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The Dive Down — Games
The Dive Down

The Dive Down is a Magic: The Gathering podcast focused on the latest decks, trends, and strategies for the casual spikes in Modern, Pioneer, Explorer, and more!
Each week your hosts Dave, Shane, and Stanislav discuss the latest innovations, competitive events, and level-up topics for paper and online players.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Proudly sponsored by Heavy Play, a new card gaming accessories brand that’ll improve your gameplay and game day. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com/
We’re also sponsored by ManaTraders, the best Magic card rental service for both Magic Online and paper! Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown or use Manatraders coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU

Copyright: © 2024 The Dive Down

Latest Episodes:

Episode 299: Stan Won an RCQ! Oct 31, 2024

They said it couldn't be done, but one of the Dive Down boys (other than D00mwake) finally won an RCQ. On this week's show, Stan talks about piloting Boros Energy to qualify for RC Portland, and we break down the Standard metagame and results from the Magic World Championship in Las Vegas.

The Break Down: 6 Matches to Portland
The Dive Down: Congratulations, Javier Dominguez

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTEN
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 - Allow Heavy Play to penetrate your pocketbook
7:59 - This week's show/housekeeping
13:04 - The Break Down begins: Some hot news!
18:55 - More takes on the Universes Beyond announcement
27:45 - Stan won an RCQ!
40:52 - The tournament report
58:10 - The next steps
1:03:22 - The Dive Down begins: The World Championship breakdown
1:12:50 - WC Standard winrates
1:16:23 - The top 8
1:23:12 - The Wind Down: Shane's Gadget Corner
1:31:38 - Dave also went to the RCQ, by the way
1:34:50 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
World Championship 30: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/146430
Buy a Steam Deck or something: https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 298: The Foundations Era is Here Oct 25, 2024

Hot off the presses of WOTC's Foundations announcement, we break down and discuss the impact of Universes Beyond sets entering the Standard format in 2025.

The Break Down: Cards That Will Be Standard Legal for 5 Years
The Dive Down: Squidward Reborn

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTEN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:

2:22 - Heavy Play, a Full Stack sponsor
3:48 - This week's show/housekeeping
7:03 - The Break Down begins: The Foundations Era React-A-Sode
8:40 - First, Foundations spoilers
16:38 - Some new Foundations cards
21:42 - The other announcement - The Foundations Era
28:10 - There sure are a lot of Universes Beyond sets coming out
35:30 - How are we feeling about so much UB?
1:22:26 - How long can UB last?
1:29:56 - Tying a bow on the convo
1:37:20 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 297: Modern: What to Play Before RCQ Season Ends Oct 17, 2024

On this week's show, Dave tries to determine what to play during the one RCQ he can attend this season. We do our best to help him out by reviewing the latest Metagame Mentor, taking a closer look at Dimir Oculus, following in the steps of some Jeskai Control masters, and trying something new with Fear of Missing Out in Rakdos and Jund Delirium.

The Break Down: Frank Loves Stats
The Dive Down: Dave Needs a 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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTEN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:

7:25 - Heavy Play is our actual sponsor
9:00 - This week's show/housekeeping
14:36 - The Break Down begins: no Pioneer RCQs in 2025??
22:35 - Frank analysis on Modern's current meta
34:22 - Current Modern winrates
41:54 - The Dive Down begins: Shane played Dimir Frogtide
1:04:32 - Dave and Devon played Delirium decks
1:17:30 - Stan played actual Jeskai Control

Links from this week's episode:

https://www.channelfireball.com/article/What-s-New-in-Modern-with-Duskmourn-House-of-Horror/80e67eba-474a-41bf-a704-15bc28755f02/
Jeskai Control by YungDingo/George Jabbour: https://x.com/YungDingoMTG/status/1844245120658653515
Dimir Oculus by Kane Daly: https://old.starcitygames.com/decks/159924
Jund Delirium by Offl1ne: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6682017#paper
Jund Delirium by d00mwake: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/OFxKWf-jx0WIiWlS_TWENg
Rakdos Shadow by J from TDD Nation: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6701125#paper
Rakdos FOMO by @jacesdaddy from Twitter: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6701123#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 296: RC DC: Demons, Trees, Cauldrons, & Company Oct 10, 2024

In the last part of our mini-arc on the current state of Pioneer, Devon, Dave, and Stan dive deep into what happened at this weekend's RC in Washington D.C. We cover the decks that took too long, the decks that aimed too high, and the decks that took it all down. Will Demons remain are force in the meta? Will we keep paying taxes to Selesnya after this event? How soon until we all get annoyed with Tree of Perdition? And then lastly — and most importantly — is Pioneer right now the Magic everyone SAYS they want?

• 1,800+ Players
• 1h30m Rounds
• 3 Breakout Decks

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_OBX
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
5:29 - Heavy Play is not cursed
7:40 - This week's show/housekeeping
13:30 - The Break Down begins - RC DC
39:17 - The outliers from RC DC
1:12:20 - Is Pioneer the Magic people want?
1:17:00 - Stan played Spirits
1:28:14 - Dave played Dimir Oculus
1:35:00 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
RC on MTGMelee: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/63398
Pioneer Mono-Black Demons: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/434736
Pioneer Rakdos Tree: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/435309
Pioneer Selesnya Company: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/433930
Pioneer Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6677777#paper
Modern Dimir Frog-eye: https://x.com/DackFayden07/status/1841510715783299151

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 295: RC DC Preview & First Duskmourn Decks Oct 03, 2024

It's time (for Devon) to get ready for the RC in DC this weekend, so we dive deep into Pioneer for the week. We talk through the RC that happened in Brazil last weekend, examine new/interesting decks, and go through some of Devon's considerations on deck selection. If you haven't been paying attention to Pioneer lately — post-Duskmourn seems like a good time to jump in!

• An RC in Brazil!
• Devon has been preparing!
• There are lots of decks!

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_OBX
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:28 - Heavy Play does not have art playmats (yet), but does have little windows
6:48 - This week's episode/housekeeping
11:56 - The Break Down begins: The City Class Games Brazil Pioneer RC
30:10 - The MTGO Pioneer Super Qualifier
34:28 - D00m's Decks: Gruul Delirium
47:08 - D00m's Decks continued: Boros Legends
52:33 - Cool Decks, Inc: Boros Tokens Control
56:30 - CDI, cont: Boros Aggro
1:04:05 - D00m's Decks, yet again: Bogles
1:09:03 - CDI, again! Rakdos Transmogrify
1:15:15 - Even more CDI: Rakdos Marvin
1:22:32 - Some Modern content: Abhorrent Oculus!
1:32:04 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
City Class Games Showdown VII Results: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/136231
MTGO Super Qualifier: https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/pioneer-super-qualifier-2024-09-2912692890
Boros Control: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/432621
Rakdos Transmogrify: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6663193#paper
Rakdos Huh? What? of Perdition: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6663767#paper
Boros Leyline of Resonance: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6663759#paper
Gruul Delirium: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6665367#paper
Boros Legends: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6655957#paper
Bogles: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-07j5KR26E6G0EDjUNZLMg
UW Oculus: https://x.com/TandyMTG/status/1839511915803857113

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 294: Working Not Playing, ft Mark Stanton Sep 26, 2024

On this week's show, Stan and Dave are joined by a new guest to The Dive Down. Taking a break from preparing for Regional Championship Washington DC and next month's World Championship in Las Vegas , Mark Stanton stops by to talk about the competitive mindset and how to practice Magic better.

We chat about first impressions from Duskmourn, the current state of Pioneer leading up to the RC, and how to prepare for tournaments that matter.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_OBX
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:34 — Mark Stanton is Here to Teach Us How To Be Good at Magic
3:45 — Meet Team Rampant Growth, Sponsored by Heavy Play
6:57 — Mark Triples Down
9:35 — Housekeeping
10:44 — The Dive Down Begins: Inside the Grinder’s Studio
18:38 — Testing with Duskmourn
28:15 — Duskmourn in Pioneer
31:05 — Phoenix at the RC?
33:28 — As the Dusk Settles
34:58 — On Developing Magic Practice
40:10 — A Different Kind of Fun
43:20 — Working Rather Than Playing
50:10 — Building Metagame Knowledge
57:35 — The Pro Tour: A Whole Other Game
1:01:38 — People Playing Better Decks
1:05:45 — Let’s Talk Teams
1:12:00 — Closing Thoughts: What Do You Want from Magic?
1:20:52 — Signoff

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 293: Boros Energy is Better than Rakdos Aggro & Duskmourn Spoilers, pt 2 Sep 19, 2024

On this week's show, d00mwake recaps his RCQ win with Gerry T's take on Boros Energy, Stan recounts all the reasons he hated Rakdos Aggro, the boys review results from the NRG Louisville Modern Open, and discuss our final picks from Duskmourn.

The Break Down: Devon Wins an RCQ!
The Break Down cont.: 70% Winrate Seems Good!
The Dive Down: Goods Cards From the Bad House?

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_OBX
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
8:13 - Heavy Play, a patient and caring member of your family
9:09 - This week's show/housekeeping
10:55 - The Break Down begins: Devon won an RCQ with the new Boros Energy!
28:05 - The NRG Louisville Modern 10k
38:46 - Stan played Rakdos Aggro in Pioneer
45:04 - The Dive Down Begins: Duskmourn spoilers, part 2!
46:28 - Rip, Spawn Hunter
50:41 - Sheltered By Ghosts
53:40 - Screaming Nemesis
57:55 - Trial of Agony
1:01:45 - Altanak, the Thrice-Called
1:03:19 - Valgavoth Terror Eater
1:08:14 - Kona, Rescue Beastie
1:11:42 - Exorcise
1:15:30 - Nashi, Searcher in the Dark
1:18:20 - Hedge Shredder
1:21:24 - Roaring Furnace
1:24:14 - Walk-In Closet
1:27:50 - Our top cards from Duskmourn
1:33:41 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Gerry's Boros Energy: https://x.com/G3RRYT/status/1835089558964232249
NRG winrate matrix: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/10-000-showdown-nrg-series-louisville-kentucky-tournament-169856/winrates

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 292: Rakdos Aggro Takes Pioneer & Duskmourn Spoilers, pt 1 Sep 12, 2024

A new Pioneer metagame is upon us, just in time for a slate of new cards from Duskmourn. On this week's show, we review Pioneer MTGO Challenge results following the Amalia and Sorin bans, take a closer look at the hot new Rakdos Aggro deck making waves in the format, and peer into the latest spoilers from Duskrmourn.

The Break Down: Rakdos Aggro, So Hot Right Now
The Dive Down: Duskmourn Spoilers, pt 1

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
7:01 - Heavy Play is not a true crime
9:37 - This week's show/housekeeping
12:41 - The Break Down begins: Checking in on Pioneer
29:19 - Rakdos Prowess in Pioneer
37:12 - The Dive Down begins: Duskmourn previews!
42:19 - The mechanics of Duskmourn
56:22 - The Land cycles
1:03:22 - The Leyline cycle
1:10:35 - Pyroclasm
1:12:22 - Abhorrent Oculus
1:15:22 - Marvin, Murderous Mimic
1:17:16 - Split Up
1:19:25 - Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
1:22:10 - Chainsaw
1:25:37 - Silent Hallcreeper
1:27:33 - Nowhere to Run
1:29:09 - Unstoppable Slasher
1:32:01 - Razorkin Needlehead
1:35:44 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 291: Dreams Do Come True: Stan Visits WOTC, Modern is Healing Sep 05, 2024

What a long strange trip it's been... from Chicago to Seattle! On this week's show, Stan shares stories and highlights from his visit to Wizards of the Coast headquarters. Then we look at the first batch of Modern results since the Nadu ban, and breath a sigh of relief at a format finding its footing.

The Break Down: The Sights and Sounds of Renton, WA
The Dive Down: Energy Looks Good, Modern Looks Better

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
5:13 - Heavy Play is better than Mountain Dewmwake
7:13 - This week's show/housekeeping
12:25 - The Break Down begins: Stan went to WOTC!
41:40 - Stan interviews Blake Rasmussen
51:45 - Stan interviews Aaron Forsythe, Mike Turian, and Carmen Klomparens
1:04:14 - The Dive Down begins: Post-ban Modern
1:23:29 - Dave played Hollow One
1:34:47 - Devon played Naya Energy
1:48:34 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Samalia Combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6612111#paper
Devon's Naya Energy: https://x.com/d00mwake/status/1830402879229755474

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 290: Grief is Banned. Joy is Allowed. Aug 28, 2024

This week we talk about... what else? With multiple cards banned in Pioneer and Modern — and a few cards left suspiciously untouched — we talk through what happened, how we feel about it, and what we think will happen next.

• It Finally Happened
• Sorin and Amalia Go in Pioneer
• Nadu and Grief (?) Go in Modern

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:09 - Heavy Play will not file an injunction against you
8:08 - This week's show/housekeeping
11:14 - The Break Down begins: Bans in Pioneer
13:56 - Amalia is banned
21:45 - Sorin is banned
26:35 - What wasn't banned?
37:06 - Bans in Modern!
47:50 - Should Commander impact Modern?
56:20 - Why was Nadu banned?
1:14:20 - The One Ring - not banned!
1:28:40 - Changes to the B&R schedule
1:33:58 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
WOTC's B&R Announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/august-26-2024-banned-and-restricted-announcement
Michael Majors's Article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/on-banning-nadu-winged-wisdom-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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 289: Breached Eldrazi and Lizards, Wizards Aug 22, 2024

Despite Stan getting Nadu's out of a Modern RCQ, he brushed off the dust and went back to MTGO for some Rakdos Lizards in Standard. Then Shane casts Through the Breach to cheat some Eldrazi into play, and Dave revisits a few Modern Wizards in an updated Izzet shell.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
7:24 - Heavy Play enhances your natural abilities
9:28 - This week's show/housekeeping
14:27 - The Break Down begins: Stan played an RCQ
21:04 - More data from Anaël Yahi
23:35 - The Dive Down begins: Stan played Rakdos Lizards in Standard
44:00 - Shane played Through the Breach in Modern
1:08:30 - Dave played Izzet... stuff in Modern
1:19:40 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 288: Scoop Less, Mull More, Remember Cards That Were Good Before Aug 15, 2024

On this week's show, we marvel at the return of Through the Breach in MTGO Modern events, followed by a couple level up topics about scooping and mulligans. Then Lee McLeod drops buy to educate us about some Nadu Loops, and we wrap with a walk down memory lane via Dave's box of former playables.

The Break Down: Return of Through the Breach?
The Dive Down: Conceding? Mulliganning?
The Dive Down cont.: Nadu Looping with Lee McLoud!
The Wind Down: Dave's Box of Secrets

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:44 - Heavy Play is not sold at Mars Cheese Castle
7:55 - This week's show/housekeeping
12:55 - The Break Down begins: Some more weekend challenges
23:05 - The return of Through The Breach?
29:05 - Cool Decks, Inc
37:59 - The Dive Down begins: Should you concede more or less?
54:45 - Why concede less?
1:02:10 - Mulliganning, briefly
1:06:11 - Learning loops with Lee (McLeod)
1:34:00 - The Wind Down begins: Would you like to play a game?
1:46:49 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 287: Modern Since MH3 & First Bloomburrow Tests Aug 09, 2024

This week it's a bit of a grab bag — or bags? Or grabs bag? One is the state of Modern since MH3, the other is our first tests with Bloomburrow in Modern and Pioneer. We take a dive through several recent challenges and a whole mess of concerning stats from frequently cited Modern watcher, Anaël Yahi. After that, we take a look at a few Bloomburrow cards in Modern and Pioneer — does Thundertrap Trainer slap? Is Rottenmouth Viper the truth... in Pioneer? We talk about all this and more.

• Anaël Drops Another Banger
• Mocked by Bird
• Only a Snake Can Kill Another Snake

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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
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Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:51 - Heavy Play is as good as quick pickles
5:52 - This week's show/housekeeping
11:01 - The Break Down begins: The current state of Modern
18:29 - The Modern Super Qualifier
27:40 - MH3-era paper data breakdown
41:55 - The Dive Down begins: Bloomburrow in Modern
42:34 - Mockingbird
49:17 - Thundertrap Trainer
55:55 - Innkeeper's Talent
1:02:22 - Helga, Skittish Seer/Feed the Cycle
1:10:14 - d00m loves Rottenmouth Viper in Pioneer
1:26:29 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Anaël Yahi's Metrics Tweet: https://x.com/AnaelYahi/status/1820337686982369522
D00mwake's Boros Energy List (Modern): https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/modern-challenge-64-2024-08-0312666568?player=D00mwake#deck_D00mwake
Izzet by SvenSveeterSven (Modern): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6550302#paper
Mono Green Scales (Modern): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6553561#paper
Omnath + Helga by DackFayden (Modern): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6556724#paper
D00m's Dimir Viper List (Pioneer): https://www.moxfield.com/decks/9nyVhbjTEUW28T2w-JHHEw
D00m's Golgari Viper List (Pioneer): https://www.moxfield.com/decks/6M6aAGQTNEiUXsJWUaorOA
D00m's Rakdos Viper List (Pioneer): https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Eki38qUUfkaIB9aqTYDwoQ

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 286: Diving Into Modern Boros Energy, ft. YungDingo Aug 01, 2024

Modern Boros Energy has quickly emerged as a Tier 1 Modern deck despite the ongoing menace of Nadu taking over tournaments left and right. On this week's show, The Dive Down is joined by YungDingo to break down how the deck functions, how to sequence its various 1-drops, and the benefits of splashing into black for Mardu Energy.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:56 - A Dingo ate my Heavy Play
4:40 - This week's episode/housekeeping
8:55 - The Dive Down begins: A wild Dingo appears!
17:28 - Inside the Grinder's Studio
21:52 - What is Boros Energy all about?
26:20 - The 1-drops
36:52 - The 2-drops
51:30 - The 3-drops
1:08:45 - Interaction
1:13:40 - The Energy economy
1:17:42 - The matchups
1:26:56 - The future of Boros Energy
1:31:01 - Bye, Dingo!

Links from this week's episode:
twitch.tv/yungdingo
x.com/yungdingomtg
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6540163#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 285: The (Rhino) Boyz Are Back in Town & Bloomburrow End Jul 25, 2024

Someone finally did it... Crashing Footfalls has revealed its beautiful face again in a post-MH3 Modern tournament, so D00mwake and Stan had to try the deck out themselves. Then we share our favorite picks from Bloomburrow in the final week of spoilers for the upcoming set.

The Break Down: Stan and Devon talk about the same deck again.
The Dive Down: Dave talks about the same cards again. Shane has the same doubts again.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:00 - Heavy Play, not a camarone
7:10 - This week's show/housekeeping
11:01 - The Break Down begins: The rhinos are back in town
43:44 - The Dive Down begins: Bloomburrow spoilers, part 2
44:26 - The Infamous Cruelclaw (revisited)/Sunspine Lynx
49:53 - Osteomancer Adept
52:36 - Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
55:04 - Beza, the Bounding Spring (revisited)/Dourport Mage
1:00:37 - Huskburster Swarm
1:03:13 - Fountainport
1:05:21 - Jackdaw Savior
1:09:34 - Vinereap Mentor
1:11:10 - Ygra, Eater of All
1:15:25 - Darkstar Auger
1:17:54 - Stormsplitter
1:20:22 - Valley Mightcaller
1:21:14 - Keen-Eyed Curator
1:25:28 - Thundertrap Trainer
1:27:30 - Our picks to click
1:35:16 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 284: Nadu Soars at NRG & Seasons of Bloomburrow, pt. 1 Jul 18, 2024

Oh look, another Modern tournament dominated by Nadu decks! On this week's show, we break down the results from NRG Chicago, which included a Modern 10K and some cheeky side events featuring the rhino boys. Then we dive into our Bloomburrow spoilers.

• No Surprises, All Alarms
• Higher Highs for Nadu
• The Cutest Little Cards Ever

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
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 - Heavy Play is anything but bland
5:13 - This week's show/housekeeping
9:51 - The Break Down begins: NRG Chicagoland
26:20 - The MTGO Modern Super Qualifier
35:21 - The Dive Down begins: Bloomburrow Spoilers begin!
41:42 - Hidden Grotto
42:51 - Three Tree City
46:28 - Heartfire Hero
49:10 - Into the Floodmaw
52:13 - Iridescent Vinelasher
53:46 - Might of the Meek
55:41 - Valley Mightcaller
56:51 - Mistbreath Elder
59:49 - Emberheart Challenger
1:02:20 - Kitsa, Otterball Elite
1:06:37 - Brazen Collector/Coruscation Mage
1:09:33 - Artist's Talent
1:11:32 - Dawn's Truth
1:13:13 - Dewdrop Cure
1:15:33 - Pearl of Wisdom
1:16:17 - Rottenmouth Viper
1:18:17 - Huskburster Swarm
1:20:54 - Ral, Crackling Wit
1:22:43 - Maha, Its Feathers Night
1:25:00 - The Season Cycle
1:27:38 - Mockingbird
1:29:40 - The Infamous Cruelclaw
1:31:56 - Beza, The Bounding Spring
1:35:16 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 283: Return of the MTGO Decklists & MH3 Sideboard Stonks Jul 11, 2024

We couldn't get through an episode without mentioning the lack of a Nadu ban, but quickly dive into the huge batch of MTGO data that was finally unlocked after several weeks of downtime. Then we recap some of our favorite sideboard cards in the current Modern Metagame, and announce latest love of Basim Ibn Ishaq and Ocelot Pride.

We kick off the show by asking the difficult question, "What is WOTC waiting for?" Then we dive into a ton of MTGO data, which finally came back this week with decks from Leagues, Challenges, and Last Chance qualifiers. We review the most successul decks and admire some of the coolest outliers.

Then we rundown some of the biggest sideboard cards to make a splash after MH3 and the decks they attack most.

The Break Down: What are they waiting for?
The Break Down, cont.: New Pivot Tables Unlocked
The Dive Down: How to Sideboard for MH3

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:00 - Heavy Play will not remove your fingers
9:24 - This week's episode/housekeeping
14:32 - The Break Down begins: Nadu's still here
22:10 - Decklists are back, and we broke them down
30:17 - MH3 has dramatically changed Modern - is this good?
47:55 - Some new decks on the Modern scene
1:11:28 - The Dive Down begins: New meta, new sideboards
1:31:39 - Winding down

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 282: The Bird in the Room: PT MH3/Amsterdam Breakdown Jul 03, 2024

PT Amsterdam was last week and Modern will never be the same. This week Dave, Devon, and Stan talk about the huge impact MH3 cards had on the tournament — and, of course, spend a ton of time speculating about what's going to happen with Nadu. Bans? Errata? Only Fly Away? We'll see, but we mostly bet it won't happen until about 6 weeks from now (sorry).

Devon shares what he thinks the next best deck will be. Stan gets energetic about his RCQ deck choice. Dave is torn between two ways to gain card advantage.

• 25.5% Nah Dude
• Anyone Have a Line on Cheap Soul Spikes?
• Is The One Ring The Real Problem?

Timecodes:
2:30: Introduction
5:53: We Love Heavy Play
7:38: Housekeeping
9:35: PT Amsterdam Day 1 Metagame
15:10: Winrates, etc., starting with Nadu
17:01: Sideboard Cards (RIP Storm)
21:55: The Next Decks: Jeskai Energy Control and Necrodominance
31:31: 10-0 Lists (Bant Nadu, Necro, Esper Goryo's)
35:49: Boros Energy
43:18: Domain Zoo
45:10: Mono Black Grief
47:03: Underperformers (Storm, Merfolk)
52:48: Focus on Nadu
53:06: Eldrazi Winter and Hogaak
1:01:16: We Said the B Word — Time to Ban Nadu
1:09:38: What About The One Ring?
1:18:10: What We're Doing During the Nadu Era
1:20:30: Signoff

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 281: A New Modern Emerges: Tournament Results, PT Predictions, and More Decks Jun 27, 2024

On this week's show, we take a look at the results from Modern's first big paper tournaments since the release of MH3. We chat about NRG St. Louis, MXP Tacoma, our predictions for PT Amsterdam, Stan's experiences playing Bant Nadu, Devon's experiments with Kappa Cannoneer, and Dave (and Devon's) explorations of Energy Prowess.

The Break Down: Paper Modern Shows its Colors
The Dive Down: Nadu, Kappa, and Mutagenic Growth

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_43A
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
5:41 - Heavy Play time
7:00 - This week's show/housekeeping
10:22 - The Break Down begins: the NRG St. Louis Modern event
19:12 - The MXP Tacoma Modern event
24:55 - What does the PT metagame potentially look like?
48:31 - The Dive Down begins: What's the deal with these new cards?
49:57 - Stan Nadu'd so you Nadon't have to
1:03:30 - Devon loves Kappa Cannoneer
1:11:15 - Dave (and Devon) played Energy Prowess
1:23:20 - We mention a single Assassin's Creed card
1:26:00 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/52904
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/79404
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6464281#paper
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/6oV78FnDbkCjyWt3OEVKRg
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/mhmc1tqudk23WRA4yUUhew

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 280: Sleeve/Believe/Heave MH3 Edition: Boros Energy, Eldrazi Prison & Ruby Storm Jun 20, 2024

It's time to rev up those rental accounts because new cards are on the horizon. On this week's show, Shane and Stan (aka The Cool S Bros) share their war stories of leaguing with Modern Horizon 3 decks. Stan fires up some Boros Energy and Ruby Storm, while Shane locks his opponents out with Eldrazi Prison.

We kick off the show with a high level check-in on format diversity in the weeks following MH3's release. Then we chat about the one-two punch of Guide of Souls and Ajani, flexible applications for Kozilek's Command, and Storming off against The One Ring decks.

The Break Down: MH3 Week 2
The Dive Down: Sleeve, Believe, Heaving new decks in Modern

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_43A
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
7:12 - Heavy Play is lovely
8:51 - This week's show/housekeeping
14:54 - The Break Down begins: The new top tier of Modern?
25:10 - The Dive Down begins: Stan played Boros Energy
50:52 - Shane played Eldrazi Prison Tron
1:19:18 - Stan played Ruby Storm
1:33:16 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 279: MH3: New Decks, First Impressions Jun 13, 2024

Welcome to the new Horizon of Modern. That long awaited day is finally here — Horizons 3 has launched and is in the hands of anyone who wants to: 1) use a Bird Wizard to draw their whole deck, 2) Break a line with a bowl of spaghet monsters, 3) Pay life to draw cards, then DIE, and 4) explore an potentially incredible new format.

This week Dave and Devon talk through early impressions of decks we're seeing, things we've tested, early results from an MH3-inclusive 5k in Las Vegas and more. Tune in for the Nadu, stay for the Unstable Amulet. It's another week on The Dive Down!

• Nadu
• Eldrazi
• And All the Rest of the 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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_43A
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 — Heavy Play Means Business
7:40 — Housekeeping
9:30 — The only place we can start: Nadu
27:15 — Big Eldrazi (Tron)
33:40 — Lil 'Drazi (Aggro)
42:00 — Affinity
43:55 — Ruby Storm
52:05 — Energy Decks (Boros, R Prowess, 4c Control)
56:40 — Mono Black Griefs, Scam (Necrodominance and more)
1:07:02 — Buried Alive/Phoenix
1:09:38 — Stuff We Haven't Seen (Flare of Cultivation, Shifting Woodlands)
1:13:03 — What We've Excited for Next
1:16:01 — What About Old Modern?
1:17:19 — Outro

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 278: MH3 Full Set Review, Part 2: The Rest of the Cards Jun 06, 2024

It took another couple hours but we finally made it through the complete MH3 spoiler (even after skipping a ton of limited fodder). We wrap up our set review with the gold cards along with the new to Modern reprints, and cap it off with some of our favorite cards in the set and a few called shots about cards to watch.

