Arcane Foundry › Commanders › Lightning, Army of One

Lightning, Army of One

Legendary Creature — Human Soldier · {1}{R}{W} · Red/White commander

First strike, trample, lifelink Stagger — Whenever Lightning deals combat damage to a player, until your next turn, if a source would deal damage to that player or a permanent that player controls, it deals double that damage instead.

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What Lightning, Army of One actually does

Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.

• Triggered ability · deals_damageWhenever Lightning deals combat damage to a player, until your next turn, if a source would deal damage to that player or a permanent that player controls, it deals double that damage instead.
• Replacement effect · otherStagger — Whenever Lightning deals combat damage to a player, until your next turn, if a source would deal damage to that player or a permanent that player controls, it deals double that damage instead.
• Keyword · lifelinklifelink
• Keyword · staggerstagger
• Keyword · first strikefirst strike
• Keyword · trampletrample
• Keyword · doubledouble

What a Lightning, Army of One deck wants

The plan the Forge derives for this commander: the roles it fills and how many of each.

• 7× Make the commander connect — a body that never deals combat damage never triggers
• 17× A creature that HAS the keyword the commander's trigger counts — a card that merely says the word is not one
• 17× A repeatable source of damage — a commander that adds to each damage event wants many small events, not one big one
• 5× Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
• 1× Answer a whole board at once
• 9× Find the exact card the plan needs
• 7× Refill your hand
• 2× Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
• 11× Get ahead on mana

Best cards for Lightning, Army of One

Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.

Build this deck in the Arcane Forge →

Arcane Foundry is free to join and every tool is included: the Arcane Forge deck builder, the ARCANE Analyzer that scores a deck by simulating games rather than counting staples, a card scanner, a collection vault, and live webcam Commander tables. Read the guide · Browse all commanders · Pricing