Lightning Helix
Lightning Helix: Instant, Murders at Karlov Manor. Lightning Helix deals 3 damage to any target and you gain 3 life. Prices and printings on Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {R}{W}
- Mana value
- 2
- Type
- Instant
- Colour identity
- White and red (WR)
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM)
- Released
- 2024-02-09
- Collector number
- 218
- Artist
- Eli Minaya
Build around this card with Grover
About Lightning Helix
Lightning Helix is a Magic: The Gathering card, an uncommon white and red instant from Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM), an expansion set released in February 2024. It is collector number 218 in that set, with art by Eli Minaya. It costs {R}{W} (one white and one red mana) to cast, for a mana value of 2. Its colour identity is white and red. It is legal in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, PreDH, Brawl, Standard Brawl, Historic, Timeless and Gladiator. It has been printed in 17 sets, from Ravnica: City of Guilds (2005) to Murders at Karlov Manor (2024). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.24 (normal finish, as of 2026-10-23).
Card text
Lightning Helix deals 3 damage to any target and you gain 3 life.
After heavy casualties in the Phyrexian invasion, the Boros mage-priests trained as many rank-and-file soldiers as possible to wield the Legion's legendary battle magic.
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.24 (as of 2026-10-23).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Lightning Helix by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Standard | Legal |
|---|---|
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| PreDH | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Standard Brawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
Other printings of Lightning Helix
Lightning Helix has been printed in 17 sets. The 12 most recent other printings are listed here, newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Planeswalker Championship Promos (PWCS) #2024-07 | Rare | 2024 |
| Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM) #426 | Uncommon | 2024 |
| Ravnica Remastered (RVR) #197 | Uncommon | 2024 |
| Ravnica Remastered (RVR) #372 | Uncommon | 2024 |
| Secret Lair Countdown (SLC) #2005 | Rare | 2022 |
| Double Masters 2022 (2X2) #243 | Uncommon | 2022 |
| Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA) #125 | Rare | 2021 |
| Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA) #62 | Rare | 2021 |
| The List (PLST) #GK1-90 | Uncommon | 2019 |
| GRN Guild Kit (GK1) #90 | Uncommon | 2018 |
| Explorers of Ixalan (E02) #39 | Uncommon | 2017 |
| Iconic Masters (IMA) #204 | Uncommon | 2017 |
Official rulings
Two official rulings apply to Lightning Helix, newest first.
- If the chosen target is illegal when Lightning Helix tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't gain 3 life.
- If the chosen target is illegal when Lightning Helix tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't gain 3 life.
Similar cards
Other instant cards with a white and red colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.