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The Dive Down

The Dive Down

396 episodes — Page 4 of 8

Ep 227Episode 227: The Pod Tempts You, ft. aspiringspike & d00mwake

This week Shane welcomes back two friends of the show — Devon O'Donnell (aka d00mwake) & Evart Moughton (aka aspiringspike) — to sub in for Dave and Stan and talk Post-RC Pioneer hype decks and where cards from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth could find homes in Modern. That's right, two guests, two formats, and a whole lotta takes. Devon loves Evart's dogs. Evart loves The One Ring. Shane registers quiet skepticism about all these hobbits. • Devon & Evart's Wild Weekend • Post-RC Pioneer Hype Decks • anything cool going on in modern? • Is The One Ring Busted? Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNM23 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:45 - Housekeeping 5:07 - The Break Down begins: Devon and Evart Do Dallas 20:48 - The hype decks of Pioneer post-RC 43:11 - Anything cool going on in Modern? 47:00 - LOTR: Tales of Middle-Earth spoilers continue 48:20 - Is The One Ring busted? 51:55 - Stern Scolding 55:26 - Aragorn, the Uniter 56:53 - Frodo, Determined Hero 1:00:14 - Orcish Bowmasters 1:02:30 - Boromir, Warden of the Tower 1:05:16 - Flowering of the White Tree 1:08:07 - Flame of Anor 1:11:29 - Samwise Gamgee 1:16:05 - Rosie Cotton of South Lane 1:18:40 - Elven Farsight 1:22:20 - This is not Modern Horizons 3 1:24:28 - Oliphaunt 1:28:50 - What Evart and Devon are up to 1:34:54 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jun 16, 20231h 36m

Ep 226Episode 226: Pioneer RC Results and Modern Ring Temptations, pt. 1

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth spoilers are in full swing, so we dive into a bunch of cards that could see play in existing Modern decks or even create some new ones. Plus we recap the results of the latest Pioneer Regional Championship in Dallas. We attempt to Press the Enemy and get a Stern Scolding. But we Forge Anew with some Orcish Bowmasters and a determined Frodo in the legendary lands of Rivendell. After that we encounter the denizens of Khazad-dûm and Moira. Then Stan cracks a pack. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNM23 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:29 - Housekeeping 8:45 - LOTR Spoilers... again! 14:05 - Stern Scolding 20:36 - Cast Into the Fire 23:48 - Press the Enemy 30:45 - Forge Anew 37:10 - Orcish Bowmasters 43:15 - The Legendary Lands 54:32 - Frodo, Determined Hero 57:18 - Frodo Baggins 1:00:01 - Pippin, Guard of the Citadel 1:03:35 - Lobelia, Sackville-Baggins 1:05:13 - Troll of Khazad-dûm 1:07:48 - Moira Marauder 1:11:11 - Summertime Shaving 1:14:25 - Stan cracks a pack 1:18:28 - Dreamhack Dallas RC Break Down 1:21:18 - The RC Metagame 1:34:43 - Conversion rates 1:37:35 - The Top 8 1:42:58 - Pioneer takeaways 1:48:08 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jun 8, 20231h 49m

Ep 225Episode 225: Boros Convoke: Demolishing Artifacts For Fun & Profit, ft. d00mwake

This week on The Dive Down we go deep on that deck that people can't stop talking about — Boros Convoke in Pioneer. Dave and Devon talk about the core strategy of the deck, the flex cards and why people use them, how to mull, what to keep, and matchups — the good, the bad, and the middle. Get ready for Devon to explain how his perceptions about some matchups have changed since he started playing the deck and for Dave to have an argument with ChatGPT about math. Finally, we talk about what's on Devon's mind as he gets ready for Dreamhack Dallas. It's all in a week on The Dive Down! • Risky Keeps? • ChatGPT Can't Do Multivariate Probabilities • Dreamhack Dallas via Valencia Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNM23 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:03 - Housekeeping 5:48 - What's the deal with Boros Convoke? 10:22 - The cards of Convoke 46:53 - Playing Convoke 59:36 - Matchups and sideboard options 1:16:15 - The Valencia LMS Pioneer event meta 1:35:47 - Some final takes on Convoke 1:39:13 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Boros Convoke Lists: D00m’s current list: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FxLkfM-WAAEB13p?format=jpg&name=medium Frank Karsten's article: https://strategy.channelfireball.com/cfb-pro-content/convoke-chaos-unleash-the-power-of-pioneers-hottest-new-deck-mtg-deep-dive/ Sodek’s list + guide: https://mystical-teachings.com/boros-convoke-primer/ Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jun 1, 20231h 40m

Ep 224Episode 224: B&R Hot Takes & NRG Minneapolis

Stan and Shane combine forces to discuss the NRG Pioneer $10K in Minneapolis, and then give some hot takes about the changes to the B&R cadence and Standard's new 3-year rotation. What latest tech from March of the Machine (and it's Aftermath?) had an impact in Pioneer? And what do WOTC's changes mean for the future of our formats? Listen and find out! The Break Down: Hyrule via Knutsford The Break Down, cont: An 160 All-Foil Control Mirror The Dive Down: Strong Feelings About B&Rs Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 6:40 - Housekeeping 9:14 - The NRG Minneapolis/St. Paul Pioneer $10K 12:40 - The overall metagame and performances 30:50 - Thoughts on the meta 34:51 - The Top 8 40:24 - Stanislav played Izzet Creativity 51:25 - Hot takes on WOTC's new B&R strategy 1:07:23 - Hot takes on Standard moving to a 3-year rotation 1:11:44 - Stan cracks a pack 1:15:34 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: The NRG Minneapolis Pioneer $10K: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/14059 Revitalizing Standard: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/revitalizing-standard Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

May 25, 20231h 17m

Ep 223Episode 223: Getting Weird in the Aftermath of MOM, ft. d00mwake

This week d00mwake joins Shane and Dave to go through a quick tour of the weirdness that happened in Modern and Pioneer MTG this week. We dive deep into the wild Modern Challenge on 5/13, a new + interesting deck d00mwake has been playing in Pioneer, and the somewhat surprising places new cards have appeared in the last few weeks. Dave declares his love for Sultai Shadow. Shane wonders if Ob Nixilis is really a win more. Devon takes us through an interesting new Boros Tokens list he's been working on. • Adventures in Pioneering • Surprising Modern Tricks • Yargle's Vengeance Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:25 - Housekeeping 8:15 - Devon's adventures in Pioneer 8:40 - Boros Tokens 16:48 - Rakdos Sacrifice with Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin 27:12 - Coppercoat Vanguard 33:45 - Some final Pioneer highlights 40:15 - Saturday's Modern Challenge highlights 40:51 - Sultai Traverse Shadow 51:07 - Hardened Scales makes a return! 55:14 - Weird Creativity tech 57:24 - Weird Rakdos Scam tech 1:02:03 - 4-Color Omnath with Nissa 1:04:05 - Some more weird Modern tech 1:11:34 - Sunday's Modern Challenge highlights 1:14:42 - Yargle's Vengeance 1:17:13 - Even more weird Modern tech 1:21:34 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Saturday 5/13 Modern Challenge https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-2023-05-13#paper Modern Humans w/ Coppercoat Vanguard jenesaisquoi, https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5612522#paper Parrotlet, https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5610799#paper Sunday 5/14 Modern Challenge https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-2023-05-14#paper Coppercoat Vanguard in Pioneer https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5616010#paper https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5616016#paper Rakdos Sacrifice w/ Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin ChiChiChi, https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5612490#paper Shadowz2005, https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5612482#paper D00mwake's Boros Tokens https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1655674173904003106?s=20 Mason Clarke's NeoSoulflayerTraxa https://twitter.com/masoneclark/status/1657193505695887360?s=20 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

May 18, 20231h 23m

Ep 222Episode 222: Aftermath and LOTR: The Spoilers Will Continue Until Morale Improves

This week it's time for... you guessed it... more card talk on The Dive Down. With Dave out, Stan and Shane do double duty with a look at the cards that stand tall in the Aftermath of MOM and ask the question: how many bulk rares do you have to sacrifice to despark a planeswalker? After that we take a quick trip to Middle Earth to talk about some tempting new information. Listen. Now. You've been tempted. • Some Aftermath • Some Rings • A Pack is Cracked! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:55 - Housekeeping 7:24 - The Dive Down begins: March of the Machine: Aftermath 13:02 - Coppercoat Vanguard 15:57 - Vesuvan Drifter 20:12 - Ayara's Oathsworn 24:32 - Nissa, Resurgent Animist 27:48 - Tranquil Frillback 30:47 - Jirina, Dauntless General 32:41 - Calix, Guided by Fate 35:58 - Narset, Enlightened Exile 40:02 - Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin 42:54 - Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival 45:08 - Sarkhan, Soul Aflame 49:07 - Samut, Vizier of Naktamun 51:52 - Some final thoughts on Aftermath 53:32 - LOTR spoilers continue 54:30 - The Ring Tempts You 1:00:04 - Call of the Ring 1:01:54 - Delighted Halfling 1:08:10 - The Wind Down! Crack-a-pack! 1:15:01 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

May 11, 20231h 16m

Ep 221Episode 221: Deckfest 2 (Pioneer ed.): Gruul Elves & Boats, Dimir Rogues, Izzet Pyro, and Naya Tokens, ft. d00mwake

