Bolt | The Story of Lightning Bolt 

you can watch all of my Card Studies here: ru-vid.com/group/PLg9H9LJ2OoGCCYg3JKL3Flcazk3Sz51Fu

We here at Izzet Spellworks classify our spells into two catagories, "bolts" and "draw [more bolts]."

The M10 bolt text is brilliant. It's fourth-wall breaking only to people *beyond* that wall, because it also fits perfectly in-universe. It's a perfectly serviceable flavor text on its own, but knowing the history of it elevates it even further. Reading it never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

The "relatable" aspect is very true. Just last week at my work, I started playing mtg with a co-worker at lunch. Another co-worker was spectating and when I cast "lightning bolt to face" he thought it was hilarious. By the end of the lunch, he asked if I could teach him how to play too.

The only thing funnier than bolting your opponent on 3 is bolting yourself on 3. Deny them the satisfaction of victory.

40 bolt plus 20 mountain should be a specific format, where one person plays that deck and their opponent has to try and build something that can beat it.

My first ever spell that I cast was a lightning bolt. I was 14 years old and I will never forget the moment. I didn't understand at all how magic was played and for some reason thought that the Mana symbols and numbers represented what turn you can cast them on. So my first turn I see one shiny Mana symbol and throw it out (without playing a land or tapping it) my opponent quickly (and rudely) told me I can't and that if I don't have any land I would just have to suck it up because I probably wouldn't win anyway. My uncle who brought me to the event reminded me about lands, I threw down my mountain, tapped it and felt my anger thrown at my opponent as I cast lightning bolt (for real this time) of course I lost that match and every other one I was in that night, but bolt and really red as a whole has stuck with me since, it's still my favorite. Side note, my friend (who is a bit of an asshole) has a VERY similar story about his first ever spell being counterspell used to stop a bolt, and to this day he plays blue control because of the feeling of power it gave him to just say "no".

"Show me the bolt" -most iconic phrase uttered by players about to lose

Of the cards mentioned, 'Mill' has seen cross usage in every other card game to refer to the mechanic of sending cards from the top of the deck to the graveyard/discard pile.

When i was buildig my first deck(red) My dad gave me his four Lightning Bolt and said ``youl need these``

Banning Lightning Bolt would be like banning a piece of chess

my friend put 4 bolts, thermo-alchemists, and 4 guttersnipes in his deck he’s not my friend anymore

You should have seen the face my opponent made when he realise he had to counterspell a bolt I casted and targeted to myself to not lose the game

Well ya got 1 out of 4 guesses right. Lightning Bolt apparently not Iconic enough for Iconic Masters.

Your videos got me into Magic. When I saw the One With Nothing video, I knew I had to play this game.

I taught a few coworkers how to play with aether revolt decks, and I was watching them play against each other, and one coworker was at 2 life with a strong board presence. The other coworker, on the backfoot, draws for turn, he's eyes light up, and he says "shock your creature". I start laughing, as he proceeds to lose. I tell him what the correct play was, and we make fun of him to this day. Yea, its a story about shock, not bolt, but we can substitute the two pretty easily in this scenario.

I'm not sure if it has become official lingo yet, but when referring to Scavenging Ooze, players at my LGS just call him "Scooze."

So i asked my wife and mother-in-law (non-mtg players) what Lightning Bolt does and they said it damages/kills something. So yea, pretty spot on

I'm too new a player to have had Bolt in standard during my time, but my Bolt story is that I built a RG pauper Infect deck specifically because then I could justify buying a playset of Lightning Bolt for it. Amazing card. Often shocking.

As a Yugioh player this is incredible in how it highlights the difference between both games' approach to burn damage. Excellent video!

11:15 Look at the way he shuffles that hand, he knew right there- he knew he had won.

the card is so iconic my lgs is named after it, and almost as old as it

The Bolt reprint flavor text is JUST SO GOOD

Has Wizards of the Coast hit you up? If not they should because your cerebral analysis and reflective nostalgia would seriously add something to the current state of mtg. Sure, they have people who write articles about similar ideas, but too often they come off as bland and/or disingenuous. WotC aside, I love your content. It makes me remember why I fell in love with mtg in the first place. More please

You can tell Lightning Bolt is iconic because it's 2 min in and I'm slightly angry you're not showing that sweet Christopher Rush art.

incredible. I loved the comparison between the real world and the mythical world- it's a cool factor to think about. A gateway to familiarize players. They won't feel as lost in the new mythical world they enter with phenomenons that occur in our everyday lives. Fantasitc video Sam.

Your card studies are so great and are exactly what I've been looking for on RU-vid a singular topic of a specific piece of magic is so informative and fun to watch! Thank you

Buddy you've never made a bad video

17 min video we're in for quite the treat.