We at least mention every card by name so YOU KNOW if we don't think a card is good enough to see play.
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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_43A
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:26 - Heavy Play: likely better than Dark Knight Rises
5:36 - This week's episode/housekeeping
9:29 - Multicolored
35:12 - Artifacts
46:50 - Lands
1:04:25 - Dual-Faced cards
1:28:26 - Reprints
1:57:18 - Our MH3 awards
2:10:12 - Our final takes on MH3
2:20:55 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 277: MH3 Full Set Review, Part 1: Colorless & WUBRG May 31, 2024

It's finally here! The Modern Horizons 3 spoiler is complete — and wow do we have a lot to talk about. Join us this week as Dave, Devon, and Shane talk through every card * in the set from Colorless and WUBRG. We debate which new Eldrazi titan is best, how much energy you need to feel paid off, some pet cards that we wish we good, and more! Lots more because we're talking about every card *.

We at least mention every card by name so YOU KNOW if we don't think a card is good enough to see play.
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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_43A
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 - Heavy Play is nothing to be apprehensive about
5:01 - This week's show/housekeeping
9:08 - The Dive Down: It's Modern Horizons 3 set review time!
10:10 - Colorless
23:29 - White
45:30 - Blue
1:10:05 - Black
1:32:42 - Red
1:50:53 - Green
2:07:05 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 276: These MH3 Spoilers Are Making Me Thirsty May 23, 2024

The time has finally come for the sea change that is Modern Horizons 3. We dissect the first batch of official spoilers from Tuesday, and revisit some of our most embarrassing evaluations from MH2 spoiler season all those moons ago.

We chat about Phlage, the Eldrazi Titans, the Flares and Medallions, new toys for Storm, and lots more!

The Dive Down: The MH3 Spoiler Season We Always Wanted
The Wind Down: The MH2 Spoiler Season We Hoped to Forget

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_43A
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
7:10 - Heavy Play can hold MH3 cards
9:08 - Housekeeping/this week's episode
12:37 - The Dive Down begins: MH3 spoilers begin!
15:26 - Stan's Polygon spoiler: Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury
24:17 - Amped Raptor
28:00 - Devourer of Destiny
30:51 - Ulamog the Defiler
35:49 - Breaker of Creation
36:39 - Ugin's Labyrinth
39:52 - Thief of Existence
41:51 - Basking Broodscale
44:36 - Kozilek, the Broken Reality
49:00 - Flare of Fortitude (and other Flares)
54:09 - Flare of Duplication
55:11 - The Medallions
59:16 - Ral, Monsoon Mage
1:03:07 - Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
1:05:06 - Harbinger of the Seas
1:09:58 - Orim's Chant
1:11:19 - Powerbalance
1:12:54 - Double-faced lands
1:14:54 - Eladamri, Korvecdal
1:19:01 - Our worst takes from the MH2 spoiler season
1:30:13 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 275: One Last Modern Tournament Before Everything Changes May 16, 2024

On this week's show, the four amigos break down the results of the Modern Open at NRG Indianapolis, the last big paper Modern tournament before MH3 changes everything (presumably). Plus, D00mwake joins the dark side and started playing Phoenix. And Stan tries some new cards in Ensoul, plus a bunch of OJT drafts.

The Break Down: The Motor City is a Real Zoo Meta
The Dive Down: Be the Bad Guy, Play Phoenix
The Dive Down cont.: Stan Likes OTJ

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_TZL
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:56 - Heavy Play is our favorite co-host
8:25 - Goodbye, Tanner!
12:23 - This week's show/housekeeping
17:15 - NRG Indy's Modern $10K
46:15 - Cool decks grab bag - d00m on Izzet Phoenix
56:36 - Stan played some new cards in Ensoul
1:08:20 - Talking about Freestrider Lookout
1:13:45 - Stan loves OTJ draft
1:25:40 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 274: Goyf Are So Back: Modern Challenges, Gruul Aggro (Prowess), & More May 09, 2024

After a brief intro, Stan is forced to drop out of the ep leaving Shane and Dave in the hot seat. First, they examine last weekend's 4 Modern Challenges in search of ideas, inspiration, and surprises. Do you know what the highest frequency deck was in all these Challenges? How about the one most likely to convert to an X-2 or better record? After all the event talk, the team goes deep into Andrea Mengucci's Gruul Prowess list from the weekend and welcome the return of the real king — Tarmogoyf.

• Shane & Dave Take Over
• A Few Surprising Challenges
• More Talk About Tarmogoyf

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_TZL
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
1:55 - Stanley Cups x Heavy Play
5:33 - This week's show/housekeeping
9:49 - The current Modern Challenge metagame
34:48 - Gruul Prowess in Modern
51:25 - Is Abundant Harvest good?
54:22 - Is Questing Druid good?
58:26 - More on Gruul Prowess
1:11:52 - Briefly talking MH3 spoilers
1:18:37 - Turn it off if you want: some Survivor chat
1:24:50 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Bamzing's Challenge Posts:
Saturday: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/1ckv7pz/saturday_modern_challenges_results_may_4_2024/
Sunday: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/1cllxrd/sunday_modern_challenges_results_may_5_2024/
Mengu's Prowess List: https://x.com/Mengu09/status/1786721343523704991

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 273: High Res MH3 Spoilers & A Wild West Pro Tour May 02, 2024

Shout out to Wizards of the Coast for seeing some poor quality card pictures in the wild and letting us see them in high definition instead. Official MH3 spoilers dropped this week, on the heels of the latest Pro Tour. Stan and D00mwake discuss!

Do Pro Tours still mean anything? Perhaps when the format they feature is fresh and exciting! We don't talk about Standard often, but enough innovations emerged at PT Thunder Junction, we were pumped to chat about the latest cards and winning decks.

Speaking of latest cards. MH3 spoilers came early, despite the somewhat awkward circumstances. The Dive Down doesn't discuss leaks, but official spoilers have started to roll out and we chat about some standouts, including Flare of Denial, Winter Moon, Kappa Cannoneer, and Wight of the Reliquery.

The Break Down: A Pro Tour for the Cowboy In All Of Us
The Dive Down: A Look, A New Free Counterspell

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
01:40 - Intro
02:00 - Holding a Heavy Play Heart
04:10 - A d00mwake-style Omelette
07:30 - This aggression will not stand
09:20 - This week’s show/housekeeping
16:05 - PT Seattle: What does it mean now?
19:40 - Overall Metagame
27:10 - Winrates
35:25 - Top 8
43:10 - Final thoughts on Standard
48:20 - Modern Horizons 3 early spoilers
49:05 - Nethergoyf
53:50 - Chthonian Nightmare
59:15 - Ugin’s Labyrinth
1:04:16 - Flare of Denial
1:09:22 - Kappa Cannoneer
1:12:45 - Winter Moon
1:16:25 - Wight of the Reliquary
1:21:21 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 272: Slickshot Trick Shots Apr 25, 2024

A new spellslinger's in town — goes by the name Slickshot Show-Off. This week we focus on the most hyped card coming into OTJ season, where it's fitting across formats, and talk about a few tricks to making sure the show off goes off without a hitch... off. Is there anything we can do to keep Dave from falling into a deep Prowess hole again? Probably not, but we're going to try — and just in case you're trying to avoid catching Prowess, too, we also talk about a few other decks Devon is having success with in Pioneer. But first — before all that — we dive into the Modern main event at this weekend's NRG Minneapolis tournament.

• NRG Minneapolis
• The Show Off Rides Again
• It's Basically Demonic Tutor

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:30 - Heavy Play has clout
6:42 - This week's show/housekeeping
11:32 - The Break Down begins: NRG Minneapolis
24:34 - The top 8
28:55 - Cool Decks, Inc
33:04 - The Dive Down begins: We played some cool decks!
34:10 - Slickshot Showoff - does it live up to the hype in Modern?
56:45 - Does it live up to the hype in Pioneer?
1:09:05 - Golgari Vampires in Pioneer
1:16:35 - Azorius Mentor Zombies in Pioneer
1:25:18 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
NRG Modern Open Decklists: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/51194
Alex Poulosky, Modern Temur Prowess: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/388962
Nathan VanDinter, Modern Temur Prowess: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/388996
Ryan Overturf, Modern Gruul Prowess: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/387842
Devon O'Donnell, Pioneer Gruul Prowess: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6332355#paper
d00mwake, Pioneer Golgari Vampires: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6338707#paper
Devon O'Donnell (aka d00mwake), Pioneer UW Zombie Mentor: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6339425#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 271: Casual Spiking RCQ Junction Apr 18, 2024

On this week’s show, we manage to fill that awkward week between spoilers and set release by preparing for the upcoming RCQ season, which conveniently kicks off this weekend. We take a look at the Pioneer metagame going into the season, and some possible upgrades from Outlaws of Thunder Junction that could shake up the format too.

Everything but the water and Clif Bars
New season old decks
D00m has prepared some new decks

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
5:42 - Barenaked Heavy Play
7:35 - This week's show/housekeeping
11:17 - The Dive Down begins: Prepping for Pioneer RCQ season
22:21 - The current Pioneer meta - Tier 1
42:07 - The Tier 2 decks
56:31 - Some Cool Decks
59:50 - d00m's hot new decks for Pioneer
1:22:01 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Anael Yahi's Data: https://twitter.com/anaelyahi/status/1779962905099665648
Metagame Mentor: https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-the-pioneer-decks-to-defeat-at-april-2024-rcqs
MTGDecks.net Pioneer Winrates: https://mtgdecks.net/Pioneer/winrates
D00m's Dimir Proft: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6322644#paper
D00m's Slickshot Heroic: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6322647#paper
D00m's Azorius Geralf: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6322650#paper
D00m's MonoB Bronco: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6322652#paper
D00m's Bant Plot: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6322653#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 270: The BIG Lie: We Talk About More Cards Apr 11, 2024

We said we'd never lie to you, but maybe... maybe we'd forget that there were another 30 mythics left to talk about in this set. So we did it for you — more cards! This week Dave, Devon, and Shane talk about what might happen with some of these weird, weird cards from The Big Score. Do we tell a certain Jitte to stay lost? What happens when we break out the Synthesizer? What card that Devon loves left Dave and Shane quaking in their boots?

After we discuss The Big Score, we take a quick trip through Pure Modern 5 — the most recent installment of Devon's "What if there was a simpler Modern?" tournaments.

• Congrats, Tanner
• The Spoils of the Vault
• Pure Modern: Stormwing is Back, Baby

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
1:40 - Heavy Play is not impacted by the eclipse
5:52 - This week's show/housekeeping
9:03 - The Dive Down begins: The Big Score
12:20 - Lost Jitte
19:08 - Worldwalker Helm
23:00 - Simulacrum Synthesizer
27:01 - Bristlebud Farmer
30:22 - Torpor Orb
32:26 - Pest Control
36:26 - Generous Plunderer
39:13 - Sandstorm Salvager
41:25 - Harvester of Misery
44:20 - Grand Abolisher
46:35 - Legion Extruder
48:42 - Memory Vessel
49:58 - Esoteric Duplicator
53:24 - Greed's Gambit
57:16 - Sword of Wealth and Power
59:55 - Loot, the Key to Everything
1:02:52 - d00mwake's 5th Pure Modern tournament
1:17:08 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
d00m's Pure Modern 5 Meta: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/70042

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 269: Cowboy Hats Will Be Worn Until Morale Improves Apr 04, 2024

Our friends from across the Multiverse have flooded the desert sands of Thunder Junction, and brought a host of exciting new spoiler cards with them. We recap some of our favorite cards and other notable arrivals in Magic's 100th set.

Are all the Spree cards great or merely good? Is the emphasis on Crime cards the latest symptom of Magic's moral decline? Have we lost the Plot or simply found a new way to cast spells for free?

D00mwake likes Duelist of the Mind. Dave likes Requisition Raid. Shane likes Magda, the Hoardmaster. Stan likes Calamity, Galloping Inferno.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:39 - Heavy Play is not an April Fool's joke
8:54 - Housekeeping/this week's episode
11:15 - The mechanics of Outlaws of Thunder Junction
20:07 - Aven Interrupter
23:58 - Final Showdown
27:05 - Fortune, Loyal Steed
29:07 - High Noon
31:30 - Claim Jumper
33:15 - Requisition Raid/Bovine Intervention
37:16 - Getaway Glamour
37:17 - Oltec Matterweaver
41:15 - Archmages Newt
44:28 - Duelist of the Mind
48:24 - Jace, Reawakened
51:22 - Geralf, the Fleshwright
53:35 - The Key to the Vault
56:49 - Three Steps Ahead
59:10 - Kaervek, the Punisher
1:10:59 - Hollow Murauder
1:04:30 - Lively Dirge
1:07:06 - Insatiable Avarice
1:09:09 - Pitiless Carnage
1:10:40 - Magda, the Hordemaster
1:13:22 - Magebane Lizard/Reckless Lackey
1:14:40 - Slickshot Showoff
1:19:01 - Calamity, Galloping Inferno
1:20:40 - Aloe Alchemist/Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
1:22:40 - Collosal Rattlewurm
1:24:14 - Smuggler's Surprise
1:27:10 - Railway Brawler
1:29:05 - Ornery Tumblewagg/Trash the Town
1:32:40 - Akul the Unrepentant
1:34:30 - Assimilation Aegis
1:36:40 - Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius/Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds/Intimidation Campaign
1:38:04 - Oko, the Ringleader/Obeka, Splitter of Seconds
1:40:36 - Satoru, the Infiltrator
1:44:35 - Pillage the Bog
1:46:54 - Lavaspur Boots
1:50:08 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
https://scryfall.com/sets/otj?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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 268: A Trip to Prague, the Zoo, and an RCQ Mar 28, 2024

Results are in from LMS Prague and we break down the top decks at the 265 player event. Then chat about our experiences playing a couple versions of Domain Zoo. And D00mwake shares the secret to winning an RCQ.

The Break Down: Legacy European Tour Master Series Prague, Grand Open Qualifier (Modern)
The Dive Down: Takeaways - A Domain Zoo Experience Discussion
The Wind Down: D00mwake won an RCQ!

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
5:35 - Heavy Plan is not from Khans era
7:33 - This week's episode/housekeeping
11:35 - The Break Down begins: The Legacy European Tour Prague Modern Open!
23:18 - The top 8 results
30:27 - Winrates and matchups
48:20 - How are we feeling about Modern?
53:04 - The Dive Down begins: It's all happening at the zoo
1:17:05 - Devon won another RCQ!
1:29:51 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/59235
https://twitter.com/MTGdecks/status/1772028283762192725
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6272273#paper
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6273416#paper
https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1771203670236909886

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 267: Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Post-Ban Modern Results & Testing Mar 21, 2024

This weekend was the annual Hunter Burton Memorial Open, the first large paper Modern tournament since the recent B&R. We dive into the tournament results to see where the format is headed, try out some of the latest versions of Rhinos to see if Cascade still works, and enjoy a little Goryo's Vengeance as a treat.

Thanks to smarter people than us, we've reviewed a ton of Modern results and win percentages to get a sense for who's beating who in the latest Modern format. We review some of the expected strategies to rise in popularity in a post-Rhino Modern tournament, admire some possible up and comers to the metagame, and pontificate about where Modern can go from here.

Then Stan and Shane fire up some Rhino decks to see if the Cascade hits keep coming without Violent Outburst, and Stan finally wraps up his Goryo's Vengeance league and experiences some Scam flashbacks.

The Break Down: Hunter Burton Memorial Open results to chew on.
The Dive Down: Rainbow Rhino and Goryo's Vengeance decks to stew on.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_K4L
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:20 - Heavy Play gets a thumbs up
6:53 - This week's episode/housekeeping
10:16 - The Break Down begins: The HBMO Modern Event
53:34 - Stan plays Goryo's Vengeance
1:06:05 - Stan and Shane played the new Rainbow Rhinos
1:32:39 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 266: Violent Reactions to a Modern Outburst Mar 14, 2024

The mad lads did it, they banned our beloved Violent Outburst in Modern. We're not particularly happy about the outcome or its communication, but we discuss what it means for Cascade decks and the format moving forward.

In today's episode, we delve into the somewhat surprising B&R announcement and discuss the survivability of Cascade strategies moving forward. We assess some potential winners and losers from the news, including some decks to watch out for in the coming weeks, including Yawgmoth, Titan, Reaninator, Creativity, and more. We also express our concerns about the ban announcement lacking detailed data, as we had hoped for more transparent communication from Wizards of the Coast. The absence of bans in Pioneer also caught our attention, and we critiqued the announcement for its perceived shortcomings, urging for greater detail and insight in future communications.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_P6W
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:15 - Heavy Play will not be banned
4:52 - This week's episode/housekeeping
7:32 - The Dive Down begins: Violent Outburst is banned!
32:33 - How we feel about the actual ban
45:00 - Where does Rhinos go?
50:50 - Where does Modern go?
1:02:25 - What about Pioneer?
1:13:45 - Yes, we talked about Balatro again
1:29:47 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
March 11 B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/march-11-2024-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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 265: Why Does Everyone Hate Modern Now? Mar 07, 2024

A discourse is brewing on this week's Dive Down, as the rhino boyz reflect on some of the issues Modern players seem to have with the current format and metagame. Can we close Pandora's box of free spells and triomes? Will MH3 save us? Or could WOTC do something more... drastic..?

The Break Down: Devon asked, you answered.

The Dive Down: Eight Hateful Hypotheses

The Wind Down: Love that joker... for about 20 minutes.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_P6W
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:30 - Heavy Play: easy to open
8:09 - This week's episode/housekeeping
11:50 - The Dive Down begins: Modern's Hate Hypotheses
21:25 - Grief.
27:55 - Cascade.
39:15 - Free spells.
49:35 - The mana.
58:37 - The One Ring/Bowmasters.
1:07:51 - Modern is stale.
1:12:16 - Did a perfect Modern ever exist?
1:19:50 - The Wind Down: It's Balatro time!
1:38:18 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 264: Rippin’ Veins & Takin’ Names at MagicCon Chicago Feb 29, 2024

Last weekend was MagicCon Chicago — and wow are we tired, friends. Join the Rhino Boyz as we recap the main event, side events, and small events that made up what was a great weekend in the Motor City! Shane give a metagame breakdown of the PT. Stan takes a shot at the cup. D00m plays the hero. Dave falls in love with a bunch of real Jokers.

• They Broke It
• Rats, Assassins, Villians, and Free Spells
• We Tried It

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:38 - Heavy Play is not on a PIP
6:18 - This week's show/housekeeping
10:42 - The Break Down begins: MagicCon Chicago!
14:11 - A Pro Tour MKM breakdown
39:08 - The PT Top 8
41:46 - Final thoughts on the PT
45:04 - 4 new sets from the MC Preview Panel
1:10:53 - An interview with Blake Rasmussen and Roy Graham from WOTC
1:32:30 - The Dive Down begins: Rakdos Vampires takes a bite out of Pioneer
1:52:48 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
PT Meta on Melee: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/52679
Frank Karsten's WR%s: https://twitter.com/karsten_frank/status/1761570878737748061/photo/1
Preview card reference: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/future-sets-spoilers-february-23-modern-horizons-3-thunder-junction-bloomburrow-and-assassin-s-creed
Seth Manfield's/CFB's RB Vampires Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6211825#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 263: What Are We Playing in Chicago? Plus NRG... Chicago Feb 22, 2024

The MagicCon is finally upon us. We prepare for a weekend full of side events by looking at the most exciting innovations for our favorite formats, and figure out how to win the most tickets for the coveted prize wall.

We take a look at Modern and Standard results since the release of Murders, plus whatever Pioneer results we can get our hands on, to share our favorite decks in each format and what strategies appear to be performing best too.

We also stop by the first NRG Series Open of the year in beauitiful Elmhurst, Illinois to chat with Dom Harvey, Misplaced Ginger, and Christian Calcano!

Don't forget, sign up for the officicial Dive Down afterparty at thedivedown.com/chicago!

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:56 - Heavy Play: not complicated
6:04 - This week's show/housekeeping
12:37 - The Break Down begins: The NRG Chicago Pioneer $10k
19:05 - An interview with Derek Pite (aka Misplaced Ginger)
27:27 - Back to NRG Chicago
39:38 - The NRG Chicago Standard $5k
42:50 - The Dive Down begins: Planning for Magiccon Chicago!
48:58 - What we're playing in Modern
1:07:55 - What we're playing in Pioneer
1:18:58 - An interview with Dom Harvey
1:29:21 - Some Standard thoughts
1:42:04 - An interview with Christian Calcano
1:48:10 - Some final stuff about Magiccon Chicago
1:50:11 - Wrapping up

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 262: Rainbow Rhinos and 19,442 Matches of Modern Feb 15, 2024

Join us this week as we discuss how Modern has gone rainbow. The full compliment of Rhino Boys — Dave, Devon, Shane, and Stan — are together for the first time this year. We're talking about Modern in upheaval and the results from all the RCs this last weekend.

• thedivedown.com/chicago
• Rhino Supremacy, Part XXIV
• Lifelink, Hexproof, Trample, First Strike, Vigilance

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
0:01 - A big announcement!
5:05 - Heavy mise en Play-ce
7:56 - This week's episode/housekeeping
14:51 - The Dive Down: Modern Upheaval, and not the card
17:40 - The Dallas RC meta and Leyline Rhinos
25:30 - Dallas winrates and conversion rates
38:15 - The Dallas top 8 and other Modern events
44:29 - A giant winrate matrix
56:10 - Up-and-coming decks from the past weekend
1:08:41 - Dave played Leyline Zoo
1:16:02 - Stan played Leyline Rhinos
1:23:40 - Devon played Goryo's Vengeance Asmo stuff
1:30:02 - Some brief Pioneer NRG prep chat
1:33:05 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Denver RC listsing: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/54549
@AzoriusI's data: https://twitter.com/AzoriusI/status/1757036428674891821?t=eUvsssljH2AZZ0U3SmOWpA&s=19
Typical Rainbow Rhinos List (from Mack Endress): https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/363672
Modern Matrix from MtgDecks.net: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/winrates/range:custom_2024-02-09_2024-02-12
d00mwake's Goryo's Vengeance list: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6173859#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 261: SCGCON Hartford & MKM Cards Appear! Feb 08, 2024

RC Denver is coming up. MagicCon Chicago is coming up. As a bit of an amuse bouche for these giant upcoming events, this week Dave and Shane take a look at SCGCON Hartford — Modern $10ks, Pioneer Events — and talk about MKM cards that we've seen pop up across our formats. Leyline? Surveil? More?

• SCGCON Hartford's Modern $10ks
• Surveiling the Landscape
• Leyline is where?

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:01 - Heavy Play is out of sight
4:50 - This week's episode/housekeeping
12:17 - SCG Hartford Modern 10k(s) check-in
23:15 - Saturday's Top 8 and general performance chat
36:28 - Sunday's Modern 10k
49:50 - New cards in Hartford's Pioneer events
53:55 - New decks from our favorite streamers
1:11:49 - Wrapping up

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 260: Modern RC in Ghent & MKM Previews pt.2 Feb 01, 2024

This week Shane returns, and in celebration we take a quick trip to Ghent to recap the Modern RC this week. What's going on in Modern as we make our way towards the next RC in Denver? But first (well, second, actually) — the last cards we like from MKM, and our top 5 lists!

• The More Modern Stays the Same, the More it Changes
• Rhino Supremacy, Part XVI
• More Orrible Murder

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:54 - We can talk about Heavy Play
5:34 - This week's show/housekeeping
12:07 - The Break Down: Legacy European Championship Ghent
16:27 - Dave's Cool Decks, Inc diversion
22:52 - Deck performances
27:37 - The top 8
31:00 - Takes and takeaways
37:37 - The Dive Down: Week 2 of Murders at Markov Manor spoilers!
40:44 - Reenact the Crime
46:16 - Insidious Roots
50:49 - Break Out
57:55 - Gleaming Geardrake
57:56 - Tomik, Wielder of Law
1:01:21 - Pick Your Poison
1:05:16 - Assemble the Players
1:17:15 - Case of the Gorgon's Kiss
1:10:01 - Forensic Researcher
1:15:16 - Case of the Uneaten Feast
1:19:45 - Our Top 5 lists
1:39:26 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Ghent matchup grids: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/legacy-european-championship-ghent-legacy-european-tour-tournament-150715/winrates

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 259: Only Murders in the Guilding (Previews, v1) Jan 25, 2024

It's a simple show this week... or is it? Dave and Devon dive into the previews to date of the latest set — Murders at Karlov Manor! Tune in as we discuss Disguises, Cloaks, and whether the Mole God lives up to the hype (spoiler: it does).

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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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
1:10 — Getting Heavy
4:00 — Tell Us If You’re Coming to Chicago!
4:45 — Spoiler: We’re Talking About Cards!
5:45 — Housekeeping
7:00 — It’s Cards!!
8:00 — It’s Rules!!
9:18 — Disguise
13:11 — Cloak
16:49 — Investigate
18:28 — Collect Evidence
23:01 — Suspect
23:17 — Cases
27:56 — Split Cards
30:40 — Just Random Cards
30:55 — Lightning Helix
33:24 — No More Lies
36:15 — Warleader’s Call
39:41 — Proft’s Eidetic Memory
43:25 — Krenko, Baron of Tin Street & Crime Novelist
47:37 — Fugitive Codebreaker
51:10 — Treacherous Greed
55:20 — Intrude on the Mind
58:52 — Massacre Girl, Known Killer
1:02:25 — Doorkeeper Thrull
1:05:53 — Leyline of the Guildpact
1:10:34 — Delney, Streetwise Lookout
1:13:28 — Anzrag the Quake-Mole
1:17:28 — Archdruid’s Charm
1:21:58 — Urgent Necropsy
1:25:36 — Kylox’s Voltstrider
1:30:08 — Sharp-Eyed Rookie
1:32:32 — Long Goodbye
1:33:04 — Surveil Lands
1:36:00 — One More Thing

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 258: What is Standard Right Now? Jan 18, 2024

Join Shane and Devon as they embark on an epic journey through the realm of... Standard. Yes, Standard. With RCQ season in full swing, it's time to look over all the decks you need to know to be prepared. The boys look at the recent history of standard, how WOTC is trying to revitalize it, and provide insight on basically all the decks in the format. With everything from hyper-aggro to over-the-top ramp, this format has something for everyone!