We kick off the show with a chat about a ton of Modern data that's been collected since the Yorion ban, and review matchups for the top decks in the format. Then we dive into four new Pioneer decks d00mwake helped put together to keep experimenting with cards from March of the Machine. Stan takes another Elves deck through the grinder, but Gruul with dinosaurs? Devon then plays his own Gruul dino deck, but with Reckless Stormseekrs and Esika's Chariots. Dave draws a bunch of cards with blue convoke spells. And we make as many tokens as possible in Naya. The Break Down: Modern data post Yorion ban! The Dive Down: Pioneer deckfest featuring more March of the Machine! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:35 - Housekeeping 6:26 - Modern Meta Data Since the Yorion Ban 8:05 - Prevalence Data 15:25 - Win Percentages 18:05 - Matchup Percentages 26:05 - Barrister and Mann Welcome Spring 32:19 - Pioneer Deckfest Begins! 33:00 - Spirits, Rogues, etc. 38:50 - Gruul Elves w/ Imperiosaur 47:44 - Gruul "No Boats" w/ Imperiosaur 51:29 - Is Pioneer Becoming a Faster Format? 58:05 - Izzet Pyromancer 1:10:10 - Rakdos Ghalta 1:13:34 - Naya Tokens 1:16:58 - Wrapping Up With an Iron Bru Links from this week's episode: Anael Yahi's Modern data extravaganza: https://twitter.com/YahiAnael/status/1650601983697362956?s=20 Gruul Dino Elves (http://www.streamdecker.com/deck/gPcr1x_SO ), Gruul Dino no elves (http://www.streamdecker.com/deck/KMSs8DSJ9 ), Izzet Pyro (http://www.streamdecker.com/deck/DAjXwnxt2 ) Naya Tokens (http://www.streamdecker.com/deck/zIofmKPnZ ) Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

May 4, 20231h 22m

Ep 220Episode 220: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Decks Go Marching (Modern and Pio)

It's Sleeve Believe Heave week for new cards from March of the Machine. We play Modern and Pioneer with cards like Ancient Imperiosaur, Rona, Herald of Invasion, Fairie Mastermind, and more! The Break Down: Four Modern decks! The Dive Down: Some Pioneer decks too! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:45 - Sleeve/Believe/Heave: MOM in Modern 7:36 - Stan plays Kuldotha Aggro 20:50 - Dave plays Jeskai Prowess 34:24 - Stan plays Baral & Kari Zev 44:33 - Dave plays Jund Indomitable Creativity 53:13 - Adagio and Presto 57:07 - Sleeve/Believe/Heave: MOM in Pioneer 58:51 - Shane plays Sultai Rona Combo 1:21:35 - Dave plays Dimir Rogues 1:34:31 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Modern Kuldotha Aggro: httdps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5569038#paper UR Prowess/YungDingo: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/fOnU-Zwd- Baral & Kari Zev: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5565460#paper Jund Creativity: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5569004#paper Pioneer Sultai Rona Tandy Deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5570816#paper Dimir Rogues: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5566886#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Apr 27, 20231h 36m

Ep 219Episode 219: Pio d00m Brews & Modern SCG Richmond, ft. d00mwake

This week we get to look at the first paper Modern tournament featuring the new cards of March of Machines - the $20K Modern RCQ that took place in Richmond this past weekend. We go over the metagame, the performances, and the top 12 decks! Following that, d00mwake is back to talk to us about a bunch of brews he has for Pioneer, featuring some hot tech from MOM. Is Jeskai Ascendancy back? Is Invasion of Tarkir going to change Pioneer? We don't actually know yet, but we sure can hope! The Break Down: Modern Keeps Being Modern The Dive Down: Devon Brings the Brews The Dive Down, cont: You'll Never Believe the Most Exciting Deck Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:29 - Housekeeping 8:53 - The Break Down: The SCG Richmond $20K Modern RCQ 9:37 - The overall metagame 27:41 - The top 12 43:08 - Cool Decks, Inc. 48:18 - Taxes... stink? 51:40 - The Dive Down: d00m brews in Pioneer 54:02 - 4C Ascendancy 59:39 - Rona Ascendancy 1:05:03 - Sultai Rona 1:09:24 - Gruul Dragons 1:17:02 - 4C Dragons 1:22:33 - Gruul Fling 1:27:36 - Mono-Green Scales 1:32:58 - Sorin + Ghalta 1:40:05 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: The Richmond $20K: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/14572 4C Ascendancy: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556305#paper Rona Ascendancy: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556308#paper Sultai Rona Combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556313#paper Gruul Dragons: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556306#paper 4c Dragons: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556315#paper Gruul Fling: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556307#paper Mono-G Scales: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556309#paper Sorin & Ghalta: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5556312#paper Find d00mwake on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/d00mwake Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Apr 20, 20231h 41m

Ep 218Episode 218: These Machines Are Making Me Marchy, pt 2

The boys are back for some more spicy takes and overall expectations for March of the Machine. We chat about some new instant speed draw spells, some potential combo shenanigans, and our called shots on the set's potential sleeper hits. We pay our respects to Archangel Espeth, theorycraft what type of Izzet spells deck can play the new convoke draw spells, and recap some of the crazy new combo omens via Omen Hawker. The Break Down: Dave is back to tell us we did a good job The Dive Down: Shane and Stan continue to do a good job Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:08 - Housekeeping 9:16 - March of the Machines spoilers, pt. 2 12:15 - Meeting of the Minds/Transcendent Message 16:53 - Archangel Elspeth 20:09 - Zephyr Singer 23:26 - Khenra Spellspear 29:10 - Invasion of Gobakhan 34:22 - Urabrask 40:03 - Polukranos Reborn 43:17 - Sunfall 46:55 - Ancient Imperiosaur 50:16 - Tax Time 53:22 - Voldaren Thrillseeker 56:44 - Omen Hawker 59:35 - Kroxa and Kunoros 1:02:26 - Ozolith, the Shattered Spire 1:04:19 - Our top picks from MOM 1:10:56 - Sleeper picks 1:18:21 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Apr 13, 20231h 19m

Ep 217Episode 217: These Machines Are Making Me Marchy, pt. 1

There's a new card in town, and we're here to chat about Battles (including the band) during our first look at spoilers from March of the Machine, a Magic set that comes out in April... We kick with a chat about Battles in particular, and the type of questions we're asking before we trying playing these brand new cards in decks. Then we look at some new additions including Baral & Kari Zev, Halo Forager, The Sword of Once and Future, Elesh Norn, and more! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:01 - Housekeeping 9:31 - March of the Machine - Another Event Set! 13:09 - Battles are here! 21:26 - The spoilers begin, sort of 24:22 - Ayara, Widow of the Realm 29:28 - Baral and Kari Zev 34:35 - Surge of Salvation 38:35 - Bloodfeather Phoenix 44:19 - Elesh Norn 50:16 - Halo Forager 55:26 - Faerie Mastermind 59:32 - Sword of Once and Future 1:03:39 - Wrenn and Realmbreaker 1:08:00 - Invasion of Tarkir 1:10:57 - Invasion of Karsus 1:12:30 - Change the Equation 1:18:45 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Apr 6, 20231h 20m

Ep 216Episode 216: Rhinos Overrun NRG & Pure Modern Preview, ft. d00mwake

Devon O'Donnell returns to help us break down the results of this weekend's NRG Chicago Modern and Pioneer trials. Then chat about d00mwake's own upcoming Pure Modern tournament and what to play in a tournament without Modern Horizon cards. The Break Down: NRG Mundelein: More Trials Than Salem The Dive Down: Elevator Constellation Triggers The Dive Down, cont: The Purest of Modern Tournaments Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:40 - Housekeeping 6:40 - The Break Down: Shane & Devon talk NRG Mundelein 10:01 - The 2023 NRG Series structure 13:35 - The Modern 10k metagame 36:53 - The Modern top 8 45:13 - The Pioneer 5k metagame 55:19 - The Pioneer top 8 57:30 - The NRG leaderboard 59:38 - The Dive Down: Stan & Devon talk Pure Modern 1:14:44 - What's good in Pure Modern? 1:49:30 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Mar 30, 20231h 51m

Ep 215Episode 215: New Sets, First Looks: Shadows Over Hobbiton

Sure it's 3 months away, but if that doesn't stop WOTC from sharing The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth spoilers, what should stop us from talking about the summer's straight to Modern set? We chat about Frodo, Samwise, Gollum and the One Ring, and somehow convince ourselves that maybe these cards can work in a deck with other lands and spells..? Then we dust off our old Arena accounts to play some new Innistrad cards. We break down which decks get the biggest boost from the latest update, bringing Explorer one step closer to Pioneer. And take count of which decks still have a way to go due to critical, missing pieces. The Break Down: One supplemental set to rule them all and in the darkness bind them The Dive Down: Shadows Over Innistrad Remastered but not forgotten Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 7:20 - Housekeeping 8:50 - Do we want Hobbits to shake up Modern? 25:19 - How can we evaluate cards in the post-MH2 era? 31:50 - The One Ring 43:18 - Frodo, Sauron's Bane and Gollum, Patient Plotter 46:05 - Samwise, the Stouthearted 49:21 - Reprieve 53:50 - Mount Doom 57:03 - Live smelling experiences 1:00:23 - Shadows Over Innistrad Remastered is here! 1:13:53 - Are we back on Arena? 1:18:25 - What does Shadows Remastered do for Explorer? 1:21:00 - The Pioneer decks you can play on Arena now 1:25:30 - Golden Packs are sweet 1:27:37 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Mar 23, 20231h 28m

Ep 214Episode 214: Deckfest 1: Tyvar Sac, Spirits, Elves, Calibrated Blast, and Humans, ft. d00mwake