I appreciate your choice in music.

The flavor text on the M10 Bolt gets me every time. Ok, so I've watched this video and the Seb vid dozens of times each, they're just that damn good. I think they might actually be my 2 favorite pieces of content on all of RU-vid.

You make me love the game even more. You teach me to never forget that behind the competitive aspect, there is always the fun, the story and the amazing background that are inherent to Magic. I tend to overlook it way too often, and it gives me chills everytime when you succeed to open my eyes on the most unique and beautiful game that has ever been made. Your work is amazing. Lightning storm of emotions here... and you didn't go easy on the charge counters.

Your videos are remarkable. Stumbled upon your channel a little over a month ago, and gotta say: one of the best Mtg channels out there. Thanks for the awesome quality of content :)

The shorthand for scavenging ooze is "scooze". That seems pretty concise and recognizable to me but It is a combination of two words to create a non-word so I guess I can see where you're coming from.

Bolt was the very first spell I ever cast when first learning Magic. I won that first game with another Bolt, been hooked ever since.

"40 bolts and 20 mountains in a 60 card deck" I thought the 4 card limit was created at the same time decks were increased form 40 to 60 cards.

"I'm gonna hit you with a lightening bolt" "Yeah. I'm gonna helix your Planeswalker" "I'll hit your commander with a bolt" Yeah. it checks out. Magic has warped my English.

My best combo I've managed to pull is Endstep Bolt, Bolt. My Mainphase Bolt, Snap, Bolt.

With the mention of card names becoming a word to describe its use, has Fatal Push become so ubiquitous within Standard and Modern that it has reached that level in a mere 6 months, or is it just not close enough yet?

AMAZING!! Congratulations for the partnership. You deserve it a lot!!

There is so much in this vid I dont understand, but I still somehow enjoy it.

I thought this would be about the Disney film Bolt, which I was curious to see an analysis on; but the actual content was a nice surprise for someone with only a passing knowledge of magic. Only feedback I can give is to maybe explain the other cards you reference a little better as I didn't know what almost any of the cards do that you didn't explain

Another great video Sam! I'm not sure which series I like better to be honest, these "history" lessons are so entertaining but the artist spotlights are also great.

The flavor text on lightning bolt has always been my favorite

Dude, I had fucking goosebumps when you read Bolt's flavor text. I had never really noticed it when it was originally reprinted.

my favorite card since the day I started playing

I'm so glad I found your channel, dude. Exceptional content as always, really shows how deep the game itself and appreciation of it can run

Watching your videos always puts me into a certain cycle. 1) watch a Rhystic vid 2) see pro tour coverage in vid 3) after vid watch about 1-2 pt finals 4) be sad that they no longer do them 5) be sad I’m not good at 60 card 6) build a commander deck and crush timmys at my lgs

I won a game once on turn 1 by bolting my opponents Llanowar elves with them tilting and scooping xD

Well, this convinced me. I'm playing Burn in Modern.

I just discovered your channel and I am blown away. This is insanely well made, both in presentation and in content. Thank you.

You have some of the best Magic content on this site and I always get super pumped when I see you've uploaded. Keep it up, man

As a very casual magic fan (used to buy cards as a teen, recently play some of the PC games) but a diehard CCG/card gaming enthusiast I LOVE this series (ie Card Studies). Massive props for consistently showing the cards you are talking about on screen, it really helps a lot. I wouldn't have known what "bolt the bird" meant if I hadn't watched your previous videos - but you explain it really well and show the appropriate cards on screen so it's easy for someone who is not hugely into magic to keep up. I've seen other videos like this one regarding MTG and other card games that feel really exclusionary to non-core fans (and new players) by referencing things that are obvious to you as a long time player but inexplicable to outsiders very casually. I'm also positively surprised that I learned the origin of the term Mill/Milling in this video. Of course I know what it entails, but I didn't know the term came from that one specific card which created the short-hand of Mill Deck/Strategy for emptying an opponents deck. I assume that the card created the term and wasn't in common use before at least. Maybe it was just a clever name for a card for an already extant term/strategy? But I assume not. If anyone knows, feel free to reply! Saves me the Google :) Thanks again for the excellent series TMMSam. (If I ever get my economy in order) I'd be happy to contribute to a patreon or similar to support more content like this!

These videos are art.

This waa the first video of yours that I watched several years ago, and revisiting it always fills me with nostalgia and joy. Thank you for everything you've created.

Love all of your card studies, keep um coming can't wait for the next one!

"How did Bolt win that game?" "It was just too fast, man."

Beautiful video. Your work is much appreciated. Ever considered doing one for Bob?

Outstanding. This is some of the finest, most creative and well-rendered magic content I’ve ever come across.

