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Playing with a Standard-legal Magic: The Gathering deck, your goal is to win a game as quickly as possible, against an opponent who does nothing. You may assume that your deck is stacked, so that you will always draw exactly the cards you want.

You may choose to play or draw, but winning turn 4 on the play is considered faster than winning turn 4 on the draw. In the event that two solutions tie for speed, the winner will be the solution that deals more damage.

Possibly Asked Questions:
At the time of asking, Standard-legal Magic cards are any cards printed in Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, or Battle for Zendikar.
If you care about the opponent at all, assume their deck consists of sixty islands and they begin the game with a mulligan to zero.
I know it's possible to deal approximately 35 damage turn 3 on the play, so if you're not there yet you definitely haven't found the optimal solution.

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  • $\begingroup$ It's possible to deal 35 on what turn? Also, what's with the unused link to Zo-Zu the Punisher in your text? :P $\endgroup$
    – Ivo Beckers
    Nov 26, 2015 at 21:07
  • $\begingroup$ Fixed and fixed. $\endgroup$
    – Ninety-Three
    Nov 26, 2015 at 21:08

2 Answers 2

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"Looks like you can't go infinite before turn four, so this is probably just won by the most aggressive strategy" - a quote from myself. I was wrong. You can totally go infinite on turn 3 on the play.

Turn 3 on the Play, Main Phase 1: Infinite Damage

Turn 1: Yavimaya Coast, Honored Hierarch (5 cards)

Turn 2: Wooded Foothills > Mountain, Atarka’s Command, dealing 3 and putting a Windswept Heath into play (3 cards, 2 gy)

Windswept Heath > Plains, Defiant Strike on Hierarch, draw 1, attack with Hierarch becoming renowned (3 cards, 4 gy)

Turn 3: Polluted Delta > Island (3 cards, 5 gy)

Tap Island, Plains, Mountain for Jeskai Ascendancy (2 cards, 5 gy)

Tap HH for R, play Magmatic Insight, discarding Swamp, draw two, untap HH, loot a card (2 cards, 8 gy)

Tap HH for U, play Treasure Cruise delving 7, untap HH, loot a card (4 cards, 3 gy)

Tap HH for R, play Magmatic Insight, discarding Swamp, draw two, untap HH, loot a card (4 cards, 6 gy)

Tap HH for R, play Spidersilk Net, untap HH, loot a card (R, 3 cards, 7 gy)

Tap HH for W, tap Yavimiaya Coast for U, play Jeskai Ascendency, untap HH, loot a card (2 cards, 8 gy)

Tap HH for U, play Treasure Cruise delving 7, untap/tap HH for UW, loot twice (UW, 4 cards, 4 gy)

Play Spidersilk Net, untap/tap HH for UR, loot twice (UUWR, 3 cards, 6 gy)

Play Jeskai Ascendency, untap/tap HH for WR, loot once (UWR, 2 cards, 7 gy)

Play Jeskai Ascendency, untap/tap HH for UUW (UUW, 1 card, 7 gy)

Play Treasure Cruise delving 7, untap/tap HH for UUUW (UUUUUWW, 3 cards)

Play Soulfire Grand Master (UUUW, 2 cards)

Play Defiant Strike on HH, draw one, untap/tap HH for UUUU (UUUUUUU, 2 cards)

Play Disperse targeting Spidersilk Net for UU, trigger Soulfire Grand Master for UUUU to return Disperse to your hand, untap/tap HH for UUUU (UUUUU, 1 card, Spidersilk Net, Disperse)

Play Spidersilk Net, untap/tap HH for UURR (UUUUUUURR, 1 card, Disperse)

Repeat the previous two steps an infinite number of times, gaining RR each time until you have infinite R (Infinite R, 1 card, Disperse)

Play Rolling Thunder for X = infinite, targeting your opponent for all of it, dealing infinite damage and gaining infinite life as well

But maybe Jeskai Ascendancy and Treasure Cruise are too easy; after all, both have seen play in Legacy (and even Vintage). Lets go infinite without using a single non-land card that's seen play outside of Standard.