Our international relations split today's show into two sections, and a new episode tradition was born. Join us for a multi-format look at some our favorite tribes, a new take on Calibrated Blast, and the latest version of Pioneer Sac. Listen in as Stan and Dave discuss what they've been up to in Modern and Pioneer over the last couple of weeks. Hint: it's in the title. After that Shane and Devon go deep on the new Pioneer Sac decklists featuring Tyvar. It's like two shows in one — enjoy the Deckfest 1! • Stan Loves Pioneer Now! • Dave Gets Weird in Modern! • Shane & Devon Break Down Tyvar Sac in Pioneer! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:52 - Housekeeping 7:03 - Dave and Stan played some MTG 8:22 - Stan played... Pioneer Elves??? 21:00 - Stan also played... Pioneer Spirits! 33:24 - Dave played Mardu Calibrated Blast 46:35 - Dave also played Mono-White Humans... in Modern?! 57:29 - Coming home to some Barrister & Mann 1:00:40 - Shane and Devon talk Pioneer Golgari Sacrifice 1:08:36 - Tyvar in Golgari Sacrifice 1:13:06 - Some mana dorks 1:14:52 - The sac engines 1:27:08 - The fodder makers 1:34:05 - The Collected Company 1:39:20 - The mana 1:43:20 - The sideboard 1:44:45 - So how do you play this deck? 1:54:50 - Matchups and sideboarding 2:01:00 - Why play this deck? 2:05:31 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: • Pioneer Elves by XBoxGreg: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5391892#paper • Pioneer Azorius Spirits by ScouterTF2: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5471488#paper • Modern Cottage Blast by Aspiringspike: https://twitter.com/Aspiringspike/status/1631397428585693188?s=20 • Modern Mono-White Humans by HanktheObese: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5471479#paper • Pioneer Golgari Sac by d00mwake: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5460137#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Mar 16, 20232h 6m

Ep 213Episode 213: Let There Be Combo, ft. Ryan Donkin

Fresh off the heels of his RCQ win with Amulet Titan, our Twitter friend Ryan Donkin joins us to break down the power of Mycosynth Garden, pour one out for Ad Nauseum, and how to count all the triggers in Glimpse of Tomorrow decks. • More Ways to Win on Turn 2 • Glimpse the Ad Nauseum and Other Unthinkable Brews • Tinker, Brewer, Pilot, Consumer Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:33 - Housekeeping (including notes about a TDD Discord Modern Tournament) 6:06 - Getting Into Ryan's Brain: A Peek Inside the Grinder's Studio 11:20 - Putting Cards Together in Ways That Win 11:40 - Amulet Titan 22:52 - Ad Nauseum 32:05 - Ad Break: Barrister & Mann 35:15 - The Spark that Lit a Love of Combo 41:04 - The Secret Third Cascade: Glimpse 53:14 - When to Play Glimpse 56:41 - What Kind of Main Are You? 1:03:27 - Cards Ryan is Brewing With Now 1:06:10 - What Ryan is Trying in Pioneer: Lotus Field + More 1:09:49 - Stan Cracks a Pack: Peak Consumer Main Content 1:12:45 - Closing Out Links from this week's episode: https://twitter.com/GR_DONKIN Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Mar 9, 20231h 15m

Ep 212Episode 212: Modern's Back & So is Stanislav!

Well, here it is. The week you've all been waiting for — the Rhino Boyz finally get back their Rhino format. It's time for a check in on what's going on in Modern since Phyrexia: All Will Be One launched. We take a look at the Top 32 metas of all the MTGO Challenges from 2/10 – 2/24 and throw in some data on the Manatraders February final to boot. Oh yeah — and Stanislav finally rejoins the pod from his new home in the UK. Hear what we sound like during a daytime recording (for the first time ever) and also hear what we sound like in British accents (hopefully for the last time ever). What surprising decks are surging in Modern once again? What cards from ONE have made any impact? What terrible UK slang with each of us try to pepper our speech with? Find out on this week's ep! • Too Many English Accents • February Modern Challenge(s) Roundup • We Catch Up and Crack a Pack Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 6:15 - Housekeeping 11:48 - The Break Down: What's going on in Modern? 44:53 - The Manatraders Modern top8 and what are we learning? 52:40 - Smuggling some bergamot 55:35 - Shane plays some Devoted Druid with Tyvar 1:09:30 - Cool Decks, Inc. 1:12:15 - Stan is back, and opens a pack! 1:21:40 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Devoted Druid with Tyvar by Bean17h: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5431806#paper Devoted Druid with Tyvar by MickeyPlaysMagic: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5422748#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Mar 2, 20231h 23m

Ep 211Episode 211: 8 Takes from PT Phyrexia, ft. d00mwake

With Shane and Stan both gone this week, Dave called in returning guest host Devon O'Donnell, aka d00mwake, to talk about his hot Pro Tour Phyrexia takes. Is d00m buying what Dave's selling? That's to be determined. Buying or not, Dave and Devon first go over the expected and unexpected decks from the return of the Pro Tour, then chat about some of the early previews from March of the Machines. The Break Down: The Metagame Everyone Saw Coming The Dive Down: A Winner No One Saw Coming The Wind Down: The Team-Ups No One Knew They Needed Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:05 - Housekeeping 6:30 - Pro Tour Phyrexia - Is Devon buying what Dave's selling? 12:50 - Take 1: The meta was what we expected 18:07 - Take 2: The top of the meta didn't perform well 25:24 - Take 3: We should be playing the less popular decks 37:30 - Take 4: The rogues broke the format a bit 54:15 - Shane's secretly here 59:28 - Take 5: More metagame calls paid off 1:02:50 - Take 6: Fable of the Mirror Breaker is the best card in the format 1:07:50 - Take 7: The meta is unlikely to change 1:15:15 - Take 8: The top 8 was impressive and our predictions stunk 1:19:50 - March of the Machines early previews! 1:34:02 - Where to find d00mwake and wrapping up Links from this week's episode: The PT decks: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/14111 March of the Machines spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/mom Devon's Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/d00mwake Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Feb 23, 20231h 35m

Ep 210Episode 210: Pro Tour Philly Preview, ft. d00mwake

This week Dave and Shane invite Devon O'Donnell (aka d00mwake) over to help us prepare for the return of the Pro Tour! We go deep on Pioneer as we take a look at the recent meta and last weekend's MTGO Challenges (or whatever they're called), go over where established decks are picking up new tech from ONE, and lastly run through a bunch of sleeper decks and their potential for a PT break through — one deck d00mwake likes may even surprise you. We likely don't talk about Atraxa enough. But we do talk about the angel... some? Tune in for all this and to see what each of us chose as a top 4 for the tournament. • As Much Pioneer as You Could Ever Want • Atraxa Unifies the Rogue Meta • One Deck That Oozes Potential Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:00 - Housekeeping 7:57 - The Pioneer Pro Tour 15:10 - The current Pioneer meta 27:45 - What can happen at the Pioneer PT? 30:02 - The Saturday Pioneer Challenge 43:48 - Saturday's cool decks 57:09 - Sunday's Pioneer Showcase Challenge 1:10:05 - Sunday's cool decks 1:20:28 - What do we know about Pioneer? 1:24:58 - Some sleeper decks of the new Pioneer 1:42:35 - Calling our top 4 decks of the Pro Tour 1:44:50 - Where to find d00mwake Links from this week's episode: Devon's Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/d00mwake Frank Karsten's Metagame Mentor: https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-10-surprising-pioneer-decks-that-can-win-pro-tour-phyrexia 2/11 Pioneer Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-2023-02-11#paper 2/12 Pioneer Showcase: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-showcase-challenge-2023-02-12#paper d00mwake's Video on New ONE Decks for Pioneer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qLghY2tsI4 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Feb 16, 20231h 47m

Ep 209Episode 209: ONE Weekend of New Decks & Techs

This week Shane and Dave dive into results from the first weekend of Magic after ONE. It looks like the set has had more impact on Modern and Pioneer than we thought possible with upgrades coming to several decks and even a couple of new brews emerging. Are THE Mycosynth Gardens ready for Prime Time? Is Venerated Rotpriest the card that will make Infect ripe again? Is Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler the real deal in Druid... or... anywhere else? Shane and Dave go through the results from the Modern $5k and $10ks from SCGCON Indy and look at some speculative brews for Pioneer from Frank Karsten's most recent Metagame Mentor. • The Mycosynth Gardens Are So Nice This Time of Year • Rotpriest or Rockpriest? • Tyvar, Jubilant Brewer Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:55 - Housekeeping 8:40 - The SCGCon Indy Friday Modern $5k RCQ 23:44 - The SCGCon Indy Sunday Modern $10k RCQ 51:16 - New Modern oddities and ephemera 1:02:09 - Frank Karsten's Pioneer potentials in ONE 1:12:37 - New Pioneer oddities and ephemera 1:14:58 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: SCGCon Indy Friday modern 5k RCQ: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/13258 SCGCon Indy Sunday Modern 10k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/13259 Modern Devoted Druid Combo in 2023: https://themanabase.com/modern-devoted-druid-combo-in-2023/ Frank Karsten's Metagame Mentor: https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-10-surprising-pioneer-decks-that-can-win-pro-tour-phyrexia Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Feb 9, 20231h 16m

