The Dive Down

In the first installment of "We Did It For Science," we look at two cards we just aren't (or weren't) that interested in playing with: Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Omnath, Locus of Creation. Are these cards good, REALLY good, or TOO good? You're going to have to listen to find out. Before that, we take a (fairly) quick look at a few recent Challenges to see what's going on in the metagame. The Break Down: Always Challenging The Dive Down: Jump Into the Pile The Dive Down, cont: Four Arms to Hold You Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 4:04 - Housekeeping 9:50 - The Break Down begins - the Pioneer Championship Qualifier 23:03 - The Modern Challenge 31:55 - The Dive Down begins: We Did It For Science vol 1 34:19 - Why are we doing this? 37:05 - Why do we hate these cards? 45:29 - Why are these cards good? - Uro 54:03 - Omnath 57:25 - What are people doing with these cards? 1:06:03 - Our experiences: Dave plays Modern 1:16:30 - Shane plays pioneer 1:26:07 - Are Baneslayers becoming Mulldrifters? 1:33:15 - Is the juice worth the squeeze? (AKA our takes) 1:45:09 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The Pioneer Championship Qualifier: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-champ-qual-2020-10-12 The Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-10-12#decklists Modern 4-Color Control: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3463389#paper Pioneer 4-Color Omnath: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3470841#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

Stan and Shane are on their own this week, so they talk about their recent playtesting in Modern and Pioneer in a vaguely Sleeve/Believe/Heave part two. Before that, they go over the weekend's Pioneer and Modern Showcase Challenges to see what's performing well and what the meta looks like. And then they finish with an extended Wind Down where they answer a bunch of listener questions. The Break Down: Dave's Not Here, Man The Break Down, pt. 2: Just Kidding The Dive Down: Stan and Shane Play Decks! The Wind Down: Getting Personal Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 4:19 - Housekeeping 8:15 - The Break Down begins: Pioneer and Modern Showcase Challenges 18:10 - The Pioneer Showcase top 32 meta 20:10 - Why Pioneer differs from Modern 23:40 -The Modern Showcase Challenge 36:21 - The Modern Showcase top 32 meta 40:33 - The Dive Down begins 42:18 - Chonky Gruul in Pioneer 52:45 - Boros Wizards in Pioneer 1:02:40 - A new Jeskai Fires in Modern 1:21:00 - Rakdos Sacrifice in Pioneer (briefly) 1:24:35 - The Wind Down begins: Listener questions! 1:25:05 - What is the origin story of The Dive Down? 1:28:32 - Who taught you how to play Magic, and how wrong did you have it? 1:31:43 - What is your favorite sound? 1:34:43 - What other formats are you exploring? 1:39:25 - What is your most memorable Halloween costume? 1:42:29 - What is your biggest misplay? 1:44:31 - What are your favorite LGS's you've been to? Links from this week's episode: 10/4/2020 Pioneer Showcase Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-showcase-challenge-2020-10-05 10/4/2020 Modern Showcase Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-showcase-challenge-2020-10-04#decklists Chonky Gruul: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3451939#paper Boros Wizards: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3451938#paper Rakdos Sacrifice: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3448907#paper Jeskai (wild)Fires: https://t.co/XWe7YiWHMQ?amp=1 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

This week we apply our patent-pending Sleeve/Believe/Heave rating system to 3 potentially breakout Modern and Pioneer decks. Are they the real deal, or not worth your time? Only one way to find out. Prior to that, we look at the winning decks and statistics from the most recent Manatraders Modern tournament. The Break Down: Manatraders Modern 15k The Dive Down: Oops All Spells! The Dive Down, cont: Oops No Life! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 1:45 - Housekeeping 5:17 - Break Down Begins 9:20 - Manatraders Top 8 19:22 - Metagame Share & Win Rates 23:50 - Top 10 Cards 31:48 - Dive Down Begins 37:00 - Modern Mono-White Taxes 1:02:04 - Pioneer Oops All Lands 1:24:45 - Modern Rakdos Shadow 1:44:48 - Shane’s Goonhammer Articles Links from this week's episode: qbturtle's white taxes: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3424897#paper Aluren85's oops, all spells: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3432467#paper trunks123's rakdos aggro: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3427687#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

We take a good, long look at the latest decks, trends, and strategies in Modern and Pioneer, but this time with the cards of Zendikar Rising! We start with Cool Decks (and cards!), Inc, as we look through 2 Modern and 2 Pioneer Challenges. Then we head into The Dive Down and do a mini-dive on Gruul Goblin Charbelcher, and look at changes to Jeskai, Mill, and Death's Shadow. And look suspiciously at Omnath... The Break Down: Challenging Challenges The Dive Down: Recrossing, Reforging, Rebelching The Dive Down, cont: Other Concerning Things Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:11 - Housekeeping 4:26 - The Break Down begins - early results with Zendikar Rising 4:50 - 2 Modern Challenges 29:00 - 2 Pioneer Challenges 44:30 - The Dive Down begins 46:01 - Gruul Goblin Charbelcher 1:06:23 - Cleansing Jeskai 1:16:05 - Mill 1:22:10 - Omnath Piles 1:32:40 - Naya Winota (Pioneer) 1:35:49 - Shadow Decks 1:39:10 - Hot Takes on ZDR Links from this week's episode: The 9/19 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-09-20 The 9/20 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-09-21 The 9/19 Pioneer Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2020-09-20 The 9/20 Pioneer Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2020-09-21 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

Stan's on vacation, which means we get to have Evart Moughon (aka AspiringSpike) on as a returning guest host to talk about the second week of Zendikar Rising spoilers. We revisit some cards from last week to get Evart's takes and give some more picks to click from the latest set. Before that, we look at some Modern and Pioneer Challenges to see what's happening in the meta. The Break Down: Modern & Pioneer Challenges The Dive Down: A Few Redos The Dive Down, cont: The Last of the Spoilers Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:47 - Housekeeping 5:07 - The Break Down begins - recent Modern events 25:25 - Evart's favorite decks in Modern right now 29:55 - 2 Pioneer challenges 39:27 - The Dive Down begins 39:51 - How Evart evaluates spoilers 41:54 - Pathway lands revisited 46:22 - Agadeem's Awakening 48:27 - The spell lands revisited 52:07 - Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients revisited 54:53 - Cleansing Wildfire revisited 57:22 - Roiling Vortex 1:00:49 - Thieving Skydiver 1:02:39 - Omnath, Locus of Creation 1:04:53 - Emeria's Call and Ondu Inversion 1:06:30 - Forsaken Monument 1:10:54 - Ruin Crab 1:13:16 - Wayward Guidebeast 1:16:31 - Inscription of Ruin 1:20:12 - Feed the Swarm 1:23:25 - Deliberate 1:25:15 - Archon of Emeria 1:27:47 - Grakmaw the Skyclave Ravager 1:30:29 - Lullmage's Domination 1:32:48 - Legion Angel 1:34:45 - Lithoform Blight 1:36:37 - Maul of the Skyclaves 1:38:26 - Felidar Retreat 1:40:28 - Sea-Gate Stormcaller revisited 1:43:26 - Evart's biggest picks to click 1:45:04 - Evart's early brews 1:46:07 - Fighting Uro in Modern 1:47:45 - Finding Evart Links from this week's episode: The 9/13 Modern Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12206263#paper The 9/12 Pioneer Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12206260#paper The 9/13 Pioneer Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12206264#paper Zendikar Rising spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/znr?order=spoiled Watch Aspiring Spike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike Find Aspiring Spike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart 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

