Lightning Strike
Common · Instant
5.8PlayableRank 122 of 276
55.5%Rank 142 of 273 by win rate, card in hand · set average: 56.8%
How are these measures computed?
Pick rating. The pick rating estimates what a card is worth when you choose it, before there are results: it combines several signals (expert evaluations, the choices of strong players, characteristics of the card such as its cost and rarity) and was tuned on the results of decks of strong players. It is for comparing cards while you draft.
Observed strength. The observed strength is the win rate of the games in which the card was in hand at some point (opening hand or drawn), from hundreds of thousands of real games of online draft players since the set came out. The rank compares the cards seen in at least 1,000 games. It does not correct for the strength of the deck the card is played in, and a result stays uncertain for a card that is played little (about 1.6 points of margin at 1,000 games).
Good playable that always makes the cut (5.8/10).
Why. A simple, efficient removal spell: three damage to any target for two mana, at instant speed. It kills most early and mid-game creatures, or finishes the opponent.
Risks. Three damage is not enough against big creatures, and you need red. It loses value against a deck of large bodies.
In the draft. A good removal spell in any red deck. Take it ahead of ordinary creatures; it goes behind more powerful removal.
Win rate of the card
Percentage of games won by the decks that play this card, depending on when it shows up, from the real games of the set.
Gap when it is drawn, against the games where it is not : +2.7 win-rate points
Its place in the set
- Common: rank 17 of 91
- Red: rank 8 of 37
- Cost 2: rank 31 of 63
- Average pick: 4.5 (1 = taken first from a pack; the lower the number, the earlier players choose it)
Win rate by colour pair
Percentage of games won by the decks of each pair that play the card, with the number of games. The pairs are the two main colors of the deck: when the card has a color outside the pair, the deck plays it as a splash (marked “splash”). A pair that has an archetype in this set leads to its guide.
Win rate: strong players and all players
Percentage of games won when the card is in hand; strong players are those ranked diamond or mythic online.
Win rate on the play and on the draw
Win rate by number of copies in the deck
- 1 copy53.6 % · 38,576 games
- 2 copies54.3 % · 13,824 games
- 3 copies54.9 % · 2,946 games
- 4 copies or more56.3 % · 607 games
Win rate since the set came out (card in hand)
- First two weeks55.5 % · 18,822 games
- Next two weeks55.6 % · 8,455 games
- After that55.2 % · 1,349 games
Win rate alongside other cards
Win rate of the decks that play both cards, compared with the one you would expect from what each card gets alone. At least 150 games together.
Cards it wins more with
- Super Speed1,682 games · 52.6 % (instead of 47.5% expected)
- The Ten Rings166 games · 53.6 % (instead of 49.4% expected)
- Hex Magic1,110 games · 49.9 % (instead of 45.8% expected)
Cards it wins less with
- The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster1,297 games · 50.4 % (instead of 55.9% expected)
- Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan860 games · 47.6 % (instead of 51.9% expected)
Where it is played
R/W · 53 %B/R · 52 %
Played in 14% of the decks of the set
Other cards of the same cost and colours
13. The Ruinous Wrecking Crew
8.3
18. Hawkeye, Master Marksman
8.0
25. Vision Quest
7.6
80. Photon Blast Barrage
6.4
Intrinsic ratings: they do not take into account the cards you have already picked. They matter most for the first pick of the first pack.