The Dive Down: It's Standard.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:22 - Heavy Play: not bad
5:45 - This week's show/housekeeping
10:24 - Standard then and now
22:09 - So what IS Standard?
27:28 - What does Standard look like right now?
28:11 - Domain Ramp
32:19 - Esper Midrange
34:32 - Rakdos Discover
37:54 - Golgari Midrange
43:00 - Azorius Soldiers/Flash
48:14 - Mono-Red Aggro
54:57 - Azorius Tokens
1:00:26 - The other midrange decks
1:10:06 - Big Rakdos
1:12:45 - Azorius Craft
1:16:30 - Bant Toxic
1:21:34 - Azorius Tempo
1:24:19 - How to approach Standard in the RCQ season
1:33:54 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Frank's Metagame Mentor article: https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-everything-you-need-to-win-your-early-2024-standard-rcq

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 257: What is Modern Right Now? Jan 11, 2024

It's time for The Dive Down to get back to work! We're fully into 2024 and this week Shane and Dave are diving deep into what Modern is right now. Tune in as we discuss SCG Cincinnati's 20K and 10K along with the most recent MTGO Showcase Challenge and try to answer some of the formats biggest questions. How dare Scam still exist? How did Rhinos get to be 14% of the meta at the 20K? Is Yawgmoth the new top moth? All this and more on this week's Dive Down.

• Queen City Callbacks
• Not Dead After All After All
• Sometimes UW Control Can Be Good

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_3YO
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:57 - A Heavy Play surprise
8:27 - Housekeeping/this week's episode
12:51 - The Dive Down begins: What is Modern in 2024?
15:59 - The SCG Cincinnati $20K meta and performance
42:34 - The MTGO Showcase Challenge meta and performance
56:35 - So what's going on in Modern right now?
1:11:55 - The NRG Championship results
1:16:43 - A tiny Wind Down
1:20:27 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
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Episode 256: New Year... New Formats? Jan 04, 2024

This week's episode is not about about Modern or Pioneer! Instead, we fire off our free passes to MTGO's Vintage Cube and figure out how D00mwake became one of the format's trophy leaders. We also dust off our Arena accounts to play a little Timeless. Are we picking up new formats for the show? Only one way to find out!

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTWENTYTHREE 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:18 - Heavy Play is also wonderful
4:24 - This week's episode/housekeeping
8:28 - It's Vintage Cube time!
54:57 - The best cards in Vintage Cube
1:14:00 - Beaudelaire is back, baby
1:17:00 - Time for... Timeless
1:39:44 - Wrapping up

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 255: The Birds Are Back in Town, ft. CCR & OafMcNamara Dec 28, 2023

Izzet Phoenix is back on the menu so we're diving back in for the first time in 5 years! Stan is joined by CCR from MTG Grindcast, along with the Pioneer trophy leader & Izzet Phoenix aficionado OafMcNamara to break down the deck in all its controlling glory.

We chat in great detail about how to evaluate the cantrips and removal spells in a turbo xerox deck, how it pairs up against other top decks in the metagame, how to maximize its various flex slots, the benefits of Izzet over Grixis, and so much more. We have a couple true Phoenix masters on this episode so the level ups are imminent.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTWENTYTHREE 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:42 - Heavy Phoenix Play
5:15 - Housekeeping/This week's show
7:35 - This isn't your Modern's Phoenix
12:43 - Phoenix's gameplan and deck construction
37:49 - Cantrips. Just cantrips.
53:54 - The removal
1:00:52 - The flex cards
1:13:21 - Matchups
1:27:50 - Grixis Phoenix??
1:34:10 - Fable and other considerations
1:41:18 - Wrapping up and where to find our guests

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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Episode 254: RC Atlanta is Over and So is 2023 Dec 21, 2023

With all the discourse swirling around Dreamhack Atlanta, the Dive Down boys decide to avoid it at all costs and just look at the cold hard facts - which decks did well, which decks did poorly, what did the matchup spreads look like, and where does Pioneer go from here. We also wrap up the show with an extended wind down recapping some of our favorite moments from Magic, podcasting, and pop culture.

Finally, at long last, UW control is good (in Pioneer). Thanks to Temporary Lockdown lining up just right against the latest builds of Rakdos Midrange and the up and coming Amalia combo, along with a ton of other counterspells and removal cards, control finally found a weekend to dominate the metagame.

And in case you were wondering what kind of movies, music, TV, podcasts, and video games we've been consuming all year, we take a chance to finally recap our favorites from the year as well.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTWENTYTHREE 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:55 - The Heavy Play fence
4:34 - This week's episode/housekeeping
9:59 - The Break Down: The Atlanta Pioneer RC
37:21 - Takeaways from the weekend
52:14 - What's up with this meta?
1:00:20 - Stan Smells Better
1:02:13 - The Wind Down: Your hosts are talking
1:03:08 - Our favorite Magic things this year
1:07:30 - Best new host of the year
1:09:16 - Our favorite episodes of the year
1:13:59 - Stan's favorite thing
1:14:35 - The card(s) of the year
1:16:51 - The card(s) we would revoke from existence
1:19:30 - Magic is good
1:21:25 - Music we liked this year
1:25:32 - Movies we liked this year
1:28:38 - TV we liked this year
1:33:30 - Podcasts we liked this year
1:40:41 - Video games we liked this year
1:46:42 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/28009
https://twitter.com/karsten_frank/status/1736897130722140214/photo/2

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 253: RC Atlanta Preview: Amalia, Copters, & More Dec 14, 2023

RC Atlanta is looming, so this week the team is diving into Pioneer. Dave, Devon, and Shane take a spin through what's happened to the format since the bans early last week. Is Copter rising? Is Mono Green Devotion dead? Where's Phoenix right now? How did Shane like the new hotness Amalia Combo — a deck that Dave hated a couple of weeks ago? Turn in to find out.

Don't worry if Pioneer isn't your thing, we still spend some time on Modern going through the results of the Legacy European Tour: Barcelona Modern main event. Lots of interesting results to consider after this 700+ person tournament.

Scam Still Won... Big?
Infinite Loops No One Understands
The Most Popular Deck Doesn't Have Copter
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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTWENTYTHREE 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:01 - Have you heard the Heavy word?
4:19 - This week's show/housekeeping/patreon highlight
10:04 - The Break Down begins: The Legacy European Tour Barcelona overall meta
23:37 - The Top 64 meta and conversion rates
27:24 - The Top 8
35:10 - We travel to Arrakis
38:04 - The Dive Down begins: prepping for RC Atlanta
39:24 - The effects of Pioneer's recent bans
57:20 - Lost Caverns of Ixalan's additions (including Amalia combo)
1:13:57 - What will happen at the RC, and what d00m is (probably) playing
1:24:15 - Predicting the RC meta
1:30:02 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 252: Four Bans, Too Furious Dec 05, 2023

The mad lads did it! Fury... banned. Up the Beanstalk... banned. Karn, the Great Creator... banned. Geological Appraiser... banned. Smuggler's Copter... once banned, now unbanned. We react to the bombshell B&R, consider which decks win and lose from the announcement, and think about what looks good for RC Atlanta.

Our hands shook with anticipation as we vigorously refreshed the B&R URL on Monday morning. Wizards promised bans in Modern & Pioneer, and they practically told us they were banning Fury, Beans, Karn, and Appraiser, but maybe it was an elaborate bit? Turns out, not a bit! And what's this, Smuggler's Copter finally unbanned? There's so much to talk about, and so soon before the Pioneer RC in Atlanta.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWNTWENTYTHREE 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
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 - Hold your non-banned cards with Heavy Play
6:28 - This week's episode/housekeeping
9:31 - The Break Down begins: We got some bans
13:48 - The B&R schedule moving forward
18:51 - Pioneer bans overall
22:46 - Karn, the Great Creator banned
31:10 - Geological Appraiser banned
33:49 - Smuggler's Copter UNBANNED!
46:56 - Pioneer winners and losers
51:10 - Testing those new scents
54:35 - The Break Down continues: Fury banned in Modern
1:07:56 - Up the Beanstalk banned
1:13:45 - Modern winners and losers
1:26:53 - Where do we go from here?
1:30:39 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/december-4-2023-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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 251: Regional Championships and Unusual Discoveries in Pioneer Nov 30, 2023

On this week's show, The Dive Down breaks down results from a variety of Pioneer RCs that took place in Asia, Latin America, and Canada. Our eyes pop out at some numbers from the new Discover decks, and we check-in on the final NRG Series open of the year.

Three regional championships in one weekend, AND an NRG Series open? Yes please! Shane, Devon, and Stan chat about results from the latest batch of high level Pioneer play, and focus on the best and worst performing decks internationally. Discover had some... frightning results. But Phoenix has once again rose from the ashes. Who knew instant speed removal can be good?

Then we wrap up with a check-in on the Modern Open results from NRG Madison.

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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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
7:02 - Devon talks Heavy Play
8:12 - This week's show
10:56 - The Break Down begins - Pioneer Regional Championships!
13:56 - The Japan/Korea RC
34:03 - The South America RC
41:16 - Some combined data
44:05 - The Canada RC
51:12 - What do we know about Pioneer now?
1:03:04 - Stan speaks
1:05:00 - The NRG Madison Modern 10k
1:24:33 - The NRG leaderboard update
1:28:00 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Japan & Korea Regional Championship
https://mtgmeta.io/tournaments/17934
https://melee.gg/tournament/view/15433

South America RC
https://mtgmeta.io/tournaments/17939
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/39553

Canada RC
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/17096

NRG Madison Modern Open: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/15654

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 250: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Lost Caverns Edition Nov 23, 2023

On this week's show, the ha ha boys take some new cards from Lost Caverns of Ixalan for a spin in Modern and Pioneer. They cast Tishana's Tidebinder, Geological Appraiser, Warden of the Inner Sky, and more!

Holy moly, LCI has already made quite the splash! In its first week live, it's already led to a huge disruption to Pioneer, along with some interesting upgrades for Modern. Stan and Dave chat about Pioneer Merfolk, playing Modern Rhinos with Tidebinder, and then Devon jumps in to talk about Boros Convoke, Temur Discover, and a few more brews that might surprise you.

Check out our Black Friday deal at thedivedown.com/store and use promo code horndogs for 15% off your order!

The Dive Down: Stan Loves Merfolk
The Dive Down cont.: Dave of the Inner Sky
The Dive Down cont. cont.: Devon Discovers Something Broken

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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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:12 - Capitalism time
5:50 - This week's show/housekeeping
9:31 - The Dive Down begins: New cards, new decks!
11:51 - Tishana's Tidebinder in Modern Rhinos
23:14 - A few other Modern tidbits
25:36 - Amalia combo in Pioneer
33:41 - Black Friday deals!
36:28 - Boros Convoke with Warden of the Inner Sky
46:21 - Simic Merfolk with lots of new cards
57:52 - Hollow One is back?
1:07:36 - Temur Discover
1:23:18 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:

Amalia/Wildgrowth Walker: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/pioneer-abzan-amalia-combo#paper
Pascal Maynard’s Boros Legends https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5982814#paper
Boros Convoke with Warden of the Inner Sky https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5984424#paper
Pioneer Simic Merfolk: https://twitter.com/claudiohmtg/status/1724852503836045703
Modern Rhinos ft. Tidebinder: https://twitter.com/DackFayden07/status/1725947372348604759
Pioneer Discover: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5993199#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 249: These Rhinos Ride Again Nov 16, 2023

This week on The Dive Down we get back to basics. Stan and Shane focus on the three things The Dive Down does best: a) break down a large Modern tournament (SCG Pittsburgh), 2) give some takes about Rhinos, and iii) have a heartfelt conversation about MTG Universes Beyond. Mono White Hammer, Halo Forager, Sheoldred, and Captain America – what do they have in common? They're all here for this week's episode of The Dive Down.

The Break Down: SCG Pittsburgh
The Dive Down: New Cards, Old Rhinos
The Wind Down: Beyond Universes Beyond

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:43 - Stan gets Heavy
9:57 - This week's show/housekeeping
13:20 - The Break Down: The SCGCON Pittsburgh Modern $10k
36:15 - The Dive Down: Is Sheoldred Rhinos good?
43:18 - Sheoldred
57:33 - Halo Forager
1:00:36 - Commandeer
1:06:43 - Subtlety
1:18:29 - Brotherhood's End/Obsidian Charmaw
1:24:51 - The Wind Down: Our takes on Marvel in Magic
1:37:23 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 248: The Last Caverns of Ixalan (Spoilers Part 2) Nov 09, 2023

It's time for the final spoiler episode of 2023! We think? We go through the full spoiler from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan and talk about the cards we think will have the most impact... that we haven't already spoken about. What lands from this lands set do we actually think could be worth trying? Did they finally fix Smuggler's Copter? How Bitter will our Triumphs be? Have we Lost any Corpses? Did we Cleave any Souls? Not really — but tune in to find out what we think of some of these cards!

• What Devon Would Do with One Billion Dollars
• Shane Has a Favorite Doors Song
• Dave Has Lubed the Headset

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:30 - Heavy Play
6:03 - This week's show & housekeeping
8:55 - The Dive Down begins: MORE CARDS
10:52 - Volatile Fault
13:57 - Echoing Deeps
16:31 - Restless Anchorage
18:25 - Dusk Rose Reliquary
22:02 - Stalactite Stalker
24:45 - Goblin Tomb Raider
27:33 - Dreadmaw's Ire
29:41 - Tarrian's Soulcleaver
33:10 - Subterranean Schooner
33:57 - Dauntless Dismantler
38:55 - Bitter Triumph
41:24 - Fanatical Offering/Fungal Fortitude
43:25 - Zoyowa's Justice
45:47 - Sentinel of the Nameless City
48:39 - Corpses of the Lost
52:35 - Bloodletter of Aclazotz
58:49 - Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
1:02:23 - Our favorite cards
1:11:54 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 247: Getting Lost in the Caverns of Ixalan Nov 02, 2023

For the 375th time this year, we descend into the madness of trying to work out what cards from a new set will make an impact in our formats. It's Lost Caverns of Ixalan time! Spelunk with us as Dave, Shane, and Devon debate the great questions of this set. Which removal card is better — Get Lost or Molten Collapse? Which combo piece unlocks more combinations — The Millennium Calendar or Bartolome del Presidio? Which Merfolk is the most... gilly (?) — Tishana's Tidebender or Cenote Scout? You decide! But listen first before... you decide!

• Is this Removal Good?
• Are These Combo Cards Good?
• The Splendid Descended

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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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:54 - Heavy Play!
5:57 - This week's show/housekeeping
7:48 - The Break Down begins: Metagame Mentor and the state of Modern
17:12 - The standout decks right now
24:23 - The Dive Down begins: The Lost Caves of Ixalan!
27:18 - Get Lost
32:17 - Molten Collapse
37:03 - Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
41:26 - The Ancient One
46:33 - Souls of the Lost
49:53 - Spelunking
53:14 - Restless Vents
55:45 - Enterprising Scallywag
58:42 - Glimpse the Core
1:02:24 - Helping Hand
1:04:42 - Tishana's Tidebinder
1:09:11 - Cenote Scout/Nicanzil, Current Conductor
1:13:07 - The Millenium Calendar
1:17:14 - Market Gnome
1:18:51 - Amalia Benavides Aguirre
1:20:39 - Bartolome del Presidio
1:24:03 - Squirming Emergence
1:29:37 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Dr. Frank's Office Hours: https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-the-top-15-modern-decks-for-november-2023

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 246: The Apocalypse, The Druid, and The New Cards Oct 26, 2023

Could the right move in Modern be... adding a 4mv black card to Rhinos? Playing a green 2 drop over Murktide in... Murktide? What is even going on right now? We believe there's new stuff to try in Modern even now! Tune in to hear Devon almost take Rhinos + Sheoldred all the way and hear Dave come to the grim realization that casting Divinations is the only thing that makes him feel something in this crazy world. We try out new lists, new ideas, all in a quest to somehow beat both Beans and Scam with the same deck. Can it be done? Not yet... but we think people (and Devon) may be onto something. After we talk what we've been playing in Modern, we dive into descending into some of the first cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

• Devon Goes There ft. Sheoldred
• Dave Plays Cheap Spells ft. Questing Druid
• Shane Descends Into Spoilers

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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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.
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And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:03 - Heavy Play time
6:59 - On this week's show
8:02 - Housekeeping
11:33 - The Dive Down begins: d00m makes the finals with Sheoldred Rhinos
35:22 - Dave tests Temur Tempo
55:33 - Spiderspace's Grixis Tempo deck (briefly)
57:53 - The Break Down begins: Spoiler season returns - Lost Caves of Ixalan!
58:58 - Craft & The Enigma Jewel
1:03:01 - Discover & Geological Appraiser
1:06:22 - Descend & The Mycotyrant (also Map Tokens)
1:12:30 - Saheeli, the Sun's Brilliance
1:14:54 - Spyglass Siren
1:16:45 - Jadelight Spelunker
1:19:15 - Abuelo, Ancestral Echo
1:21:35 - Quintorius Kand
1:26:00 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
d00mwake's Rhinos + Sheoldred: https://x.com/d00mwake/status/1716509786089443466?s=20
Andrea Mengucci's Temur Murktideless Murktide: https://x.com/Mengu09/status/1716078994670428517?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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 245: Never Play the Fourth Bean, ft. Aspiringspike Oct 19, 2023

Come back home for some beans, ya hear? We know you've had a lot of legumes lately, but this week The Dive Down has a special chef here to cook for us — Evart Moughon. Evart joins Dave and Shane to talk through his Up the Beanstalk brews including Cascade, Calibrated Blast, and more. Since this was recorded on (Non) Ban Day, we also spend some time getting his reactions to the current state of Modern and what he really thinks about Scam/Grief. Lastly, to close out the show, we dip our toes back into Pioneer and take a look at The NRG Series Showdown in Indianapolis.

• Meet our new sponsor: Pedialyte!
• No changes to all formats but meet our new boosters!
• Lean into the bean
• NRG Indianapolis Pioneer Showdown

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
4:15 - Shane's Heavy Play XP
6:00 - This week's show/housekeeping
9:31 - The Break Down begins - (lack of) bans!
43:35 - Talkin' beards
46:54 - The Dive Down begins - Cascade Beans
56:40 - How this deck works
1:10:18 - Fighting the Bean
1:20:40 - The Dive Down, cont: The NRG Indy Showdown Pioneer $10k
1:28:12 - The top 8
1:32:16 - Some Pioneer takes
1:36:48 - The NRG standings
1:38:40 - Shane's extremely brief RCQ report and wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Honestly just: https://www.moxfield.com/users/aspiringspike

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 244: To Ban or Not to Ban, Scam is the Question Oct 12, 2023

No one fully understands the timing of the upcoming B&R announcement, but public opinion in Modern is swelling around Scam. Is it time to make a change to Modern? We look at the deck's performance, play patterns, and popularity to consider Wizard's options.

The Dive Down boys are divided. Some of us like the deck! But it's insanely popular right now, and the Grief play patterns can be pretty annoying. Messing with the ban list seems a bit awkward during the Modern RCQ season, but maybe saving people from the turn one Scam play would be a welcome change?

The Dive Down: Luv2Grief
The Dive Down, cont: More of a Dauthi head myself
The Dive Down, still cont: This discussion isn't dead after all

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:58 - Heavy Beeps
6:25 - Housekeeping
9:42 - Why we are talking about Scam
13:13 - How did we get here?
21:13 - Scam's current place in the meta
39:12 - Our experiences with Scam
46:11 - How good is Scam, really?
1:00:11 - What's maybe not so good about Scam
1:12:07 - How you can beat Scam
1:20:08 - Winter scents
1:22:50 - Does Scam deserve a ban?
1:31:15 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 243: Pioneer RCs, Coffers, Scales, & One Huge Dinosaur Oct 05, 2023

This week what's on the tin is in the show! We begin to dip back into Pio and cover the recent RCs in the EU and Canada, talk Modern Coffers and Scales, and finally chat a little about new cards from our imminent return to Ixalan.

• LEC Lille Pioneer
• Devon talks RCQs, Dave gets mathy
• Cavern of Souls is back... but why?

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
6:03 - Playing Heavy
11:20 - Housekeeping
15:36 - The Break Down begins: The Lille Pioneer RC
25:56 - The Lille Top 8
34:28 - The Face2Face Calgary Pioneer event
36:39 - The flat Pioneer metagame
42:15 - Getting Hollow
45:33 - The Dive Down begins: Devon's Coffers RCQ
1:05:42 - Dave played Hardened Scales
1:27:51 - Talking some fresh spoilers
1:38:15 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
LEC Lille Results: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/16639
F2F Tour Championship: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/17095
Pioneer Winrates: https://mtgdecks.net/Pioneer/winrates/event_ids:141948,142011,142012
Modern Hardened Scales: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5888059#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 242: This Episode is Full of Beans Sep 28, 2023

We finally cast the new card in town and played a couple Up the Beanstalk decks in Modern and... Standard?! Plus some new Modern Prowess builds, and a recap of Stan's latest RCQ.

Stan reached another top 8 finish in a Modern RCQ, and we recap his latest Rhino learning from the tournament. Then he keeps on casting free spells with a crazy Invasion of Alara Standard Cascade deck featuring Up the Beanstalk. Meanwhile, Shane learns to love 5C Bring to Light Beans. While d00mwake admits how much he hates Omnath decks and just played Prowess instead.

The Break Down: The joy and pain of another top 8
The Dive Down: The musical fruit
The Dive Down cont.: Playing Prowess without Dave

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:

Links from this week's episode:
Stan's Rhino Deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5841110#paper
d00mwake's Rhino Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/waHIPFpV1UyF6II44-YS7w
Modern Bring to Light Beans: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5878236#paper
Standard Cascade: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5870855#paper
Gruul Prowess: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-Ii6mZEKQ0CnfLoATc4q1g
Jeskai Prowess: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/nMdLGyE670G6s1BFzLLHfQ

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 241: Don't Play Control in Modern & RCQ Prep, ft. George Jabbour Sep 21, 2023

President of the Narset fan club, George Jabbour, joins Stanislav to go over some tips to prep for the upcoming Modern RCQ season, a brand new sideboard guide tool, and why playing control is such a pain in the @$$.

Stan and George are gearing up for some Modern RCQs this weekend, so they swap notes on how they prepare for competitive tournaments in any format. Plus, George talks about his brand new sideboard tool, flexslot.gg, which he developed himself and is free for anyone to use.

Finally, we dive into control strategies, which are near and dear to George's heart, to go over why they're so tough to play, how they stack up against today's Modern metagame, and why some people should probably avoid them.

The Break Down: How to prepare for a Modern tournament.
The Dive Down: Never playing control again.

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
1:12 - Stan gets Heavy
3:33 - Housekeeping
5:55 - George in the Grinder's Studio
17:41 - Tournament prep practices
48:19 - Sideboarding and flexslot.gg
1:00:25 - Special Shane smell appearance
1:04:40 - Talking about Control
1:14:07 - How to think about playing Control
1:21:48 - Evaluating Control finishers
1:27:47 - Controls matchups
1:36:38 - Promoting George
1:38:33 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
https://linktr.ee/jabjabber
https://shuddermtg.substack.com/p/how-bad-practice-can-make-you-worse-085

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 240: WOE Betides Modern & Pioneer Sep 14, 2023

Hello Magical Friends! This week it's all about WOE and the new cards that are making an impact in Modern and Pioneer. Turns out that this return to Eldraine might actually be hiding a little bit of power in it after all. First, we dive into Modern. Devon's been running hot with Mono-Black Coffers lately — thanks in no small part to a chase mythic that's a perfect fit for the deck. We also spend some time talking about two cards that look to be new format staples: Agatha's Soul Caludron and Up the Beanstalk. After that we hop over to Pioneer. At first glance, it looks like WOE has given aggro decks in Pioneer a bunch of new tools... but which ones are actually any good? We think you otter tune in to find out how just far this bunnicorn go. If you know what we mean. Actually, we don't know what we mean... just tune in anyway! It's another week on The Dive Down!

• New Stuff!
• Modern & Devon's Success
• Pioneer & Aggro Decks

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Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23
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 - Improve your gameplay and your gameday
8:10 - Housekeeping
10:43 - Modern Starts: Mono-Black Coffers
22:05 - Talkin' 'bout Talisman and Beseech the Mirror
36:45 - What makes Coffers good?
44:33 - Agatha's Soul Cauldron & Up the Beanstalk
1:02:04 - Smell Break
1:05:19 - Pioneer Starts: Boros Convoke ft. Regal Bunnicorn
1:22:19 - Elusive Otter in Izzet Prowess
1:32:40 - Devon's other intriguing decks
1:43:40 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
D00mwake's latest Mono-Black Coffers List: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5855694#paper
Claudioh's Soulful Yawg List: https://twitter.com/claudiohmtg/status/1700788139806081409?s=20
Danzant's 75-Card Main 4c Bean List: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5855695#paper
D00mwake's Boros Convoke List: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/5L65haImFUuje1toa8N15A
WelcomeToTheInternet's Izzet Prowess List: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5849646#paper
D00mwake's Boggles List: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/wHNBKOkiOUijxke5Q3KoKA
D00mwake's Naya Pia List: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/AmkMP2PT80SIk9_P1UxO-g

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 239: Modern History: Infamous Sets & Iconic Moments Sep 07, 2023

This week we talk about the history of Modern through the lens of the most important — and infamous — sets covering everything from Alara to Zendikar. Actually saying "from Alara to Zendikar" sounds less impressive than I hoped. Forget that. We start all the way back with 8th Edition and we at least mention nearly all the sets currently in Modern (well at least like... 60% of them).

How did the sets designed before Modern was created impact the birth of this format? How did the format move from childhood into adolescence? What little detours ended up taking us into this Modern Horizons-driven reality? And most importantly... what were The Rhino Boys doing while all this was happening?

Join us for this special episode brought to you by long time sponsor AND top tier Patron — Will from Barrister and Mann. He made the rules and we made the ep. Hope you enjoy it!

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
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Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:58 - Heavy Playtime
10:00 - Housekeeping
14:03 - The story of Modern begins
19:22 - Eighth Edition
25:40 - Mirrodin
30:04 - Ravnica
35:20 - Time Spiral
43:45 - Alara
47:19 - Magic 2010
55:36 - Zendikar
1:01:10 - Scars of Mirrodin
1:04:45 - PT Philly
1:08:06 - Innistrad
1:11:58 - Return to Ravnica
1:16:30 - Modern Masters
1:24:45 - Khans of Tarkir
1:34:03 - Some later sets, and some takes
1:43:20 - What sets did the most good for Modern?
1:46:51 - Thanks, Will!

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 238: Wild 'n Out in Eldraine, pt.2 Aug 31, 2023

The full set is finally spoiled and we're back with the definitive opinions on what's good, what's bad, and what's just neat. We spend a lot of time chatting about some adventuring otters, introduce a once Modern playable cantrip to Pioneer, and head up the beanstalk to draw some cards.

• Adventure Awaits
• Virtue is a Virtue

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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 THEDIVEDOWN23
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
3:48 - Weighted Play
7:07 - Housekeeping
8:32 - Moonshaker Cavalry
12:38 - Elusive Otter
18:51 - Devouring Sugarmaw
22:21 - Frolicking Familiar
26:31 - Scalding Viper
33:18 - Hearth Elemental
37:12 - Questing Druid
38:55 - Mosswood Dreadknight
41:40 - Thunderous Debut
44:54 - Regal Bunnicorn
48:47 - Royal Treatment
50:35 - Quick Study
53:27 - Woodland Acolyte
58:25 - Soap's on Sale
1:01:40 - Sleight of Hand
1:05:50 - Up The Beanstalk
1:08:58 - Faerie stuff
1:14:07 - Collector's Vault/Candy Trail
1:16:08 - Virtue of Persistence/Virtue of Courage
1:18:47 - Sentinel of Lost Lore
1:21:56 - Takes on Wilds of Eldraine
1:23:49 - The bests of the set
1:33:06 - Wrapping up

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 237: Wild 'n Out in Eldraine, pt.1 Aug 24, 2023

It's that most magical time once again — it's spoiler season! Join Dave, Devon, and Shane as they begin surveying the Wilds of Eldraine. We're looking for new Adventures, causes for Celebration, and to take on new... Roles? Ok that didn't work for long. This week we talk about the cards and concepts from Eldraine that seem like they could make an impact in Modern and Pioneer.

