Though i found lightning a dissapointment when it came to dmg and such, but apparently the thing does damage to any enemy it passes through on its way to its target. Combined with its low mana usage it seems to not suck as hard as i orginally thought (would still rather use flash for higher dmg and the tight ae effect).
Any other saving graces for sucky nature spells like dancing zap, ice shard, ice blast, and multi spark?