This is by far your best video. I love this one so much; you mix the competitive scene with the art, and the history of the card, and you really get down to what it means to magic overall all in one video.

I can't place it, but there's something here that feels undeniably sad. A sort of sweet-sad. And it's not just in this piece. I feel it in The Menace and some of the artist deep dives, too. Maybe I'm just projecting. Or maybe...maybe we're all that sparkmage, hoping to feel something we'd never thought to see again. I don't know what it is, but I know it matters. Please don't stop making this sort of work. It's vital. And please stop bolting my birds.

Lighting bolt's nice and all, but we all know who's really coming back for iconic masters... Please Wizards, PLEASE. PLEASE GIVE ME BACK MY HOMARIDS. THEY'RE AN ICON TO ME DAMMIT.

Your videos are some of the most special things I have ever seen. Thank you. Not ever stop the soundtrack thing.

i rewatch this vid every so often and it's a banger every time

I actually cried during this video. It was so amazing.

17 MINUTE VIDEO hell yeah

I just watched a 17 min video about Lighting Bolt and was left thoroughly satisfied. I've been playing since Saga and never looked at Bolt like that. Great video.

Your videos are a cut above the norm man. Very well put together. You deserve more praise.

I cried.

Why is bolt iconic? Because it's direct and efficient but mostly because it's undercosted and not banned.. Blue and black were banned red is not as broken, so on the relative scale it went under the radar. Black, blue, white and green gave potential but red gave you an effective step to victory if not countered. Having a way to close the gap so quickly and for cheap is basically setting your opponent to 17 from the start ( if you only draw one bolt). + the reprints and demand for slightly op cards makes it iconic.

I got my lightning bolt today (7/31/17). Thank you sam. Keep up the good work.

Fantastic as always. Love this stuff

Scars block has a lot of creatures with big butts, and bolt is the reason it happened Be careful when you wish for it to return

White should’ve have something like “create 3 1/1s”

Undeniably one of my favourite channels. Amazing.

Your videos are so poetic and nostalgia inducing, I absolutely love them

Fun thing to do: copy paste this video's link and find the secret word.

I started playing during Visions. There was no net-decking or spoilers. Most people didn't even have card lists for sets that had been out for years. It was a big moment for me when I realized that Bolt was a good card. It couldn't kill Serra Angel after all! Before then, my burn deck was packed full of Fireballs and Disintegrates. After Weatherlight came along I added Bosium Strip to the deck. So to make a Fireball deal 3 from the graveyard you needed to spend 7 mana. Bolt was, of course, awesome in that deck. I can still remember a time in a multiplayer game, the first time someone attacked me, I went EOT triple bolt to the face, untap, triple bolt to the face. It was great.

Love this. You're videos really cover every aspect of what makes Magic so great. Keep up the amazing work.

just discovered this guy and I'm in love with his quirkiness and his little ending blurbs.

My favorite bolt is still the clean M11 without flavor text. Although the text is cool/a bit of history, the art is more pronounced without it I think.

I'd be heartbroken if they banned bolt in modern.

Dude, I've just loved the way your videos are edited. Keep doing that... the information comes softly and clean. Congrats

rip bolt in IM

"Rewinding the clocks back again..." - needs more redundancy.

just awesome. thanks for the thoughtful introspective look at an awesome card.

I can't stop watching these card studies!! they are so amazing :)

I think lightning bolt creates a fundamental problem in magic. If a player had a choice to pick lightning bolt, lighting strike, and shock, the player is obviously gonna pick lighting bolt because its 100% better than the other 2. But if lighting bolt was a sorcery speed spell, now what would the player choose? A weak 1 mana fast spell? a strong 1 mana slow spell? or a 2 mana strong fast spell? Building decks should be about having choices but lighting bolt eliminates all aspects of that so all other burn spells will go to the garbage bin while nothing but bolt will see play (unless its a burn deck of course).

This is why death's Shadow is amazing. It has turned modern into a format that isn't a bolt format!

I have to say, this editing is AMAZING. I could watch this video all day

Love to see a vid of my fav Magic card. Great vids!

if youre not running 4 Bolt, youre doing it wrong.

Superb is a proper adjective for your videos Sam! Thank you

Fantastic as always Sam, thanks for all your well constructed and excellently researched videos! You rock!

Incredibly thoughtful deep dive, and quite a nostalgic journey. Thanks!!!

This was a treat to watch :) so glad you included the lightning helix top deck moment

Finnaly you uploaded, I have been waiting. Nice video as always

Fantastic work as always Sam. Can't wait for the next card in the series. Congratulations on The Cars Kingdom partnership also.

These videos are incredibly well put together and narrated. Just found this channel and would like to say thanks for your time and effort.

Always looking for your videos dude, they are excellent!