But before we get to that, we talk with Devon about his recent RCQ win, Rac Sac, and how it feels to claim lots of goblins in a single day. Join us!

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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:
3:36 - The Heaviest Play
6:05 - Housekeeping
7:59 - Random Europe stories
10:36 - d00m finally won an RCQ!
18:50 - Wilds of Eldraine is here
21:55 - Adventures are back
23:10 - Decadent Dragon
29:44 - Callous Sellsword
33:56 - Kellan, the Fae-Blooded
37:36 - Knight of the Helix
39:42 - Creature Lands
50:18 - Choose your Role
53:26 - Monstrous Rage
56:01 - Not Dead After All
1:00:47 - Bargain
1:02:38 - Farsight Ritual
1:04:40 - Brave The Wilds
1:07:13 - Beseech The Mirror
1:09:48 - Celebration (briefly)
1:11:14 - Faerie Fencing and Ego Drain
1:14:22 - Enchantments matter (maybe)
1:15:21 - A Tale For The Ages and Yenna, Redtooth Regent
1:18:49 - Tough Cookie
1:21:38 - Agatha's Soul Cauldron
1:25:07 - Beluna Grandsquall
1:27:17 - Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender
1:31:02 - The Goose Mother
1:32:57 - Ruby, Daring Tracker
1:36:14 - 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: thedivedown@gmail.com
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Episode 236: Pondering Preordain & NRG Detroit, ft. SpiderSpace Aug 17, 2023

This week Shane and Stan are joined by returning guest Gabriel Maxson, aka SpiderSpace, to talk about the implications, impact, and potential uses of Preordain in Modern. Before that, we take a good look at the results from the NRD Detroit Modern $10k. How many copies of Preordain made the top 8? I guess we will never know....

The Break Down: NRG Detroit Results
The Dive Down: SpiderSpace on Preordain (aka Stan Loves Cantrips)

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Check out our sponsor Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN23 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:
6:21 - Housekeeping
9:40 - The NRG Detroit Modern $10k metagame
34:45 - The NRG Top 8
44:54 - The NRG leaderboard
46:46 - An ocean of aroma
48:26 - The Dive Down begins: What's the deal with Preordain?
51:31 - Why Preordain was banned in the first place
54:28 - How does Preordain compare to what we had before?
1:02:54 - Are cantrips even good in Modern?
1:07:50 - Preordain's role in particular decks
1:32:04 - Did we decide anything here?
1:41:10 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
NRG Detroit: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/15650
Find SpiderSpace on Twitter: https://twitter.com/spiderspacemtg?lang=en
Find SpiderSpace on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/spiderspace

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 235: Pro Tour Deck Tests, Modern Bans, and Future Product Plans Aug 10, 2023

On this week's episode, we kick off with a round of B&R reactions, followed by a recap of the upcoming product roadmap including Modern Horizons 3. Then we take some Pro Tour decks for a spin to see what these so-called pros have been cooking up.

Devon tells us about his experiences playing with Merfolk, Reanimator, and Samwise, Shane tries out some of the latest Tron builds, and Stan rams some wizards into Rhinos.

The Break Down: Preordain Unbanned!
The Break Down (cont.): Modern Horizon 3 is coming!
The Dive Down: New Modern decks fresh from Spain!

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
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
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And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
2:59 - Some important Patreon stuff
3:58 - Very Heavy Play
5:48 - Housekeeping
7:06 - The Break Down: Tired: Bans; Wired: Unbans
19:02 - The unbanning of Preordain
26:17 - No changes in Pioneer
37:03 - WOTC's GenCon annoucements - MH3, Pioneer Masters, and more!
49:28 - Spooky smells
52:10 - The Dive Down: Testing Pro Tour lists
52:55 - Stan plays CFB's Temur Wizard Rhinos
1:07:07 - Devon plays 4C Reanimator, Merfolk, Samwise combo, and more
1:22:04 - Shane plays Handshake G Tron
1:38:27 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/august-7-2023-banned-and-restricted-announcement
Rhino Wizards: https://www.channelfireball.com/article/Temur-Rhinos-Got-Some-Spicy-New-Tech-from-Lord-of-the-Rings/943a3c89-7c29-4747-a3dd-3c8d581386b6/
Handshake Tron: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/315233
Naya Scapeshift https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5771029#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 234: PT Barcelona Takeaways: What Happened, What it Might Mean Aug 03, 2023

This week Dave, Shane, and Stan go through the biggest things we learned from the Modern PT last week in Barcelona. It might feel like Rakdos and Tron led the story (and they did) but there's a lot of other things to be learned from what happened. What do we think about The One Ring's win rate? How many decks out of the top 80% of the meta had winning records? How much more can we talk about Rhinos? The answers and what we think they mean might surprise you.

• Only 10 Decks Had 50%+ Win Rate
• The One Ring Might Not Be Broken
• But Grief Probably Is

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
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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:
3:52 - Stan reps Heavy Play
5:28 - Housekeeping
7:33 - Headlines from the Modern Pro Tour
9:39 - 1: Rakdos was everywhere (and also won)
22:21 - 2: Five decks made up the top 57% of the meta
31:30 - 3: Tron is ... good. Right?
43:15 - 4: The less-represented decks were Not Good
50:02 - 5: Small Sample Size Theater
54:34 - 6: Only 10 deck archetypes had a 50+% winrate
56:15 - 7: The most popular cards might not have been the best
1:04:35 - 8: The top 32 had 13 different decks
1:09:12 - 9: The top 8 was stacked
1:12:34 - 10: What's next for Modern
1:20:48 - Does the PT impact Casual Spikes?
1:24:13 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
The decks of the Pro Tour: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/16429

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
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Episode 233: PT Barcelona Preview, ft. d00mwake Jul 27, 2023

It's almost PT Barcelona time — and we're super excited to talk through the decks, meta, and how we think everything is going to shape up this weekend. Shane, Dave, and Devon (aka d00mwake) go through all of the changes to Modern since LOTR and what we think that means to Pros and to the rest of us.

Once we get through a meta discussion, we decide to put pride on the line and do a fantasy draft of the archetypes — nothing like a little competition on top of competition. Shane goes all in on Scam. Dave grabs late round value. Devon goes for big mana. Who will reign supreme?

• What the Meta is
• How it Got There
• Fantasy Drafting the Meta

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
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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 - Dave spoils his intro
6:42 - Housekeeping
10:15 - The Modern Pro Tour is back!
17:02 - How the meta has shifted with LOTR
24:23 - Last weekend's 4 challenges
35:36 - What's shaping Modern's meta
41:30 - The One Ring decks
58:18 - The Bowmasters decks
1:05:07 - The combo... deck?
1:07:50 - The other contenders (and non-contenders)
1:16:45 - Fragrances for individuals
1:19:05 - The Pro Tour fantasy draft!
1:35:45 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Take a look at our draft board: https://www.figma.com/file/uHvwBeISD3a8PXfBvJVgf3/TDD-PT-LOTR-Draft-Board?type=whiteboard&node-id=0%3A1&t=3TczhXHJBK2Lig2q-1

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 232: Over the Top with The One Ring Jul 20, 2023

This week the boyz go over the top with the biggest decks that have gotten buffs from the LOTR set. Control and big mana strategies have been strengthened by The One Ring, so we take a trio of the best of them out for a test drive. That's right, it's time for Shane to break out his (nearly) all Russian deck, Mono-Green Tron. But before we get to that Stan professes his love for Mono-Black Coffers and Dave takes a spin with the Twitter hype deck of the week — UB Ring Control by Talisker.

• Mono-Black Coffers
• Dimir Control (from TaliskerMTGO)
• Mono-Green Tron

Check out Heavy Play to improve your gameplay and game day. Awesome deck boxes, playmats and more at heavyplay.com — and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2023" for 10% off your first order.
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:
2:05 - Heavy Play!
5:35 - Housekeeping
8:36 - Stan talks Mono-Black Coffers
14:38 - How Coffers works
21:30 - Playing Coffers
29:58 - Coffers in the Modern meta
34:31 - Dave talks Dimir Control
44:29 - Playing Dimir Control
51:12 - Stan has a box
54:40 - Shane talks Green Tron
1:01:45 - How Tron is different and better
1:15:45 - So let's talk about The One Ring
1:25:00 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Mono-Black Coffers by DreamsOfAshiok: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5740288#paper
UB Ring Control by Talisker: https://twitter.com/taliskermtgo/status/1679559848994676751?s=46
Mono-Green Tron by Giona Cai: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-mono-green-tron#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 231: Intercontinental Modern Tournament Results Jul 13, 2023

On this week's show, we continue to track the impact of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth on the Modern metagame with a detailed recap of tournaments all over the world and world wide web. We touch on the St. Louis NRG Team Trios, the Legacy European Tour Bologna event, and a bunch of Modern challenges.

We look at which decks converted the best across tournaments, who's seeing the most consistent results among the format's top archetypes, interesting trends within online data, and how we rank the current Modern staples.

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
Enhance your Magic accessories with the newest deck boxes, sleeves, and playmats from Heavy Play. Use code TheDiveDown2023 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com/
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
Receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code "DIVE8" at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/

Timestamps:
8:07 - Housekeeping
11:58 - Heavy Play x The Dive Down
14:00 - The St. Louis NRG Team Trios
27:33 - The NRG Top 8 decks
32:22 - The Legacy European Tour Bologna Modern Event
42:20 - Live Smells of Little Treats
47:02 - Legacy European Tour deck performance
1:01:18 - The Top 8
1:03:34 - Cool Challenge stuff
1:10:40 - Takes on Modern decks
1:23:32 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
NRG Series Team Trios in St. Louis - https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/15645
Legacy European Tour Modern Bologna - https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/16657

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 230: Put a Ring(s) on It Jul 06, 2023

This week we keep talking about THE PRECIOUSSSSs... because no one can stop putting this colorless 4-drop in their Modern decks. Dave and Devon go through at least 6 or 10 decks with the ring while Stan silently looks on and nods approvingly (he has no voice, yet he lent his energy and notes to this episode). Then we do a bit of a deep dive into how to think about playing against The One Ring — and try to create a roadmap for how to think about playing against format-warping cards in general. Finally, we talk quickly about a couple of non-Ring decks you can consider right now.

Rings Decks
Playing Against Rings Decks
Non-Rings Decks

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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:
1:48 - Housekeeping
3:39 - Modern is different, and The One Ring is why
5:30 - 4C Ringpile
15:14 - Ringos (and other chat)
29:10 - Ringanimator
37:20 - Dimir Asmoringtacular
42:13 - The emerging Ring Meta
44:35 - Azorius Ringtrol
46:26 - Playing against The One Ring
1:05:40 - Decks outside The One Ring
1:25:42 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Rhinos ft TOR
https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1674247337416310786
4C Money Pile
https://twitter.com/Fencingbrick/status/1674185814429900804/photo/3
https://twitter.com/CHERRYAXEMAN_OP/status/1674357284795809794
https://twitter.com/Aspiringspike/status/1675246156874498048
Ponza ft TOR
https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1674838758108037128
Reanimator ft TOR
https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1673860448347619328
UW Control ft TOR
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5707375#paper
Dimir Asmo w/ TOR
https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1675667766634860544
Scam ft. Bowmasters
https://twitter.com/YungDingoMTG/status/1672503676840058880/photo/1
Samwise combo
https://twitter.com/d00mwake/status/1672268892868161536
Creativity playing Reprieve
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-2023-06-30#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 229: NRG Chicagoland & the Power of The One Ring, ft. d00mwake Jun 29, 2023

We finally return to Modern!! Shane and Devon join forces to break down a bunch of tournaments from last weekend, including the NRG Chicagoland Modern $10k, a huge Japanese paper tournament, and some wild MTGO Challenges. After that, they look more closely at The One Ring (and some other cards) and how it's quickly changing the face of Modern.

The Break Down: Mono-G Tron has legs in Chicago
The Break Down, cont: Living End returns to MTGO
The Dive Down: Devon returns to... Modern?

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:
6:36 - Housekeeping
8:59 - The Break Down begins: The NRG Chicagoland Modern $10k
11:46 - The overall metagame and deck breakdowns
26:25 - The NRG Top 8
33:55 - The NRG Leaderboard
35:52 - The Players Convention Modern Open
42:35 - What these two paper tournaments tell us
45:30 - The Modern Showcase Challenge
1:00:07 - What are we thinking about all these tournaments?
1:04:38 - Devon goes on an advertising journey
1:08:00 - The Dive Down begins: The One Ring(s)
1:27:54 - Delighted Halfling and Orcish Bowmasters
1:32:46 - Devon has been playing... Modern?
1:38:51 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
The NRG Chicagoland Modern $10K: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/14061
The Player's Convention Modern Open: https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/15431
Mixed data: https://mtgmeta.io/tournaments/14956?mix=14939
The Showcase Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-showcase-challenge-2023-06-24#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-2023-06-25#paper
Boros Hammer: https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/306630
Izzet... Stuff: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5694033#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 228: The Past, Present, and Future of MTGO, ft. Ryan Spain Jun 22, 2023

Ryan Spain, now the Creative Director of Magic Online at Daybreak Games, returns to The Dive Down to talk about the transition of MTGO from WOTC to Daybreak, goals and hopes for the platform's future, and the realities of managing such monolithic software.

We learn about how Magic card frames pose challenges for MTGO's file sizes, how two factor authorization was developed, and why MTGO still doesn't exist on Macs.

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:
3:07 - Housekeeping
7:40 - Ryan Spain of Daybreak Games joins The Dive Down
12:14 - Creative Directing Magic Online
14:25 - Transitioning M:O to Daybreak
18:35 - How M:O fits into the Magic ecosystem
24:40 - Bugfixing and developing M:O
31:08 - Future plans for M:O
54:18 - The economy of M:O
1:05:15 - Engagement with formats on M:O
1:08:20 - Where's the Mac version?!
1:13:16 - Experimentation on M:O
1:18:34 - Some final thoughts
1:21:00 - Wrapping up
1:22:39 - Secret track

Links from this week's episode:
https://www.mtgo.com/news/mtgo-stateofmtgo-10112022

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 227: The Pod Tempts You, ft. aspiringspike & d00mwake Jun 16, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 226: Pioneer RC Results and Modern Ring Temptations, pt. 1 Jun 08, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 225: Boros Convoke: Demolishing Artifacts For Fun & Profit, ft. d00mwake Jun 01, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 224: B&R Hot Takes & NRG Minneapolis May 25, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 223: Getting Weird in the Aftermath of MOM, ft. d00mwake May 18, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 222: Aftermath and LOTR: The Spoilers Will Continue Until Morale Improves May 11, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 221: Deckfest 2 (Pioneer ed.): Gruul Elves & Boats, Dimir Rogues, Izzet Pyro, and Naya Tokens, ft. d00mwake May 04, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 220: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Decks Go Marching (Modern and Pio) Apr 27, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 219: Pio d00m Brews & Modern SCG Richmond, ft. d00mwake Apr 20, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 218: These Machines Are Making Me Marchy, pt 2 Apr 13, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 217: These Machines Are Making Me Marchy, pt. 1 Apr 06, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 216: Rhinos Overrun NRG & Pure Modern Preview, ft. d00mwake Mar 30, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 215: New Sets, First Looks: Shadows Over Hobbiton Mar 23, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 214: Deckfest 1: Tyvar Sac, Spirits, Elves, Calibrated Blast, and Humans, ft. d00mwake Mar 16, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 213: Let There Be Combo, ft. Ryan Donkin Mar 09, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 212: Modern's Back & So is Stanislav! Mar 02, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 211: 8 Takes from PT Phyrexia, ft. d00mwake Feb 23, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 210: Pro Tour Philly Preview, ft. d00mwake Feb 16, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 209: ONE Weekend of New Decks & Techs Feb 09, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 208: Phyrexia: All Will Be One Spoilers, Part 2, ft. DarthJacen Feb 02, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 207: Phyrexia: All Will Be One Spoilers, Part 1 Jan 26, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 206: Modern Domain Zoo & NRG Champs Jan 19, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 205: 2023 Magic Kickoff: Modern & Pioneer Jan 12, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 204: Our 2023 Goals & an Intro to Heavy Play Jan 05, 2023

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 203: The 2022 Divey Awards & a Major Announcement Dec 22, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 202: Modern Jeskai Breach: Get on the Grind Dec 15, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 201: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: New Modern BROs Dec 08, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 200: 200 Modern Cards for the Casual Spike Dec 01, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 199: RC Atlanta: Final Prep feat. darthjacen Nov 17, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 198: Bromancing the (Power)stones, Part 2 Nov 10, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 197: Bromancing the (Power)stones, Part 1 Nov 03, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 196: NRG Newark: Featuring Kaheera Oct 27, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 195: The People's Meta: Post-Noodle Doodles Oct 20, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 194: Rakdos Scam: Midrange is Undead Oct 13, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 193: Creativity Can't Be Stopped feat. Zach Ryl Oct 06, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 192: NRG Minneapolis & Trying Out Scapeshift & MonoG Sep 29, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 191: My Sweet Lord(s): Goblins vs Merfolk vs Elves Sep 22, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 190: Domainaria & More: First Impressions of DMU Sep 15, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 189: NRG in STL & Dominaria United, pt 2 (ft Jesse Robkin & Aspiringspike) Sep 01, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 188: Dominaria United Untied: Spoilers, Part 1 Aug 25, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 187: Liliana, Pain Lands, & Frank Karsten Aug 18, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 186: These Ends Were Made for Living, ft. Chris Castro-Rappl Aug 11, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 185: NRG Chicago: It's-a Me, Yorion. Aug 04, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 184: These Foots Were Made For Crashing Jul 28, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 183: We Tried: Innovations in Modern Creativity, E Tron, & Prowess Jul 21, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 182: The Four Pillars of Modern (ft. Zach Allen) Jul 14, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 181: The Synergies of Pioneer's Metagame, ft. Todd Anderson Jul 07, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 180: Life Lessons and Level Ups Jun 30, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 179: 10 Takes on Modern, Pioneer, & Magic Jun 23, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 178: NRG Modern & Pio: Is 4c 2 Good 4 U? Jun 16, 2022

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 177: Ban Reacts, a Dream Hacked, & Some Mid Rakdos Jun 09, 2022

Shane and Dave are totally blindsided by this week's Pioneer bans — especially since they happened after we recorded this ep. But don't worry, we use the power of technology to travel into the past and add a segment of hot reactions and speculation on what's next for Pio. After that, we continue with our regularly scheduled episode breaking down the Modern $10k at DreamHack Dallas and diving into Pioneer's most mid deck — Rakdos Mid! Shane hates all the creatures. Dave loves all the spells. Stan loves having a week off.

The Break Down: A Record Scratched — Surprise Pioneer Bans
The Break Down: A Modern $10K Where Mill 7-0-1’d
The Dive Down: A 14% Meta Share Deck that Wasn’t Banned

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:
4:55 - Housekeeping
9:28 - The Break Down begins - SURPRISE it's some Pioneer bans!
23:18 - What is the impact on Pioneer?
29:16 - The Dallas Dreamhack Modern 10k
31:34 - The top 64 breakdown
41:08 - The top 8
53:51 - Cool Decks, Inc.
1:06:50 - Scent of the Day
1:12:20 - The Dive Down begins - Rakdos Midrange in Pioneer
1:16:02 - What's the deal with Midrange?
1:20:07 - Hand disruption
1:32:45 - Removal
1:41:08 - Creatures
1:57:11 - Planeswalkers
2:06:15 - Strengths and weaknesses
2:14:49 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Dreamhack Modern 10k down in Dallas: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/10457
Rakdos Midrange in Pioneer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/pioneer-rakdos-midrange#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 176: The People's Meta(s): Modern and Pioneer Jun 02, 2022

This week the three friends dive into an examination of not one but two metas — Modern and Pioneer — using some recent 5-0 league decks. We collect em, dissect em, and... tierect (???)... em. You know what we mean... we're placing them into groups and discussing what decks we think are going up, down, and sideways. Dave tries to run through Modern quickly. Stan and Shane dilly dally and then get mad when we don't have as much time as we'd hoped for Pioneer. Dave resists the urge to say I told you so.

Please note/CW: this episode starts with a message of a serious nature from the team. Start at Housekeeping if you'd like to skip.

The Dive Down: The People's Meta: Modern!
The Dive Down, pt.2: The People's Meta: 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 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN15"

Timestamps:
5:23 - Housekeeping
11:20 - The People's Meta - Modern ed.
16:20 - The mainstream decks of Modern
52:12 - Outside the Modern mainstream
1:09:40 - The People's Meta - Pioneer ed.
1:37:00 - Outside the Pio mainstream
1:43:30 - Some takes on Pioneer
1:53:25 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Modern League 5/27: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-league-2022-05-27#paper
Why it is time to cut Murktide Regent by Michael Rapp: https://blog.cardkingdom.com/why-it-is-time-to-cut-murktide-regent/
Pioneer League 5/23: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-league-2022-05-23#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 175: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Streets of New Capenna Edition May 26, 2022

The three friends are taking it back to the streets on more time. This week we evaluate three different decks that were improved or created by the addition of SNC to our formats. Shane pods his way through a Naya deck full of combos in Modern. Stan shreds his way through infinite turns in Modern. Dave explains so he's falling short of virtuosity in Explorer. It's a real journey through a few more cards making an impact. Before that, though, we break down the top 8 of NRG Minneapolis where three other friends (of the pod) take the whole thing down.

The Break Down: NRG Minneapolis
The Dive Down: Combos in Modern!
The Dive Down, pt.2: Prowess in Explorer!

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 THEDIVEDOWN2022 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:
6:06 - Housekeeping
8:34 - The Break Down - The NRG Team Tournament
11:06 - The Top 8 teams
33:34 - The Top 8 meta
41:45 - It's Soap Time
44:56 - The Dive Down begins - Shane on Naya Combos in Modern
51:45 - The strenghts of the deck
55:08 - The weaknesses of the deck
1:08:55 - Shane's final thoughts
1:12:04 - Stan on Dimir Asmo Food Combo in Modern
1:22:50 - How to turn 3 combo
1:26:16 - Sideboarding with combo decks is hard
1:32:45 - Stan's final thoughts
1:34:48 - Dave on Boros Aggro in Explorer
1:45:27 - Dave's final thoughts
1:49:32 - Wrapping up

Links from this week's episode:
Modern Naya Combos: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4818579#paper
Modern Dimir Asmo Food: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-asmo-food#paper
Modern Boros Prowess: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4841502#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 174: Explorer’s First Ban & More Pioneer Testing May 19, 2022

This week's episode starts with Dave telling a shaggy dog story while fumbling through the Seinfeld theme on his bass — so you know it's going to be a loose one. Fortunately, Shane and Stan quickly bring the three friends back on track (within the first 4 minutes, we swear) and take us all through Winota's ban in Explorer, four different challenges across Modern and Pioneer, and finally some of their testing results with Winota and Izzet Phoenix in Pioneer. Stan rolls to a non-interactive 4-1. Shane can't stop shreddin. Dave can't stop slappin the bass.

The Break Down, I: Winota's Gone in Explorer!
The Break Down, II: Kicking Bass in a Bunch of Challenges
The Dive Down: Winota's Here in Pioneer! So is Phoenix!

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Timestamps:
5:40 - Housekeeping
8:46 - The Break Down begins - The first Explorer bans
17:11 - Saturday's Pioneer Challenge
28:49 - Sunday's Pioneer Challenge
35:30 - Cool Decks, Inc - Pioneer ed.
38:48 - Saturday's Modern Challenge
46:23 - Sunday's Modern Challenge
52:26 - Public Smelling Stories
55:58 - The Dive Down - Stan's hot takes on Winota
1:00:16 - Fable of the Mirror breaker is a protection spell
1:04:00 - Esika's Chariot = Splinter Twin
1:06:58 - Deck mull good
1:09:25 - Enablers are good
1:12:05 - Modern vs. Pioneer gameplay discussion
1:20:05 - Shane casts blue and red cards
1:34:00 - Shane's thoughts on Izzet Phoenix in Explorer
1:41:56 - Stan cracks a pack
1:44:35 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
May 11 B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/may-11-2022-banned-and-restricted-announcement
Saturday's Pio Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12418751#paper
Sunday's Pio Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12418755#paper
Saturday's Modern Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12418748#paper
Sunday's Modern Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12418754#paper
Naya Winota in Pioneer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4818484#paper
Izzet Phoenix in Explorer: https://mtgazone.com/explorer-izzet-phoenix-deck-guide/

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 173: Do You Even Shred, Tho? May 12, 2022

The boys flap their little wings and scream caw caw as they dig their beaks into the hottest bird lawyer in Magic this week. Whether it's ripping up contracts, filtering hands, shouting 'objection!' or pumping flyers, Ledger Shredder does it all. But does it have what it take to be a multiformat staple? Yes, apparently yes.

The Break Down: Living End Won't Die
The Dive Down: New Bird Learns to Fly
The Dive Down, cont: Filling Graveyards Can Be Sly

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Timestamps:
4:02 - Housekeeping
5:56 - The Break Down - The Modern Showcase Challenge
6:54 - The Top 32 breakdown
10:25 - The Top 8
16:44 - Cool Decks, Inc - Modern edition
25:17 - The Pioneer Showcase Challenge
38:55 - Cool Decks, Inc - Pioneer Edition
41:53 - #Sponsored
45:16 - The Dive Down - Do You Even Shred?
52:03 - Why is Ledger Shredder good?
1:11:24 - Ledger Shredder in Explorer/Pioneer
1:27:55 - Ledger Shredder in Modern
1:41:42 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
The Modern Showcase: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-showcase-challenge-2022-05-08?xd28
The Pioneer Showcase: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-showcase-challenge-2022-05-09
Izzet Flyers: https://tinyurl.com/izzetflyers
Esper Greasefang: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4806004#paper
Esper Reanimator: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/ledger-shredder-reanimator-decklist-by-kanister-mtg-1365778
Grixis Death's Shadow: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/3m-EJaUSq
Grinding Breach: https://twitter.com/tiddypills/status/1523323490866192386?s=20&t=6DB3Mg4lDJQPdZ54ohn7BA

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 172: Exploring the Streets of New Capenna May 05, 2022

Our three friends begin their visit to the Streets of New Capenna with some Explorer, Pioneer, and Modern decks. We take a look at Ob Nixilis, The Adversary and Stan's uncharacteristic BW Blink brew with Getaway Car and Extraction Specialist.

The Break Down: New Cards in Pio + Modern Challenges
The Dive Down: 20 Mostly Good Minutes on Mob Nixilis
Stuff We Forgot: We’ll Talk About Ledger Shredder Next Week, Ok?