We take a look at the first batch of spoilers from Zendikar Rising and identify some picks to click from the upcoming set. Before that, we have a conversation about the 2021 Magic roadmap in a non-meta Break Down! The Break Down: DDN FNM MTGG The Break Down, cont: Cool Set, Inc. The Dive Down: Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:58 - Housekeeping 7:31 - The Break Down begins - the 2021 release schedule! 9:58 - Modern Horizons 2 16:54 - Kaldheim 19:34 - Time Spiral Remastered 24:27 - Strixhaven 27:23 - Forgotten Realms 31:30 - Innistrad V3 38:10 - The Dive Down begins - Zendikar Rising Spoilers, pt. 1 38:40 - How we evaluate spoilers 41:50 - The mechanics of Zendikar Rising 43:41 - The Pathway Lands 54:27 - The other modal lands 1:02:31 - The Planeswalkers 1:12:40 - Cool Landfall cards, and some thoughts on Landfall 1:17:33 - Sea Gate Stormcaller 1:23:05 - Scourge of the Skyclaves 1:27:51 - Skyclave Apparition 1:29:50 - Luminarch Aspirant 1:31:54 - Fissure Wizard 1:34:05 - Crawling Barrens 1:37:27 - Cleansing Wildfire 1:42:20 - Leyline Tyrant 1:46:20 - Magmatic Channeler Links from this week's episode: The Dive Down Nation FNM: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/the-dive-down-nation-modern-fnm-09-04-edition#paper Zendikar Rising spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/znr?order=spoiled The 2021 release schedule: https://articles.starcitygames.com/news/wotc-unveils-2021-mtg-release-schedule/ 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

This week we revisit Dredge! In our first repeat deck dive, we talk about what's changed for the deck, how that makes it better.. or worse.. or just different? What did playing this deck feel like in the current meta? What's up with Silversmote Ghoul? Before that, we dive into 3 recent Modern tournaments to see what's up. The Break Down: Modern MOCS & Challenges The Break down, pt.2: More Cool Decks, Inc. The Dive Down: Shane Beeps Returns to Play Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 4:30 - Housekeeping 7:09 - The Break Down begins 9:11 - The Showcase Qualifier 17:20 - Saturday's Modern Challenge 25:09 - Sunday's Modern Challenge 31:08 - Metagame thoughts 35:02 - The Dive Down begins - Dredge 2: The Redredgining 38:35 - What's changed for Dredge pt.1 42:16 - A brief history of Dredge 46:52 - Why is Dredge powerful, and how is it winning? 51:30 - What's in the deck 57:10 - The impact of Silversmote Ghoul 1:07:20 - The mana and mana needs of the deck 1:11:12 - What's changed for Dredge pt.2 1:14:15 - A brief mulligan discussion 1:19:24 - A brief strategic aside about stops/timing 1:20:30 - Ten Things We Like About Oxen 1:30:10 - New hate cards 1:37:41 - What playing Dredge felt like Links from this week's episode: Saturday's challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12201349#paper Sunday's challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12201355#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

This week it's back to Modern for the TDD crew as they peruse Prelim pivots for a format pulse and then dive into one of the oldest and Izzetest decks in Modern — Gifts Storm. Stan gets emotional. Dave gets self-deprecating. Shane gets quiet. It's another week on The Dive Down. Housekeeping: A Winner is Announced! The Break Down: Surprises in the Modern Prelims The Dive Down: Grapeshot: The Gift That Keeps on Giving Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:45 - Housekeeping 8:25 - The Break Down: Surprises in the Modern Prelims 21:22 - The Winner's Meta and some takes 25:51 - Cool Decks, Inc. 31:55 - The Dive Down: Grapeshot: The Gift that keeps on giving 34:10 - Why Storm? 36:14 - How Storm is designed 42:13 - The cost-reducing creatures 51:10 - Gifts Ungiven, Grapeshot, and other key cards 1:14:21 - The Gifts Packages 1:22:02 - The sideboard 1:26:29 - Beating Storm 1:35:12 - How we feel about Storm 1:39:02 - The Wind Down - P. Sully's Bonus 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

For this bonus ep, we welcome Patrick Sullivan to the pod to talk Magic, game design, and broadcasting! He shares some great insights with us from his long career in gaming. Find Patrick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BasicMountain Donate to the Denver Justice Project: http://www.denverjusticeproject.org/ Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" 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

First on this week's show, the TDD crew do a quick check in on Pioneer a couple of weeks after the bannings. After that they do a deep dive into the financial implications of Double Masters and chat about how they approach the most fun part of Magic in general — buying stuff. Turns out it's more complicated than even Shane thought. The Break Down: Pioneer Challenges The Dive Down: Double the Masters The Double Dive Down: Putting the Fun in Financial Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:11 - Housekeeping 4:49 - The First Dive Down GIVEAWAY! 7:48 - The Break Down begins - Pioneer Prelim Power 20:08 - The Winner's meta 31:21 - What's catching our eyes 32:47 - The Dive Down begins 36:37 - Magic is expensive 38:15 - Reprint sets: when Magic goes on sale 41:57 - What we're buying from 2XM 51:56 - The decks on sale right now 57:00 - One reason Modern is still expensive, even on sale 1:00:53 - Other ways to save money on Magic cards 1:08:30 - Buylisting for fun and.... profit? 1:14:20 - Why pay more than the absolute least? 1:20:30 - Playtesting before you buy 1:26:25 - The financial trap cards 1:33:35 - Budget MTG resources 1:35:24 - Maintaining a Magic budget 1:40:54 - The Wind Down - How do we handle Magic FOMO? 1:48:20 - 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

This week we break down the post-ban Pioneer Challenges and Prelims and talk about what's over and under-performing. Then we head into the Dive Down to talk about our experiences playing Pioneer, our thoughts on the state of the format, and answer some listener questions! The Break Down: Pioneer is Back, Baybee! The Dive Down: Are We Having Fun Yet? The Wind Down: Dive Down is that You? It's Me, Listeners. Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:35 - Housekeeping 5:25 - The Break Down begins 7:58 - The overall competitive meta 25:27 - The winner's meta 28:17 - Cool decks! 36:10 - Hot takes on Pioneer 41:54 - The Dive Down begins 43:51 - What players were talking about 47:39 - What we were playing this week 50:49 - How did our decks feel? 1:03:00 - What we saw being played 1:10:25 - Was anything feeling under or overpowered? 1:16:00 - A digression - what makes Magic fun? 1:22:32 - Are the best cards and decks too good? 1:28:00 - Is the format healthier now? 1:31:20 - Listener questions! Does Uro make aggro unplayable? 1:35:28 - Does Pioneer need Bolt, Path, and better Counterspells? 1:39:10 - What would we play in a Pioneer GP? 1:41:25 - Will Pioneer be played when paper comes back? 1:45:12 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Simic Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3283075#paper Abzan Aristocrats https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3279021#paper Inverterless Inverter https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3283205#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