Ep 208Episode 208: Phyrexia: All Will Be One Spoilers, Part 2, ft. DarthJacen

Here it is — Part 2 of our tour through Phyrexia: All Will Be One. But this week we've called in some reinforcements in the form of Sky Mason, aka DarthJacen on Playing Pioneer, Twitch, and Twitter. While Shane engages in another flight of fancy about a Green 7 drop and Dave speculates about edicts or bolts or something, Sky helps us get through cards that have real potential in Pioneer and Modern from this second half of the set. And then, at the end, as a treat, we all go over our top 5(-ish) cards from the set. • It's Always 51 in Providence • Napping in Skrelv's Hive • [Everyone Had Almost the Same] Top 5 Cards Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:35 - Housekeeping 6:38 - Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 9:21 - The Eternal Wanderer 13:29 - Phyrexian Vindicator 16:21 - Skrelv's Hive 20:07 - Distorted Curiosity/Bring the Ending 25:14 - Prologue to Phyresis 28:37 - Mindsplice Apparatus 36:45 - Annihilating Glare 40:50 - Archfiend of the Dross 42:51 - Phrexian Obliterator 45:03 - Sheoldred's Edict 48:18 - Rebel Salvo 51:08 - Furnace Punisher 52:47 - All Will Be One 54:15 - Cankerbloom 55:36 - Nissa, Ascended Animist 1:00:24 - Migloz, Maze Crusher 1:05:50 - DarthJacen's top cards 1:21:35 - Shane's top cards 1:27:30 - Dave's top cards 1:31:35 - Where to find Darthjacen online Links from this week's episode: Check out Sky on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/darthjacen) and Playing Pioneer (https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/) Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Feb 2, 20231h 34m

Ep 207Episode 207: Phyrexia: All Will Be One Spoilers, Part 1

This week Shane and Dave dive into the weirdness that is Phyrexia: All Will Be One. What card will be our number one for hype this spoiler season? What card that we think will see very little play counters spells with mv one? What Phyrexian Mite is a 1/1 for 1 with Toxic 1 and is number one in our hearts? How many more ones can I fit in this description? At least one. At least one. Join us this week as we go through the cards we love, the cards we hate, and the cards we're just plain Perplexia'd by. • These Cenobites Are Making Me Thirsty • Skrelv Wars, Nothing But Skrelv Wars • So I Dub Thee Unforgiving Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:43 - Housekeeping 6:07 - All Will Be One 7:38 - The mechanics of ONE 17:13 - The spoilers begin! Allied Fast lands 20:04 - The Mycosynth Gardens 23:58 - Minor Misstep 29:45 - Venerated Rotpriest 37:27 - Gleeful Demolition 40:36 - Skrelv, Defector Mite 43:21 - Vat of Rebirth 47:29 - Kemba, Kha Enduring 51:29 - Ossification/Soulless Jailer 54:14 - The Filigree Sylex 56:18 - Blade of Shared Souls/Sword of Forge and Frontier 1:00:50 - Glissa Sunslayer/Malcator, Purity Overseer 1:03:42 - Mirran Safehouse 1:05:32 - Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler 1:09:07 - Unctus, Grand Metatect 1:10:54 - Ichormoon Gauntlet 1:13:54 - Jace, the Perfected Mind 1:16:24 - Nahiri, the Unforgiving 1:21:16 - Mondrak, Glory Dominus 1:24:06 - Capricious Hellraiser 1:27:04 - Tyvar's Stand 1:30:00 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Scryfall: https://scryfall.com/sets/one?as=grid&order=spoiled Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jan 26, 20231h 31m

Ep 206Episode 206: Modern Domain Zoo & NRG Champs

This week Dave and Shane work on becoming Masters of their Domain with a quick dive into a deck that has been a bit of surprise in modern lately — Modern Domain Zoo. We debate which two drops are the best in this deck, wonder why this deck even has one drops, and finally, most domainedly, talk about killing opponents from the low teens with gameplans that include double Tribal Flames. But before all that, we talk about the exciting end of the 2022 NRG Championship Series, break down the decks from Modern and Pioneer, and marvel about the tiny tech choices people can make in a field of 16 players. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:13 - Housekeeping 6:24 - The Break Down: The NRG Championship 8:58 - The Modern meta & decklists 28:24 - The Pioneer meta & decklists 41:53 - The tournament results 47:55 - Spring is here 50:42 - The Dive Down: Masters of our Domain (Zoo) 52:37 - What Domain is all about 54:55 - The Domain creatures 1:05:48 - The Domain spells 1:14:06 - The manabase and mana strategy 1:21:14 - Some thoughts about Domain Zoo 1:26:08 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: NRG Champs Decklists: https://articles.nerdragegaming.com/decklists-archive/modern-2022-nrg-championship-january-14-15-2023/ https://articles.nerdragegaming.com/decklists-archive/pioneer-2022-nrg-championship-january-14-15-2023/ Sample Domain Zoo List: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5339959#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jan 19, 20231h 28m

Ep 205Episode 205: 2023 Magic Kickoff: Modern & Pioneer

Dave and Shane kickoff 2023 in Magic in our first Stan-less episode of his hiatus. We take a quick tour around the formats we love: we first spend time on a tour of Modern via recent MTGO events, then through Pioneer via Frank Karsten's most recent assessment of the combined RC meta. But first we talk about this weekend's NRG Championship Series Finals. And then before that we also cry some because we miss Stan. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:43 - Housekeeping 11:50 - The Dive Down begins - the NRG Championship preview 23:05 - The current state of Modern 48:19 - The current state of Pioneer 1:04:20 - Cool Decks, Inc. 1:20:05 - What we aren't talking about 1:22:30 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: NRG Championship Series Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/nrgseries 2022 NRG Series Championship Structure: https://articles.nerdragegaming.com/2022-nrg-series-championship-structure/ ManaTraders Modern $30k: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/2022-manatraders-series-30-000-invitational#paper MTGO Modern Super Qualifier: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-super-qualifier-2022-12-26#paper Frank Karsten's Pioneer RC Metagame Mentor: https://www.magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-the-top-15-pioneer-decks-from-regional-championships Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jan 12, 20231h 24m

Ep 204Episode 204: Our 2023 Goals & an Intro to Heavy Play

Surprise! We got one more episode out of Stan before he heads off to the UK — and it's a good one. It's time for our annual chat about our 2023 goals as Magic players, podcasters, friends, and frenemies. We touch on some ideas we have for expanding the show, expanding our planewalking skills, and on how we all feel like we need to fight to stay engaged and curious in life as old age creeps in. No big deal. But before all that, we're excited to bring you a fun discussion we had with Randy Chiang, CEO and Founder of [Heavy Play](heavyplay.com) — a brand new, player-centric take on deck boxes, playmats, and sleeves. We talk with Randy about what inspired him to chase his dream to design this line of accessories that aim to help make gameday easier for Magic players of all kinds. Heavy Play is currently working on a Kickstarter launch campaign — go check it out before it closes on January 15th! The Break Down: The Last Playmat You'll Ever Need The Dive Down: 2023 Goals Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:08 - Housekeeping 4:06 - Talking with Randy from Heavy Play 41:10 - Cheshire Stan 43:50 - Some 2023 goals 47:01 - Show goals 55:59 - Magic goals 1:17:33 - Personal goals 1:23:53 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Heavy Play Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavyplay/heavy-play-equipmag-system-and-curv-sleeves Heavy Play website: http://heavyplay.com Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jan 5, 20231h 25m

Ep 203Episode 203: The 2022 Divey Awards & a Major Announcement

For our final episode of the year, we're kicking off with a huge announcement of things to come in 2023. Then we dive into the hottest cards and decks of the year. Yes it's true, Stan is fleeing the country. But we're not letting him leave the podcast just yet. Change is coming, sure, but the show will go on as our three friends figure out how to manage the unique challenge of timezone management. Then we talk about the hottest cards and decks from the year, the ones that took us by surprise, and the ones we turned to whenever we had to win some tournament cash. Thanks for another amazing year at The Dive Down. We couldn't do it without our wonderful friends and fans who continue to support us. We have more plans for next year and we can't wait to see what's to come in 2023. The Break Down: The Mancunian Candidate The 2022 Divey Awards: The Cards We Loved and The Cards We Hated Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:20 - Housekeeping 5:37 - Stan's big announcement 13:11 - The 2022 Year in Review 14:55 - (Some) Companions are banned 20:06 - RCQs change competitive Magic 24:59 - The Nerd Rage Gaming Series 28:41 - The Best of 2022 Awards begin - The Experience of the Year 34:21 - The card of the year 42:58 - Our favorite card(s) 45:08 - The comeback card 52:40 - The best new deck 57:18 - Stan's instant classic 1:00:01 - The best deck 1:07:39 - Our favorite deck(s) 1:08:57 - The most overhyped card 1:15:58 - The most underhyped card 1:17:31 - The most hated deck(s) 1:21:34 - The most hated card(s) 1:23:30 - Favorite product of the year 1:27:03 - Favorite episode(s) of the year 1:29:58 - Guests of the year 1:31:54 - Wrapping things up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Dec 22, 20221h 33m

Ep 202Episode 202: Modern Jeskai Breach: Get on the Grind

Jeskai Breach has been dominating the paper and MTGO scenes for months, and Stan's obvious pleas have finally been answered. The boys dive into the deck to figure out some quick tips on what it takes to combo off. We also break down the results from NRG Louisville, including deck win rates across Saturday's Modern tournamnet, and the epic conclusion to the Player of the Year race. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:15 - Housekeeping 8:06 - The Break Down - The NRG Modern Showdown 32:55 - Quick Pioneer Top 8 35:52 - Live Smell Reviews 39:15 - The Dive Down: Breaching for fun and profit 40:51 - A brief history of Grinding Breach 45:58 - How does the combo work? 50:45 - What's in the deck? 55:35 - What makes it tick? 1:02:24 - What we learned when playing 1:12:05 - How to beat it 1:18:50 - How did we like it? 1:24:19 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: Breach reference list: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5272624#paper Jesse Robkin's Breach Deck Guide: https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/MTG-Modern-Izzet-Underworld-Breach-Deck-Guide/a4a197cf-3114-4d6b-b316-81a22363b068/ Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Dec 15, 20221h 25m

Ep 201Episode 201: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: New Modern BROs