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown

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Timestamps:
3:17 - Housekeeping
11:17 - The Break Down begins - The Pioneer Challenge!
32:09 - Pioneer Cool Decks, Inc
40:16 - The Modern Challenge!
47:05 - Modern Cool Decks, Inc
58:20 - Stan's Razor Digression
1:02:37 - The Dive Down begins - The decks of New Capenna
1:05:55 - Rakdos Midrange in Explorer
1:15:30 - Evaluating Ob Nixilis, the Adversary
1:32:38 - More thoughts on Explorer
1:40:45 - Stan's Pioneer experiments
1:51:15 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4774204#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 171: 6 Ways You Can Get Better at Magic Apr 28, 2022

In a special patron-requested episode, our three friends provide a roadmap to improvement for key Magic skills and other useful habits. We also kick off the show with run downs and reactions to the latest Magic Arena announcements for Explorer and Pioneer.

Huge thanks to Codi for supporting our show at the esteemed Double-Sided Diamond Dust Rare level, which has earned them the coveted opportunity to select an episode topic for the show.

The Break Down: An Explorer Exposition Dump
The Dive Down: Getting Better at Magic: Stan Proposes Practice
The Dive Down, 2: Getting Better at Magic: Dave and Shane Reject Practice

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Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:28 - Housekeeping
7:30 - The Break Down - Explorer!
18:16 - How are we feeling?
26:05 - The potential decks of Explorer
32:35 - What are we playing in Explorer?
34:40 - An artistic diversion
37:57 - The Dive Down - How to get better at Magic
39:39 - 1) Play more Magic
42:20 - 2) Play both sides of the battlefield
49:42 - 2a) Do the math
1:03:24 - 3) Identify the decks you excel at
1:10:38 - 4) Mulligan better
1:22:15 - 5) Treat your games as experiments
1:41:49 - 6) Get feedback on your play
1:48:00 - Some conclusions

Links from this week's episode:
The announcement of Explorer: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-streets-new-capenna-2022-04-21
PVDDR's Best plays in Magic history: https://pvddr.substack.com/p/the-best-plays-in-the-history-of?s=w

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 170: Who Runs the Streets of New Capenna? Apr 21, 2022

The full set of New Capenna has been revealed, so on this week's show we complete our run through of all the cards in the set. We go through the families, argue about how good Luxior is going to be (or not be), try to avoid taking an endless detour as we speculate about Giada, and wonder if there's a shadow of a chance that Shadow of Mortality has what it takes. But before that, we spend some time looking through recent Pioneer results with a focus on Izzet Control.

The Break Down: It's Back: Two Pioneer Challenges
The Dive Down: Dave Proposes Cards
The Dive Down, pt.2: Stan and Shane Reject Cards

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Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
3:45 - Housekeeping
7:10 - The Break Down begins: Pioneer challenges are back!
10:16 - 4/16 Challenge metagame
10:40 - Izzet Control
18:05 - Mono-G Ramp
22:10 - 4/16 Top 8 and Mono-W Devotion
25:55 - Mono-U Spirits
28:22 - The 4/17 Challenge
34:26 - Some Pioneer thoughts
44:08 - A smelly interlude
47:21 - The Dive Down begins - more Capenna spoilers!
49:17 - Luxior, Giada's Gift
57:47 - Endless Detour
1:02:58 - Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
1:07:12 - Void Rend
1:10:52 - Urabrask, Heretic Praetor
1:14:27 - Shadow of Mortality
1:20:56 - Patch Up
1:23:10 - An Offer You Can't Refuse
1:25:10 - Unlicensed Hearse
1:29:48 - Giada, Font of Hope
1:33:04 - Tenacious Underdog
1:35:34 - Titan of Industry
1:36:50 - Boon of Safety
1:38:50 - Against the Odds: Aven Heartstabber, Tainted Indulgence
1:42:53 - What cards we want to cast most?
1:46:34 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
4/16 Pioneer Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12409669#paper
4/17 Pioneer Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12409673#paper
Faithless Looting's Epic Luxior Thread: https://twitter.com/FaithlessMTG/status/1513621542097334277?s=20&t=O0MEhNqOBhkhOWCMN6D_xA

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 169: The Families of New Capenna and Old Fort Worth Apr 14, 2022

The Dive Down visits sunny Texas for SCGCON Dallas! We chat about our very first free preview card from Streets of New Capenna, other highlights from the set so far, and our experiences playing paper Magic all weekend.

The Break Down: Move Shane Get Out Da Way
The Dive Down: Cards in Shards
The Wind Down: The Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
3:08 - Housekeeping
7:13 - Our preview card - Out of the Way!
16:07 - The first batch of New Capenna spoilers
16:42 - The common lands
18:31 - Sorry, weird audio glitch! An Offer You Can't Refuse
23:28 - Strangle
26:44 - Grisly Sigil
30:04 - Unlucky Witness
33:21 - A Little Chat
35:31 - Gala Greeters
39:39 - Make Disappear/Rob the Archives
42:54 - Brokers Charm
44:39 - Disciplined Duelist
47:15 - Devilish Valet
49:49 - Mage's Attendant
51:50 - Evolving Door
53:32 - Ob Nixilis, the Adversary
59:30 - Professional Face-Breaker
1:01:31 - Vivien on the Hunt
1:03:58 - Elspeth, Resplendent
1:06:39 - Cut Your Losses
1:08:14 - The Dive Down begins: Our SCGCon Dallas experiences
1:09:32 - Shane and Stan talk FAB, Pioneer, and Modern
1:28:41 - The Dive Down, cont: Dave talks Modern
1:35:22 - Shane and Stan talk Pioneer
1:41:15 - The Modern 30k Meta

Links from this week's episode:
Our Spoiler video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AymuqSbd80U
Streets of New Capenna Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/snc?as=grid&order=spoiled
The Modern 30k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/9196

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 168: A Pre-Travel, Post-Lurrus Meta Deep Dive Apr 07, 2022

The gang is reunited this week for an episode full of new cards, pivot tables, and tournament surprises. We start off with our initial reactions to the new charms spoiled from Streets of New Capenna, and imagine the impact of the complete triome cycle on our favorite formats. Then we go over the results of March's Modern metagame, the Manatraders Modern tournament, and the latest NRG results to analyze the growing and shrinking popularity of various decks in a post-Lurrus metagame. Finally, we wrap up with a Wind Down of our plans for SCG Con Dallas. Turns out... it's technically in Fort Worth!
The Break Down: Greetings from New Capena
The Dive Down: Greetings from Fort Wayne
The Wind Down: Greetings from Dallas/Fort Worth

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:59 - Housekeeping
8:50 - We're getting a preview card!
10:59 - Streets of New Capenna early spoilers - The Triomes
18:24 - The Charms - Obscura Charm
22:35 - Maestro's Charm
25:52 - Riveteers Charm
29:23 - Cabaretti Charm
33:03 - The Dive Down begins - March's metagame report
33:30 - The top decks
39:48 - The top cards
43:22 - The most winning decks
46:51 - The NRG Modern 20k
48:30 - The NRG meta
55:50 - The winrates
1:05:55 - The top 8
1:10:15 - The Manatraders Modern event swiss meta
1:14:20 - The best decks of Manatraders
1:17:20 - The top 8
1:23:05 - The Wind Down begins - SCGCon Dallas
1:28:57 - What we are playing in Dallas
1:39:55 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Streets of New Capenna spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/snc?as=grid&order=spoiled
The NRG tournament: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/8591

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 167: The Pro Tour Returns! ft. Dom Harvey Mar 31, 2022

This week Dave got lost in a cave while vacationing, so Dom Harvey joins the show to react and contextualize Wizard's official announcement that the Pro Tour is back! We break down the new competitive organized play systems, how it fits into the casual spike lifestyle, and how it supports Magic's highest level players. We warm up with a break down of some wild weekend top 8s.

The Dive Down: Enter the Pyramid
The Dive Down, cont: The Road to Regionals
The Dive Down, cont: The Life of a World Champion

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
1:55 - Dom's Housekeeping
7:57 - Housekeeping
10:32 - The Break Down begins: The Super Qualifier
24:07 - The Showcase Challenge
40:53 - Cool Decks, Inc - Rakdos Midrange "Blink"
43:56 - The Dive Down begins: The Pro Tour is back!
51:29 - The World Championship
57:21 - Regional Championships and Qualifiers
1:17:41 - The Pro Tour itself
1:27:24 - How do we feel about this?
1:37:58 - What goals can people have now?
1:46:42 - What's missing?
1:50:22 - Find Dom online and closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Find Dom online: https://linktr.ee/domhrv
The Return of the Pro Tour!: https://magic.gg/news/return-of-the-pro-tour-faq

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

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Bonus 19: Probably Better Known As ft. Saffron Olive Mar 28, 2022

Dave and Stan meet Saffron Olive from MTG Goldfish, and talk about Seth's sleep schedule, his MTG origins, and how the deck names in MTG Goldfish get fixed.

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Links from this week's episode:
www.mtggoldfish.com
https://twitter.com/saffronolive

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 most Sunday nights at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 166: All Shadow, No Doubt (ft. Michael Rapp) Mar 24, 2022

This week, Shane's on vacation and Stan's late so Dave gets to do whatever he wants. And what he's decided is to check in with friend of the show and certified shadow scientist Michael Rapp about where everyone's avatar is headed these days. That's right, it's time for a deep dive on (mostly) Grixis Death's Shadow (along with a few other things). But first, we chat about Michael's recent trip to Indy and break down the Modern meta there.

The Break Down: Shane’s Gone, Stan’s Late
The Dive Down: Why Street Wraith is a Bad Card Now
The Dive Down (pt.2): Shadow, Prepared Three Ways

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Timestamps:
2:45 - Break Down Begins: Michael's Team at SCG Con Indianapolis
8:50 - Indianopolis Top 6 Begins
24:43 - The Indianapolis Modern Metagame
38:50 - How Michael's Team Prepared for Indy
44:19 - Dive Down Begins: Michael's Relationship with Death's Shadow
50:09 - The Lurrus Era of Shadow
56:27 - The First Weekend after Lurrus Was Banned
1:02:15 - The "Stock" Grixis Shadow Deck
1:15:3 - An Ode to Dress Down
1:20:00 - GDS, Still Hard to Play
1:25:35 - Murktide Shadow
1:33:27 - Mardu Shadow
1:37:39 - Jund Shadow
1:42:35 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Michael's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RappaciousOne
Michael's recent article on the Card Kingdom Blog (includes write-ups and decklists): https://blog.cardkingdom.com/the-rumors-of-deaths-shadows-demise-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/
All Articles: https://blog.cardkingdom.com/author/mrapp2/
Discord server: https://discord.gg/wYCx6N4

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 165: The People's Meta: Life After Lurrus Mar 18, 2022

We are back with the second installment of The People's Meta! With Lurrus gone, and the first big paper tournament happening in the Hunter Burton Memorial Open, there's no time like the present to take a look at what's happening in Modern. We categorize and talk about every deck in a recent 5-0 League dump and break down what's changing in the wide open world of Magic Online. We then take some time to look at the paper metagame of the HBMO, examine what's changing, and take a gander at what did well down in Texas.

The Break Down: Dave Breaks Down
The Break Down, pt.2: Dave Dissects a Dump
The Break Down, pt.3: The 2022 HBMO

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
7:10 - Housekeeping
12:00 - The Break Down - The Post-Lurrus meta
14:35 - Death's Shadow decks
26:58 - Murktide
28:54 - Hammertime
30:05 - Blink
37:34 - Amulet Titan
42:56 - RBx Midrange
52:32 - Burn/Prowess
56:23 - Control
1:00:10 - Cascade
1:01:04 - Creativity
1:03:10 - Dredge
1:06:05 - Hardened Scales
1:11:50 - Creature Combo decks
1:16:55 - Prowess
1:18:50 - Midrange
1:21:35 - Humans and others
1:25:13 - Tron and others
1:31:55 - Combo junk drawer
1:34:55 - Other oddities
1:38:15 - Mono-Red Stuff
1:42:15 - The Hunter Burton Memorial Open
1:43:45 - The HBMO meta
1:47:10 - The Day 2 meta
1:50:30 - The Top 8
1:54:03 - What did we learn?
1:59:49 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The 3/11 Deck Dump: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-league-2022-03-11#paper
The Hunter Burton Memorial Open: https://hunterburtonmemorialopen.com/
Decklists and standings from HBMO: https://www.hbpairings.com/

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Bonus 18: How to Win a Pro Tour ft. Eli Kassis Mar 16, 2022

Shane and Stan sit down with the newly crowned Neon Dynasty Set Champion, Eli Kassis! We talk about Eli's deck selection and preparation for the Set Championship, the role of a testing team, and more.

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Links from this week's episode:
https://twitter.com/Eli_Kassis

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 164: The Dream(-Den) is Over Mar 08, 2022

Well they finally went and did it. Wizards of the Coast (kinda) surprised the entire Magic Non-Rotating Format World by sending everyone's favorite Nightmare Cat back to her den to think about what's she's done. In case that previous sentence isn't clear, I'm trying to say that they banned Lurrus of the Dream-Den in Modern and Pioneer. After (tearfully) throwing away an entire month of episodes we had planned out before this news, the three friends gather their composure and do what you pay (or don't pay) them to do — make predicitions about what will happen in Magic and just generally react to the news. Stan seems excited for Murktide. Dave seems excited for Obosh. Shane seems excited for things to stay mostly the same.

The Break Down: What Happened
The Dive Down: What We Think Will Happen
The Wind Down: What We Hope Will Happen

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:48 - Housekeeping
7:39 - The Break Down - Bye Bye Lurrus
8:43 - The rationales of the banning
22:10 - Did this go far enough?
31:24 - What's the impact of the Lurrus ban?
40:02 - Some hot takes
42:35 - A smelly diversion
45:50 - Stan's Monthly Meta Report
54:28 - The impact of losing Lurrus for the best decks
1:17:36 - The month-to-month change since Jan
1:19:58 - What the loss of Lurrus unlocks - Liliana(s)
1:25:56 - Seasoned Pyromancer
1:28:20 - Bedlam Reveler
1:30:09 - Lightning Skelemental
1:31:38 - Nettlecyst
1:32:40 - Asmo
1:33:43 - Plague Engineer
1:34:59 - Ranger-Captain of Eos
1:38:03 - Showdown of the Skalds
1:39:03 - Grist
1:39:41 - General Ferrous Rockerick
1:40:18 - What does Jund look like now?
1:43:14 - Dark Confidant
1:44:21 - Our final thoughts

Links from this week's episode:
The B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/march-7-2022-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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 163: Talking Magic in Trying Times Mar 02, 2022

It's been a trying week. We needed a break. So this week, we're going to keep it positive by taking some time to discuss what we've been enjoying in Magic and beyond. It's a bit of a grab bag — we talk about the MOCS, Slogurk, Creativity, Oni-Cult, paper magic, hanging with Stan, hanging with Shane, and more. Stan gets a trophy. Dave loses creatively. Shane finds a deck he thinks is cool.

We'll also be donating the proceeds of this week's episode to Trans Lifeline (https://translifeline.org/) and the UN Refugee Agency (https://www.unhcr.org/).

The Break Down: Good Things in MOCS
The Dive Down: Good Things in Modern
The Dive Down, pt2: Good Things in Magic

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Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
5:39 - Housekeeping
9:41 - The Break Down: The MOCS
15:29 - What makes GDS so good?
21:36 - The power of Lurrus
29:29 - Saturday's Modern Challenge
34:12 - The top 8
38:40 - The Super Qualifier top 8
42:40 - Are we banning Lurrus?
46:00 - A brief diversion
48:52 - The Dive Down begins - Stan likes Standard
54:10 - Dave plays Limited
1:00:31 - A mini deck tech on Aspiringspike's Rakdos Anvil in Modern
1:09:41 - Other Aspiringspike thoughts on Modern
1:11:20 - Stan 5-0's with Temur Slogurk
1:19:38 - Dave playing Indominatable Creativity
1:28:10 - Stan getting better at Magic
1:35:25 - Non-Magic things that bring us joy
1:43:40 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The MOCS: https://magic.gg/events/2021-magic-online-champions-showcase-season-3
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12392345#paper
The PTQ: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-super-qualifier-12392317#paper
Spike's Oni-Cult VOD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jlf1Ay6bWI&ab_channel=Aspiringspike
Stan's Slogurk Deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4647667#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 162: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Neon Dynasty pt.2 Ed. Feb 24, 2022

Turns out that sleevin' neon is so fun we had to do it for a second week. So here it is — three or four or maybe more new decks that feature cards from Neon Dynasty including Modern Assault Loam with Boseiju (and Slogurk!), Modern Death & Taxes with Boseiju, Pioneer Auras with Light-Paws, and Pioneer Burn with Reinforced Ronin. But before we state them and rate them, we first go through last weekend's Modern Showcase Challenge and discover many shades of innovation in... red... and... white? Dave has boeuf sweats. Stan believes it's slime time now. Shane plays a deck he hates... again.

The Break Down: A Spicy Showcase
The Dive Down: Boseiju Loam, Boseiju Taxes, Light-Paws, Pio Burn, and Others
The Wind Down: 5 Minutes about Shane and Flesh and Blood

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
3:32 - Housekeeping
6:40 - The Break Down: Modern Challenge Funtime
21:03 - The top 8
31:10 - A small diversion
34:50 - The Dive Down begins: S/B/H, Cool Cards Ed.
36:45 - Stan on Slogurk Oozing time
51:10 - Stan on Liquimetal Ponza
54:13 - Shane on Selesnya Taxes ft. Yorion
1:11:51 - Dave on Light-Paws Auras
1:28:35 - Shane on Shrapnel Blast Burn
1:34:35 - Shane's Flesh and Blood ProQuest
1:41:25 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Modern Showcase Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-showcase-challenge-2022-02-20
Temur Slogurk: Assault Loam: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4614095#paper
Temur Liquidmetal Ponza: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4616201#paper
Selesnya Taxes: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4621930#paper
Light-Paws Auras: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4620131#paper and https://twitter.com/masoneclark/status/1493478580940156928?s=20&t=UEobUZhWlLmEQeVdwxQbZQ
Ronin Burn: https://twitter.com/FelixSloo/status/1492313643962281989?t=blBSVeie85VXmdWpiRgErw&s=19

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
Leave us an audio message: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

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Episode 161: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Fun With Artifacts ed. Feb 17, 2022

Turns out that Neon Dynasty may have had a little more impact on our formats than we originally anticipated. The reason why? Why, it's (mostly) thanks to Magic's favorite no-downside card type: Artifacts. Tune in as we try out builds of Urzaful/Urzaless Affinity and UW Hammer in Modern, Vehicle Tribal in Historic, and a whole new Ensoul Artifact build in Pioneer. But first, we take a look across 3 high level Modern MTGO events from the weekend. Dave asks for forgiveness. Shane withholds a harsh judgement. Stan gets chipped.

The Break Down: Not many NEO cards in the Challenges
The Dive Down: NEO cards in Leagues: Vehicles, Affinity, and Ensoul
The Dive Down, cont: Stan's New Love: 4-0in' Prelims

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
2:56 - Housekeeping
7:30 - The Break Down begins - Saturday's Challenge with NEW cards!
18:13 - The Sunday Challenge
25:25 - The Modern PTQ
30:25 - Some tournament takeaways
35:34 - A fun diversion
38:10 - The Dive Down begins - S/B/H Artifacts Ed.
40:20 - Shane with Historic Vehicles
57:02 - Dave on Modern Affinity
1:09:44 - Dave on Modern Vehicles
1:18:04 - Stan on Azorius Hammertime
1:31:34 - Stan on Ensoul Artifact
1:40:55 - Oni-Cult Anvil, briefly
1:43:15 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12387446#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12387452#paper
Sunday's PTQ: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-premier-12387425#paper
Historic Vehicles: https://twitter.com/jaredfarris/status/1491972071404052481?s=20&t=ITEHIewCd0CHmRVSBee6Xg
Spike's Consulate Dreadnaught Affinity: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/ou3s6zIwy
SpiderSpace Affinity: https://twitter.com/SpiderSpaceMTG/status/1492623539773394944?s=20&t=qGj6nPhmn6AhDrLdDAknNw
Azorius Hammertime: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4613330#paper
Pioneer Ensoul Artifact: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4614011#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
Leave us an audio message: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

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Episode 160: A Dynasty of Neon Spoilers, Vol. 2 Feb 10, 2022

In the epic conclusion of our Neon Dynasty picks to click, we scan the complete set spoiler and shout out our favorite dragon, counterspell, samurai, and skyturtle. Before that, we kick off the show with break down of January's Modern MTGO metagame with another installment of the monthly report, and wrap up with a brief love letter to Legacy.

The Break Down: Monthly Modern Metagame: January
The Dive Down: Mode Cards Than You Could Ever Reconfigure
The Wind Down: Stan's New Love: Legacy

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:19 - Housekeeping
9:00 - The Break Down: The January Meta Breakdown
23:40 - The most popular cards of January
30:46 - The Dive Down: Neon Dynasty spoilers!
32:43 - Blade of the Oni
36:52 - Eater of Virtue
38:34 - Mnemonic Sphere
41:39 - March of Burgeoning Life
44:48 - Colossal Skyturtle/Mirrorshell Crab
46:41 - Otawara, Soaring City
49:21 - Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
52:45 - Mukotai Soulripper
54:44 - Invoke the Ancients
56:44 - Reinforced Ronin
1:00:25 - Hidetsugu Consumes All
1:05:43 - Experimental Synthesizer
1:08:08 - Enthusiastic Mechanaut
1:09:40 - Mech Hanger/Greasefang, Okiba Boss
1:13:09 - March of Wretched Sorrow
1:14:30 - Containment Construct
1:18:11 - Silverfur Master
1:19:45 - Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice
1:22:42 - March of Swirling Mist
1:25:27 - Mechtitan Core
1:27:52 - Explosive Singularity
1:30:12 - Generous Visitor
1:31:20 - Disruption Protocol
1:33:56 - Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire/Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
1:38:09 - What are we most excited to play with?
1:40:55 - The Wind Down: Stan <3 Legacy
1:46:20 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Full spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/neo?as=grid

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 159: A Dynasty of Neon Spoilers, Vol. 1 Feb 03, 2022

It's time to head back to Kamigawa in the latest set... our Neon Destiny. I mean Density. I mean Dynasty. We take a look at cards from the first batch of spoilers we think are good in Modern, Historic, Pioneer, or just plain good! Before that, we break down the ManaTraders January Pioneer tournament.

Intro: Green Socks Filled With Money
The Break Down: Closing the Book on Pioneer
The Dive Down: You're My Density

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
2:23 - Housekeeping
8:02 - The Break Down - Manatraders Pioneer January!
17:32 - The Top 8 and our thoughts on Pio
28:00 - The Dive Down begins - the mechanics of Kamigawa
39:07 - Let's talk cards! Boseju, Who Endures
50:28 - Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
53:00 - Lion Sash
59:40 - The Reality Chip
1:04:26 - The Wandering Emperor
1:12:08 - Invoke Calamity
1:16:06 - March of Otherworldly Light
1:20:53 - Azusa's Many Journeys
1:23:58 - Secluded Courtyard
1:26:10 - Hotshot Mechanic
1:27:33 - "Procession of Joy"
1:31:19 - Lizard Blades
1:32:28 - Life of Toshiro Umezawa
1:35:11 - Mooncircuit Hacker
1:36:40 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The decks and metagame of the ManaTraders Pioneer Tournament: https://pastebin.com/A6P4Dzs9
The Mechanics of Neon Dynasty: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/kamigawa-neon-dynasty-mechanics-2022-01-27
Neon Dynasty spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/neo?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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 158: We Thought There Would Be Bans, ft. SpiderSpace Jan 27, 2022

With Dave off this week, we are joined by streamer, former guest, and co-host of Mishra's Babble, SpiderSpace! In the Break Down we talk about the (lack of) bans in Modern, then dive deep into the Modern Super Qualifier and SpiderSpace's second place finish. We then head into the Dive Down to discuss our recent play experiences, and in the Wind Down talk about the somber announcement from SCG of their ceasing their competitive content coverage.

The Break Down: Companions Live On
The Dive Down: And Spider Made the Finals!
The Wind Down: But Star City Though...

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:34 - Housekeeping
7:20 - The Break Down begins - No bans in Modern!
17:16 - Analyzing the WOTC tea leaves
28:58 - Potential future unbannings
32:40 - What do we want unbanned?
39:25 - Saturday's Modern Showcase Challenge, ft Spiderspace!
1:02:21 - Cool Decks, Inc - Boros Brought Back
1:05:51 - The Dive Down begins - Spiderspace's lamenting
1:17:55 - Stan's smashing
1:23:30 - Shane's losing
1:30:45 - The Wind Down: But Star City Though...

Links from this week's episode:
January 25th B&R Announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/january-25-2022-banned-and-restricted-announcement
Find Gabe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpiderSpaceMTG
Saturday's Super Qualifier: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12377842#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Bonus 17: The VML, Sloths, Moose(s), and Linguine ft Carolyn Kavanagh Jan 25, 2022

Stan and Dave sit down with the wonderful Carolyn Kavanagh to talk about the latest season of the VML, how we make new friends as adults, and which tree-dwelling mammal is the best animal of all. We also check in on Carolyn's current relationship with Modern and Mono-Green Tron.

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Links from this week's episode:
vmlmtg.com
https://twitter.com/VMLMTG
https://twitter.com/MightyLinguine

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 157: Understanding the Pioneer Metagame ft. Dom Harvey Jan 20, 2022

The heat is on in Pioneer town. Is the format back from the dead? Seems like everyone is talking about it, and it’s this month’s format for the Manatraders monthly tournament series. So we’ve invited the incredibly wise and skilled Dom Harvey to share his insights and analysis of Pioneer’s most popular decks, including Jeskai Ascendancy, Izzet Phoenix, Boros Heroic, Lotus Field, and more.

The Dive Down, pt1: No Break Down This Week!
The Dive Down, pt2: Because the Whole Ep is Just Decks!
The Dive Down, pt3: Phoenix, Ascendancy, Heroic, Chonks, and More!

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:24 - Housekeeping
9:10 - The Dive Down begins - Pioneer Time!
11:30 - Izzet Phoenix
25:36 - Jeskai Ascendancy
36:13 - Boros Heroic
46:40 - Lotus Field
55:57 - Chonk-ish Red
1:06:07 - Jund Food
1:13:15 - Rakdos Midrange
1:19:25 - Azorius Control
1:25:41 - What is Pioneer about?
1:47:20 - Dom on Dom
1:53:29 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Dom's Twitter: https://twitter.com/dominharvia?lang=en
Dom's linktree: https://linktr.ee/domhrv
The top decks of Pioneer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/pioneer#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
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Episode 156: Yawgmoth: We Persisted Jan 13, 2022

This one goes out to the one I Yawg. It's been a long time coming, but it's finally time for us to sling some wither counters and get undying with everyone's favorite physician, Yawgmoth. Tune in to hear us fumble around with triggers, stacking, and life totals, and to hear Shane give his tepid approval to a deck beloved by millions. Stan's approval is even more tepid. Dave claims he'd rather be playing Titan (is that a bit?). Before we get into all this though, we go over one of this weekend's Modern Challenges and talk about the weirdness that is Jund Reclaimer and a few other things. Thanks for tuning in, #yawgsqwad!