This week we break down the 4 new bans in Pioneer, and talk about what this means for the format! In the Dive Down we go over the many flavors of Prowess in Modern: Red, Izzet, Gruul, Rakdos - how to choose?! The Break Down: A Lovely Surprise Banning! The Dive Down: Not Everyone's Tempo The Dive Down, cont: We Could Bolt or Not Bolt Forever Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:48 - Housekeeping 6:11 - The Break Down begins: SURPRISE BANS! 26:35 - Takes on the bans 32:39 - The Dive Down begins: The many flavors of Prowess 36:35 - A Red Prowess Primer 52:19 - Hey.... what's tempo? 57:35 - The decks we covered 1:04:06 - Izzet Prowess 1:09:45 - A strategic digression - the tempo of Prowess 1:14:55 - Back to Izzet Prowess 1:17:14 - Gruul Prowess 1:25:13 - Rakdos Prowess 1:33:40 - Burn vs. Prowess 1:39:08 - Why cast the "bad" spells of Prowess? 1:44:57 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The August 8, 2020 B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/august-8-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement Izzet Prowess: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3234953#paper Gruul Prowess: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3234957#paper Rakdos Prowess: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3234951#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

This week we take a look at one of the most popular and powerful cards in Modern - Mystic Sanctuary. What makes it good, how is it being played, and what can you do with it? Before that, we break down the Manatraders July Modern 15k tournament. The Break Down: Modern Manatraders The Dive Down: Making Mystic Mighty Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 20% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:27 - Housekeeping 5:00 - The Break Down begins - The Manatraders July Modern 15k 9:50 - The MT meta 18:48 - The top 32 27:38 - Conversion rate discussion 32:52 - The Top 8 36:30 - The top cards 42:59 - The Dive Down begins - a brief history of Mystic Sanctuary 51:26 - What makes Sanctuary messed-up? 58:15 - The value plan of Sanctuary 1:11:15 - The impact on your mana 1:18:05 - The loops 1:30:10 - The strategies 1:34:25 - Facing down Sanctuary 1:39:05 - Is this the best card in Modern? 1:45:55 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Gruul Prowess: https://goodgriefgames.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/brewed-up-r-g-prowess-modern/ Mystic Sanctuary is a Messed-Up Magic Card: https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/mystic-sanctuary-is-a-messed-up-magic-card/ People Are Sleeping On Mystic Sanctuary: https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/people-are-sleeping-on-mystic-sanctuary/ Examining The Future Of Mystic Sanctuary In Modern: https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/examining-the-future-of-mystic-sanctuary-in-modern/ 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

On this week's episode, the team does a long break down on what's happened in Pioneer and Modern in the week since our most recent bans. Takes are given... and returned? Moods are had... and worked out? Then we talk about what we've been playing lately. Ponza! White Tokens! UR Prowess! Mono Green Devotion! We'll let you guess who is who! The Break Down: Modern/Pioneer: Similar/Same The Dive Down: Our Decks: That's the Same Picture Timestamps: 4:42 - Break Down Begins 5:24 - Modern Analysis Begins 12:44 - Modern Week 1 Metagame 29:50 - The Modern Winner's Metagame 42:30 - Pioneer Analysis Begins 50:06 - Pioneer’s Tier 2 and Beyond 55:00 - What do we want Pioneer to be? 1:04:57 - The Pioneer Winner’s Metagame 1:12:35 - Dive Down Begins: Our Testing Results 1:16:44 - Modern Mono-White Tokens 1:25:20 - Pioneer Mono-Green Devotion 1:35:06 - Modern Izzet Blitz 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 Support The Dive Down

On this week's episode, friend of the show Evart Moughon aka Aspiring Spike drops in for a reaction to the latest Banned & Restricted announcement. Then we talk about some of Evart's latest takes on Modern Control. The Break Down: July 2020 B&R in Modern & Pioneer The Dive Down: Modern Control Concepts Wind Down: Spiking Listener Questions Timestamps: 5:10 - Break Down Begins - July 2020 B&R 57:24 - Dive Down Begins - Current State of Modern Control and Evart's Izzet Deck 1:35:05 - Wind Down Begins - Listener Questions! Links from this week's episode: July 2020 B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/july-13-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2020-07-13?ryujyu Aspiring Spike's Izzet Control: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3169395#paper Aspiring Spike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart Aspiring Spike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike 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 Support The Dive Down

This week the team tries to just chill (for once) and ends up with a 60min+ Break Down of the last 6 months of Modern and Pioneer, some ban speculation (before the upcoming announcement was announced), and answering listener questions. Shane brings some takes. Stanislav disagrees with Dave. Dave opens packs on air in retaliation. It's another week on The Down Down! The Break Down: 6 months of Modern + Pioneer The Dive Down: Listener questions Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:20 - Housekeeping 4:59 - The extended Break Down begins - Modern and Pioneer in 2020 6:35 - Modern in 2020 10:15 - The Modern up-and-comers 14:04 - Modern still hanging on 21:35 - Modern Falling Stars 28:13 - Recent Modern tournaments 45:35 - Our takes on Modern in 2020 49:15 - Pioneer in 2020 50:50 - The Pioneer up-and-comers 52:59 - Pioneer still hanging on and the falling stars 54:29 - Recent Pioneer tournaments.... sorta 57:55 - Our takes on the problems of Pioneer in 2020 1:10:58 - What would we change in Pioneer? 1:15:25 - What could be added to Pioneer? 1:21:40 - What would we ban/unban in Modern? 1:24:34 - The Wind Down begins: listener questions 1:25:34 - How do we track our performance? 1:31:30 - What promo cards do we like? 1:35:55 - What makes a deck eternal? 1:40:10 - What has been your favorite deck to play? 1:43:14 - What other formats would we like to try? 1:45:45 - What cards would we like to see printed into Modern? 1:48:58 - Closing out Links/Tournaments Referenced in this week's episode: Modern Challenge #1: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-07-05 Modern Challenge #2: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-07-06 Pioneer League #1: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-league-2020-07-02 Pioneer League #2: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-league-2020-07-06 Pioneer Prelim #1: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-preliminary-2020-07-02 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

In this bonus episode, Stan sits down with Nick Valdez, AKA Deezy MTG to talk about the art of content creation, MTG comedy, and what it's like being the #1 Magic Tik Tok account in America and maybe the world! Find Nick Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvaldeezy Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/deezy_mtg Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deezymtg Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" 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

On this week's episode we take three (or more!) decks featuring Core Set 2021 cards through the Sleeve/Believe/Heave gauntlet. Did they have what it takes to get the coveted "Sleeve" rating? Following that, we discuss how new cards are impacting classic decks in Modern and Pioneer! The Dive Down: Stanislav Snoops The Dive Down, pt 2: Dave Stormwings The Dive Down, pt 3: Shane Selesnyas ... And more! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 5:58 - Sleeve Believe Heave Week Begins 7:51 - Modern Rakdos Goblins ft. Conspicuous Snoop 33:53 - Modern Izzet Prowess ft. Stormwing Entity 57:54 - Pioneer Selesnya Scales ft. Conclave Mentor 1:24:40 - Modern & Pioneer Elves ft. Llanowar Visionary & Fierce Empath 1:31:44 - Modern Grixis Delver ft. Thieves Guild Enforcer 1:33:40 - Modern & Pioneer Dredge ft. Silversmote Ghoul 1:39:07 - Modern Izzet Control ft. Teferi, Master of Time 1:41:35 - Pioneer Azorius Spirits ft. Shacklegeist & Lofty Denial 1:43:30 - Modern Izzet Phoenix ft. See the Truth 1:44:15 - Eliminate in Pioneer 1:45:35 - Pioneer Boros Cycling ft. No New Cards 1:46:47 - Pioneer Simic Wilderness Reclamation ft. Sublime Epiphany 1:47:40 - Pioneer Goblins ft. Conspicuous Snoop & Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner 1:50:17 - Closing Out Links from this week's episode: Snoopy Goblins: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/UrwCOTAZK Izzet Prowess: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3144685#paper Selesnya Scales: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3150880#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

