It only took 14 years for this to get recommended to me and I can’t even see what I’m watching.

I love how even the judge went nuts.

This is a lesson for all Magic players: "You Char to the face and knock the top of your deck. That's the play."

Great sportsmanship for Ruel here too. As much as it sucks to lose like that, he still plays up the moment and makes it more memorable and dramatic by suggesting slapping the card onto the table and giving the chad handshake.

I'd fucking frame that helix somewhere in my house.

This was the video that I saw in 2012 that got me into Magic. My wallet still hasn't recovered lol.

I’ve been watching Jim Davis for the longest time, and on his soundboard he has this judges reaction, I never knew what it was, until today. Now I get it. Thanks KZfaq for the recommendation 😂😂

Ruel was literally cheering him on for the play "just smash it, don't even look, just smash it" He knew there was only one card he could play to win, and like all good sportsmen accepted his loss and everybody cheered at such a ridiculously lucky play.

Love the way Randy correctly calls what Craig Jones should do ("He might have to spend some mana to Char and hope to topdeck three damage") and the other guy says he might Char one of the creatures, and Randy just slaps him down ("He's not going to win that way"). So awesome. Best Magic Moment Ever.

FOR YOU GUYS WHO COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED: CRAIG JONES HAD 1 TURN TO DEAL AT LEAST 7 DAMAGE TO OLIVIER, SO: AT THE END PHASE, CRAIG USED A CARD CALLED "CHAR", DEALING 4 DAMAGE TO OLIVER AND 2 TO HIMSELF, BRINGING HIM DOWN TO 1 LIFE POINT. AT THE DRAW PHASE, HE DRAWS LIGHTNING HELIX, DEALING 3 MORE DAMAGE, DEALING A TOTAL OF 7 DAMAGE TO OLIVER AND WINNING THE GAME WITH 1 LIFE POINT.

"you char the face and knock the top of your deck, that's the play" this is LEGENDARY!

15 years later and it's still the topdeck of the century

Believe in the heart of the cards!

I remember watching this match all those years ago. I was cheering for Ruel, but that top deck is still my favorite of all time. A thrilling match to watch, Pro Tour Honolulu is still one of my favorite events in Magic history.

Absolutely love the commentator, his genuine enthusiasm is great.

Wow I can't believe people are dissing the "color commentator" The guy hit a grand slam with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th in game 7 of the world series. I love the fact he was pumped and yelled OMG Lightening Helix. The commentator was excellent and knew what he was going to do and actually built up tension before he actually pulled the cards. It's an obvious sign of a great player and isn't afraid to show how exciting, crazy and FUN magic can be.

I don’t follow competitive magic at all and I’d still heard stories about this topdeck. That’s how big a moment it was.

Randy buehler forever knowing the play

18 years after its 2006 legend, Lightning Helix has returned to Standard.

What's awesome is that Craig revealed the card face up. Like a poker game. He displayed great showmanship in doing so.

Watching these videos makes me so nostalgic and sad. Watchin the pro tour live for an entire weekend was amazing. Sad to see it go.

Play to your outs! Craig realized his only chance of winning was drawing a burn spell that turn. If he had used his Char to kill a creature, the Lightning Helix wouldn't have won the game!

"Slam it. Don't look, just slam it!" - Olivier Ruel, last words

I've heard the story so many times, but it's finally nice to actually see it!

beets, bears, lightning helix

Damn, nostalgia .. I remember seeing this LIVE ! Great memories!

just watched this again and it's still amazing. This is Magic's "The Giants Win the Pennant!" moment.

These moments are glorious. I remember how well these dudes played and how gutted I felt for Olivier at the time. Nowadays, it's just a special moment in history.

C'mon, what really set this moment up was the commentary; Mike Flores going through every play to not lose the game, while Randy Buehler calling the winning, all-or-nothing (and correct) play.

Moments like this are what make Magic amazing. Well played.

This is officially the oldest video that has appeared in my recommended.