Annnnnnnd we're back. Now that your faithful hosts have or have not recovered from Episode 200, Dreamhack, Thanksgiving, NRG Chicago, international travel, and other... ailments... it's time for the three friends to embark on the next 200 episodes of the show. To kick off the dawning of this new age of TDD, we're first going to spend some time talking about NRG Chicago and Stan's incredible performance there. After heaping praise upon our favorite son who came in 10th place, we dive into some Modern decks that feature cards from The Brothers' War. First, Stan talks about Portal to Phyrexia in a Shape Anew shell — is it anew contender for the top spot in Modern? Dave talks about sacrificing creatures to get what you want in Hammer using Diabolic Intent. Shane gets Arcane but only via Proxy in Cascade Rhinos. And lastly, because he couldn't help himself, Dave breaks back into an old image of his — using Third Path Iconoclast in UR Prowess. Do any of these updates earn a coveted Sleeve rating from TDD Inc, Intl? Tune in and find out. The Break Down: Stan Tramples the Field at NRG Chicago The Dive Down: New Modern BROs Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN10 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 2:58 - Housekeeping 8:17 - The Break Down: The NRG Chicago Pioneer $10K 11:45 - Stan finishes 10th at the NRG Modern $5K 18:44 - The Modern Meta 22:02 - The top 8 decks 26:26 - Modern takeaways 32:00 - It's your local Santa impersonator 35:14 - The Dive Down: Stan Shapes Anew 43:00 - Dave Hammers with Diabolic Intent 54:30 - Shane Tramples with Arcane Proxy 1:04:31 - Dave Plays Prowess (Again) 1:19:20 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Shape Anew/Portal to Phyrexia: https://twitter.com/Aspiringspike/status/1597399229558759424 Hammer w/ Diabolic Intent: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5258908#paper Rhinos w/ Arcane Proxy: https://twitter.com/Brittney_MTG/status/1597630506103099392 UR Prowess w/ Third Path Iconoclast: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/o5BZmd8eM Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Dec 8, 20221h 21m

Ep 200Episode 200: 200 Modern Cards for the Casual Spike

Well, we finally made it — episode 200! And it's your Rhino Boyz live, together, and in the same room in a small studio outside of Atlanta during Dreamhack. To celebrate ep 200, we deliberated over a list of 200 important cards from Modern's past and present, broke them down into categories.... and then did what we do best — talked about them. Join us as we reminisce about Modern's past, celebrate its current form, and bring up every counterspell. A very special thanks to all of you Citizens of The Dive Down Nation who keep making this possible and for making our community the absolute best. We appreciate you! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our new merch store!: http://www.thedivedown.com/store Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:58 - Housekeeping 7:20 - 200 cards begins 8:12 - The Mana of Modern 12:32 - I'm Living in a Living Nightmare 16:22 - Stuff That's in Burn 19:30 - Cheap Removal 27:26 - Every Counterspell 30:54 - Free-ish Spells 36:26 - Look, I'm Drawing Cards 41:01 - Control Stuff 43:37 - Cascade Spells 45:28 - Midrange is Dead 49:52 - 1+1+1=7 56:30 - Other People's Favorite Cards, Pt. 1 1:02:16 - These Cards are Just Good, Get Over it 1:05:35 - Tempo Stuff 1:08:45 - Two Two-For-Ones 1:10:35 - The Elementals 1:13:39 - Stoneforge & Friends 1:15:24 - We Miss Her, We Want Her Back 1:16:54 - Dredge Stuff 1:18:37 - Our Robot Overlords 1:20:34 - It's Hammer Time 1:22:24 - Titan Stuff 1:25:29 - It's Tribal Time 1:27:25 - Some Dorks 1:29:27 - Creature Combo Shenanigans 1:31:02 - Spells Cards 1:34:32 - A Mill Card as a Treat 1:35:20 - Other People's Favorite Cards, Pt. 2 1:38:42 - These Cards Will Never Be Good Again 1:44:49 - Cards We Can't Believe Are Good Enough For Modern 1:47:45 - Hope These Work 1:49:44 - Two Companions 1:52:59 - Oops, We Broke Modern 2:01:49 - Namesake Cards 2:04:22 - Vaguely Unfair & Other Cool Lands 2:07:08 - The Top End 2:08:34 - Thank You! 2:09:44 - Other People's Favorite Cards, Pt. 3 2:13:19 - Closing Out Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Dec 1, 20222h 17m

Ep 199Episode 199: RC Atlanta: Final Prep feat. darthjacen

The anticipation is almost over. What started as a blink our collective eye way back in the spring has come to pass. It's time for RC Atlanta. As the rhino boyz prepare to head down to Dreamhack to... cover(?)... the event, we turn to new friend of the show Sky Mason, aka darthjacen, from Playing Pioneer to help us work through the latest decks, trends, and strategies for Pioneer. It's a great final discussion on a format that has come back to prominence this year. But before all that, we have a special announcement — The Dive Down is excited to announce that we've launched our own custom merch store! Check out this limited collection of hats, shirts, and... a fanny pack (?) at thedivedown.com/store. Thank you + we appreciate you! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 9:15 - Housekeeping 10:33 - WE NOW HAVE A STORE! 14:50 - Talking Pioneer with Sky 25:13 - Mono-Green Devotion 40:00 - Rakdos Midrange 51:38 - Izzet Phoenix 1:02:31 - Mono-White Aggro 1:08:28 - Abzan Greasefang 1:14:29 - A magical time of year 1:18:38 - Keruga Fires 1:23:41 - Selesnya Angels 1:28:32 - Gruul Vehicles 1:33:33 - Lotus Field 1:40:13 - Azorius Control 1:42:00 - Spirits 1:43:44 - Rakdos Sacrifice and other possibilities 1:50:15 - Anything from Brothers' War? 1:52:40 - Find Darthjacen on the net Links from this week's episode: For all things Sky Mason — https://linktr.ee/darthjacen For SCG CON Pioneer $30k Results — https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/11890 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Nov 17, 20221h 55m

Ep 198Episode 198: Bromancing the (Power)stones, Part 2

In this second installment of The Brothers' War spoilers, Dave and Shane lament the lack of Stan this week while chatting the plusses and minuses of 20-ish new cards that just might impact Modern and Pioneer. Is Third Path Iconoclast the new Seasoned Pyromancer? Will Woodcaller Automaton get Karn the Great Creator banned? Is Sarinth Steelseeker the sleeper card of the set? I guess we'll find out. But before all that, we spend some time assessing the Nerd Rage Gaming Team Trios $10k and Pioneer $5k that happened in Fort Wayne this past weekend. The Break Down: Devoted to NRG Fort Wayne The Dive Down: Saga Targets, Wishboard Targets, and More! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:09 - Housekeeping 7:35 - The Break Down: NRG Fort Wayne 10:45 - The Team Trios top 8 20:38 - The Pioneer $5k 35:55 - Get Lavender-y 38:55 - The Dive Down: We continue to BROmance 40:13 - Haywire Mite 41:52 - Mishra's Research Desk 43:23 - Combat Courier 44:10 - Calamity's Wake 45:39 - Brotherhood's End 47:37 - Audacity 49:00 - Forging the Anchor 50:20 - Hostile Negotiations 52:42 - Diabolic Intent 57:17 - Arcane Proxy 59:40 - Third Path Iconoclast 1:03:38 - Obliterating Bolt 1:06:00 - Woodcaller Automaton 1:10:04 - Cityscape Leveler 1:13:16 - Rootwire Amalgam 1:16:02 - Arms Race 1:18:30 - Bladecoil Serpent 1:21:42 - No One Left Behind/Recomission 1:24:55 - Zephyr Sentinel 1:27:25 - Skystrike Officer 1:28:48 - Sarinth Steelseeker 1:30:39 - The most impactful cards of BRO 1:36:00 - We play the pre-order price game 1:38:43 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: NRG Fort Wayne Team Trios: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/11717 NRG Fort Wayne Pioneer $5k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/11718 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? This week's ending music credit: Blue Wednesday - Middle School https://chll.to/f6dcacd3 email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Nov 10, 20221h 41m

Ep 197Episode 197: Bromancing the (Power)stones, Part 1

It's that time of year again — we're fitting one more set into 2022, so it's time for us to talk about early impressions of the first batch of cards from The Brothers' War. It's a set dripping with nostalgia from here to 1994. Tune in to hear us talk about Teferi, Urzas, Wurms, and more! Before we do that we make a quick checkin on Stan's RCQ preparations on 4c... Kaheera? Karuga? Jegantha? Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:55 - Housekeeping 10:22 - The Break Down begins - Stan touches the spirit realm 25:18 - Dave unlocks something new in himself 29:16 - The Dive Down begins - Spoilers, BRO 32:45 - Prototype and Phyrexian Fleshgorger 37:31 - Skitterbeam Battalion 41:54 - The Commands and Mishra's Command 48:48 - Meld 51:06 - The Stone Brain 55:25 - Urza's Sylex 59:14 - Portal to Phyrexia 1:01:39 - The Stasis Coffin 1:04:48 - Blast Zone/Monastery Swiftspear 1:06:09 - Feldon, Ronom Excavator 1:09:57 - Ashnod, Flesh Mechanist 1:12:51 - Overwhelming Remorse 1:18:01 - Recruitment Officer 1:19:37 - Surge Engine 1:22:07 - Hurkyl, Master Wizard 1:27:13 - Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim 1:33:05 - Closing out Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Nov 3, 20221h 34m

