It’s no secret that the Standard format in MTG has had a difficult year. Not only was Universes Beyond’s introduction to the format inherently controversial, but it also gave us a true meta menace. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Vivi wasn’t the only ban-worthy combo piece released into MTG Standard this year.
Thankfully, while event attendance and interest in the format were falling off, things are a lot better post-ban. There’s a variety of interesting strategies at the top of the metagame, and no one deck is ruling the roost. While this all sounds pretty balanced, the format still feels like it’s on a knife-edge. Given what’s possible on turn three nowadays, this uncertain volatility definitely makes sense.
Turn Three or Bust
Currently, in Standard, a turn three OTK combo isn’t even new news for MTG players. Once Slickshot Show-Off was printed, bursting an opponent down with tons of damage became trivial. Things only got worse once Leyline of Resonance was printed in Duskmourn, as it opened up terrifying turn two kills.
Thankfully, this combo kill did require four cards and two lands, so getting it to go off consistently was a stretch. That, however, didn’t mean combo was dead in Standard, as Wizards just kept printing OTK engines. Tifa Lockheart can easily punch in for lethal on turn three, just as Firebending Student from Avatar can.
Since turn three kills in Standard are old news, the real question is how far can you push them? It turns out, thanks to the insane power of Bulk Up, the answer is very, very far. While there’s no reason you’d need to, Firebending Student is capable of dishing out 766 damage on turn three.
Admittedly, while this combo, showcased by Mugen8YT on Reddit, is very flashy, it’s definitely living in magical Christmas land. On top of needing three lands, this combo requires eight other cards. This means it’s only possible on the draw, as playing first, you’d only have enough to deal 190 damage.
766 Damage on Turn Three
As Mugen8YT explains, to pull off this combo, you need to start with a Starting Town and Llanowar Elves on turn one. After this, you can play Firebending Student and Honor on turn two, along with another Starting Town. Then, on turn three, you cast Starting Town into two Giant Growth’s and a Bulk Up.
On its own, this nine-card combo is already capable of dishing out 22 damage, but there’s no reason to stop there. With 22 mana at your disposal thanks to Firebending Student’s Firebending, you can get even sillier. For starters, Bulk Up has Flashback, so you can cast it from the graveyard for six. After this, you’ve still got 16 mana, which is just enough to play and Flashback two more copies of Bulk Up. All in all, this will leave you with a 766/17 Firebending Student aimed directly at your opponent.
Admittedly, while this is a hell of a lot of damage, this 11-card combo doesn’t even give you Trample. Due to this, your opponent could easily block this monstrosity and leave you helpless. While you could solve this problem with a Crash Through or Dreadmaw’s Ire, detracting from the damage dream feels criminal.
Bad, but Scary Good
Realistically, unless you really fancy your chances, you really shouldn’t build around this combo in MTG Standard. Needing to be in three colors, not to mention needing 11 cards, makes this combo unviable at best in a genuine Standard environment. Even if this deck is never going to be a competitor, however, it’s scary how much is possible.
Thanks to Bulk Up, it feels like Mono-Red OTK decks are one good card away from breaking out. While control decks should be able to keep these in check, especially in best-of-three, the threat of explosive kills is definitely there. Worryingly, this explosive potential feels like the baseline for a good Standard deck these days, since everything is so ultra-efficient.
Hopefully, Wizards of the Coast can keep things balanced going forward into 2026 and beyond. Given how many problems arose throughout 2025, however, there’s no telling which way Standard will go. Since we’re getting seven Standard legal sets next year, it certainly feels like the chances of banworthy shenanigans are especially high.
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