MtG was at it's absolute prime with things like the Pro Tour to give us some the greatest memories of Magic history. With dwindling competitive support every season from WotC, it'd be a miracle if the glory days will ever return.

i've never played Magic the gathering but imagine playing this game competitively, seems so fun

OH ITS LIGHTING HELIX OH MY GOD!

Just watched it again. Yep. Still awesome.

Magic: The Gathering is played by having cards in your hand. You get an additional card at the beginning of each turn. A "top deck" is basically when you draw a card that you needed. Since a deck will normally consist of 60 cards before play begins (53 after the hand is drawn) the chances of a useful "top deck" are quite slim. In this game, he basically had to draw the one card in his deck that could save him, or lose. Needless to say, he drew the card, won and went on to win a lot of money.

Just drafted a lightning helix in vintage cube and had to come back to this amazing video

Oli has (top to bottom): 2x Plagued Rusalka (1/1 with "B, sac a creature: target creature gets -1/-1"), a Ravenous Rats (1/1 "when this comes into play target player discards a card), A Seize the Soul token (1/1 flying) which is haunted by the Seize that made it, and Hand of Cruelty (Bushido 1, Pro White 2/2), Craig Jones has (top to bottom) "Isumaro, Hound of Khonda" (2/2 legend), Watchwolf (3/3), and Kird Ape (2/3)

This never gets old.

*Takes a seat "Craig Jones is jumping up and down!!!" *Still sitting

Does anyone else notice how much he looks like Dwight Shroot?

@kaltoros correction, helix does 3. the real awesome factor is that the Char could have been pointed at an attacker to try to drag out the game but Jones boldly took a chance and pointed it at his opponent's face. This threw away (I believe) all his other outs to his opponent's next attack in exchange for a single out that would be burn for lethal. I've seen people Char too often without counting the cost of the 2 life, but in this case it was utterly crucial.

Bring back the glory of Pro Tours!!!

the heart of the cards guides him

It was so amazing because he charred him first. When you char someone you have to pay 2 of your own life. He took him to 3 life after the char for 4, he took 2 from it so it put him at one, the only way he could have won the game is if he top decked a burn spell for 3, and he did. If he had of pulled anything else he would have lost the game.

Had a moment like this a couple of weeks ago top decking a Pyrotechnics with my opponent at 4 life after my only line of play was to race my opponent. Instantly thought of this.

That's what's magic all about. Trusting your deck, and making the smart plays. Awesome...

ITS LIGHTNING HELIX! OH MY GAWWWDDDDDD!! I remember seeing this coverage live. Never gets old...

Most legendary top deck in MTG history. Damn, that was such a good time for MTG.

I loved using Kird Ape in my red/green burn/pump deck back in the day.

Director's decision to cut to the wide shot for the top deck, and NOT have the top deck itself on the screen is crazy, and somehow exactly correct

And then there's the loss where you were waiting 5 turns for that card you needed... and when you're dead you pick up the very next card, and THERE IT IS.

Well he was dressed like a magician.

I love how the judge sitting there grabbed his head. That's just sweet xD

Credit to the commentator for squeezing every ounce of drama out of this moment. This is how you call a game of MTG.

I love that even the judge was absolutely losing it 😂

He can't even triple red zone here

I watch this every morning with my coffee

So this is what Dwight was doing before Jim and him became rival pranksters...

Good for Dwight Schrute

"pregnant i should jump whitewater earlier" thanks captions.....for all the help.

Recommended vid in 2021. Still a great moment!

I’ve seen this many times and I was still grinning listing to Buhler call the play and watch it happen so good

I always top deck the thing I need after I lose a game. Happened with avacyn

Back when Jitte was in standard, good times!

"OH IT'S LIGHTNING HELIX" An example of immortal words

I appreciate that even 15 years later, youtube will still recommend this 144p video

No guts, no glory.

Praise Helix

Finally I understand what is the sound that Jimm Davis uses on his soundboard and from where it comes from.