Ep 196Episode 196: NRG Newark: Featuring Kaheera

In this week's episode, we break down the Nerd Rage Gaming $10k Team Trios Trial and the $5k Modern Trial in Newark, Ohio. We look at the overall metagame, the new breakout decks in Modern, and what did well (and not so well). Following that, we take a bit of time to talk about some decks we've been playing in Modern and Pioneer! We share our hands-on experiences getting better with RB Scam, the swingness of Gruul beatdown in Pioneer, the power level of 4C Omnath in a post-Yorion metagame, and why Domain Zoo is probably not the aggro deck we were hoping for. The Break Down: Featuring Kaheera The Dive Down: Not Featuring Kaheera Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:03 - Housekeeping 9:01 - The Break Down begins - The NRG Team Trio 10k 9:43 - The Pioneer meta 16:28 - The Modern meta 26:28 - The Team Trio top 8 36:52 - The Modern 5k meta 42:41 - The Modern 5k top 8 49:22 - Talking about Companions 55:51 - The Dive Down begins - Stan plays 5-Color Domain 1:02:18 - Stan plays Soul of Windgrace Jund Saga 1:08:35 - Stan plays 4C Control 1:15:00 - Shane plays Gruul Aggro 1:22:12 - Dave plays Red Aggro and Scam 1:26:39 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The $10k Team Trios Trial: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/11715 The $5k Modern Trial: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/11716 4C Control: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5168888#paper 5C Domain: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5168914#paper Jund Saga: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5168886#paper Gruul Aggro: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5172483#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Oct 27, 20221h 28m

Ep 195Episode 195: The People's Meta: Post-Noodle Doodles

What does Modern look like now that Yorion is banned? On this week's show we go through the complete Friday October 14 deck dump to discuss our expectations for the format's staples and other rogue decks. We consider the contenders for the "best new deck," including Murktide, Creativity, and Hammer. Plus we take stock of the initial attempts at 4C Omnath decks in 60 cards. And imagine the potential for emerging or rogue strategies, like 5C Zoo, Scam, and Breach. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:16 - Housekeeping 9:26 - The People's Meta begins 12:15 - Murktide 18:29 - Hammertime 24:09 - Creativity 30:52 - 4C Omnath 36:21 - Rakdos Midrange 42:19 - Cascade decks 45:18 - Burn 48:08 - Amulet Titan 50:18 - Yawgmoth 52:39 - Control decks 58:14 - Grinding Breach 1:03:47 - Shadow 1:10:25 - Riding the Waves 1:13:14 - Mill 1:16:12 - Scapeshift 1:18:40 - Tron 1:20:43 - Uncategorized assertive decks 1:27:04 - A bunch of midrange 1:30:07 - Aether Vial decks 1:33:37 - Affinity stuff 1:34:37 - Uncategorized creature combo 1:37:19 - Prowess 1:40:35 - Mono-black control stuff 1:41:53 - Combo grab-bag 1:43:03 - What we might want to try 1:47:12 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-league-2022-10-14 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Oct 20, 20221h 48m

Ep 194Episode 194: Rakdos Scam: Midrange is Undead

Yorion is banned, rejoice! To celebrate, we're scamming it up with Rakdos Scam aka Rakdos Elementals aka Rakdos Midrange aka Rakdos Blink. A deck that goes by many names but it's only got one thing on it's mind. Turn 1 Grief, baby! It's a Modern deck dive of undying proportions. We kick off with a Break Down of Modern's B&R. Did WOTC go far enough? Did the right card get banned? And where does the format go from here? Then we dive into Rakdos Scam to see what all the hype is about this MH2-inspired Midrange deck. Is it the next Jund or something new entirely? The Break Down: [BANS] Sky Noodles & Company The Dive Down, pt1: Evoking an Advantage The Dive Down, pt2: A Lot of Other Very Mid Cards Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:50 - Housekeeping 8:49 - The Break Down - Yorion is banned! 25:44 - But no Pioneer bans 32:00 - Spooky scents 34:28 - The Dive Down - It's Scammin' time! 40:07 - A brief history of Rakdos Elementals 44:27 - The creatures of Rakdos Blink 1:02:42 - The spells of Rakdos Midrange 1:18:37 - Playing Rakdos Undying 1:25:41 - The strengths and weaknesses of Rakdos Scam 1:36:48 - Sideboarding and matchups 1:38:54 - Our final takes 1:44:30 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/october-10-2022-banned-and-restricted-announcement Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Oct 13, 20221h 47m

Ep 193Episode 193: Creativity Can't Be Stopped feat. Zach Ryl

Today is the story of a deck that has been floating around for a long time in Modern, a deck that we won’t let Dave forget about, a deck that inspired us to invite our old pal Zach "Manacymbal" Ryl... that's right, it's time for a Indomitable Creativity deck dive. We chat about some of the different versions of the deck floating around, including the 5 color version with Leyline Binding and Grixis, sideboard strategies, tips and tricks with individual cards, and more. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: Housekeeping - 6:56 Early History of Creativity - 8:00 X=1 (Velomachus Turns) - 12:22 X=2 (MH2/Emrakul/Serra’s Emissary) - 16:30 X= up to 4 (Archon of Cruelty Emerges) - 19:00 Fable and Leyline Binding Emerge - 21:30 Flavors of Creativity - 24:15 How the Deck Works (or Doesn’t) - 27:19 Back Up Plans - 33:02 Enablers (W6 + Fable) - 35:14 Protection Spells/Teferi - 45:10 Interaction - 48:38 How To Be Creative - 53:22 Is W6 the backbone of creativity? - 55:00 Sequencing land drops - 58:10 How Creativity is positioned - 1:01:30 Closing out - 1:07:15:03 Links from this week's episode: 5C: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5136656#paper Introduces Leyline Binding, Boseiju, Nature’s Claim, Veil of Summer https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/246731 4C/Temur: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5136649#paper Grixis: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5133050#paper Kanister's list: https://twitter.com/kanister_mtg/status/1575123839968747521/photo/1 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Oct 6, 20221h 11m

Ep 192Episode 192: NRG Minneapolis & Trying Out Scapeshift & MonoG

This week Dave and Stan review the results from the NRG Modern $10K in Minneapolis, where 5c Creativity beat Rakdos Scam in the finals. We also chat about the Sunday Pioneer $5K results, and other data that's been shared from across the weekend. Then we dip our toes in a couple new Modern decks to see if we like playing Scapeshift or Mono-Green Devotion. The Break Down: NRG Minneapolis Modern $10k and Pioneer $5k The Dive Down: Trying Out Scapshift (Modern) & MonoG (Pioneer) Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: Housekeeping - 4:45 NRG Minneapolis Modern 10K - 7:07 Modern Metagame Breakdown - 10:00 Modern Top 8 - 29:15 NRG Pioneer $5K - 46:40 Tournament Winrates Across Decks - 58:00 Stan plays Scapeshift - 1:12:36 Dave plays Mono-Green Devotion - 1:28:22 Links from this week's episode: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/10501 https://twitter.com/jekleckner/status/1574519024452763648?s=46&t=LFo9NVqh6FHt7ERhNQEOJg https://twitter.com/jekleckner/status/1574527119706804240?s=21&t=wjnnmBpxc8xzQekdAoEOqQ https://articles.nerdragegaming.com/the-nrg-championship-series/nrg-championship-trials-standings/ https://twitter.com/GR_DONKIN/status/1572390053556457472?s=20&t=9-72YkHS22jcINubKZ7X_A Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Sep 29, 20221h 42m

Ep 191Episode 191: My Sweet Lord(s): Goblins vs Merfolk vs Elves

The introduction of three new lords in Dominaria United was all the incentive we needed to do a tribal week on The Dive Down. We tested some Modern and a Pioneer deck featuring Leaf-Crowned Visionary, Vodalian Hexcatcher, and Rundvelt Hordemaster for another edition of Sleeve Believe Heave. We also kick off the show with a preview of NRG Minneapolis by looking at the recent Modern results from the LMS Paris Grand Open Qualifier. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:55 - Housekeeping 7:13 - The Break Down - NRG Minneapolis preview 10:16 - Talking about the Modern Grand Open Qualifier data 26:22 - What are we thinking about NRG Minneapolis 34:53 - The Four Horsemen 37:44 - The Dive Down begins - Stan with Leaf-Crowned Visionary in Elves 56:22 - Shane with Vodalian Hexcatcher in Merfolk 1:15:47 - Dave with Rundvelt Hordemaster in Goblins 1:34:00 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: NRG Series Trial Weekend Minneapolis: https://articles.nerdragegaming.com/event/nrg-series-15000-trial-weekend-minneapolis-mn-2/ LMS Paris Data: https://twitter.com/mtg_data/status/1571942341631516672 GB Elves Modern: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5105536#paper Pioneer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5088823#paper Modern Merfolk: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5105541#paper Modern Goblins: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5073113#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Sep 22, 20221h 35m

Ep 190Episode 190: Domainaria & More: First Impressions of DMU

This week it takes two to make a thing go right! And by two we me Dave and Shane. And by thing we mean podcast. This podcast. Stan is out this week, so Dave and Shane talk about early impressions of Pioneer and Modern with access to the powerful cards of Dominaria United. Topics covered include: Leyline Binding, Rundvelt Hordemaster, Boglins, Sheoldred, and more. Housekeeping: We Sent Out a Lot of Boxes The Dive Down: We Talk About a Lot of Cards Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:19 - Housekeeping 6:56 - An ultra-short Break Down 7:50 - The Dive Down begins: Leyline Binding 31:03 - Rundvelt Hordemaster 37:30 - Serra Paragon 39:40 - Yotia Declares War/The Elder Dragon War 42:27 - Voldalian Hexcatcher 44:00 - Dave only wears Russian Leather 48:15 - The MIA cards from Dominaria United 53:11 - Liliana of the Veil 58:28 - Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1:07:04 - Phoenix Chick 1:10:22 - Jaya, Fiery Negotiator 1:13:11 - Pain lands 1:14:40 - Some final thoughts 1:19:39 - Closing out Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Sep 15, 20221h 22m