This week we dive into both Modern AND Pioneer to explore Naya Winota! Did she successfully recruit us into joining her forces, or did we remain unaffiliated? We also do a quick break down of the latest Modern Challenge to explore the variety of decks finding success, and wind down with some Patreon questions. The Break Down: Stanislav <3s Modern The Dive Down: History's Best BoP Deck? The Wind Down: A Few Questions Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:58 - Housekeeping 6:12 - The Break Down begins: A Modern Challenge 8:10 - Top 8 analysis 23:42 - Takes on the tournament 26:14 - Core 21 projections 27:58 - The Dive Down begins: Why Winota? 30:50 - What Winota? 34:35 - The payoffs 40:32 - Payoff math and payoff tactics 45:40 - Gut checks and initial takes 49:55 - The mana dorks 52:55 - The token generators 56:21 - Eldritch Evolution and the sac fodder 1:06:00 - The early game plan and the power of that game plan 1:11:25 - Creating advantage with Winota 1:19:40 - Losing advantage with Winota 1:22:09 - Comparing this to other decks in the formats 1:30:18 - What's the better version? Pioneer or Modern? 1:40:02 - The Wind Down: Patreon questions 1:48:38 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The 6/21 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-06-21#decklists Pioneer Winota: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3130303#paper Modern Winota: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3114576#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

This week we receive a short but substantial ray of sunshine about Pioneer from Shane and then talk about our our second and final batch of picks to click from Core Set 2021! The Break Down: Pioneer is Actually Good The Break Down, cont: But What About Inverter? Stan Speaks The Dive Down: Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers (again) Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:00 - Housekeeping 5:00 -The Break Down begins — Get Up on Pioneer 6:15 - Shane’s Ray of Light: Pioneer Challenges 6:30 - The first Pioneer Challenge’s Top 8 9:45 - The second Pioneer Challenge’s Top 8 12:20 - Top 8s takeaways 13:00 - Top 32s assessment 15:10 - But what about Inverter? Stan speaks. 16:00 - The bottom line on Pioneer + what we’re playing 19:25 - The Dive Down begins: more Core 21 cards 19:35 - Conspicuous Snoop 27:30 - Ghostly Pilferer + Shacklegeist 36:20 - Terror of the Peaks 42:30 - Sublime Epiphany 47:20 - Heartfire Immolator 54:05 - Stormwing Entity 1:00:10 - Conclave Mentor 1:04:05 - Llanowar Visionary + Fierce Empath 1:09:40 - Lofty Denial 1:15:55 - Miscast 1:19:55 - Liliana, Waker of the Dead 1:27:18 - Colossal Dreadmaw 1:27:45 - Frantic Inventory 1:32:33 - See the Truth 1:34:32 - Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner 1:38:36 - Angelic Ascention 1:41:55 - The Wind Down begins — Core 21 called shots Links from this episode: Pioneer Challenge, June 14th https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2020-06-14 Pioneer Challenge, June 15th https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2020-06-15 Jim Davis on Conspicuous Snoop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgp12xXMlX0 https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/jimdavis-06122020-the-scoop-on-conspicuous-snoop 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

This week we look at the post-Companion metas for Pioneer and Modern, then talk about our picks to click from the first batch of Core Set 2021 spoilers! The Break Down: Our Companions Leave Us Alone The Break Down, cont: Modern & Pioneer Metas The Dive Down: Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers Timestamps: 2:42 - Housekeeping 5:45 -The Break Down begins - the post-Companion meta 10:38 - The Pioneer meta 16:30 - Some top 8s 23:55 - Pio Companion check in and cool decks 34:37 - Pioneer meta takes 35:20 - The modern meta 39:01 - Some top8s 44:43 - Some cool decks and cool takes 50:35 - Quick take - what would we play? 52:15 - The Dive Down begins 54:20 - Teferi, Master of Time 1:10:00 - Basri Ket 1:13:43 - Chandra, Heart of Fire 1:18:29 - Elder Garagroth 1:23:26 - Village Rites 1:28:30 - Plunge 1:34:46 - Containment Priest 1:39:00 - Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge 1:42:02 - Quick hits - Azusa, Vito, Chandra's Incinerator Links from this week's episode: SCG Tour Online: https://scgtouronline.starcitygames.com/ Core Set 2021 Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/m21?order=spoiled&as=grid 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

The hosts of The Dive Down want to make our beliefs clear: Black Lives Matter. We share the commitment of many of our listeners in educating ourselves on the unfathomable pain faced by people of color in the United States and beyond. All proceeds from this week’s episode will go to the Black Lives Matter Global Network, and several other organizations that fight for justice on behalf of oppressed people and communities. We encourage our friends and listeners to support marginalized communities when and where you can. Below are some resources that you can consider in the fight to end institutional racism, and support justice for oppressed communities all around us. http://www.maximummiddleage.com/right-now/alton-sterling-philando-castile-how-to-be-an-ally-to-black-people The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/ Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/ Unicorn Riot: https://unicornriot.ninja/ George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylor Mutual Aid: https://www.mutualaidhub.org/ Black and Brown Founders: https://blackandbrownfounders.com/ Black Feminist Project: https://www.gofundme.com/f/theblkprojek Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp: https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/ Black Girls Code: https://www.blackgirlscode.com/ Black Voters Matter Fund: https://www.blackvotersmatterfund.org/ The National Police Accountability Project: https://www.nlg-npap.org/donate/ Equal Justice Initiative: https://eji.org/ NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/ BET and United Way COVID-19 Relief Fund: https://secure.unitedway.org/j/step/bet-covid-19-donate As for the episode itself: Join us this week as we have special guest Cavedan, of Faithless Brewing fame, on as we break down the latest B&R announcement and the companion rules change, talk about our thoughts and feelings about the game and meta-game of Magic, and quiz him about brewing. Timestamps: 7:56 - Housekeeping 12:13 - The Break Down: dissecting the B&R and Companion rule change 16:36 - Examining the text from the announcement 27:58 - Will divergent game play patterns take place? 33:00 - The implications of this rule change 43:40 - The Dive Down begins - The pace and impact of change 54:35 - How we can respond to change? 1:02:32 - Things to be positive about in Magic - New ways to play 1:02:36 - News digital ways to play is a good thing. 1:09:49 - Does anyone think paper is dying? 1:15:43 - The game is fundamentally great! 1:27:42 - How change keeps the community engaged. 1:33:34 - The Brew Down 1:37:22 - Deck Advantage vs. Deck Experience 1:39:29 - Checking in on our goals. 1:44:18 - The Wind Down Begins 144:41 - Has Rogue Refinery changed the way Dan brews? 1:47:40 - How do we approach an open meta game? 1:49:49 - What makes a card brew worthy? 1:51:11 - Can a brand new deck emerge in Modern? 1:53:39 - Please brew with Nahiri, the Harbinger 1:55:29 - What’s The Dive Down’s secret ingredient? 1:59:55 - Closing Out Links from this week's episode: June 1, 2020 B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement Faithless Brewing: https://faithlessbrewing.podbean.com/ Faithless Brewing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/faithlessmtg Faithless Brewing's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/faithlessbrewing Episodes of Rogue Refinery can found at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ZGymAvfP97qJabgqUkz4A 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