The Break Down: They Reclaim Sagas Now Don't They?
The Dive Down: -1 for You, -1 for Me
The Dive Down, pt.2: For the Yawg Stans but Not for Our Stan

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Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
3:00 - Housekeeping
4:48 - Barrister and Mann Promo Time
6:20 - The Break Down - The Sunday Challenge
18:08 - Cool Decks, Inc.
27:26 - The Dive Down Begins - Yawgmoth!
30:00 - Our history with Yawg
32:05 - The Yawgmoth combo
37:15 - Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
42:52 - The Undying creatures
48:12 - The mana dorks
54:13 - The tutors
58:07 - Grist, the Hunger Tide
1:05:15 - Sideboard options
1:11:41 - Strategic considerations and playing with Yawgmoth
1:20:34 - Keeps and mulls
1:26:45 - Life-total management
1:29:00 - Matchups
1:35:20 - Proliferating
1:37:45 - Strengths and weaknesses of Yawgmoth
1:42:16 - Our bottom line on Yawg

Links from this week's episode:
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12372530#paper
DemonicTutors Yawg list: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4541927#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
Leave us an audio message: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

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Episode 155: 2022 Goals: The Nation Speaks Jan 06, 2022

It's 2022, and we're back with an episode that looks forward to the new year. We asked for listeners to submit their 2022 goals via audio and text, and everyone delivered! We give our thoughts and feedback on the goals of The Nation, and also discuss our own. Before that, we go over Stan's December 2021 Modern summary and the latest Modern Challenges. Here's to 2022!

The Break Down: December Modern Check-In
The Dive Down: Your Goals are Our Goals

Check out our NEW SPONSOR, Barrister and Mann! https://www.barristerandmann.com/ Use code THEDIVEDOWN2022 for 15% off your first order of some incredible fragrances, soaps, beard oils, and more.

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "THEDIVEDOWN2022"

Timestamps:
4:20 - Housekeeping
7:27 - A Special Barrister and Mann announcement! - THEDIVEDOWN2022
13:16 - The Break Down begins - The December Recap
23:16 - Saturday's Challenge
30:24 - Saturday's Top 8
36:40 - Sunday's Top 8
42:08 - The Dive Down begins - The goals of the Nation
44:00 - Avoiding mistakes
57:04 - Simplification and moderation
1:14:45 - Diving in deeper and playing more
1:23:55 - Our playing goals in 2022
1:28:51 - Winning with a brew
1:31:35 - Performance-based goals
1:38:50 - Do we have any goals for new formats on The Dive Down?
1:48:42 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12367813#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12367819#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown
Leave us an audio message: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

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Episode 154: Our Year End Extravaganza, ft. Aspiringspike Dec 22, 2021

The end of 2021 is upon us, which means it's time for our annual year in review episode! And this time, we've brought a friend, our reliable unofficial fourth co-host, Aspiringspike. We first talk about the biggest releases, bannings, and changes in 2021 for Modern and Historic, then head into the awards show to hand out this year's Diveys. We talk about our favorite cards, decks, and events of the year, then discuss our goals for 2022. Thanks to all of you for another great year of The Dive Down!

The Break Down: A Whole Year (in Order!)
The Dive Down: Taking and Taking and Taking

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Timestamps:
5:43 - Housekeeping
6:57 - The Break Down - 2021 begins!
13:38 - Kaldheim, Oops, all Valkis, and some bans
22:52 - Historic Anthology 4 and Time Spiral Remastered
24:30 - April update, Strixhaven, and the Mystical Archives
33:51 - Modern before and after Modern Horizons 2
43:48 - July and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
49:20 - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
52:24 - Modern in October and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
1:00:21 - December begins and the year ends
1:04:55 - The Dive Down begings - The 2021 Awards Show!
1:05:32 - The Best Card of the Year
1:10:53 - The Non-2021 Card of the Year
1:12:21 - Supporting Card of the Year
1:15:11 - Overhyped Card of the Year
1:20:05 - Overperformer of the Year
1:21:57 - The Deck of the Year
1:25:53 - Most Hated Deck of the Year
1:27:52 - In Memoriam
1:32:36 - Magic Experience of the Year
1:37:13 - The Best WOTC Decision of the Year
1:40:01 - #mtgfinance of the Year
1:40:47 - Our 2022 Goals
1:46:13 - The Best Guest(s) of the Year and Thanks
1:48:40 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Watch Aspiringspike on twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike
Find Spike on twitter: https://twitter.com/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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 153: We Did It For Science: Amulet Titan Dec 15, 2021

In the second installment of We Did It For Science, we explore... gulp... Amulet Titan. Yes, our most hated card goes through our rigorous experimental testing regimen. We go over what these decks are about, gameplans, threats, tips & tricks, and, most importantly, just how much we still hate Primeval Titan. Prior to that, we dive into the metagame of the latest Modern Showcase Challenge.

The Break Down: A Showcase Challenge
The Dive Down: No Idea How to Play This Deck
The Dive Down, cont: Look at This Cool Screenshot

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Timestamps:
4:57 - Housekeeping
7:05 - The Break Down - The Milwaukee NRG Modern Trial
9:40 - The Saturday Modern Showcase Challenge meta
16:13 - The Showcase top 8
27:30 - The Dive Down begins - We Did it For Science: Titan Edition
34:30 - What are Titan decks all about?
55:20 - Keep or mulls?
59:26 - The land sequencing conundrum
1:09:24 - Gameplans with Amulet Titan
1:18:16 - The non-Titan threats
1:26:18 - Tips & tricks
1:35:04 - Why is Amulet resurging?
1:40:55 - Would we repeat the science experiment?
1:45:13 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The December 11th Showcase Challenge Bamzing post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/retyjd/modern_showcase_challenge_3_results_dec_11_2021/

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 152: Is Historic History? Dec 08, 2021

It's another in our awesome series of top-tier Patreon request episodes, as we take on Mickey S's (no, the other Mickey S) challenge to explore the decks and metagame of best-of-one Historic on Arena. We played a bunch of fun decks and faced off against even more, and have a lot of thoughts on the format. Prior to that, we break down the Innistrad Set Championship and go over the announcement of Alchemy and its impact on Historic, and perhaps all of Magic. Thanks again, Mickey!

The Break Down: Top 8s All Around
The Dive Down: Alchemical Explanations
The Dive Down, cont: Best of One, Best of All

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
5:15 - Housekeeping
6:32 - Dave and Stan top 8 a store championship!
15:56 - Alchemy... is here
22:55 - The positives
32:14 - Kinda moving into the negatives here
41:05 - Some final takes
48:05 - The Dive Down begins - the Innistrad Set Championship
52:45 - The Top 8
57:17 - Best-of-One Historic - what's the difference?
1:02:00 - The decks of BO1 Historic - Heliod Lifegain
1:06:17 - Elves
1:08:53 - Gruul Shamans
1:10:27 - Izzet Phoenix
1:17:35 - Abzan Auras
1:21:24 - Azorius Auras
1:25:02 - Selesnya Humans
1:27:45 - Mono-W Humans
1:32:50 - Chonky Red
1:34:07 - Mono-Red Torbran
1:41:28 - The rest of the BO1 metagame
1:46:55 - Our thoughts on BO1
1:53:30 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The Arena State of the Game article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-alchemy-2021-12-02
Introducing Alchemy: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/introducing-alchemy-new-way-play-mtg-arena-2021-12-02
The Innistrad Championship: https://magic.gg/events/innistrad-championship
The Untapped.gg Historic tier list: https://mtga.untapped.gg/meta/tierlist?format=historic

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 16: Magic, Games, and Culture (ft. the hosts of BAD END Podcast) Dec 05, 2021

In this latest installment in our series of bonus eps, Shane is joined by the hosts of the videogame and culture podcast BAD END, Josh Calixto and Kyle Kukshtel. They talk about BAD END and the Superculture network, their thoughts on what makes games and Magic work, and, most importantly, what their least favorite video games are. It's a great conversation, and we hope you like it!

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Links from this week's episode:
BAD END: https://www.badendpodcast.com/
BAD END on Twitter: https://twitter.com/badendpodcast
Josh: https://twitter.com/HiThereJosh
Kyle: https://twitter.com/kkukshtel

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 151: TDD Live in Vegas, ft. Reid, Evart, Joe, Gal, Tannon, Sam, Eli, Michael, Joel, Levi, & Steven Nov 24, 2021

We come to you LIVE (well, sorta) from the recent MTG Las Vegas event, where we tapped some cards, hung out with friends, and talked to some big name players! We talked to some current and future household names about Modern, the decks they brought, and their tournament experiences. Thanks to our old and new friends Joe Lossett, Tannon Grace, Yamakiller, Aspiringspike, Sam Pardee, Reid Duke, Eli Loveman, Michael Rapp, and top 8 finishers Joel Lapray, Levi Sprung, and Steve Pearlman for the fun and insightful conversations!

The Dive Down: Shane & Stan went to Vegas!
The Dive Down, cont: For some reason Dave is here too!
The Dive Down, cont again: More interviews than you can shake your deck at!

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:20 - Housekeeping
6:17 - MtG Las Vegas discussion begins
8:18 - Shane & Stan live from Vegas
21:47 - Discussing the overall event
28:26 - Joe Lossett talks 4-Color Control
36:15 - Tannon Grace chats... magic!
41:40 - Yamakiller talks Grixis Shadow
49:28 - Aspiringspike talks Rakdos Lurrus
58:52 - Sam Pardee on 4C Elementals
1:06:16 - Reid Duke talks Yawgmoth
1:11:53 - Stan talks about his tournament
1:14:28 - Eli Loveman on Hammertime
1:20:27 - Michael Rapp on Grixis Shadow
1:26:29 - Top seed Joel Lapray on Hardened Scales
1:32:06 - Talking the top 8 decks
1:39:49 - Top 8 finisher Levi Sprung
1:48:05 - Top 2 finisher Steve Pearlman
1:56:45 - Our takes on Modern after Vegas
1:59:55 - Thanks and closing out

Links from this week's episode:
MTG top 8 lists: https://twitter.com/theMMcast/status/1462223403914387458

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 150: The Road to Las Vegas IV: Preparing to Win, ft. Zach Allen Nov 17, 2021

It's episode 150!! In our final Road to Las Vegas segment, we are joined by SCG grinder, former host of Turn One Thoughtseize, and all around great guy Zach Allen. We first talk over the weekend's Challenges, then head into The Dive Down to talk about the decks of Modern, leveling up as a player, playing in a big tournament, why Aether Gust is the best card in Modern, and more. It's a can't-miss episode!

The Break Down: A Huge Challenge
The Dive Down: Preparation Makes Perfect
The Dive Down, cont: The End of the Road

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
4:18 - Housekeeping
9:10 - The Saturday Challenge metagame
19:54 - The Top 8
39:24 - The Sunday Challenge Top 8
43:30 - The Dive Down begins - Zach's competitive past
47:08 - How Zach leveled up
57:15 - What is Modern about right now?
1:03:34 - Zach's thoughts on the best decks
1:30:11 - Do paper events lag behind MTGO?
1:35:35 - Performing your best at an event
1:40:41 - What does it take to win?
1:42:10 - Zach's advice on Modern
1:45:05 - Stan and Zach talk Murktide
1:51:30 - Where to find Zach and closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Find Zach on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a22en
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12355688#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12355715#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 149: ManaCymbal Crashes & Crimson Vow Spoilers, II Nov 11, 2021

This week the three friends go through the second half of spoilers from Crimson Vow and consider which ones they'd marry for Modern (and other formats). But first, friend of the pod Zach Ryl (aka Manacymbal) stops by to talk us through his Modern Challenge Victory on Saturday, November 6.

The Break Down: A Victorious Challenger
The Dive Down: Crimson Vow — More 1 Mana Spells Than We Thought!

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
4:14 - Housekeeping
6:20 - The Break Down with ManaCymbal
7:24 - Saturday's Modern Challenge
37:17 - ManaCymbal talks his first place finish with 4C Creativity
1:01:05 - The Dive Down begins
1:02:35 - Geralf, Visionary Stitcher
1:04:22 - End the Festivities
1:06:16 - Ancestral Anger
1:10:30 - Blood Fountain
1:12:10 - Voldaren Epicure
1:14:09 - Wash Away
1:17:58 - Eruth, Tormented Prophet
1:22:28 - Cradle of Safety
1:24:36 - Stormchaser Drake
1:26:33 - Curse of Hospitality
1:28:17 - Cemetery Prowler
1:31:35 - Cemetery Illuminator
1:34:48 - Dreamshackle Geist
1:37:05 - Inspired Idea
1:39:31 - Faithbound Judge
1:41:45 - Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1:42:40 - Ascendant Packleader
1:43:30 - Lantern of the Lost
1:46:11 - Reckless Impulse
1:49:24 - Our favorite cards
1:51:10 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday Modern Challenge - https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/qosb9r/saturday_modern_challenge_results_nov_6_2021/

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 148: Events, Reanimator, and Crimson Vow Spoilers Nov 03, 2021

The title says it all! We first talk the MOCS, the SCG Invitational, and some Modern Challenges to try to wrap our head around the Modern meta. Then Shane makes up for being off last week with a discussion of Esper Reanimator. Then we go over the first batch of Crimson Vow spoilers and talk about some Cool Cards, Inc.

The Break Down: Several Events
The Dive Down: Esper Reanimator
The Dive Down, cont: Crimson Vow Spoilers

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Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:32 - Housekeeping
7:25 - The Break Down - A lot of events
8:12 - The MOCS
18:03 - The SCG Invitational
29:30 - Saturday's Challenge
38:30 - Sunday's Challenge
39:19 - Takeaways from these events
44:18 - The Dive Down begins - Shane on Esper Reanimator
51:53 - What Esper Reanimator is doing well
54:32 - What it isn't doing as well
1:06:00 - The bottom line on Reanimator
1:10:46 - The mechanics of Crimson Vow
1:19:22 - The cards begin - Manaform Hellkite
1:22:06 - Path of Peril
1:24:53 - Cemetery Protector
1:27:11 - Chandra, Dressed to Kill
1:31:01 - Dig Up
1:31:50 - Geist Lightsnare
1:34:40 - "Bedsheet Elemental"
1:36:04 - Dread Fugue
1:38:18 - Change of Fortune
1:40:01 - Grolnok, the Omnivore
1:41:07 - Demonic Bargain
1:43:30 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The MOCS: https://magic.gg/decklists/2021-magic-online-champions-showcase-season-2-modern-decklists
Randy's Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xmJkCX2mpIoVFd8TTwqE44LARRNevUeSSqJUdAjAV4s/edit#gid=0
SCG Top 8 Decks: https://old.starcitygames.com/decks/results/format/28/event_ID/21/start_date/31-10-2021/end_date/31-10-2021/start/1/finish/8/w_perc/0/g_perc/0/r_perc/0/b_perc/0/u_perc/0/a_perc/0/order_1/finish/limit/25/start_num/0/
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12351480#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12351484#paper
Esper Reanimator: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/IfleifZ9n

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
Leave us an audio message in our PodInbox: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 15: Undoubtable Creativity ft. Manacymbal Nov 01, 2021

Streamer, musician, podcaster, and ever-present Magic personality Zach Ryl, aka Manacymbal, joins Stan to talk about the Indomitable Creativity deck in Modern, content creation, and music! Recorded on October 7th.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Links from this week's episode:
Serum Visions Podcast: https://serumvisions.podbean.com/
MTG Parody Songs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2_KjuSPkJvLbbBstdPc2IVh1YSemmjQv
This Week in Modern: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2_KjuSPkJvLHdr51QgBsjKAevQz5U2bg
Twitch: https://www.twitch.com/manacymbal
4C Creativity deck talk and tournament report: https://youtu.be/Ou7X5IjzVIw

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 147: The Road to Las Vegas III: It's Elementalry! Oct 28, 2021

Shane's gone so Stan and Dave are finally free to do whatever they want. And what they want to do is play too many colors and evoke some elementals! At least that's what they thought they wanted to do — we think? That's right, for the third in our Road to Vegas series we tackle the element... als. But first enjoy a tour of one of last week's Modern Challenges and a live paper tournament from NRG. Stan talks about cool things. Dave reminisces about when he seemed cool. Somewhere, Shane is being cool.

Unnecessary Anecdote: The Beach Boys!
The Break Down: A Challenge and Some NRG
The Dive Down: Four Arms to Hold You Still

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
7:12 - Housekeeping
10:13 - The Break Down - A Modern Challenge
21:31 - The Nerd Rage Gaming paper event
30:10 - The Dive Down - The Road To Vegas pt 3
34:04 - Some powerful Modern cards
46:00 - Stan on 4-Color YoRhinos and Temur Rhinos
1:00:00 - The matchups
1:12:05 - Dave on 4-Color Elementals
1:18:40 - The matchups
1:42:15 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-10-24?xd34
Bamzing's Post About Same: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/qew011/saturday_modern_challenge_results_oct_23_2021/
NRG Modern on MTGMelee: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/7504
4c Yorhinos: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4383735#paper
4c Elementals: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4363826#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 146: The Road to Las Vegas II: Jund, UW, Hammer Oct 20, 2021

This week we dive into part two of our series in our anticipation of the return to paper Magic — The Road to Vegas. Dave, Stan, and Shane go through the ins and outs of the next tier of Modern's meta. We're looking at two boomer decks — Jund (secretly zoomer?) and UW Control — and one newmer deck in Hammer. Find out which one we think is best positioned for MTG Vegas. Before that we talk about the latest Historic changes, and go through the results of one of last week's MTGO Modern PTQs. Stan controls. Shane hammers. Dave ionizes.

The Break Down: Modern Super Showcase WKQ
The Dive Down: Boomer Decks
The Wind Down: The Short List

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:33 - Housekeeping
5:36 - Historic Bannings!
10:29 - Historic digital only card changes!
16:13 - The Modern PTQ Top 16 analysis
25:56 - The PTQ meta
34:18 - The Dive Down begins: The Road to Vegas vol.2
36:20 - Dave on Jund Saga
1:05:52 - Stan on Azorius Control
1:29:18 - Shane on Hammertime
1:51:35 - What's on our decks to play shortlist?

Links from this week's episode:
Modern PTQ Results: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-premier-2021-10-16?xd2
Moonblade Deck: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-10-17?xd2#talisker_st_place
Jund Saga: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4325030#paper
UW Control: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-premier-2021-10-16
Hammer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4109042#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
Leave us an audio message in our PodInbox: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 145: The Nation Speaks — Your Questions Answered Oct 13, 2021

This week's ep is a Patreon request by one of the first citizens of The Dive Down Nation - KilgoreTrout, aka Jason! He asked us to do a Q&A episode, and to make it even more fun we brought in some new technology to get audio submissions. We got questions from citizens around the world about Magic, collecting, and podcasting - so thanks to everyone who got involved! And special thanks to Jason for being a true citizen for so long!

The Break Down: Still Had to Get A Challenge In
The Dive Down: Hear Our Voices, Hear Your Voices
The Dive Down, pt2: Call Me Maybe

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
4:06 - Housekeeping
6:49 - The Break Down - More Modern Meta
21:00 - Sunday's Top 8
25:55 - The Dive Down begins - Questions... AND ANSWERS!
27:18 - Inside the Grinder's Studio
38:53 - What are we most excited about for CFB Vegas?
41:53 - How to play 8+ rounds of Magic?
47:45 - What are our favorite foils?
50:25 - What is the best Limited set of all time?
55:34 - What Modern Horizons cards would be safe in Standard?
1:02:26 - What does "bolting the bird" really mean anymore?
1:06:40 - How do we value our collections?
1:15:20 - How do we see ourselves engaging with Magic over the rest of our lives?
1:18:07 - How do we get the most bang for our buck in Magic?
1:28:02 - What cards do we want unbanned in Modern?
1:33:54 - What are our favorite topdecks?
1:37:23 - What decks would we buy first?
1:39:50 - What decks would we not play in paper?
1:41:38 - What would we be podcasting about if it wasn't Magic?
1:47:35 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12345852#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12345858#paper
DemonicTutor's Yawgmoth VOD: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1172755666

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
Submit an audio question to our PodInbox: https://www.podinbox.com/thedivedown

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 144: The Road To Las Vegas: Murktide v. Burn Oct 07, 2021

In the first episode of a new miniseries (???), Stan and Shane talk about their experiences testing two of the top decks in the format in their preparation for the CFB Vegas event in November. How do Izzet Murktide and Boros Burn perform right now? Why are they good, and what might be their fatal flaws? Only one way to find out!

The Break Down: Dave's Not Here, Man
The Break Down, cont: Some Good Good Challenges
The Dive Down: Matchups and Putdowns

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:07 - Housekeeping
6:16 - The Break Down begins
15:00 - Sunday's Challenge
21:30 - What these Challenges tell us
25:04 - Cool Deck(s), Inc.
27:35 - The Dive Down begins - The Road to Vegas
34:41 - Stan on Izzet Murktide
38:44 - Why has Murktide been successful, and how is it positioned right now?
42:32 - Murktide's matchups
1:01:13 - Some final thoughts on Murktide
1:06:40 - Shane on Boros Burn
1:07:31 - What's up with Burn?
1:10:32 - Burn's matchups
1:32:10 - Some thoughts on Burn
1:40:46 - What to try next?
1:43:00 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12344224#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12344230#paper
Mardu Midrange: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4342367#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 143: The People's Meta: A Deeper Modern Sep 29, 2021

On this week's episode Shane and Dave explore the depths of Modern in what we are calling.... "The People's Meta." We look at every deck from a recent 5-0 League dump to discuss their place in the metagame, what makes them interesting, and how they are implementing new cards and strategies. Before that, we go through Saturday's Showcase Challenge to look at what people are bringing to the top tournaments.

The Break Down: Showcasing Modern
The Dive Down: Mainstreams and Roguestreams
The Dive Down, cont: More. Patron. Shoutouts.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:25 - Housekeeping
5:00 - The Break Down - Saturday's Modern Showcase Challenge
14:30 - The Showcase top 8
21:12 - The Dive Down beings - The People's Meta
30:19 - The Current Mainstream
55:37 - The Past Mainstream
1:26:05 - The Upcoming Rogues
1:48:03 - Thoughts on Modern
1:51:01 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Showcase Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12342275#paper
The League Dump: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-league-2021-09-24#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 142: Consider This: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Midnight Hunt ed. Sep 23, 2021

The latest set has hit the digital shelves of Magic Online and Arena, and we are here to dig into a few new decks and run them through the Sleeve/Believe/Heave wringer! We first look at Esper Reanimator and Jeskai Phoenix in Modern, then head over to Magic Arena and dive into Izzet Delver in Historic. Do the cards of Midnight Hunt have what it takes to make an impact? Let's find out!

The Break Down: Star Studded Challenges!
The Dive Down: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Mend These Decks!

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:40 - Housekeeping
5:15 - The Break Down: Modern Challenges
24:47 - Sunday's Challenge
30:01 - Cool Decks, Inc
36:51 - The Dive Down begins: S/B/H, Midnight Hunt ed.
39:42 - Esper Reanimator
1:00:58 - Jeskai Phoenix
1:20:28 - Izzet Delver
1:34:07 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12340205#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12340211#paper
Jund Sac: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4311126#paper
Dredge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4311118
Esper Reanimator: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4311099#paper
Jeskai Phoenix: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4311100#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 141: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Spoilers, Pt. II Sep 15, 2021

This week, Stan leave Dave and Shane to their own devices as he returns to a parental-leave induced bliss. With dad gone, the last two friends decide to go wild and cover SCG's recent Historic satellites in a quick and fun break down followed by arguing about too many cards for far too much time. And they thought this would be a short one! Dave considers light up the night. Shane says the world "cool" 500,000 times in two hours. Somewhere, in the midst of a dream, Stan cringes.

The Break Down: SCG Historic Satellites + $5k
The Dive Down: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Spoilers, pt.II

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:04 - Housekeeping
5:06 - The Break Down: The SCG Historic Championship Qualifier
14:15 - The Dive Down: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, vol.2
15:40 - The Adversary Cycle
33:39 - Ghoulcaller's Harvest
37:49 - Willow Geist
40:23 - Sunset Revelry
42:34 - Meathook Massacre
45:40 - Fateful Absence
50:10 - Light Up The Night
55:02 - Turn the Earth
58:07 - Lunarch Veteran
1:01:30 - Delver of Secrets
1:07:54 - Secrets of the Key
1:12:11 - Otherworldly Gaze
1:14:51 - Malevolent Hermit
1:19:09 - Patrician Geist
1:22:46 - Suspicious Stowaway
1:25:39 - Outland Liberator
1:29:00 - Rem Karolus, Stalwart Slayer
1:31:35 - Slaughter Specialist
1:34:29 - Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
1:36:37 - Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset
1:39:47 - Dennick, Pious Apprentice
1:41:43 - Jerren, Corrupted Bishop
1:44:10 - Cathartic Pyre
1:45:17 - Memory Deluge
1:47:37 - The cards we are most sure about
1:49:23 - The cards we are most unsure about
1:50:09 - What cards do we want to be good?
1:50:55 - What cards will have the biggest impact on non-Modern formats?
1:52:00 - What cards will have the biggest impact on Modern?
1:54:00 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Historic $5K SCG TOUR ONLINE CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER: https://mtgmeta.io/tournaments/4059

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 140: Midnight Hunting & The Latest Historic Decks Sep 09, 2021

This week we're getting to band back together. Stan returns to take Shane and Dave through a tour of the format he's been playing most recently — Historic. He's learned a lot from playing at all times of the night and day and night and who knows what time it is anyway? After that, the team fully jumps into the Midnight Hunt. Dave likes some cards. Shane doesn't like them. Stan knocks the rust off.

The Break Down: Stan's Back... But For How Long?
The Break Down, cont: A Taste of Historic
The Dive Down: Midnight Hunt, Part 1

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:19 - Housekeeping
5:58 - The Break Down: The new decks of Historic
8:49 - The Jeskai decks
22:54 - Counteracting Jeskai
26:18 - Cascade combo
29:25 - Gruul Shamans
35:31 - Scurry Oak combo
37:52 - Merfolk
41:09 - Mono-Red variants
45:43 - Vesperlark combo
49:00 - What we're playing
52:50 - The Dive Down: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt!
54:50 - The mechanics of Innistrad
1:05:39 - The cards begin - Consider
1:08:03 - Play With Fire
1:09:30 - Infernal Grasp
1:11:34 - Champion of the Perished
1:12:34 - The land cycle
1:15:45 - Wrenn & Seven
1:19:07 - Poppet Stitcher
1:22:50 - Rite of Harmony
1:26:00 - Curse of Silence
1:27:59 - Croaking Counterpart
1:29:34 - Vampire Socialite
1:30:59 - Bladestich Scaab
1:31:58 - Diregraf Rebirth
1:33:48 - Brutal Cathar
1:36:05 - Curse of Shaken Faith
1:38:35 - Flame Channeler
1:40:57 - Faithful Mending
1:47:05 - Predictions

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 139: Spiking the New Modern, ft. Aspiringspike Sep 01, 2021

This week, Dave and Shane recruited our old friend Evart Moughon, aka Aspiringspike, to help us wrap our heads around all things Modern. We talk about his deck selection at the HBMO, the ever-changing Modern metagame, and his thoughts about the best decks in the format. Before that, we discuss Magic's 2022 product release roadmap. Does Spike think Hobbit aggro will be the new tier 0? Listen and find out!