Turn 3 on the Play, Main Phase 1: Another Infinite Damage Combo

Turn 1: Forest, Obscuring Aether (5 cards)

Turn 2: Forest, Obscuring Aether x2, Rattleclaw Mystic x3 face down (0 cards)

Turn 3: Unmorph Rattleclaw Mystic #1 for GG, add RGU, tap for U. Play Secret Plans for GU. (RU, 0 cards)

Unmorph Rattleclaw Mystic #2 for RU, add RGU, draw a card, tap for U (RGUU, 1 card)

Unmorph Rattleclaw Mystic #3 for RG, add RGU, draw a card, tap for U (RGUUUU, 2 cards)

Play Rattleclaw Mystic #4 face down, unmorph it for RU, add RGU, draw a card (RGGUUUU, 2 cards)

Play Temur Ascendancy for RGU, tap Mystic #4 for R (RGUUU, 1 card)

Play Clutch of Currents for U, returning Mystic #1, replay it face down, unmorph Mystic #1 for RG, add RGU, draw a card, tap for U (RGUUUU, 1 card)

Repeat the previous step three more times (RGUUUUUUU, 1 card)

Play Sidisi's Faithful, exploiting itself for U, returning Mystic #1, replay it face down, unmorph Mystic #1 for RG, add RGU, draw a card, tap for U (RGUUUUUUUU, 1 card)

Repeat the previous step three more times (RGUUUUUUUUUUU, 1 card)

Play Learn from the Past for UUUU, targeting yourself, shuffling in everything and drawing a card (RGUUUUUUU, 1 card)

Repeat the above cycles with Clutch x4, Sidisi's Faithful x4, gaining U per card and drawing one off each (RGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, 1 card)

Play Learn from the Past for UUUU, targeting yourself, shuffling in everything (including the other Learn from the Past) and drawing a card (RGUUUUUUUUUUU, 1 card)

Repeat the above two steps an infinite number of times, gaining infinite U (RG, infinite U, 1 card)

Play Crater's Claws for X = infinite, targeting your opponent, dealing them infinite damage

Previous Solution

39 damage Turn 3 on the play.

Turn 1: Wooded Foothills, crack it for a Forest, Scythe Leopard. (5 cards, 1 in yard, 0 damage)

Turn 2: Wooded Foothills, crack it for a Mountain, Atarka's Command dealing 3 and putting Wooded Foothills in play, crack it for Canopy Vista, Defiant Strike on Scythe Leopard. Attack with Scythe Leopard for 6 damage. (3 cards, 5 in yard, 9 damage this turn)

Turn 3: Wooded Foothills, crack it for a Cinder Glade, Animist's Awakening for X = 3, revealing Windswept Heath x3, crack for Cinder Glade x3, Become Immense on Scythe Leopard, delving 5, Temur Battle Rage on Scythe Leopard, giving double strike. Attack with Scythe Leopard for 15+15 damage. (0 cards, 7 in yard, 30 damage this turn)

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  • $\begingroup$ On turn 2 you play 4 cards (Foothills, Command, another Foothills, Leopard) but you seem to have only counted 3. Your solution comes up short one card. $\endgroup$
    – Ninety-Three
    Nov 27, 2015 at 0:00
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    $\begingroup$ Just for you, I'll make it do infinite damage in one shot. $\endgroup$
    – Zerris
    Nov 27, 2015 at 7:35
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    $\begingroup$ Derp, never mind me. Slow morning >< $\endgroup$
    – orp
    Nov 27, 2015 at 15:37
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    $\begingroup$ There, moved the combo back from main phase 2 to main phase 1; it's now faster than anything using the combat step. $\endgroup$
    – Zerris
    Nov 27, 2015 at 18:22
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    $\begingroup$ And added in a second combo that doesn't need Jeskai Ascendancy or Treasure Cruise. $\endgroup$
    – Zerris
    Nov 27, 2015 at 21:17
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Turn 3 on the play.

Turn 1: Forest, Scythe Leopard.
Turn 2: Wooded Foothills, crack it for a Mountain, Monastery Swiftspear, Scythe Leopard, attack for 4.
Turn 3: Wooded Foothills, crack it for a Cinder Glade, Monastery Swiftspear, Atarka's Command (3 damage to opponent and +1/+1 to your dudes), triggering prowess, attack with 2 4/4's and 2 3/4's for 14.

Total: 21 damage.

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  • $\begingroup$ Good job. You could improve it a bit by instead of playing Swiftspear, Commanding in a fetchland and using it to cast a pump spell. $\endgroup$
    – Ninety-Three
    Nov 26, 2015 at 20:39
  • $\begingroup$ That's true. If you did that and used Titan's Strength you'd another 9 damage (but lose 4 from not using the pump mode). $\endgroup$
    – orp
    Nov 26, 2015 at 20:46

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