We dive into one of the most powerful and popular decks in Pioneer - Jeskai Lukka Yorion Sharknado Fires Control! Or whatever it's called! The Break Down: The latest Pioneer SQ The Dive Down: TapouT The Dive Down, continued: Agents of Snap Concessions Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:35 - Housekeeping 6:25 - The Break Down begins - the Pioneer Super Qualifier 6:50 - PSQ Top 32 Meta 16:44 - PSQ Top 8 18:17 - Interesting Decks 27:27 - The Dive Down Begins - Yorion Superfriends! 30:30 - What is tapout control? 35:40 - Fires of Invention and tapout control 43:26 - The gameplan of Yorion Superfriends 53:01 - Enabling Lukka 56:40 - The yorion advantage 1:09:50 - Closing out games 1:12:30 - The supporting elements 1:18:51 - Getting the most out of Fires 1:32:55 - Sideboarding and matchups 1:47:30 - Some thoughts on the deck 1:50:20 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Tapout Control / PV's Playhouse / Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa: https://www.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/home/pvs-playhouse-control/ The Pioneer SQ: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-super-qualifier-2020-05-23 Jeskai Superfriends: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/wur-20302994-c1b8-4ede-a1ad-81e213d4b28a#paper More Superfriends: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3047732#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

This week Aspiring Spike is back to help us understand the Companion metagame in Pioneer and Modern. What's good, what's not so good, and how to next-level your opponents! The Break Down: Lotus Box Modern The Dive Down: Shane Has Facts The Dive Down, pt. 2: A Love/Hate Relationship Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:55 - Housekeeping 4:37 - The Break Down sorta begins - Another B&R annoucement 10:48 - The Break Down really begins - The Team Lotus Box modern 1k 13:25 - The 1k metagame 31:52 - Companion stats and the top 8 33:30 - Tournament takeaways 36:36 - The Dive Down begins - the Companion metas 41:43 - Why has the metagame coalesced around Companions? 47:06 - Who's having fun? 51:28 - How is this metagame different than before? 58:55 - How are you getting an edge? 1:09:01 - Playing against Companions 1:29:03 - What do we think will happen to Companions? 1:34:25 - What are WOTCs long-term plans for Companions? 1:36:45 - Why might WOTC change Companions? 1:41:41 - Full-time Aspiring Spike 1:45:30 - The Sorta Wind Down - questions for Aspiring Spike 1:53:22 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The Team Lotus Box Modern 1K: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/lotus-box-league-season-1-modern-1k-team-lotus-box-tournament-62866 Ari Lax: How to Exploit Every Companion in Constructed: https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/how-to-exploit-every-companion-in-constructed/ Aspiring Spike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart Aspiring Spike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike 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

This week we tackle a level-up prompt from a Patron of The Dive Down Nation - what does it mean to have advantage in a game of Magic? We explore what advantage can look like in different aspects of the game, how to use it in your game play, and how to play when you are ahead or behind. The Break Down: Cool decks from recent challenges The Dive Down: The Unified Theory of Magic The Dive Down, pt. 2: Debunking the Unified Theory of Magic Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 6:27 - The Break Down begins: Cool decks! 6:59 - May 11 Pioneer Challenge 20:42 - May 11 Modern Challenge 26:44 - UW Miracles ft. Counterbalance 31:52 - The Dive Down begins: Advantage in Magic 42:50 - What’s the first thing that comes to mind with advantage? 49:32 - Is there a way to talk about advantage in a single cohesive way? 57:58 - Thinking about actions instead of turns. 1:06:22 - Are some decks more sensitive to advantage? 1:09:39 - Does it all come down to deck plans? 1:12:05 - What about advantage in combo? 1:14:50 - How fragile is having an advantage in Magic? 1:23:45 - Does a format’s power level make advantage more important? 1:27:17 - Taking your plan to the next level with advantage. 1:30:14 - What to do with your knowledge of in-game advantage. 1:33:05 - How do you regain advantage? 1:41:02 - What to down you already have the advantage. 1:46:38 - How do we get from advantage to intuition? Links from this week's episode: The May 11th Pio Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2020-05-11#decklists The May 11th Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-05-11#decklists The May 10th Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2020-05-10 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

We take three more Companions and three new decks through the S/B/H process, and let you know what we thought about them! Maybe we even used that hippo one! (We didn't.) The Break Down: The Lotus Box is a League The Dive Down: Yorion, Lurrus (Again?), and Gyruda The Wind Down: 3 Minutes About Hobbies Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:34 - Housekeeping 6:03 - The Break Down - The Team Lotus Box Pioneer Tournament top 8 11:28 - Closer looks at the new Companion decks of Pioneer 22:15- Winrate stats 24:20 - Takeaways from the tournament 31:00 - The Dive Down begins - Companion S/B/H, pt.2 32:29 - Bant Snow Control ft. Yorion 59:40 - Pioneer Boros Burn ft. Lurrus 1:21:05 - Sultai Gyruda Combo ft.... Gyruda 1:46:01 - The Wind Down - what we're doing during Social Distancing 1:49:26 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The Team Lotus Box tournament series: https://www.lotusboxleague.com/ Bant Snow Control: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2982916#paper Boros Burn: https://mtgdecks.net/Pioneer/boros-burn-lurrus-decklist-by-piper-powell-965744 Gyruda combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2974794#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

This week The Dive Down boys test out some of the latest decks in Modern and Pioneer, all featuring Companions! Love them or hate them, they are certainly here for now. Listen and learn what we think about 3 of the newest popular Companions! The Break Down: 2 Challenging Modern Challenges The Dive Down: Our New Friends Lurrus, Obosh, and Zirda The Wind Down: Funeral For a Friend Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:26 - Housekeeping 6:03 - The Break Down: 2 Modern Challenges 15:26 - The second Modern Challenge! 26:56 - The Dive Down begins: Ever hear of Companions? 29:15 - Grixis Death's Shadow ft. Lurrus in Modern 49:33 - Some tips with and against Lurrus 57:03 - Gruul Aggro ft. Obosh in Pioneer 1:20:04 - Beating Obosh 1:23:24 - Zirda Elves in Modern 1:33:15 - Stoneforge Mystic Zirda! 1:41:08 - Our takes on Companions 1:51:41 - The Wind Down: RIP DCI LInks from this week's episode: Lurrus Shadow: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2958819#paper Obosh Gruul: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2940733#paper Zirda Elves: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2948760#paper Zirda SFM Elves: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2958129#paper Izzet Lutri: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2961717#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

We hang out with our old friend Klothys and her minions as we do a deck dive into the latest tier 1 Modern deck, Ponza! The Break Down: Challenge of the Companions The Break Down, cont: The Takes You're Looking For The Dive Down: 2 Glorybringers on Turn 3 Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:45 - Housekeeping 5:42 - The Break Down begins: a Pioneer super qualifier 6:28 - The top 8 (with maybe some Companion talk) 22:42 - The rest of the meta 25:48 - The immediate impact of Companions and our hot takes 39:25 - The Dive Down: Gruul Midrange/RG Ponza 45:10 - Our initial thoughts 48:40 - What this deck is trying to do 53:15 - The early game 58:22 - The midgame 1:00:58 - A special focus on Klothys 1:06:43 - Back to the ramp targets and midgame plays 1:13:20 - Closing out the game 1:21:01 - The Companion Variant 1:31:45 - Why is Ponza good now? 1:36:30 - Some good and kinda bad matchups 1:41:30 - Some helpful thoughts 1:45:30 - How to stop Ponza 1:48:50 - The future of Ponza in the meta 1:50:28 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The Pioneer Super Qualifier: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-super-qualifier-2020-04-18 The “Classic” Ponza list: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2878672#paper The Companion list: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2941115#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

