Given a hyperbolic surface and a simple closed geodesic on it, complex-twists along the curve produce a holomorphic family of deformations in Teichmuller space, degenerating to the Riemann surface where it is pinched. We show there is a corresponding Teichmuller disk such that the two are strongly asymptotic, in the Teichmuller metric, around the noded Riemann surface. We establish a similar comparison with plumbing deformations that open the node.