A scintillating attacking display dismantled Plymouth and warmed the hands of Wednesdayites on a freezing afternoon at Hillsborough.
Goals from Sylla Sow, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Sam Hutchinson and substitute Josh Windass did the damage and while Adam Randell and Luke Jephcott found the target for the Pilgrims, few would deny the rampant Owls the points.
They terrorised the visitors back four from the start, with Jack Hunt showing a sign of things to come, putting the Pilgrims straight on the back foot when he smashed into the side netting.
Making headway down both flanks, Wednesday looked dangerous and Mendez-Laing brought a fine save from Michael Cooper having cut in from the left.
Moments later, Liam Palmer crossed from the right and this time Cooper sprang high to deny Lee Gregory.
The pressure continued and the Pilgrims broke on 19 minutes. Hunt drilled in a low feed from which Sow executed a fierce hit that had too much for the diving Cooper.
There was no let-up for Plymouth, who were within a whisker of going 2-0 down from Wednesday’s next attack.
A driving run forward from Massimo Luongo saw Gregory dash clear on the angle and the striker’s shot at the second attempt cannoned off the post.
The Owls stayed in charge - Barry Bannan just missed the target after Hutchinson split the Pilgrims’ defence and the skipper couldn’t find the finish.
Wednesday deserved to at least go down the tunnel at half time with more of a cushion and Mendez-Laing ensured exactly that five minutes before the whistle.
The wideman motored down the flank and advanced into the box to curl a delightful effort past the despairing Cooper.
The Plymouth keeper came out on top when the duo went head to head again, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru then blazed a good chance over the bar, and Plymouth were relieved when a one-sided first half came to an end.
And the break clearly had the desired effect as the visitors halved the deficit a minute after the restart. Randell lined up a set piece 20 yards out and the finish was swerving, accurate and out of Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s reach.
But Wednesday regrouped and began to wrestle back control, with a raft of attacks making the Plymouth rearguard creak.
Bannan unleashed a clever angled drive that curled inches the wrong side of the upright before the Owls restored the two-goal advantage with 12 minutes to go.
Hunt provided a second assist with the most inviting of crosses and Hutchinson launched himself into the six-yard box to head home and seemingly seal the win.
What followed was an explosive passage of play that spawned two goals in the same minute as Plymouth pulled the score back to 3-2 before the Owls promptly and finally sealed victory.
First, a scramble in the heart of the danger zone saw Jephcott strike the post and bar before bundling over the line to hand his side a second lifeline.
But straight from kick-off, a high ball was expertly brought from the sky by Windass, who turned to thump into the bottom corner and conclude a compelling contest.
Wednesday: Peacock-Farrell, Hunt, Palmer, Hutchinson, Johnson, Mendez-Laing, Bannan (Adeniran 90), Dele-Bashiru, Luongo, Sow (Windass 78), Gregory (Paterson 90)