Dave is back and we tackle a second batch of spoilers from Ikoria, and give you our picks to click in Pioneer and Modern! Then we wind things down with The Dive Down Nation's spoiler survey. The Break Down: The latest Pioneer Super Qualifier The Dive Down: More Monsters, Fewer Problems The Wind Down: The Nation's spoiler survey Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 1:57 - Housekeeping 4:16 - The Break Down begins: the Pioneer Super Qualifier top 8 14:25 - The top 32 metagame breakdown 21:05 - The Dive Down begins: Ikoria spoilers pt 2 21:27 - Of One Mind 29:22 - Shark Typhoon 34:03 - Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy 40:44 - Slitherwisp 45:58 - Cunning Nightbonder 49:01 - Skycat Sovereign 53:20 - Blitz of the Thunder-Raptor 1:00:16 - Labyrinth Raptor 1:03:54 - Swallow Whole 1:10:01 - The Ozolith 1:14:14 - Neutralize 1:18:27 - Quick Hits! 1:27:18 - The Triomes! 1:36:27 - The Wind Down: The Nation's spoiler survey 1:47:48 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: The Pioneer Super Qualifier: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-super-qualifier-12130311#paper Ikoria spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/iko?order=set&as=grid 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

In this bonus episode, Dave and Stan got to chat with Ryan Overturf about Mono Red Prowess! Who doesn’t love an explosive Lightning Bolt deck? We chat about the deck’s evolution in Modern, how to evaluate its threats, side boarding and more! Find Ryan Overturf: Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanOverdrive Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ryanoverdrive Lodestone Games: https://twitter.com/LodestoneCG Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=t... and use code "thedivedown" 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

We have Evart Moughon, aka Aspiring Spike, on as a guest host to go over the first batch of Ikoria spoilers! The Break Down: Modern Showcase! The Dive Down: Behemoth Spoilers! The Wind Down: Listener Questions! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:28 - Housekeeping 3:35 - The Break Down: Modern Super Qualifier 5:30 - The top 8 14:42 - The top 32 meta 28:07 - The Dive Down begins: how we evaluate cards 32:39 - The mechanics of Ikoria 44:31 - Picks to Click: Lurrus of the Dream Den 52:09 - Heartless Act 57:01 - Vivien, Monsters' Advocate 1:04:06 - Sea-Dasher Octopus 1:07:24 - Fiend Artisan 1:11:29 - Sprite Dragon 1:16:24 - General Kudro of Drannith 1:22:01 - Rielle, the Everwise 1:25:39 - Mythos of Nethroi 1:29:27 - Some quick hits 1:35:12 - The Wind Down - questions for Aspiring Spike 1:45:21 - Where to find Aspiring Spike 1:46:29 - Closing Out Links from this week's episode: Modern Super Qualifier: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-super-qualifier-2020-04-05#decklists The Mechanics of Ikoria: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ikoria-lair-behemoths-mechanics-2020-04-02?sd Ikoria spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/iko?order=set&as=grid Aspiring Spike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike Aspiring Spike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart/ 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

This week we each take a budget deck through the S/B/H process, and share our experiences testing out some novel options in Pioneer! The Break Down: Talking Two Pioneer Super Qualifiers The Dive Down: Ox Talk (and some other things) Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:40 - Housekeeping 6:54 - The Break Down begins - Pioneer Super Qualifiers 8:00 - PSQ#1 14:45 - PSQ#2 21:45 - The top 32x2 metagame 37:45 - The Dive Down begins - Why budget decks in Pioneer? 42:29 - Mono-Red Phoenix 58:04 - Mono-Red Hollow One 1:16:01 - Mono-Blue Fliers and budget UW Spirits 1:34:18 - Do budget decks have a home in Pioneer? 1:41:00 - Closing Out Links from this week's episode: Pioneer SQ #1: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-super-qualifier-2020-03-29-0 Pioneer SQ #2: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-super-qualifier-2020-03-29 Emma's budget Pioneer article: https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/Pioneer-Budget-Brews:-Which-Card%3F-Dis-card/f29f8aad-6742-4df0-abcb-47f2eb592e42/ Mono-Red Phoenix: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2873533#paper Mono-Blue Skies: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2873660#paper Budget Azorius Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2875538#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

This week we head back for another Heliod deck dive, this time in Pioneer! The Break Down: Super MTGO Qualifiers in Modern and Pioneer The Dive Down: Infinite Clicks 'n' Damage 'n' Stuff Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 6:36 - Housekeeping 8:25 - Modern Super Qualifier 25:30 - Pioneer Super Qualifier 39:15 - The Dive Down Begins: Mono-White Heliod in Pioneer 45:10 - The Strength of Heliod 47:35 - A Brief History 48:10 - The Combo 53:49 - The Beat Down 1:06:32 - The Mana 1:08:16 - The Disruption 1:19:02 - The Gideons 1:26:33 - Playing the Deck 1:33:56 - The Matchups 1:39:45 - The Sideboard 1:41:38 - Wrapping Up Links from this week's episode: Modern Super Qualifier: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-super-qualifier-2020-03-22 Pioneer Super Qualifier: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-super-qualifier-2020-03-22 Heliod deck list example: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2863625#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

This week's a weird one, because things are weird. We first go over the Modern and Pioneer MTGO Challenges, then head into a grab bag of listener questions! The Break Down: Business as Usual The Dive Down: Staying Healthy and Staying Positive Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 4:03 - Some positive news to start your Friday 7:22 - Housekeeping 9:49 - The Break Down - The Pioneer MTGO Challenge 25:46 - The Modern MTGO Challenge 39:50 - The Dive Down begins 42:31 - What we're covering with paper tournaments cancelled 46:03 - Some board games we like 52:13 - Magic Online, Magic Arena, computers, and you 1:04:32 - Questions lightning round begins - Bant snow control, the best deck in modern? 1:06:46 - The best pioneer deck? 1:10:20 - The tribes on the edge of glory? 1:14:20 - Where is Wilt-Leaf? 1:15:43 - Why do we like Pioneer, and what still draws us to Modern? 1:21:54 - Is Uro the new Oko? 1:26:48 - Should sets be tested online before print? 1:30:00 - Do we play Commander? 1:34:12 - Finding your deck 1:38:38 - Our favorite places 1:44:20 - Our go-to non-Magic Podcasts 1:48:28 - 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

This week we're doing a bit of a news show — we're covering and discussing a bunch of current topics in Modern and Pioneer including Monday, March 9th's B&R, Pioneer on Arena, and SCG Regionals in Modern. Join us as we break down and break down and break down the last week of mtg. The Break Down 1: Pioneer Masters The Break Down 2: B&R The Dive Down: SCG Regionals (Modern) Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:43 - Housekeeping 4:21 - The Break Down begins: Pioneer Masters on Arena 19:32 - BANS! 32:53 - NO BANS?? 48:21 - The Dive Down begins: SCG Regionals Weekend 50:48 - The top decks across all the top 8s 1:04:42 - The winners! 1:12:45 - The spicy decks 1:32:29 - Surprises 1:37:29 - Stan and Dave’s Regionals Experiences 1:47:28 - 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