The Break Down: All About 2022
The Dive Down: Dress Down Dive Down
The Dive Down, cont: Just a Lot of Questions About Modern

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:52 - Housekeeping
6:10 - The Break Down: Magic's 2022 product roadmap
6:50 - Returning to Innistrad (again!)
12:14 - Returning to Kamigawa! Demon Crime Lords!
18:22 - Returning to Dominaria!
21:03 - Returning to Double Masters and Jumpstart!
22:39 - Pioneer Challenger Decks
28:41 - Secret Lairs and Universes Beyond
43:26 - The Dive Down: Talking Modern with Spike
43:45 - The Hunter Burton Memorial Open
48:50 - How do the paper and online meta differ?
51:40 - Grixis Dress Down Shadow
57:08 - Spike's favorite Dress Down interactions
59:07 - The evolving Modern meta
1:06:44 - Is there a best DRC deck?
1:11:20 - How do you think about playing a DRC deck?
1:15:24 - How can you wrap your head around the meta?
1:20:40 - Spike's take on the meta
1:25:40 - Defining tiers in Modern
1:27:34 - Hammertime time
1:30:58 - What keeps decks out of the upper tiers?
1:35:40 - How do we feel about MH2 Modern?
1:37:04 - Evart's trophy race
1:40:00 - What's your favorite MH2 card?
1:43:25 - Pro or anti-Core set?
1:46:15 - What is it about Modern?
1:48:31 - Where to find Spike
1:51:07 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Aspiringspike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike
Aspiringspike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart
Rakdos Mid ft Den of the Bugbear: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/VjqTVfP45

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 138: Evaluating the Impact of Modern Horizons 2, ft. Mishra's Babble Aug 25, 2021

With Stan and Dave out this week, Shane recruited the hosts of Mishra's Babble for another crossover episode. They spend time evaluating the metagame and decks from the Hunter Burton Memorial Open, then head into The Dive Down to evaluate the impact of MH2 on the meta, their deck selection, and how they think about the format.

The Break Down: Meet The Babblers
The Break Down Pt.2: HBMO
The Dive Down: MH2 is Still Crushing It

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:07 - Housekeeping
4:30 - Introducing our guest hosts
16:25 - The Break Down: The Hunter Burton Memorial Open
19:10 - The Top 300 Meta
29:35 - The Top 128 Decks
38:47 - The Top 32 Decks
46:35 - The Top 8
1:12:15 - The Dive Down: The Impact of MH2
1:13:10 - Efficiency
1:21:32 - Flexibility
1:24:45 - What strategies and mindsets have shifted?
1:37:22 - What opportunities are there in Modern?
1:47:30 - How can we learn from our experiences?
1:55:02 - Where to find our guests and closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Mishra's Babble Podcast: https://anchor.fm/francisco-pawluszek/
Fran on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/fpawlusz
Evan on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/evaros
Gabe on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/spiderspace
HBMO Decks: https://www.mtgel.com/deck/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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 14: My Other Hammer is Also Red ft. MHayashi Aug 20, 2021

MTGO grinder and deck designer, Matt Hayashi, aka MHayashi, joins Stan to talk about Mono Red Obosh, Hammer of Bogardan, and some of Matt's other favorite strategies in Modern.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

MHayashi's Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHayash55780121
MHayashi's YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvVnz4iBRxBtVI2oe80S3kg?view_as=subscriber
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVnBRe8ri0glLI0_5G-L11g
MHayashi's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MagicMatt

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 137: Does Stoneblade Cut It in This Meta? Aug 11, 2021

This week we tackle a top-tier Patreon request! Sean D asked us to look at Stoneforge Mystic in Modern, and we were more than happy to oblige. We each played a deck featuring Stoneforge in very different ways, and of course are happy to bring you our takes. Before that, we take a look at two wild Modern challenges that give us a lot of hope! And don't miss Housekeeping for some very important announcements!

The... Housekeeping??: A Can't Miss Housekeeping
The Break Down: More Modern Challenges
The Dive Down: Rock, Paper, Stoneblades

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:39 - Housekeeping
8:26 - The Break Down: More Modern Challenges
26:20 - The Dive Down: Revisiting Stoneforge
29:00 - Stoneforge's History in Modern
37:27 - The Decks We Tested
42:06 - Nettlecyst Non-Blade
59:34 - Esper Blade
1:11:39 - Orzhov Griefanimatorblade
1:37:10 - Our Takes on Stoneforge in Modern Today
1:42:00 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12326162#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12326167#paper
Orzhov Nettle-non-blade: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4197511#paper
Esper Blade: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4206684#paper
Orzhov Griefanimateblade: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4212787#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 136: Historic Horizons: New Cards Same as the Old Cards Aug 04, 2021

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons is upon us, and we are contractually obligated to have takes for you. So here they are. We go over the new mechanics, the economy issues, and, most importantly, the stand-out cards in the set. Before that, we look at some of the most recent high-level Historic tournaments to take a look at the current meta before it gets shaken up.

The Break Down: Historic Insights
The Dive Down: Seeking Perpetual Conjuration
The Dive Down, cont: Just a Whole Lot of Cards

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:20 - Housekeeping
8:31 - The Break Down Begins!
10:14 - The Historic Tournament Metagame
20:59 - The Winning Decks in Historic
25:49 - What We're Looking for in Historic Horizons
34:12 - The Dive Down Begins! Introducing Historic Horizons
38:44 - The Digital Mechanics of Historic Horizons
50:50 - Our Takes on Digital Mechanics
1:02:19 - Finally Talking About the Cards
1:04:13 - The White Cards
1:12:00 - The Blue Cards
1:20:25 - The Black Cards
1:26:00 - The Red Cards
1:34:30 - The Green Cards
1:37:40 - The Gold Cards
1:40:05 - The Artifacts
1:40:54 - Takes on Historic Horizons Cards
1:44:38 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Historic Horizons Announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/what-mtg-arenas-jumpstart-historic-horizons-2021-07-26
The New-to-Magic Cards: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/card-image-gallery/jumpstart-historic-horizons
The Packet Lists: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/jumpstart-historic-horizons-packet-lists-2021-07-26

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 135: Modern ManaTraders and Metagamers Jul 28, 2021

This week we do a deep dive into some STATS. We look at the big ManaTraders event from last weekend - what decks made it to the swiss, and how did they perform? We even get a tournament report from the one host who qualified! Following that, we take a look at the evolving Modern metagame from the last 3 weeks of tournament data to see how the format is shaking out.

The Break Down: Historic What?
The Dive Down: Crashing ManaTraders
The Dive Down, cont: Hammer Seems Good

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:31 - Housekeeping
3:35 - The Break Down begins - Historic Changes are Afoot!
15:15 - The Historic Horizons leak
28:45 - The ManaTraders Modern Event
30:50 - The ManaTraders Modern Meta
44:44 - The MT Top 8
51:40 - Fighting HammerTime
53:40 - Stan's Footfalls Tournament Report
1:08:57 - A Look at the Competitive Modern Meta
1:17:15 - Looking More Closely at the Top Modern Decks
1:31:40 - What's Not at the Top?
1:34:35 - Takes on the Meta
1:41:40 - Closing Ou

Links from this week's episode:
Bamzing's ManaTraders breakdown: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/oqhs4y/manatraders_series_modern_decklists_july_2021/
WIll Krueger's HammerTime writeup: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13NtaEE5xyhElk68kxcI9XYteWw6Je-hlXzik64otj3U/edit

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 134: Five Cards You Want Banned in Modern Jul 21, 2021

In this weeks ep, we reveal the results of The Dive Down Nation's Modern Ban survey. What are the five cards you voted on to be removed from Modern, and more importantly.... what are our takes on the results?! Before that, we go over some Tasha's Hideous Laughter math that citizen of the Nation Stefan generated, and briefly discuss Sunday's Modern Challenge Top 8!

The Break Down: Tasha's Hideous Mathter
The Dive Down: The Nation Decides
The Dive Down, cont: What if Nothing?

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:45 - Housekeeping
7:10 - The Break Down - Tasha's Hideous Math
17:33 - Breaking News! The Sunday Challenge Top 8
22:22 - The Dive Down Begins
23:46 - Lurrus of the Dream-Den
25:57 - The case for banning Lurrus
38:02 - The case against banning Lurrus
44:40 - The final verdict on Lurrus
47:57 - Mishra's Bauble
51:40 - The case for banning Bauble
58:31 - The case against banning Bauble
1:04:36 - The final verdict on Bauble
1:07:22 - Primeval Titan
1:08:55 - The case for banning Titan
1:13:20 - The case against banning Titan
1:15:20 - The final verdict on Titan
1:18:37 - Teferi, Time Raveler
1:19:28 - The case for banning Teferi
1:24:05 - The case against banning Teferi
1:27:29 - The final verdict on Teferi
1:29:45 - Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
1:30:40 - The case for banning Ragavan
1:36:40 - The case against banning Ragavan
1:38:10 - The final verdict on Ragavan
1:39:15 - Should we ban... Nothing?
1:41:10 - The Wind Down - what didn't make the top 5?
1:48:38 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
How Hideous is Tasha's Laughter: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/omalkc/how_hideous_is_tashas_laughter_what_the_numbers/
Sunday's Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-07-19

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 133: Izzet You Glad We Played Murktide? Jul 14, 2021

First up this week, we take a quick spin through last week's Modern Leagues and pick out a few extremely cool decks to chat about. After that it's an Izzet world and we just delve right into it. That's right, it's UR week on The Dive Down (again) as we take a deep look at one of the latest best decks of Modern Horizons 2 Modern — Izzet Murktide. We discuss why we think the deck is suited to the meta right now, how to play it, and how to beat it (we think). Tune in to find out if this is a control deck, a midrange deck, or a tempo deck — we have a definitive answer! (Warning: We do not have a definitive answer.)

Shane loves Counterspell. Dave loves Garden State. Stan loves 8-2s.

The Break Down: Some Cool Decks We Saw
The Dive Down, pt 1: An 8/8 for Two
The Dive Down, pt 2: Izzet Just Death's Shadow?

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 "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
4:00 – Housekeeping
8:36 – The Break Down begins – Cool Decks, Inc!
10:15 – 4C Carth the Lion Superfriends
17:30 – Sultai Tokens
22:00 – Izzet Phoenix
25:49 – Hammertime ft. Ingenious Smith
32:38 – The Dive Down begins – Izzet Murktide!
39:00 – The Spells
42:50 – A Mishra’s Bauble digression
47:07 – The Sideboard
49:40 – The fundamental strategies of Murktide
1:00:15 – Is this a Control deck?
1:07:41 – A Murktide Regent digression
1:12:00 – Is this a Graveyard deck?
1:20:33 – A Counterspell digression
1:23:20 – Tactics & Sequencing
1:33:50 – Our experiences playing
1:44:41 – Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
4C Carth Superfriends, as trophied by Greenhide1
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4136337#paper
BUG Tokens, as trophied by Litledude123
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4129352#paper
MODERN Izzet Phoenix, as trophied by AspiringSpike
https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart/status/1413522001583554568
Hammertime with Ingenious Smith by Hamuda
https://twitter.com/hamudao3/status/1413998949728411648?s=20
2nd Place Izzet Murktide deck from Saturday’s Modern Challenge from DO0MSWITCH
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-07-11?xd2#domswitch_nd_place

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 132: Venture Into the Adventure: MTG n' D&D Spoilers v1 Jul 07, 2021

Well, we've finally arrived at The Forgotten Realms, and talk about what mechanics and cards from the latest set we think have the potential to impact Historic, Modern, and Pioneer. Before that, we talk about the weekend's Modern Challenges to continue to keep up with the dynamic Modern meta.

The Break Down: Another Heartfelt Thanks//It's Darcy B's World
The Dive Down: Spoiled by Spoilers
The Wind Down: Venture Bros.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:08 - Housekeeping
6:09 - The Break Down begins- Modern Challenges
9:37 - A Murktide Regent and Izzet diversion
15:27 - The Cascade decks
22:18 - More thoughts on the Challenge
27:56 - The Challenge top 8
29:29 - The Sunday Challenge
33:29 - What We're Buying
39:10 - The Dive Down begins - Venture into the Adventure!
41:12 - Our History with D&D
50:44 - Dungeons
58:21 - D20s
1:05:34 - Creature Lands
1:10:13 - Classes
1:15:25 - Pack Tactics
1:18:06 - Cards that Inspire Us
1:18:58 - Treasure Vault
1:21:08 - Portable Hole
1:23:15 - Demilich
1:26:12 - Flameskull
1:29:14 - Circle of Dreams Druid
1:31:46 - Oswald Fiddlebender
1:34:59 - Grim Wanderer
1:36:52 - Yuan-Ti Malison
1:38:31 - Hand of Vecna
1:40:40 - Sphere of Annihilation
1:41:54 - Devour Intellect & Eye of Vecna
1:44:35 - The Wind Down - Venture Bros.

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/odmf2t/modern_showcase_challenge_results_jul_3_2021/
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/oeac16/sunday_modern_challenge_results_jul_4_2021/
Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: https://scryfall.com/sets/afr

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 131: Still Crushing on Modern Horizons 2 Jul 01, 2021

SPECIAL NOTE: We had issues with Dave's audio this week, so he sounds bad! We are sorry!
In this week's episode we continue to explore the developments and decks of the Modern Horizons 2 metagame. We first explore 4 Modern events that took place over the last weekend, then talk about our experiences playing some of the latest contenders in Modern. Is Stan converting to a full-time Enchantress player? Did Shane purchase another set of Stoneforge Mystics? Did Dave.... oh wait Dave always loves Rakdos.

The Break Down: Together Again
The Dive Down: 68 Degree Basement
The Dive Down, cont: Rakdos, Hammer, Enchantress

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 "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:40 - Housekeeping
7:35 - The Break Down begins - the evolving Modern meta
8:58 - The MOCS Showcase
15:40 - Insight Modern 5k
29:42 - Modern Challenges
31:09 - Takes on the Meta
37:23 - The Dive Down begins - S/B/H MH2v2
38:18 - Rakdos ft. Lurrus
1:02:39 - Mono-W Hammertime ft. Lurrus
1:21:00 - Selesnya Enchantress

Links from this week's episode:
MOCS Champions Showcase: https://magic.gg/decklists/2021-magic-online-champions-showcase-season-1-modern-decklists
Insight Esports Modern 5k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/6888
6/27 Modern Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12309177#paper
6/28 Modern Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12309183#paper
Rakdos Rock: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/6W2Hiwbm_
_Mono-White Hammer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4109042#paper
Selesnya Enchantress: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4100268#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 130: Sleeve/Believe/Heave Modern Horizons 2 Blue Decks ed. Jun 24, 2021

Stan and Shane played a whole lot of blue spells for the latest installment of Sleeve/Believe/Heave, featuring some emerging Modern Horizons 2 strategies. We chat about our findings with the Izzet Delver decks, Izzet Food, Jeskai Monkey Blade, and more!

The Break Down: Modern Challenges
The Dive Down: Sleeve/Believe/Heave Modern Horizons 2 Blue Decks ed.

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:35 - Housekeeping
5:38 - The Break Down - Two Modern Challenges
19:38 - Sunday's Challenge
28:31 - Challenge Trends
37:33 - The Dive Down Begins - Jeskai Tempo
43:55 - A Prismatic Ending Sidebar
49:05 - A Ragavan Sidebar
59:04 - A Kaldra Compleat Sidebar
1:05:41 - Izzet Urza Food Midrange
1:13:39 - Stan Quizzes Shane on Urza Food
1:23:44 - Delver in Modern
1:27:06 - Izzet Delver v2
1:30:39 - A Dragon's Rage Channeler Sidebar
1:32:30 - Back to the Deck
1:37:06 - Delver vs. Stoneblade
1:40:05 - An Urza's Saga Sidebar
1:48:30 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-06-20
Sunday's Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-06-21
Jeskai Control/Tempo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4070264#paper
Izzet Urza Food: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4089146
Izzet Delver variants:
V1: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4074067#paper
V2: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4089149
Stan version: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4074197#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Bonus 13: Filing Taxes with SpiderSpace Jun 18, 2021

In our latest bonus episode, we're joined by a genuine MTGO stalwart, Gabe Maxson aka SpiderSpace to chat about Modern, content creation, and white taxes decks.

Find SpiderSpace at:
https://www.twitch.tv/spiderspace
https://twitter.com/spiderspacemtg
Hear Mishra's Babble at https://anchor.fm/francisco-pawluszek/episodes/Ep-5-Modern-Continues-to-Evolve-e12qogj
SpiderSpace's Flickerwisp Lines for Aspiring Taxes Players: https://twitter.com/SpiderSpaceMTG/status/1313308453041922048

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 "thedivedown2021"

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 129: The First Decks of Modern Horizons 2 Jun 16, 2021

On this week's episode we attempt something ambitious - looking at every deck in the most recent Modern deck dump that features MH2 cards. And that's almost all of them! Join us as we talk about the latest decks, trends, and dare we say it, strategies in Modern.

Housekeeping: A Heartfelt Thanks
The Break Down: 99 Decks
The Break Down, pt2: The Bell Returns

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 "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
6:58 - Housekeeping
10:15 - Some high-level Deck Dump stats
11:52 - The most seen MH2 cards so far
20:08 - The most seen old cards
21:35 - Some more deck dump stats
23:42 - The deck dump begins: Mono-black Food, Living End, Lantern Control, Azorious Affinity, Obosh Red
32:17 - Orzhov Stoneblade Blink, Living End variants, Azorious Stoneblade, G Hardened Scales, Golgari Elves
42:51 - Boros Burn, Azorious Blink, Izzet Delver, Golgari Elves, Elementals, Azorious Control
51:33 - Urza Affinity Food, Azorius Affinity and Urza's Saga talk
1:02:04 - Grixis Delirium, Jund, Orzhov Stoneblade Blink
1:11:49 - Orzhov Reanimator, Domain Zoo, Boros Taxes
1:17:41 - The Bell Returns! Abzan Blink, Merfolk, Esper Stoneblade, W Taxes, Jeskai Delver, Azorius Urza Control, Selesnya Enchantress, G Tron, Glimpse of Tomorrow, Orzhov Stoneblade
1:27:08 - Temur Cascade, Gruul Scales, Boros Prowess, Orzhov Stoneblade Control, Yawgmoth, Golgari Food, the Rock, Arclight Phoenix, Orzhov Shadowblade, Gruul Ponza, Blue Moon
1:37:00 - Amulet Titan, Rakdos Shadow, Rakdos Skelemental, Mardu Reanimator Electrodominance stuff, Hammertime, Sultai Urza Artifact stuff, Grixis Shadow, Golgari Food, Humans
1:45:07 - Izzet Delver, Foodvine, Crabvine, Jund Shadow, 4C Cascade Nahiri Control, Red Prowess, Azorius Affinityblade, Orzhov Reanimator, Titania Titan
1:50:35 - Fast takeaways and closing out

Links from this week's episode:
June 11th Modern League Deck Dump: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-league-2021-06-11

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 128: The Modern Horizons 2 Full-ish Set Review, Part 2 Jun 09, 2021

It's just Stan and Shane this week, and they tackle the second half of the Modern Horizons 2 full set review! Before that, there's a brief Cool Decks, Inc, where we cover 3 decks that made the top 8 of last weekend's Modern Challenge. We then plant some flags and light some takes on fire about the best and worst cards in MH2.

The Break Down: Cool Decks, Inc - MH2 begins!
The Dive Down: It's Just Cards
The Wind Down: Hot Takes on MH2

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:00 - Housekeeping
5:41 - Cool Decks, Inc.
6:18 - Hardened Scales
9:49 - Temur Cascade
12:16 - Foodgaak
17:19 - The MH2 set review continues!!
22:42 - The Blue Cards
33:31 - The Black Cards
42:58 - The Red Cards
48:19 - The Green Cards
50:07 - The Gold Cards
1:09:38 - The Artifacts
1:25:34 - The Lands
1:27:52 - The Reprints
1:35:03 - Hot Takes on MH2
1:35:50 - The Best New to Modern Reprint
1:36:39 - Our Favorite New Cards
1:37:21 - The Best Creatures
1:39:06 - What Cards Might Get Banned?
1:40:34 - Best Upgrade to an Existing Deck
1:41:28 - Most Improved and Hurt Modern Decks
1:43:47 - Best and Worst New Decks in Modern
1:44:50 - Most Underrated Cards
1:46:25 - Most Overrated Cards
1:48:13 - What Might Mess Up Modern?
1:49:13 - Our Final Takes on MH2
1:52:00 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Hardened Scales: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4053051#paper
Temur Cascade: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4053052#paper
Foodgaak: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4053055#paper
Modern Horizons 2: https://scryfall.com/sets/mh2?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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 127: The Modern Horizons 2 Full Set Review, Part 1 ft. Aspiringspike Jun 02, 2021

It's finally here!! The first in our two part FULL SET REVIEW for Modern Horizons 2. This week Shane's travel schedule kept him off the episode, but he's been replaced with our unofficial 4th host, Evart Moughon, aka Aspiringspike, one of the most respected and creative deck builders and streamers in Modern.

The Dive Down: It's Just Cards This Time
The Dive Down, cont: And Not Even All Of Them
The Dive Down, cont: We Really Tried, Though

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 "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
2:48 - Housekeeping
4:54 - The White Cards
26:01 - The Blue Cards
44:27 - The Black Cards
1:03:43 - The Red Cards
1:24:40 - The Green Cards
1:39:17 - Some of the Gold Cards
1:45:43 - A Few More Cards With Evart
1:57:07 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Modern Horizons 2: https://scryfall.com/sets/mh2?order=set&as=grid
Evart's Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike
Evart's 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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 126: Modern Horizons 2 Previews Begin & Thassa's Oracle Banning May 27, 2021

This week we talk the banning of Thassa's Oracle in Historic and the first post-ban Historic tournament. Then we head into The Dive Down to discuss the early Modern Horizons 2 previews, and then tackle some listener questions in The Wind Down!

The Break Down: Oracle Nomoreacle
The Dive Down: Horizons for Yerizons and Ear...zons
The Wind Down: Your Questions, Answered

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 "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:40 - Housekeeping
4:51 - The Break Down begins - Thassa's Oracle is banned in Historic!
19:30 - The Insight eSports 5k Invitational metagame breakdown
24:15 - Deck winrates
33:05 - The Top 8 and what Historic decks are winning right now
36:30 - The Dive Down begins: Modern Horizons 2 Spoilers!
37:46 - Grief
49:39 - Cabal Coffers
53:38 - Yusri, Fortune's Flame
57:20 - Flametongue Yearling
1:00:07 - Thrasta, Tempest's Roar
1:06:29 - Unmarked Grave
1:10:07 - Rishadan Dockhand
1:11:57 - Profane Tutor
1:15:55 - Timeless Dragon
1:18:40 - Dakkon, Shadow Slayer
1:24:08 - MH1 Reprints
1:26:15 - The Wind Down: listener questions!
1:26:35 - Is MH2 a "cash grab?"
1:31:48 - What does Death's Shadow need to win in Historic?
1:34:42 - How to move to a new game store?
1:38:46 - How are we REALLY doing, personally?
1:43:13 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
5/19 B&R Annoucement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/may-19-2021-banned-and-restricted-announcement
Insight ESports Tier 1 Invitational: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/5400
Modern Horizons 2 Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/mh2?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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Sunday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 125: Hello Historic Anthology 5, Goodbye MPL May 21, 2021

Jobs were lost (after next year) and new cards are announced (for next week). We go through all 25 additions from Historic Anthology 5, consider their potential and their competitive past. We also reflect on what the competitive future looks like for casual spikes.

The Break Down: Goodbye MPL
The Dive Down: Hello Historic Anthology 5

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 15% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
1:48 - Housekeeping
4:46 - The Break Down begins: We are all Casual Spikes now
36:05 - The Dive Down begins: HA5
36:58 - The Praetors
48:02 - Silumgar's Command
49:49 - Ojutai's Command
51:38 - Dromoka's Command
56:31 - Atarka's Command
1:06:05 - Kolaghan's Command
1:13:45 - Ancient Grudge
1:14:44 - Ray of Revelation
1:15:51 - Grisly Salvage
1:18:14 - Dragonstorm
1:20:24 - Intangible Virtue
1:23:10 - Into the North
1:24:36 - Relic of Progenitus
1:26:56 - Trash for Treasure
1:27:49 - Ichor Wellspring
1:29:41 - Stifle
1:30:56 - Merfolk Looter
1:32:32 - Reverse Engineer
1:33:50 - Court Homunculus, Vault Skirge, and Whirler Rogue
1:37:15 - Final thoughts on Historic Anthology 5
1:39:15 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
https://scryfall.com/sets/ha5
https://magic.gg/news/esports-transitions-and-getting-back-to-gathering

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Bonus12: Going Optimal with Ryan Spain May 14, 2021

In our latest bonus episode, we're joined by a godfather of Magic podcast, limited extraordinaire, former member of WOTC's Arena team, Ryan Spain! We chat about how the platform works, whether or not it's out to get you, and how to use two Arena accounts to draft more.

Find Ryan at:
https://twitter.com/ryanspain
https://www.twitch.tv/goingoptimal

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 "thedivedown2021"

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 124: The Summer of Legend Emergency React-i-sode May 10, 2021

We couldn't wait until Friday to get this out to you, so here's an early EMERGENCY REACT-I-SODE to Wizard's "Summer of Legend" announcement this past week. We talk about Modern Horizons II, the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, the return of sanctioned Magic, Historic Anthology 5, and more!

The Legendary Down: Emergency Reacts Only
The Wind Down: Over/Under-rated Modern Cards

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 "thedivedown2021"

Timestamps:
3:57 - The Legendary Down begins
6:29 - MH2
9:30 - Fetches
18:39 - MH2 Spoilers!
37:56 - Counterspell Time
53:29 - Our hopes for MH2
56:15 - Abundant Harvest side-chat
59:10 - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
1:00:32 - Forgotten Realms Spoiler chat
1:08:29 - Sanctioned Play is Back!
1:10:16 - Historic Anthology 5
1:17:30 - Annoucement Odds 'n Ends
1:24:48 - The Wind Down Begins - Over/Underrated Modern Cards
1:31:03 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
The Summer of Legend: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/welcome-summer-legend-2021-05-06

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 123: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Strixhaven Modern Edition May 07, 2021

This week we are testing 2 new, and 1 not-really-new, decks featuring the latest cards from Strixhaven, and running them through the Sleeve/Believe/Heave ringer. Just how much DOES Dave love Magma Opus? Is Dredge back? Is Witchermancer the new Skelementals? Listen, and find out! Before that, we take a deep dive into the big weekend of Historic and analyze the winners and losers across the SCG Historic Satellite events.