For anyone else wondering what exactly happened, I looked up the cards so I can explain it a little better: - Craig starts his turn with no cards in hand and 6 life left. He draws "Char," a 3 mana red instant that does "4 damage to any target and 2 damage to [himself]." He then passes the turn. - Oliver starts his turn with 7 life and spends the turn sacrificing little guys to destroy Craig's blockers, then deals 3 damage in attacks, leaving Craig at 3 life! Here's the big play: - On Oliver's endstep, Craig casts his char to burn Oliver down to 3 life, widdling himself down to 1 life in the process. - Criag then starts his turn and draws "Lightning Helix" off the top of his library, a spell that does "3 damage to any target, [Craig] gains 3 life." Since Oliver had exactly 3 life and no answers, it was finished. What an incredible pair of top decked cards!

"the crowd here has gone ballistic" *cricket cricket*

Way status: Unlost.

You what I love about this game? It is basically the only thing on KZfaq you can watch without there being a religious debate on! MTG is THE best game ever because it bring people together in companionship!

I remember watching this live 14 years ago. Good times.

2:30 IT'S LIGHTNING HELIX OH MAH GAAAAAAAAAAAAAWD

Makihito Mihara over Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa in 2006 Magic Worlds was even better... Playing a Dragonstorm Deck vs. Boros Deck Wins, tied 2-2, down to 12 life points and potentially facing death next turn, Makihito started his Storm counting, to set the winner Dragonstorm, but when he realizes that he misscounted the mana for the win, after thinking a lot, Makihito 'Repeal's the Savannah Lions and draw a Rite of Flame that set the combo for the win.

Fitting I'm getting this recommended to me again when Lightning Helix is about to be legal in Standard for the first time since original Ravnica.

watched it live, once of the best top decks ever

Top deck heroooooo!

2:30 OOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAH ITS LINGHTNING HELIX AAAAUUUUGHH MY GAWD!

I remember watching this at 3am in the morning in New Zealand, at a friends house. We yelled so loud his GF came out and told us to shut up. Still amazing to this day.

I love how the announcer goes nuts.

That`s the heart of the cards,,,YUGIOOOOHHHH !!!!!! LOL XD

I was losing a match of Duel Deck: Speed vs Cunning HORRIBLY, and topdecked a Lightning Helix killing enemy Zurgo, and many turns later, secured the win... Intense stuff.

And like that, the Miracle mechanic was born.

This video can almost legally vote.

i dont get it. did he draw exodia or seomthing

so what happened in this fight?

HEART OF THE CARDS SON!

my favorite topdeck was at FNM at my local shop. playing in the final round and I'm playing a mono red against mono black. I have lethal on the board and my opponent has 2 underworld connections. he taps the lands drawing cards to try to deal with my board state pinging himself down super low to do so. he does and kills off my creatures, and gets me down to 3 life and represents lethal on me if I don't have an answer. he goes down to 2 life and he feels good about the play he made but is saying over and over again, don't topdeck shock, don't topdeck shock, don't topdeck shock. with what I had in my hand I knew if it was anything but a shock I had lost. So I just slammed the draw on the table and sure enough it was a shock. was one of the most exhilarating experiences I've had playing magic as the person I beat had won every FNM event for about 8 weeks straight. I was so happy lol. just the way it unfolded was epic and for him to chant don't topdeck shock made it that much more amazing.

This video was posted 10 years ago lol

Dwight wins!

this is The Amaging Play in century...

I love games like that. That's what makes it exciting.

What happened? he drew Exodia?

"If Ollie had attacked with all of his Rusalkas, blah blah blah. . ." ". . . doesn't Watchwolf just attack back at that point?" You go, other dude.

We need more mtg commentary like this. Current Magic events are just boring

Agreed. :) The best part of the video isn't analyzing the play, it's Randy Buehler's scream as Jones turns over the card. "OH!! IT'S LIGHTNING HELIX, OH MY GOD! CRAIG JONES GOES THROUGH TO THE FINALS!"

If chess can be considered a sport, then why can't Magic? It requires just as much training, forethought, and practice as any other sport.