You choose the target when Lightning Rift’s ability is put on the stack, but you choose whether to pay the mana as the ability resolves. Once you make that choice, no player may take actions until the damage is dealt and the ability has finished resolving.
This printing is one of 3 catalogued treatments from VMA — the lineup includes Foil and Nonfoil alongside the standard finish. Across our catalog the Rarix library tracks every variant in the same family so collectors can compare price, scarcity and demand inside a single lineage.
Card #178 of *Vintage Masters*, the set that shipped alongside the June 2014 Vintage Masters release.
Card type: Enchantment, color identity red, printed at uncommon. Uncommons fill the middle-tier slots in a standard booster configuration. Mana cost: {1}{R} (2 converted).
Legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Commander.
EDHrec ranks this card #17,096 in Commander, putting it in the fringe-play tier of the format's playable pool.
Illustrated by Eric Peterson. Rarix catalogs 232 other cards credited to this artist.
Magic: The Gathering · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast · Illus. Eric Peterson
Card data via Scryfall. Rarix is fan-made; not endorsed by the rights holders.
