Gavin Verhey previewed Lighting Greaves from Double Masters on today’s episode of Good Morning Magic, including the alternate art box topper variant.
On top of showing off the new showcase frame for Lightning Greaves, Verhey also told the story on how the card originally was created. It was based off the trope of boots of speed when Mirrodin introduced equipment for the first time. It started out as a one-mana equipment that gave the creature haste and vigilance, while only costing one to equip. Mark Rosewater liked the idea of fitting both abilities on an a piece of equipment because it was difficult to include on a mono-colored creature (Questing Beast says hello).
When the design team decided they wanted some equipment to be good enough for Standard and not just Limited, they tweaked the numbers and abilities. The casting cost was moved to two as the equip cost went to zero and vigilance was changed to shroud. While the card did see some Standard play, it mostly played in Commander as a staple that allows a general to stay on the battlefield.
Lightning Greaves has seen many reprints in Commander products, to Archenemy, as an FNM promo, in Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. The Coalition, and even as a Kaladesh Invention. The Double Masters box topper printing will be the first time it has appeared in a showcase frame.