This week we are looking at some of the newest (and oldest) tech and decks in Modern and Pioneer! Mono G Walkers in Pioneer, Grinding Station Breach in Modern, and... Shadow of Doubt? The Break Down: The Modern and Pioneer Showcase Challenges The Dive Down: Innovations in Modern and Pioneer Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:19 - Housekeeping 5:27 - The Break Down Begins - upcoming bans and a listener poll 13:25 - The Modern Showcase Challenge 27:05 - The Pioneer Showcase Challenge 33:20 - The Dive Down begins - New tech in Modern and Pioneer 34:24 - Mono G Walkers in Pioneer 55:08 - Shadow of Doubt in Modern 1:24:08 - Grinding Station Breach 1:46:44 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Pioneer showcase challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-showcase-challenge-2020-03-02 Modern showcase challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-showcase-challenge-2020-03-01 Mono G Walkers: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2819606#paper Izzet Flash w/ Shadow of Doubt: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2511750#paper Grinding Station Breach: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2815217#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

The gents explore a Patreon request - Orzhov Sram Auras - in Pioneer! Who's wearing the pants in this format? Listen to find out! The Break Down: SCG Indy Pio Open The Dive Down: Some Hate, Some Hope, Some Pants The Wind Down: Hey... Whacha Doin? Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:34 - Housekeeping 3:00 - Important updates to our Patreon! 10:44 - The Break Down: SCG Indianapolis Pioneer Open 39:53 - The Dive Down Begins: Sram Auras 41:23 - Intro to Sram Auras 43:25 - The Creatures 57:41 - Auras & Blessings 1:06:52 - The Lands 1:09:03 - The Game Plan 1:15:37 - Playing Against Different Strategies in Pioneer 1:22:43 - Beating Sram Auras 1:26:25 - The Sideboard plans 1:36:06 - Our thoughts on the deck 1:46:15 - The Wind Down: What we're playing for fun 1:54:18 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: SCG Indy coverage: https://old.starcitygames.com/events/220220_indianapolis.html An example Sram Auras decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2794551#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

In this bonus episode, Stan interviews a fixture of the MTGO leagues and Modern Blue Moon aficionado, Jacob Cumiskey aka ThePenSword. They talk about the ins and outs of Blue Red control decks, ranging from Thing in the Ice to Through the Breach, and gush over some of their favorite counterspells. Find Jacob Cumiskey: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CumiskeyJacob Twitch: twitch.tv/jacobcumiskey Discord: https://bit.ly/2VvbZu3 Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" 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

We take a dive into Heliod Company Combo in Modern. How it works, what we learned, and how annoying it is to play on Magic Online! The Break Down: NRG Indianapolis The Dive Down: Infinite Life and Infinite Misclicks The Wind Down: Manners, Schmanners Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 2:40 - Housekeeping 5:54 - The Break Down begins - The NRG Pioneer Trial 26:12 - The NRG Modern Trial 36:40 - The Dive Down begins - Heliod Company Combo 38:40 - What the deck is trying to do 40:15 - Infinite life combos 48:08 - Infinite mana and damage 54:48 - The tutors 1:03:46 - The ramp 1:09:05 - Strategies playing the deck 1:23:08 - Using the sideboard 1:26:42 - Playing against Heliod Combo 1:30:30 - What we liked about the deck 1:33:34 - Troubles we had playing the deck 1:41:33 - The Wind Down - Magic Online Combo Etiquette 1:49:58 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: NRG Pioneer Trial: http://articles.nerdragegaming.com/decklists-archive/pioneer-nrg-series-trial-february-15-2020/ NRG Modern Trial: http://articles.nerdragegaming.com/decklists-archive/modern-nrg-series-trial-february-16-2020/ Heliod w/ Anafenza: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2784654#paper Heliod w/ Infinite Mana: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2758766#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

We're headed back to where it all started - Modern! This week's episode is an exploration of the past month+ of Modern events on Magic Online. What's rising, what's fading, and what do we think about it? The Break Down: RPT Phoenix and Shane's GP Phoenix experience The Dive Down: More Meta, More Meta, More Meta Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:22 - Housekeeping 5:26 - The Break Down Begins - RPT Phoenix 19:30 - Pioneer RPT win percentages 26:00 - Adapting to the combo metagame 28:25 - Shane's GP Phoenix experience 40:34 - The Dive Down Begins - The new Modern Meta 44:05 - The Modern Challenge data 54:15 - The Modern Prelims data 1:03:04 - The current decks of Modern: Titan 1:07:13 - Mono-Red Prowess 1:11:44 - Urza 1:14:02 - Tron decks 1:18:19 - Jund and Death's Shadow 1:23:00 - Izzet Control 1:25:08 - Some quick hits 1:35:20 - Our takeaways 1:42:08 - Wrapping up Links from this week's episode: WOTC's RPT Phoenix coverage: https://magic.gg/events/players-tour-phoenix-2020 CFB's GP Phoenix coverage: https://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/52 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

In this bonus episode, Dave interviews certified Death's Shadow Scientist Michael Rapp about playing... well Death's Shadow. They actually do a bit of a deep dive on decks of all different shadow sizes including the most popular build of the moment — 4 Color Traverse. Find Michael Rapp: Twitter: @RappaciousOne Articles: https://blog.cardkingdom.com Discord: https://discord.gg/H8kRu4R Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" 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

We kick off this week’s show with a Break Down of the first two Pioneer Players Tours, from sister cities Brussels and Nagoya. Then we Dive Down with the latest Sleeve/Believe/Heave episode, featuring 3 spicy Pioneer decks inspired by new cards from Theros. The Wind Down: Players Tours Brussels & Nagoya The Dive Down: Sleeve/Believe/Heave ft. Theros Beyond Death Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timecodes: 5:05 - Break Down Begins 7:56 - PT Brussels Analysis 18:10 - PT Nagoya Analysis 41:55 - Dive Down Begins 43:58 - RB Midrange 59:30 - UB Inverter 1:22:44 - UG Ramp Links from this week's episode: Rakdos Midrange: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2728102#online Dimir Inverter: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2723294#paper Simic Ramp: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2723199#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

First up this week, we take a spin through what's been popping up in Pioneer and Modern since the release of Theros: Beyond Death. In our Dive Down section, each of us talks about our goals for improving our game or relationship with MtG in 2020 (#2020Goals #squadgoals #whathappensnextmightsurpriseyou). Finally, we wind down with some of Stan's tales of fantastic planeswalkers and where to find them — in London and Amsterdam, at least. The Break Down: A Trip to the Spice Station The Dive Down: Getting Better in 2020 The Wind Down: Player's Club International Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timecodes: 3:09- Break Down begins 4:36- TBD and the state of Modern 17:48 -TBD and the state of Pioneer 33:12 - Dive Down Begins 34:39 - Stan's Goals: Focusing on a specific archetype 53:43- Zak's Goals: Sequencing 1:06:39 - Shane's Goals: Mulligans 1:23:03 - Dave's Goals: Take it Easy 1:37:39 - Wind Down begins Links from this week's episode: – Modern Titan Field w/ Dryad by toondoslav https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2705484#paper Zur’s Weirding.dek by Nephtyz https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2698557#paper GW/Abzan Heliod by Spoonmanaron https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2698538#paper – Pioneer Pioneer Showcase Challenge lists https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12076816#paper Breach Lotus Storm by Taruto1212 https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2705456#paper Abzan Rallistocrats by Uniq https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-league-2020-01-23#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

