Thunderbolt

History:

It was Bowser's Dark Magic that first harnessed the power of Lightning. Lying under the constantly stormy skies of the Dark Land, Bowser was able to capture the daggers from the sky and confine it to an Item Box. Known more often as the Thunderbolt, this item was seen as counter to the Benefits of the Star. It would destroy all other players and allow its user to race ahead.

The Thunderbolt appears in:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The use of the Thunderbolt is similar in every game. Usually players have to be pretty far bac64 and Super Circuit, where the effects lasted longer and players were squished if run over (this returned in 7). From Double Dash on, Players are merely knocked around more easily, and from DS on players in a lower place would be affected for a shorter period of time.
k to get it from an Item Box. Once activated, every other player on the course is struck by Lightning and shrinks down to a miniature size. This makes them much slower, as well as more vulnerable to hazards on the course, including other racers. It was arguably a more fearsome weapon in

The only thing that can counter Thunderbolts are Stars, or in later games, Bullet Bills. If a Racer in Wii is using a Mega Mushroom, he or she will be reduced to normal size. Mistimed Lightning is perhaps the most dangerous - if it strikes when going over a jump players will be punished into the Abyss. The only exception for many years was barrel cannons or other jumps that prevented the ill effects. When these kinds of jumps became conduits for Air Travel in 7 this protection was negated. This makes 7 a much more dangerous game, and indeed, with the squishing effect back in force, the Thunderbolt has some teeth again.

There's no telling when Lightning will strike. It's the number one reason not to hold on to items very long and is a great interrupter of strategy. From DS on, the Thunderbolt can cause players struck to lose their items, which was absent from 64 and Super Circuit. Generally this seems to happen whenever you've been holding a Red Shell for just the perfect moment to strike. It promotes a healthy turnover in gameplay.

Super Circuit Battle Course 4

History:

Yoshi's Battle Stages were few and far between but in the wake of Mario and Bowser's advancements, he transformed a section of his newly purchased Yoshi Desert into a unique Battle Stage. While Yoshi had difficulty maintaining many of his tracks, this barren patch of land stayed in his possession although it became vacant for decades.

Super Circuit:

This is an interesting stage. It has a relatively simple layout although it's punctuated by five water hazard patches. Trying to traverse these will lead to certain doom. It's also one of only two Desert Battle Stages (the other being Wii's Thwomp Desert). It's clearly modeled after Yoshi Desert and is also the only Battle Stage obliquely associated with the Dinosaur. All of this means it's a very unique course that has never really been revisited.

Super Circuit Battle Course 3

History:

Princess Peach would later be a great Battle Stage innovator through her massive cake baking, but in her earlier years she mostly just ripped off Mario. Her Battle Course 3 is based on many of the plumber's technical designs with almost no originality of her own. Still, she built it on the Royal Grounds next to the Peach Circuit.

Super Circuit:

There isn't a ton to go on here. It is basically a version of Battle Course 1 although there's a bit more sand in a rounded patch and four barriers rather than eight. Still, its simplicity is beneficial and there isn't a ton of room to hide.

The Stage returned as a Retro Course in Wii with basically no changes, except it's on a bit larger scale. It's well suited for a higher number of players that can create more hazards in the open terrain. The slow sand patch in the middle is a certain deathtrap and should be avoided. The rest of the stage tends to be filled with bananas, bombs, fake item boxes, and shells, and players ought to be on guard.

Super Circuit Battle Course 2

History:

Bowser always sought to get the jump on Mario's innovations and develop his own sinister counters. He submitted a great chamber in one of his Castle's Dungeons for a Battle Stage. This would prove to be the last Battle Stage that Bowser developed, as his focus turned to Racetracks, as his were always some of the most complex and intricate.

Super Circuit:

This Stage is a combination of Bowser Castle 2 and Bowser Castle 3 from Super Circuit. Like Bowser Castle 2 it is deep in the interior of the Castle, but it seems to have the same blue track layout from Bowser Castle 3. Most of the action takes place around the outer rim as the inner square is difficult to get to because of borders on the North and South ends, although there are jumps that provide access by the East and West. Any edge can be used to escape, though. This makes for less chaos in the middle because less Battlers and objects end up there. Still, the course is small enough for Battlers to be ruthless around the perimeter.

Super Circuit Battle Course 1

History:

Mario always overextended himself, attempting to be a pioneer in Battle Stages as well as Racetrack Ownership. He retooled his Battle Course 4 from the Original Kart Games into Battle Course 1, largely simplifying it in the interest of accelerating the mayhem. It worked and this has been one of the more successful Battle Stages yet.

Super Circuit:

This track is really similar to Battle Course 4 from SMK, but drastically shrunk and simplified. Instead of twenty coloured barriers there are only eight. The course keeps its sandy pit in the middle to slow down wandering battlers and make them more susceptible to chaos. Other than that it's awfully simple, which means it has great potential to let Battlers be Battlers.

The Stage returned in 7 as a Retro Battle Course. Not much changed besides the addition of Rocky Wrenches to assault players. There isn't much of a reason for this other than to spice up an otherwise uninteresting course. Still, courses like this that fill themselves with the hectic mania of Battle tend to be the better ones.