section: The True History of Lightning Bolt
ring, Ring, RING
Hi Scott.
Got a minute, Mike?
For you, sure.
I need you to add something to your column this week.
For you, sure.
Lightning Bolt is coming back. I want you to preview it… or like tag it onto the end of your column.
ALDKKNALKFJALKDFJALKSFJASDKL;FJASDKLFJASDL;FKJASDKL;FJASDFKL;SDJAFKL
I’m sorry, I didn’t get that?
No, I’m sorry… That was me spilling my coffee all over myself. I’m going to have to get a new shirt!
Oh, do you think we can capture that?
I was thinking of writing maybe a twelve steps on Lightning Bolt coming back. You know, denial… acceptance…
Actually no. I really liked that “spilling coffee over yourself” bit. Let’s go with that reaction. That’s exactly what we want, actually. Type ALDKKNALKFJALKDFJALKSFJASDKL;FJASDKLFJASDL;FKJASDKL;FJASDFKL;SDJAFKL. Kelly! Can we get a proper spelling on ALDKKNALKFJALKDFJALKSFJASDKL;FJASDKLFJASDL;FKJASDKL;FJASDFKL;SDJAFKL?
Darn editors! They can’t get a right spelling on ALDKKNALKFJALKDFJALKSFJASDKL;FJASDKLFJASDL;FKJASDKL;FJASDFKL;SDJAFKL and you end up with…
However you feel, whatever you are thinking right now (or what you thought yesterday, if you were sharp enough to spot the card in the Visual Spoiler) … Yeah, that’s pretty much how I felt when they told me they’re reprinting MOTHER-LOVING LIGHTNING BOLT. Discuss (I know you will); official Magic 2010 previews start next week. And yes, they’re awesome.
But in your heart of hearts, you know it was ALDKKNALKFJALKDFJALKSFJASDKL;FJASDKLFJASDL;FKJASDKL;FJASDFKL;SDJAFKL
Currently Reading: Nikolai Dante: The Great Game – Volume 2
9 comments ↓
I’m fine with Bolt back in Standard. Creatures were getting absurdly good, so removal had to jack up to match, and the flavor text is deliciously clever. I’m OK with Ball Lightning too. It was never really overpowered – it was just all that other stuff that was around – Fireblast, Lava Hounds, Jackal Pup.
But I’m concerned about Extended. The Bolt deck (Burn Deck Wins) was already very strong and winning PTQ’s and it just got tons better. BDW was already playing the janky Spark Elemental for a sorcery-speed blockable Lightning Bolt, and now they have the real deal. If they can work it, they can have Ball Lightning too. The deck lost exactly one card in the rotation: Barbarian Ring, which was hardly the cornerstone of the deck. Everyone else lost fetch lands, yet BDW was one of the very few decks that didn’t run them. Unless there’s some very powerful hoser coming soon, I don’t see how Burn isn’t the de facto best deck.
Come on, the GP Philly deck wasn’t THAT bad; it just wasn’t the best deck to run. I started 4-0 before the wheels came off, :-(.
Luis
Lightning Bolt, Bloodbraid Elf – I’d like you to meet Harm’s Way. You two kids have fun, k?
I am excited about combining Lightning Bolt with Swans of Bryn Argoll. Who doesn’t want an early game bolt that is a mid-late Ancestral Recall?
Obviously this helps BDW, but I feel like the loss of fetchlands means that deck loses a lot of vig. It seems so much stronger when everyone starts on 17. I don’t know how many shocklands there will be…might still be okay. Extended should be interesting though. I think its interesting that people keep talking about Bolt in control decks. Isn’t Vivid Creek leaving like three months after this comes out?
yeah Yeah YEAH… Lightning Bolt…
Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…
Don’t extended burn decks lose Sulfuric Vortex in the rotation? I was under the impression that it was a pretty important card for that archetype.
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