This week The Dive Down crew welcomes special guest Todd Anderson to join us on our first Pioneer-focused Deck Dive — Chonky Red! Listen to find out why it's not an aggro deck, how tightly you should hold your Rabblemasters, and how to really bring the glory. The Break Down: Todd and All Things Todd The Dive Down: Chonk and All Things Chonk The Wind Down: Listener Questions You can find Todd at: https://www.twitch.tv/strong_sad or https://twitter.com/strong_sad Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:30 - Housekeeping 4:30 - The Break Down: An interview with Todd! 33:12 - The Dive Down begins: Chonky Red! 34:52 - What is the Chonk? 36:30 - Why all those lands? 42:00 - What makes this deck popular? 45:00 - The development of the Chonk 53:30 - The construction of the Chonk - the aggro creatures 1:09:00 - The burn spells 1:12:24 - The creatures that are also burn spells! 1:22:09 - The goldfish cards 1:31:26 - The… Chandra 1:35:33 - Sideboard considerations 1:42:23 - The future of the Chonk 1:46:02 - The Wind Down: listener questions! 1:52:23 - Where to find Todd Links from this week's episode: Todd's recent Chonky Red article on SCG, including his most recent decklist: https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/its-not-big-its-chonky-all-things-chonky-red-in-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

We take another look at Theros Beyond Death, and share some of our picks to click in Pioneer and Modern! The Break Down: Irrelevant top 8s and, oh yeah, HUGE MODERN BANS The Dive Down: Theros Beyond Death Picks to Click - Again! The Wind Down: The Dive Down Nation's favorite cards from Theros Beyond Death Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 4:10 - Housekeeping 5:18 - The Break Down begins - Some outdated Top 8s 8:34 - A closer look at Golgari Yawgmoth 14:30 - 3 Modern bans! 33:20 - The Dive Down begins - Shadowspear 39:53 - Nylea, Keen Eyed 46:45 - Underworld Breach 55:06 - Gallia of the Endless Dance 1:00:26 - Shatter the Sky 1:08:45 - Klothys, God of Destiny 1:16:42 - Quick Picks begin - Thassa, Deep Dwelling 1:18:05 - Dryad of the Ilysian Grove 1:19:52 - Eidolon of Obstruction 1:22:00 - Escape Velocity 1:23:52 - Thassa’s Oracle 1:25:40 - Gravebreaker Lamia 1:27:52 - Fruit of Tizerus 1:30:34 - The Wind Down - The Picks to Click Listener Survey 1:40:22 - Closing out Links from this week's episode: Jan 13 B&R announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/january-13-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement?n MagicFest Austin coverage: https://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/47 SCG Knoxville Open coverage: https://old.starcitygames.com/events/110120_knoxville.html Golgari Yawgmoth deck tech: https://old.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/golgari_yawgmoth_with_aaron_ba.html 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

The crew takes a first look at Theros Beyond Death, and share some of their favorite, standout cards. The Break Down: MTGO Modern Championship The Dive Down: Theros Beyond Death Picks Timestamps: 1:52 - Housekeeping 3:26 - The Break Down begins 6:00 - MTGO Modern Championship 15:00 - SCG Open Columbus 16:33 - Bryan Gottlieb’s Hot New Deck 28:55 - The Dive Down Begins 29:39 - Our New Card Wishlists 38:17 - How We Evaluate Cards 42:45 - Tectonic Giant 49:12 - Escape Discussion 51:12 - Ox of Agonas 59:52 - Heliod, Sun-Crowned 1:11:12 - Polukranos, Unchained 1:20:05 - Whirlwind Denial 1:26:54 - The RB and UG Titans Links from this week's episode: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/ekmpp3/mtgo_modern_champs_top_32_decklists/ https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-champs-2020-01-05 https://twitter.com/BryanGo/status/1213962888194318336/photo/2 Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" 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

In this installment of our monthly bonus episodes, Shane talks to the popular streamer Evart Moughon, better known as Aspiring Spike, about Pioneer, Modern, streaming, and playing with and against control decks. Find the Aspiring Spike: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike Twitter: https://twitter.com/moughonevart Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" 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

The lads see if Monastery Mentor has what it takes to succeed in Pioneer by testing 3 different decks! The Break Down: Looking over the post-Oko Pioneer Preliminaries (plus some Modern Prelims) The Dive Down: Making mistakes with Monastery Mentor The Wind Down: Holiday listener questions Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 1:53 - Housekeeping 3:20 - The Break Down begins - Pouring over the post-Oko Pioneer Prelims 13:22 - Looking more closely at Green Ramp in Pioneer 21:56 - A brief look at the Modern Prelims 29:40 - The Dive Down begins - There's a Mentor in my Monastery! 36:40 - Exploring Mentor in Pioneer 38:46 - Shane with GW Mentor Tokens 48:30 - The verdict on GW Mentor 55:22 - Dave with Mardu PyroMentor 1:09:35 - The verdict on Mardu PyroMentor 1:11:29 - Stan with Esper Mentor 1:20:16 - The verdict on Esper Mentor 1:29:52 - Lessons learned on Monastery Mentor 1:34:13 - The Wind Down - Listener questions Links from this week's episode: Shane's GW Mentor Tokens: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2587692#paper Dave's Mardu PyroMentor: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2590187#paper Stan's Esper Mentor: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2587940#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

This week we Dive Deeper into the Pioneer format, and bring you 5 ways to level up your play! The Break Down: The latest Pioneer bans, and WOTC's new B&R schedule The Dive Down: Level up your Pioneer thinking with 5 takeaways The Wind Down: We answer some listener questions Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 3:02 - Housekeeping 4:19 - The Break Down begins - The latest Pioneer bans 19:07 - WOTC's new B&R schedule, or lack thereof 29:18 - The Dive Down begins - Observations on Pioneer 30:18 - Non-basic lands.... can be good! 43:17 - Taking the advantage back on the draw 57:25 - The 3 toughness challenge 1:11:00 - The casting cost mindshift, 1 mana cards in Pioneer 1:19:30 - Counterspells in Pioneer 1:26:30 - The Wind Down: Listener questions on Pioneer Links from this week's episode: The 12/16/19 Pioneer bannings: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/december-16-2019-pioneer-banned-announcement The 12/16/19 B&R annoucement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/december-16-2019-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? email us: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

The guys get together in a studio to indulge themselves with discussion of our favorite Dive Down (and Magic) moments of 2019. The Break Down: We talk about what we have been playing and enjoying in Modern and Pioneer The Dive Down: The best (and worst) of 2019 Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown" Timestamps: 1:52 - Housekeeping 3:33 - The Break Down: what we've been playing 34:15 - The Dive Down begins: our 2019 35:14 - Favorite episodes of the year 43:45 - Favorite Deck Dives of the year 47:01 - Worst and best card picks to click of the year 1:03:10 - Sleeve/Believe/Heave decks of the year 1:14:43 - Our cards of the year 1:21:16 - Our Magic experiences of the year 1:26:28 - The best new format of the year 1:30:03 - Our guests of the year 1:33:07 - Our worst takes of the year 1:39:22 - Was 2019 a good year for Magic? 1:44:34 - Signing off Links from this week's episode: Find Gal Schlesinger on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/yamakiller Listen to the Pioneer Cast, featuring Ross Merriam: https://twitter.com/CastPioneer Read Emma Partlow's content on TCG Player: https://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article_search_result.asp?author=Emma%20Partlow Find Riley Knight's content on Channel Fireball: https://www.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/author/riley-knight/ Listen to Faithless Brewing: https://faithlessbrewing.podbean.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