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Absurd MTG Duskmourn combo deals 24 damage on turn two

If you like very short games of Magic: The Gathering, you might be interested in this upcoming Duskmourn deck which can do lethal damage on turn 2.

MTG art showing a clown with a stranger things Demogorgon style mouth in its chest.

The upcoming release of horror-themed Magic: The Gathering set Duskmourn will add new cards to Standard which let you destroy an opponent on turn two… if you get the perfect hand.

Props go to Reddit user Kircai for pointing out this MTG combo, which can dish out a devastating 24 damage by turn two, potentially ending games in a flash. The new Duskmourn cards that make it all possible are Leyline of Resonance and Turn Inside Out.

The MTG card Leyline of Resonance

Here’s how it all comes together. Leyline of Resonance comes down for free, since it’s a leyline in your starting hand. Then on turn one you play a land and the Bloomburrow mouse Heartfire Hero. That’s all set-up: turn two is where we really see some fireworks.

The MTG card Heartfire Hero

On turn two, you cast Turn Inside Out on your mouse, which gets doubled thanks to the leyline, and triggers Heartfire Hero’s ability. As a result, you’re now swinging with an 8/2. Assuming your opponent can’t block at this early stage of the game, that’s more than a third of their life total gone.

The MTG card Turn Inside Out

If you’re now able to sacrifice your mouse with Callous Sell Sword’s adventure Burn Together, you can finish them off. The spell deals eight damage, and Heartfire Hero also deals damage equal to its power when it dies – another eight. If you’ve been counting, you’ll see that’s 24 damage in a single turn – well over lethal!

The MTG card Callous Sell-Sword

Often when people point out these combos, they look more impressive than they actually are, because they rely on a perfect combination of cards which you’ll seldom draw, even with a couple of mulligans. However, this one in particular is a cut above the rest because Kircai points out a few alternatives which give it a degree of redundancy.

For instance, for your attacking creature the best choice is Heartfire Hero, but you can still get the kill if you draw Cacophony Scamp instead. Turn Inside Out is your best combat trick option, but Monstrous Rage with the mouse will still land 21 damage.

We wouldn’t be surprised if lots of people end up running an MTG Arena deck like this in BO1, just to grind out fast games.

For more MTG content, check out our guides to the best MTG commander precon decks and the MTG release schedule.