Ep 189Episode 189: NRG in STL & Dominaria United, pt 2 (ft Jesse Robkin & Aspiringspike)

Fresh off an amazing weekend at the NRG tournament in St. Louis, Jesse Robkin joins us to break down the Team Trios Trial and the Modern 5K. Then our old pal Aspiringspike drops in to go over the remaining cards from Dominaria United that have potential for constructed play. Jesse and team reached the finals of the NRG Team Trios Trial on Saturday, where she piloted Mono Green Devotion in the Pioneer seat. Then on Sunday, she pulled out her trusty Izzet Breach deck and made the finals again in the Modern 5K. She walks us through her touranments, lessons learned with the decks she played, and the overall metagame from the weekend's events. Then for the second half of the show, Evart Moughon AKA Aspiringspike drops in to wrap up our discussion of Dominaria United, now that the full spoiler is live. We go over the tribal lords, the white interaction, and more! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:17 - Housekeeping 5:06 - Introducing Jesse Robkin 9:35 - The NRG Team Trios event through Jesse's eyes 22:28 - The NRG Team Trios meta 27:32 - The finals winners 29:08 - Taking Izzet Breach to the finals of the 5k 35:48 - The 5K top 8 39:21 - Jesse's parting thoughts 42:48 - Well water woes 45:56 - Aspiringspike is back! 49:01 - Spike's thoughts on Modern 56:58 - The cards we're most excited about: Leyline Binding 1:07:56 - Aether Channeler 1:13:31 - Soul of Windgrace 1:18:25 - Founding the Third Path 1:23:48 - Balmor, Battlemage Captain 1:25:09 - Leafcrown Visionary 1:28:02 - Vodalian Hexcatcher 1:30:38 - Rundvelt Hordemaster 1:34:02 - Some cards we are excited for in Pioneer 1:44:53 - Temporary Lockdown and Karn's Sylex 1:47:43 - Good stuff for Pioneer or Modern if you're lucky: Serra Paragon 1:50:35 - Electrostatic Infantry 1:54:01 - Shore Up 1:55:54 - Ghitu Amplifier 1:58:38 - Academy Loremaster 2:00:23 - What we are excited for in Dominaria 2:03:55 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Find Jesse Robkin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiddypills Find Aspiringspike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aspiringspike Find Aspiringspike on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Aspiringspike Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Sep 1, 20222h 6m

Ep 188Episode 188: Dominaria United Untied: Spoilers, Part 1

This week it's all about the first batch Dominaria United spoilers as Dave and Shane talk through what cards have caught our eye so far. How much of a lock is Temporary Lockdown? Does Cut Down make the cut? What other cards does Shane think aren't constructed worthy imo. imo bb. But before we get into all that we get a special RCQ report from Stan (still on vacation!) where he takes us through his last days of being a horn dog (and a top 8 finish!) in Green Bay. Dave and Shane also quickly check in on Frank Karsten's first pass at making sense of the modern meta. Part 1: Our Final Horndog Update... For Now? Part 2: A Frank Discussion About Modern Part 3: A Lockdown, A Sylex, & More Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 3:44 - Housekeeping 8:22 - Stan talks his final (???) RCQ 29:02 - Frank Karsten analyzes the Modern meta 45:40 - Previewing the NRG Team Trio event 50:58 - A touch of patchouli 53:54 - Dominaria United spoilers begin 58:06 - Tolarian Terror, Writhing Necromass, Urborg Lhurgoyf 1:03:53 - Temporary Lockdown 1:09:53 - Karn's Sylex 1:13:55 - Rundvelt Hordemaster 1:17:03 - Founding the Third Path 1:19:45 - Phoenix Chick 1:23:33 - Cult Conscript 1:25:20 - Jaya, Fiery Negotiator 1:30:05 - Cut Down 1:31:52 - Astor, Bearer of Blades 1:35:06 - Rona's Vortex 1:37:20 - Shivan Devastator 1:39:02 - Twinferno 1:41:20 - Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart 1:43:30 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Frank Karsten's Modern Meta Breakdown, 8/18: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/metagame-mentor-modern-roundup-august-2022 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Aug 25, 20221h 45m

Ep 187Episode 187: Liliana, Pain Lands, & Frank Karsten

Our exciting first bit of Dominaria United spoilers are here, and the gang reacts to the addition of three new allied pain lands, Liliana of the Veil coming to Pioneer, and more. We also kick off the show with a Rhino tournament report from... Shane! The one and only took the deck out for his first Modern RCQ and did not disappoint us. Then we wrap up the episode with a discussion of a fascinating new article from our favorite Magic mathematician, Frank Karsten, who's latest foray into metagame reporting provides a new framework for deck and tournament analysis in the winner's metagame. Part 1: Shane Says Things About Rhinos Part 2: Stan Says Things Under Embargoes Part 3: Dave Says Things About Adjusting Wins Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 4:38 - Housekeeping 7:32 - Shane talks his RhinoCQ 42:03 - Early Dominaria United spoilers begin 44:45 - The mechanics of Dominaria 48:21 - The World Spell 53:08 - Liliana of the Veil is back! 1:03:26 - The painlands are also back! 1:11:36 - The Phasing of Zhalfir 1:13:07 - Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1:16:02 - Frank Karsten is our new Metagame Mentor 1:27:21 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Shane's RCQ Rhinos deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5022278#paper Frank's Pioneer Metagame Mentor: https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-pioneer-metagame-roundup-august-2022 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Aug 18, 20221h 28m

Ep 186Episode 186: These Ends Were Made for Living, ft. Chris Castro-Rappl

CCR from MTG Grindcast joins us to talk about all things Living End. On the heels of his RCQ win with the deck, Chris helps us break down the cards, the sickest plays, how to beat common hate strategies, and more! In another classic deck dive and pseudo follow-up to our recent episode on Rhinos, we discuss why the two cascade decks are fundamentally different, even though they share a common core. Chris was the perfect guest for this episode, not only because he's a seasoned podcaster with excellent mic technique, but he's been mastering various shades of Living End for years before Modern Horizons 2 took it to the top of the metagame. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 5:54 - Housekeeping 10:10 - The Dive Down begins - Living End with CCR! 16:18 - How Living End works 19:38 - The construction of the deck 25:18 - The Cascade engine 30:10 - Using the Cyclers (and a discussion about graveyard hate) 44:20 - CCR's approach to post-board games 46:13 - Back to the Cyclers 49:59 - The Elementals 57:08 - The lands 59:08 - The sideboard 1:09:53 - Strategic tips n' tricks - when to cycle? 1:14:06 - Using Grief 1:21:05 - When to Violent Outburst 1:25:34 - Mulliganing 1:29:04 - Matchups and sideboarding - 4 Color 1:39:46 - Most creature-based decks 1:42:52 - Izzet Murktide 1:47:15 - Other big matchups 1:50:11 - Our overall thoughts on Living End 1:57:52 - Let's talk Chris! 2:01:51 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: https://twitter.com/CCR_Grindcast Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Aug 11, 20222h 3m

Ep 185Episode 185: NRG Chicago: It's-a Me, Yorion.

This week it's all about the NRG Championship Series event in Chicago. We dive deep into the data, the most popular decks, the sickest plays, and the cherished friendships that make an event like this possible. We go over the top 10 (or so) decks of the weekend, break down the overall metagame, talk with a few players from the floor of the tournament, and hear how Stan did in the swiss (spoiler: pretty well!). Intro: Number One Horn Player Meets Captain Cascade The Break Down: Pivots and Points Per Pilot The Break Down, 2: What Do We Think Now? Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" Timestamps: 4:23 - Housekeeping 9:04 - The Chicagoland NRG Modern 10k - Stan's tournament report 18:16 - The tournament meta report 24:50 - Stan talks to Zach Allen 34:21 - Stan talks to Jesse Robkin 41:25 - Back to the meta report 57:10 - Stan talks to Will Krueger 1:03:59 - More meta 1:14:22 - Beard talk 1:17:48 - Stan talks to Norman Cohen 1:29:37 - The top 8 1:33:38 - Cool Decks, Inc 1:37:11 - Parting thoughts Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Aug 4, 20221h 42m

Ep 184Episode 184: These Foots Were Made For Crashing

Temur Rhinos are craschading onto this week's show, in a classic deck dive into the midrangy combo deck. Plus a preview of the upcoming Nerd Rage Series Modern Trial in Mundelein! Stan's been playing a lot of Rhinos lately, and some recent discounts on Force of Negation finally got Shane to pull the trigger on buying the deck. So Dave said "let's do a deck dive!" and in the ensuing practice matches, we discovered an amazing thing... everyone loves playing this deck! We also kick off the episode with some metagame predictions and leaderboard check-in ahead of this weekend's Nerd Rage Series Modern Trial in Mundelein. The Break Down: NRG: Chicago Preview The Dive Down: A Deck We Can All Agree On The Dive Down, cont: Crashing in for the Win Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" Timestamps: 1:38 - Housekeeping 6:58 - The Break Down begins: The NRG Modern 10k trial preview 11:48 - The potential NRG metagame 19:48 - What will the season leaders be playing? 23:00 - The Barbers of Seville 25:45 - The Dive Down begins - These Rhinos are Making me Crashy! 31:13 - What is this deck all about? 38:29 - The construction of the deck 42:14 - The interaction 50:50 - Additional threats and interaction 53:58 - Flex spots 58:43 - The sideboard 1:06:37 - Sweet plays and protips 1:10:44 - Keep or mull 1:16:14 - How to tempo your opponent out 1:24:16 - Buying yourself some time 1:28:15 - Matchups 1:37:03 - Sideboards 1:40:00 - Other Rhino variants 1:42:59 - Our takes on Rhinos 1:49:58 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The NRG Chicago Modern 10k: https://articles.nerdragegaming.com/event/nrg-series-15000-trial-weekend-chicagoland-il/ Crashing Footfalls: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4963081#paper Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jul 28, 20221h 51m

Ep 183Episode 183: We Tried: Innovations in Modern Creativity, E Tron, & Prowess

It's another nice week to try new cards and decks in the wide world of Modern. Dave takes another stab at Indomitable Creativity with Gab Nassif's recent list, while Shane assembles a Tron of Eldrazi proportions with the latest prison shell. Meanwhile, Stan chases the dinosaur in search of turn 2 wins with Gruul Prowess. The Break Down: Stan Plays a RCQ The Dive Down: Dave Can't Direct Creativity The Dive Down, cont: Shane Accepts Any Kind of Tron The Dive Down, cont: Stan Finds No Quarter For Prowess Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" Timestamps: 5:00 - Housekeeping 11:59 - The Break Down begins - Stan's RCQ 25:15 - The Nation succeeds 27:09 - Bonjour! 30:40 - The Dive Down begins - Dave talks Creativity 53:54 - Shane talks E/Prison Tron 1:12:45 - Stan talks Gruul Prowess 1:29:45 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: 4C Creativity: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4928222#paper Prison Tron: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4961701#paper Gruul Prowess: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/-0sQpLq8v Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jul 21, 20221h 31m

Ep 182Episode 182: The Four Pillars of Modern (ft. Zach Allen)

The current top dog of the NRG Series leaderboard joins us to discuss all things Modern for all your RCQ preparation needs. Zach Allen returns for a conversation about the various types of 4C Yorion decks, the merits of Murktide's flex spots, the position of green creature combo decks, and his favorite ways to cascade right now. Sure you can play the best deck when you try to take down your Modern RCQ, but what is the best deck REALLY? Turns out, there might be more than one... And when you least expect it, surprise, a maindeck Emrakul! Ready for another suprise? Boom, you just lost to burn on turn 4 before your Omnath could even do anything. Tune in to hear how you too can win (as long as you play a good deck or figure out what beats the good decks). Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" Get 8% off all your orders from Nerd Rage with code "Dive8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 7:05 — Housekeeping 8:58 — RCQs and what they are 11:04 — The Current Character of Modern 14:45 — An Overview: The Top 4 Decks of Modern 18:31 — Deck 1: Yorion Piles 38:28 — Deck 2: Cascade 49:04 — Deck 3: UR Ragavan Decks 1:05:08 — Deck 4: Yawgmoth 1:12:45 — The… Most Interesting… of the Rest 1:14:05 — Hammer Speculation 1:16:23 — UW Affinity Yorion/Urza Speculation 1:17:20 — Tameshi Combo 1:18:07 — Hammer Speculation, pt.2 1:22:40 — Creativity Speculation 1:23:47 — Amulet Titan 1:24:30 — Omnath Glimpse 1:26:01 — Last Thoughts on RCQs 1:27:38 — Can We Do This Unban Talk? 1:38:15 — Talking NRG 1:43:05 — Closing Out Links from this week's episode: twitter.com/a22en Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jul 14, 20221h 44m

Ep 181Episode 181: The Synergies of Pioneer's Metagame, ft. Todd Anderson

Friend of the show and Pioneer aficionado Todd Anderson joins us this week to go over the top decks, up and comers, unsung heroes, and potential traps in the format. Mono-Green continues to reign supreme, but could Young Pyromancer put up a fight? We also look into the Mono-Green vs Rakdos matchup, how well control is positioned, what happened to Lotus Field, and more! This episode is high flying, fast talking, and really in depth... try to keep up! The Dive Down: Mono-Green Devotion The Dive Down, cont: Izzet Pyromancer The Dive Down, cont: The Other Ones Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 Timestamps: 2:13 - Housekeeping and a special announcement 7:31 - Hanging with the Todd Squad 19:02 - How does Pioneer function as a format? 25:13 - What's the best deck in the format? 30:50 - How do the best decks play against each other? 32:33 - What makes a strong Pioneer deck? 37:02 - What are underappreciated decks in Pio? 38:50 - Summer Fridays 42:25 - Thoughts on some other decks 46:45 - Preparing for a Pioneer RCQ 48:37 - Todd talks Izzet Pyromancer 55:29 - Are there any "trap" decks or cards, and why is Rakdos Midrange good? 1:02:24 - Is Mono-Green too good? 1:06:20 - Stan's Pioneer ban burns 1:12:51 - Revisiting Izzet Pyromancer 1:16:50 - Final verdict: How to approach a Pioneer RCQ 1:22:02 - Closing out with Todd Links from this week's episode: Todd on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Tandy Todd on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tandy Todd on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TandyMTG Izzet Pyromancer: https://twitter.com/TandyMTG/status/1543230873222381568?s=20&t=fkQba52rNy8QU6XqKxl5MA Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jul 7, 20221h 26m

Ep 180Episode 180: Life Lessons and Level Ups

Though we do have some frustrations to air at the start of the show, we eventually turn it around to discuss the many ways Magic (the Gathering) has improved our lives. Then we take a brief trip down memory lane to remember how some people improved our Magic playing skills too. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code THEDIVEDOWN15 Timestamps: 7:38 - Housekeeping 12:32 - The Dive Down begins 14:28 - Leveling up in Magic - Have a plan 29:06 - Having a collective 75 cards 39:51 - Stan on mulligans 45:23 - Do the math 52:47 - Sometimes the best deck isn't for you 59:29 - Don't be ROTty 1:15:35 - The latest Barrister & Mann releases 1:18:43 - Don't tilt 1:29:26 - Appreciate community Links from this week's episode: Limited Resources Episode 57: Tilt Less Win More: https://lrcast.com/limited-resources-57-tilt-less-win-more/ Collins' Tweet: https://twitter.com/collinsmullen/status/1540050234788683779?s=20&t=43m5QektO51r128fOWp3Cw Mason's Tweet: https://twitter.com/masoneclark_/status/1539653313335263232?s=21&t=JSJTZV16R3_pkSgOUOw8nQ Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jun 30, 20221h 34m

Ep 179Episode 179: 10 Takes on Modern, Pioneer, & Magic

What can Izzet decks in Pioneer play instead of Expressive Iteration? How crazy was the MOCS meta from the weekend? Is Glimpse of Tomorrow a good card in Modern? This week's show answers these questions and more in a format-spanning Dive Down of takes hot and cold. But first, off the top we deliver a little announcement about the future of The Dive Down (nothing big, we swear — but you should listen). Shane doesn't even need Nykthos. Stan can quit cascading any time he wants to. Dave actually seems to get mad about something. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" Timestamps: 10:01 - Housekeeping 13:11 - 1a: Expressive Iteration isn't irreplaceable in Pioneer 19:51 - 1b: EI in Izzet Control 25:52 - 1c: EI in Izzet Phoenix 30:42 - 2: Mono-Green Devotion is good, even without Nykthos 35:57 - 3: Mono-Blue Spirits is solidifying itself, but for how long? 43:44 - 4: Humans might be underexplored in Pio 49:25 - 5: What is there to like, and not like, about Pioneer? 1:02:45 - #smellovision 1:05:14 - 6: The MOCS final 1:17:00 - 7: Stan plays Calibrated Blast 1:21:59 - 8: Stan plays Glimpse Elementals Cascade 1:28:25 - 9: The sad loss of random playables 1:32:52 - 10: Stan plays... Commander? 1:37:47 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: MOCS Modern Decks: https://magic.gg/decklists/2022-magic-online-champions-showcase-season-1-modern-decklists Stan plays Commander on Brainstorm Brewery: https://www.twitch.tv/brainstormbrewery Mono-Green Devotion: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/pioneer-mono-green-ramp-2d53d633-2a78-4eb9-a5e7-52ad849c7a82#paper Mono-Blue Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/pioneer-mono-blue-spirits#paper Pioneer Humans: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4895735#paper Calibrated Blast: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-calibrated-blast#paper Glimpse Elementals: https://twitter.com/GR_DONKIN/status/1537259984702124032 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jun 23, 20221h 39m

Ep 178Episode 178: NRG Modern & Pio: Is 4c 2 Good 4 U?

It's a hot one on The Dive Down this week. We take a deep look at NRG's recent set of Modern and Pioneer Trials in Lansing, Michigan and tackle the big questions about our favorite formats. Is 4c too good for Modern? What can even be done if it is too good? What's happened to Pioneer without Winota and Expressive Iteration? How many words can the three of us get beeped out in one episode? And more! Stan fights through jet lag and still brings the insights. Shane loves talking about bad decks that performed badly. And, finally, Dave gets his comeuppance. The Break Down: An Intro for Our Times The Break Down: NRG Modern: A Format With Great Playstyle Diversity The Break Down: NRG Pioneer: No Alarms and No Surprises, Please Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN15 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more. Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15" Timestamps: 4:30 - Housekeeping 6:15 - The NRG Lansing Event 9:40 - The NRG Modern overall metagame 15:39 - The Top 64 meta 36:10 - The Top 8 39:07 - Is 4-Color too good? 54:45 - Stan's back, and he smells good 57:30 - The NRG Pioneer metagame 1:02:33 - How the good Pioneer decks performed 1:21:20 - What decks didn't do well? 1:26:30 - The Top 8 1:28:47 - Even more thoughts on Pioneer 1:32:02 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: NRG Modern $10k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/9604 NRG Pioneer: $5k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/9605 Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Jun 16, 20221h 33m