The Break Down: SCG Historic Satellites
The Dive Down: Thrilling Dredge, a Witch, and Mopus

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:
2:52 - Housekeeping
5:21 - The Break Down begins - One Thousand Sattelite Decks!
6:50 - Saturday's Meta
14:50 - Saturday's Winning Meta
21:18 - Sunday's Winning Meta
28:19 - Cool Decks, Inc.
28:46 - Selesnya Company
31:40 - Simic Stompy
36:22 - Tainted Pact Combo
41:38 - Jeskai Mutate Combo
43:33 - Temur Phoenix
48:05- Temur Superfriends
49:50 - Boros Midrange
53:01 - The Dive Down begins
55:53 - Dave w/ Jeskai Magma Opus
1:09:12 - Shane w/ Thrilling Dredge
1:28:04 - Stan w/ Rakdos Witchermancer
1:44:50 - Signing Off

Links from this week's episode:
GW Company: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/133964
Simic Stompy: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/133995
Tainted Pact: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/133955
Jeskai Mutate: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/133957
Temur Phoenix: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/133825
Temur Superfriends: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/132373
Boros Midrange: https://mtgmelee.com/Decklist/View/133988
Jeskai Magma Opus: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3946673#paper
Thrilling Dredge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3944691#paper
Rakdos Witchermancer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3955309#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 122: We're Going Rogue(s) Apr 30, 2021

This week is an old fashioned deck dive on the latest Hotness in Historic - Dimir Rogues! We explore the cards, the strategies, and the fun of the deck, and spend a LOT of time talking about Brainstorm. Is Shane finally ready to cast blue spells? Before that, we go over a recent Modern Challenge and talk about the latest winnings decks.

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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:
1:58 - Housekeeping
4:24 - The Break Down Begins - Modern Challenge Time
7:13 - The Aggro Decks
11:50 - The Creature Combo Decks
15:00 - 5-Color Scapeshift Stuff
15:42 - Some Event Takes
19:48 - What We'd Play
22:16 - The Dive Down Begins - Historic Rogues
29:08 - What Rogues is Trying to Do
32:32 - The Creatures
40:27 - The Spells
58:18 - Our Experiences Playing the Deck
1:00:57 - Tips n Tricks
1:07:05 - To Brainstorm or Not To Brainstorm?
1:27:59 - The Sideboard
1:36:19 - Matchups
1:42:48 - Did We Like It?
1:46:46 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
4/24 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-04-25?xd
Historic Rogues: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3937684#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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 121: Early Risers of Strixhaven: At the Head of the Class with Aspiringspike Apr 23, 2021

The unofficial 4th host Evart Moughon, aka Aspiringspike, joins us yet again to go over his early testing and experiments in Modern. Dave talks about, what else, Modern Prowess and Historic Phoenix, and Shane says another aggro deck in Historic isn't good enough. Probably. Before that we look at two early Historic tournaments and have an extended jam session of Cool Decks, Inc.

The Break Down: Spike Top 8'd a Challenge!
The Dive Down: Spike Made Some Luminancer Decks!
The Dive Down, cont: Spike Has Thoughts About Historic!

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
7:08 - The Break Down begins: the first Historic tournaments
8:03 - The Insight esports $1k
13:50 - The Hooglandia open
17:10 - Cool Decks, Inc.
30:30 - Our Historic Thoughts
34:58 - Spike's Modern Challenge Top 8
43:20 - The Dive Down begins: the latest decks in Modern and Historic
45:25 - Jeskai Prowess
48:48 - Naya Prowess
53:23 - Boros Prowess
1:01:34 - Temur Taking Turns ft. Rowan
1:06:40 - Thoughts on Prismari Command
1:10:24 - Historic Boros Wizards
1:16:43 - Boros Wizards v2
1:21:23 - Boros Wizards v3
1:27:50 - Historic Izzet Phoenix
1:38:56 - Thoughts on Memory Lapse

Links from this week's episode:
Insight Esports Historic 1k: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/6052
Hooglandia Historic Open: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/5942
Watch Aspiringspike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike
Find Aspiringspike 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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 120: Snows Melt, Phoenixes Rise Apr 16, 2021

With our time on Kaldheim coming to an end, the Three Friends take a look back and a look forward. Stan takes us through Modern right now via a couple of MTGO Challenges + we consider what might be coming next. Then we do a little self assessment and grade how we did on reviewing Kaldheim cards going into this format. Finally, we look ahead and talk about the decisions people are grappling with with... you guessed it... building Izzet Phoenix in Historic.

The Break Down: Where's Modern At?
The Dive Down: Learning from Kaldheim Spoilers
The Dive Down, cont.: The First of Many Times We'll Talk About Phoenix

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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"

3:30 - Housekeeping
4:42 - The Break Down - Modern Showcase Challenge and Super Qualifier
6:33 - Modern Esper Control Chat
13:36 - Weekend Metagame
16:45 - Decks to beat vs. Decks that beat
21:55 - Can anything from Strixhaven beat tier 1?
27:45 - Dive Down pt. 1 - Sunsetting Kaldheim
28:20 - Tibalt’s Trickery
31:16 - Valki, God of Lies
33:16 - Vorinclex
36:17 - Doomskar
40:00 - In Search of Greatness
41:55 - Reidane, God of the Worthy
44:44 - Ascendant Spirit
46:55 - Birgi
49:17 - Jaspera Sentinal
51:45 - Elvish Warmaster & Realmwalker
53:53 - Behold the Multiverse
57:21 - Faceless Haven
1:02:43 - Dive Down pt. 2 - Historic Phoenix Brew Down
1:37:34 - Patreon Questions Wind Down!

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 119: Back to School: Spoiling Strixhaven, Vol. 2 Apr 09, 2021

Well everyone, Shane and Dave really stepped in it last week. Stan's back. And he has things to say. About Mystical Archive cards, about playing to the stack, and about some other nonsense, too. After that's finished, the three friends go through the rest of the cards from Strixhaven and find a few worth talking about for our formats. Stan learns. Dave spoils. Shane toils.

The Break Down: Stanislav's Back
The Break Down 2: Stanislav's Mad
The Break Down 3: Stanislav Hates the Takes We Had
The Dive Down: Finally, Some Strixhaven Spoilers

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
2:47 - Housekeeping
6:04 - Break Down Begins: In Defense of Mystical Archive
8:37 - More Spells Can Be Good
12:26 - Electrolyze Though
15:10 - Archive’s Impact On Gameplay
27:54 - The Future of Historic & The Economy
34:30 - Abundant Harvest
39:14 - Dive Down Begins: Strixhaven Spoilers pt. 2
39:41 - Clever Luminancer
47:22 - Leonin Lightscribe
50:30 - Mavinda, Students’ Advocate
52:32 - Strict Proctor
55:54 - Guiding Voice
56:55 - Show of Confidence
59:01 - Test of Talent
1:00:44 - Ingenius Mastery
1:02:44 - Baleful Mastery
1:06:22 - Lash of Malice
1:08:39 - Sedgemore Witch
1:11:54 - First Day of Class
1:13:43 - Grinning Ignus
1:15:25 - Retriever Phoenix
1:16:40 - Crackle with Power
1:17:58 - Charge Through
1:20:03 - Dragonsguard Elite
1:22:55 - Body of Research
1:24:39 - Double Major
1:26:09 - Fracture
1:27:42 - Rushed Rebirth
1:30:07 - Thrilling Discovery
1:32:10 - Vanishing Verse
1:33:48 - Mila, Crafty Companion/Lukka, Wayward Bonder
1:36:47 - Expressive Iteration
1:38:16 - Flamescroll Celebrant/Revel in Silence
1:41:33 - Ecological Appreciation
1:44:11 - Zephyr Boots
1:46:00 - Bayou Groff
1:48:34 - Mage Duel
1:49:50 - Strixhaven Stadium
1:52:40 - Parting Thoughts

Strixhaven Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/stx?order=set&as=grid
Strixhaven... Mystical Archive?? Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/sta?as=grid&order=set

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 118: Back To School: Spoiling Strixhaven, Vol. 1 Apr 02, 2021

This week, Professor Stan is on sabbatical, so Shane and Dave are headed back to school to give their takes on the first batch of Strixhaven spoilers. Is this the episode where Shane is the optimist? We also take some time to go over our Mystical Archive tier lists for Historic. Will Crux of Fate have what it takes to be the only S-Tier card? Before all that, we briefly go over the Historic meta at the Kaldheim Championship, and look at two novel decks that some big names brought.

The Episode: Stan's Not Here, Man
The Break Down: The History is History
The Dive Down: Wizard College's Deepest Secrets

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
4:25 - Housekeeping
7:11 - The Break Down begins: the Kaldheim Champs
11:36 - Abzan "Midrange" overview
16:50 - Boros Cycling overview
18:48 - The Dive Down begins: Back to School!
19:50 - The Mechanics of Strixhaven
32:29 - The Snarl Lands
34:23 - Will & Rowan
37:28 - Storm-Kiln Shaman
40:50 - Rip Apart
45:40 - Elite Spellbinder
49:48 - Venerable Warsinger
53:30 – Radiant Scrollwielder
56:03 – Efreet Flamepainter
59:55 – Reduce to Memory
1:02:38 – Archmage Emeritus
1:06:40 – Witherbloom Apprentice
1:08:10 – Dragonsguard Elite
1:10:35 – Curate
1:13:09 – Shadrix Silverquill
1:15:46 – The Commands
1:23:20 – Professor Onyx
1:27:05 – The Mystical Archive in Historic
1:30:07 – The S/A-Tier
1:39:25 – The B-Tier
1:44:28 – C-Tier
1:51:34 – D-Tier
1:52:50 – Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
The Kaldheim Championship Decks: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/kaldheim-championship#paper
Strixhaven Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/stx?order=set&as=grid
Strixhaven... Mystical Archive?? Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/sta?as=grid&order=set

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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 117: How to Beat Modern Heliod Combo Mar 26, 2021

It's no secret that the Sun-Crowned has been ruling the roost in Modern, so on this week's episode we ask the very important question: how do we beat Heliod Company?! Or is it Heliod Combo? We're also kicking off the episode with a detailed breakdown of the SCG Tour Online's Historic weekend. #Spreadsheets

The Disclaimer: Dave's Not Here
The Break Down: Satellite of Jund
The Dive Down: Tricksy Timing and Other Combo Breakers

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
3:02 — Housekeeping
6:07 — Break Down Begins: SCG Historic Satellites
10:50 — Swiss Meta: 1,053 Decks!!
25:25 — 4-2s or Better in the Swiss
30:28 — Sunday Championship Meta: 301 Decks!!
35:36 — Top 8
37:20 — Conclusions
46:30 — What it Means for Casual Spikes
49:52 — The Dive Down Begins: How to Beat Heliod
53:00 — How Heliod Got His Groove Back
56:12 — How the Deck is Different Now
1:00:12 — About the February 15 Bannings
1:04:00 — What We Did This Episode: Try to Lose
1:06:45 — What to Think About Against Heliod
1:07:06 — Favored Decks: UW Control
1:08:10 — Favored Decks: Green Tron
1:09:31 — Favored Decks: UB Mill
1:10:50 — Even Decks: Jund Death's Shadow
1:13:40 — Even Decks: Burn
1:21:25 — Even Decks: Taxes, Hammertime
1:22:05 — Other Combo Decks
1:23:22 — Cards We Love Against Heliod
1:28:00 — How Can You Beat Infinite Life?
1:31:50 — How to Interact Against Heliod
1:37:01 — Mirror Matches
1:39:40 — Is Heliod Overpowered?

Links from this week's episode:
The SCG 5K Strixhaven Qualifier: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/5656
Heliod Combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3853109#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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 116: Time Spiral Buyers' Guide & Shadows Over Historic Mar 19, 2021

In something of a split episode, we first explore the reprints of Time Spiral Remastered, identify some potential cards that are "on sale," the impact of the old border reprints, and what we're eyeballing as purchases. Following that, Dave outlines the various Death's Shadow decks that players have been testing in Historic following the release of Anthology 4, Shane probably under-rates Historic cycling decks, and Stan continues to cast Elves.

The Break Down: Pay More For Cards You Already Have!
The Dive Down: Death's Shadow + Adanto Vanguard = <3
The Dive Down, cont: Other Anthology Thoughts

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
2:31 - Housekeeping
5:43 - Break Down Begins: Introducing the Time Spiral Buyer’s Guide
10:59 - Gemstone Cavern
13:13 - Tarmogoyf
17:11 - A bunch of quick hits
25:00 - The Value of Old Border Reprints
32:17 - Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
33:33 - Chalice of the Void
34:20 - Ancient Stirrings
35:46 - How Old Borders Impact Box Prices
41:33 - Time Spiral Parting Thoughts
43:55 - Dive Down Begins: Testing Death’s Shadow in Historic
48:36 - Grixis Death’s Shadow
52:20 - RB Arcanist
1:02:38 - RB Aggro
1:07:18 - Mono-Black Aggro
1:11:07 - Cycling Shadow
1:13:53 - Mardu Shadow
1:28:39 - More testing: Flameblade Adept
1:38:26 - Declaration in Stone
1:40:00 - Abomination of Llanowar
1:44:59 - Sawtusk Demolisher
1:49:05 - Parting Thoughts

Links from this week's episode:
Time Spiral Remastered: https://scryfall.com/sets/tsr?order=usd&as=grid
The EV of TSR: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/the-expected-value-of-time-spiral-remastered
Mardu Shadow: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3829762#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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 115: Modern Bant Ephemerate: The Flicker Mob ft. Aspiringspike Mar 12, 2021

This week we tackle another Patron request from Bob - Bant Ephemerate! And who better to have on than one of the masters of the deck, Aspiringspike himself, Evart Moughon. We go over the ins and outs of the deck, with Shane wondering just how to cast counterspells, Dave running out of time on Magic Online, and Stan just blinking stuff. Before that, we look at the latest Historic Anthology and give our takes on what cards might have an impact.

The Break Down: A Shadow Over Historic
The Dive Down: Draw 2 Whenever You Can
The Dive Down, cont: Winning With Three 2/2s

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
2:36 - Housekeeping
6:08 - The Break Down begins - Historic Anthology 4
11:48 - The cards of Historic Anthology 4
14:50 - Death's Shadow
24:06 - Declaration in Stone
27:15 - Thraben Inspector
29:03 - Flameblade Adept
32:06 - Blinkmoth Nexus
34:01 - Sword of Body and Mind
35:31 - The other stuff
38:35 - Thoughts on Anthologies
43:26 - The Dive Down begins - a brief history of Bant Ephemerate
48:45 - What inspired Evart to keep coming back to this shell?
51:43 - Ephemerate: the key card
56:33 - What are we bouncing? Eternal Witness
1:01:30 - Ice-Fang Coatl
1:04:27 - Skyclave Apparition
1:07:43 - Wall of Omens
1:09:30 - Venser, Shaper Savant
1:11:40 - The Counterspells & How to Cast Them
1:23:04 - The Teferis
1:25:15 - The Mana
1:29:28 - Time Warp (Time Warp!)
1:31:35 - How Fun is the Deck?
1:37:37 - Some Sideboard Tips
1:41:12 - How Does This Slow Deck Win?
1:46:48 - Final Tips For Picking Up This Deck

Links from this week's episode:
Historic Anthology 4: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/get-ready-historic-anthology-iv-2021-03-05
Bant Ephemerate: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/yHz1usZ4J
Watch Aspiringspike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike
Find Aspiringspike 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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 114: Modern Merfolk: A Brief History of Spreading Seas Mar 05, 2021

This week it's a Modern-focused, Patron-thanking episode that's all about one of the format's classics, Merfolk. That's right. You've been waiting for 2 years for us to dive down into the depths of these seas. But first, we'll take a look through the Mana Traders Series from this month. It's Modern. It's good. Again. Dave hates seafood. Stan combos off. Shane is — surprisingly — a friend to all fish, everywhere.

The Break Down: Manatraders Modern
The Dive Down: Turn 1 Aether Vial
The Dive Down, cont: Turn 4 Spreading Seas

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
3:16 - Special Patreon shoutout / Housekeeping
6:12 - The Break Down begins - the Manatraders Modern Month
7:33 - The overall Manatraders metagame
11:10 - 6-3 conversion rates
15:35 - The top 8
27:10 - Quick top 16 analysis of the weekend Challenges
28:39 - Takeaways and takes from the weekend's events
39:10 - The Dive Down begins: Modern Merfolk!
41:00 - What this deck is about
43:52 - A brief history of Merfolk
49:45 - The construction options of Merfolk
54:04 - The Lords
59:25 - The Beaters
1:05:01 - The Disruptive Creatures
1:13:20 - Aether Vial. It's good.
1:14:27 - Disruptive Spells
1:20:38 - The Lands. AKA Mutavault.
1:21:18 - Our playing experiences: what we played this week
1:22:35 - Dave on Azorius Merfolk
1:27:30 - Shane on Simic Merfolk
1:33:55 - Stan on Mystic Reflection Combo Fish
1:44:22 - What Merfolk does well, and what it doesn't
1:53:45 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The Manatraders Metagame: https://twitter.com/YahiAnael/status/1365562502298361858?s=20
UW Merfolk: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3743267#paper
Mystic Reflection Merfolk: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3765702#paper
Simic Merfolk: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/merfolk-decklist-by-zxrogue-1092933

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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 113: Post-Ban Plans: Small Samples, Big Conclusions Feb 26, 2021

So what next? This week The Three Friends talk about each of our favorite formats in the wake of what some have claimed is the biggest set of bans in MTG history. Is it? We don't know. BUT. We do know that there's new (and old) stuff going on in Modern, Historic, and Pioneer. We will be giving you a Break Down of ALL THREE formats, talk about our experiences playing the formats, and, of course, tell you what we'd play. Shane and Stan pivot table it up while Dave just reads some line graphs out loud. It's can't miss audio content!

The Break Down: First Modern
The Break Down II: Then Historic
The Break Down III: Then Pioneer
The Break Down IV: Yep, All Three

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Timestamps:
1:28 - Housekeeping
4:32 - The Format-Palooza begins
6:16 - Modern post-ban event Break Down
13:47 - The winningest decks from Modern this week
19:00 - What's Modern about now?
22:26 - The NRG Open
31:39 - Stan's play experience
36:11 - Modern Cool Decks, Inc.
44:26 - What would we play in Modern?
47:21 - Historic post-ban meta Break Down
1:03:54 - Selensya Angels
1:14:26 - Golgari Elves
1:21:11 - What would we play in Historic?
1:25:14 - Pioneer post-ban event Break Down
1:39:41 - Pioneer Top 8s and Cool Decks, Inc
1:43:05 - Shane's play experience
1:46:00 - How is Pioneer different from Historic?
1:55:43 - What would we play in Pioneer?

Links from this week's episode:
2/20/21 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-02-21
2/21/21 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2021-02-22
NRG Modern Open: https://mtgmelee.com/Tournament/View/4904
Selesnya Angels: https://mtga.untapped.gg/meta/archetypes/1041/selesnya-angels?format=historic&meta=current&rank=BRONZE_TO_MYTHIC&tab=decks&wincon=bo3
Golgari Elves: https://mtga.untapped.gg/meta/archetypes/984/golgari-elves?format=historic&meta=previous&min-matches=100&rank=BRONZE_TO_MYTHIC&tab=decks&wincon=bo3
2/20/21 Pioneer Prelim: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-preliminary-2021-02-20
2/21/21 Pioneer Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2021-02-21
Grixis Release to the Wind: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3781283#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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 112: Roll That Beautiful Ban Footage ft. Aspiringspike Feb 17, 2021

Well, those were some bans. And we're here to talk about them, with our regular guest host Evart Moughon, aka Aspiringspike. We first discuss the big bans in Modern, Pioneer, and Historic, then head into the Dive Down to talk about what these changes mean for the formats themselves.

The Break Down: They Really Really Did It
The Dive Down: The Face of the New Formats
The Dive Down, cont: Why Does This Keep Happening?

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Timestamps:
2:33 - Housekeeping
4:59 - The Break Down fake begins - we give Spike an open door and he runs through it
8:08 - The Break Down actually begins - takes on the bans
8:53 - WOTCs statement on why they made some bans
15:00 - The Modern bans - Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
22:15 - Field of the Dead/Mystic Sanctuary
27:21 - Simian Spirit Guide
31:52 - Tibalt's Trickery
35:56 - The Cascade rule change
38:51 - Will Modern be more fun?
43:45 - The Historic ban - so they banned Uro here, too
51:00 - The Pioneer bans
52:25 - WOTC's stated vision of Pioneer
55:18 - Teferi, Time Raveler
58:10 - Balustrade Spy/Undercity Informer
59:00 - Will Pioneer be better now?
1:04:15 - Final thoughts on all of this
1:08:38 - The Dive Down begins
1:09:05 - What looks good in Modern?
1:21:24 - Modern's other victims
1:28:42 - Historic's post-ban winners
1:34:52 - What are the dark horses in Pioneer?
1:42:35 - Formats full of possibilities?
1:44:50 - Why does this keep happening?
1:58:56 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
The 2/15/2021 B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/february-15-2021-banned-and-restricted-announcement
Watch Aspiringspike on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aspiringspike
Find Aspiringspike 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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 111: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: LOL Tibalt ed. Feb 12, 2021

This week's a funny one. We set out to test some of the most recent winning decks featuring Kaldheim cards, in order to grade them on our (patent-pending) S/B/H rating system. Then, in the span of a few days, the Modern landscape shifted under our feet! So we'll still talk about those winning decks, but also about the communities iteration on Cascade Tibalt, what this means for Modern, and, as always, provide some mildly spicy takes.

The Break Down: What
The Dive Down: The
The Dive Down, cont: Falki

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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:
1:40 - Housekeeping
3:47 - The Break Down begins: Two Modern Challenges
4:38 - Saturday Top 8
12:05 - Sunday Top 8
16:13 - A Very Valki Weekend
27:46 - Is there game against Valki?
33:32 - The Dive Down Begins: Sleeve/Believe/Heave, Tibalt ed.
35:34 - Jund Valki
1:01:35 - Tibalt’s Trickery
1:06:21 - 51 Land Trickery
1:10:46 - 8 Cascade Turbo Trickery
1:26:39 - Goblin Pyre
1:37:45 - Bant Cosima Stoneblade
1:44:10 - What to play?

Links from this week's episode:
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12258809#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12258815#paper
Jund Valki: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3741655#paper
All-in Trickery: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3741670#paper
8 Cascade Turbo Trickery: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3738934#paper
Bant Cosima: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3734686#paper
Goblin Pyre: https://www.streamdecker.com/deck/5I9yoEQ5r

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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 110: Kaldheim: Testing New Tech & Avoiding New Tricks Feb 05, 2021

Kaldheim is out, which means there's a bunch of new great, fair decks for us to explore in our favorite formats! Hold on, I'm being handed a note.... oh wait there's some more ways to win on turn 1, as well... So this week we're testing some of the cards and decks that people are talking about, and reporting back with our findings. Before that we check out the latest Modern events to see what's changing there, and looking for Kaldheim cards that are making an impact.

The Break Down: Modern Challenges
The Dive Down: He's Tricky
The Dive Down, cont: More Impact Than Advertised
The Wind Down: Arena Experiences

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
2:25 - Housekeeping
5:49 - The Break Down begins: Modern Events!
7:00 - Weekend Challenge top 8
11:53 - Super Qualifier top 8
13:35 - Cool Decks, Inc.
18:05 - The Dive Down begins: The Impact of Kaldheim
19:10 - Tibalt's Trickery
33:30 - Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
41:07 - In Search of Greatness
47:45 - Valki, God of Lies//Tibalt, Cosmic Imposter
1:04:25 - Ascendant Spirit
1:12:08 - Birgi, God of Storytelling//Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
1:23:04 - Spectral Steel
1:25:07 - Rise of the Dread Marn
1:27:33 - Immersturm Predator
1:30:29 - The Pathways
1:35:12 - The Wind Down: Arena Experiences
1:37:22 - Shane's January
1:39:40 - Dave's January
1:42:11 - Stan's January
1:44:10 - Goals for February
1:48:23 - Signing Off

Links from this week's episode:
Sunday Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12256327#paper
Super Qualifier: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-champ-qual-2021-01-31

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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 109: Historic Gruul: Smashing & Flashing to Victory Jan 29, 2021

This week we Dive Down into Gruul Aggro in Historic. After a strong representation and showing in the recent MPL and Rivals Historic weekend events, Gruul looks to be the tier 1 aggro deck in the format. We guide you through deck construction, piloting the deck, and playing against it! Before that, we walk through a meta breakdown on the past month or so of Modern, and are again forced to discuss a certain escaping Titan.

The Break Down: Deep, Deep Modern Meta
The Dive Down: A Truly Busted 2
The Dive Down, pt. 2: A Truly Busted 6

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
5:58 - The Break Down Begins: A Modern Update
7:02 - January 23rd Modern Qualifier
11:14 - the top 32
14:15 - A modern meta analysis
22:45 - How modern feels right now (aka Uro talk)
30:50 - The Dive Down Begins: Gruul is Kuul
35:20 - How Gruul works in Historic
36:20 - The 1 drops
41:15 - The 2 drops
59:30 - The 3 drops
1:08:01 - The 4 drops and beyond
1:17:02 - The manabase
1:20:20 - Sideboarding and sideboard tactics
1:25:01 - Playing as Gruul
1:34:49 - Playing against Gruul
1:42:35 - Who is this deck for?
1:46:53 - Signing off

Links from this week's episode:
Alatheio's Modern Analysis: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/l31jyc/mtgo_modern_major_events_review_20201221_20210120/
Gruul Aggro: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/gruul-aggro-9590cf15-ec7b-4014-9d20-1114d43b8370#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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 108: Kaldheim Spoilers: Hot Takes on Cool Cards, Vol. 2 ft. AspiringSpike Jan 22, 2021

We head back to Kaldheim for more spoiler takes, this time joined by regular guest host Evart Moughon, aka Aspiring Spike! What cards have what it takes to make an impact in Magic's non-rotating formats? We don't really know, but we have some thoughts... We also discuss the recent MPL and Rivals Historic weekend events, and break down the current meta.

The Break Down: It's the MPL, Y'all
The Dive Down: He's Finally Back
The Dive Down, cont: Cards Evart Likes

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
3:00 - Housekeeping
5:18 - The Break Down begins: MPL and Rivals Historic weekend!
7:44 - A brief explanation of the MPL
9:55 - The overall metagame and our thoughts on the big 3
20:42 - Some thoughts on the Historic metagame
23:46 - Deck performance data
29:40 - The Dive Down begins: Kaldheim spoilers, Vol. 2
30:20 - Doomskar
39:18 - In Search of Greatness
47:20 - Mystic Reflection
54:38 - Magda, Brazen Outlaw
59:15 - Tibalt's Trickery, revisited
1:02:54 - Snow Duals, revisited
1:05:56 - Old-Growth Troll, revisited
1:07:27 - Valki/Tibalt, revisited
1:09:40 - Immersturm Predator
1:13:40 - Reidane, God of the Worthy
1:17:57 - Cosima, God of the Voyage
1:21:20 - Birgi, God of Storytelling
1:27:15 - Ascendant Spirit
1:29:08 - Vega, the Watcher
1:33:08 - Skemfar Avenger
1:34:19 - Jaspera Sentinal
1:36:25 - Toski, Bearer of Secrets
1:38:29 - Bind the Monster
1:43:46 - Parting thoughts, is this set good?
1:46:54 - Our Most Anticipated Cards

Links from this week's episode:
MTG data: https://twitter.com/mtg_data
h0lydiva: https://twitter.com/h0lydiva
Ball Lightning, phd: https://twitter.com/jpball5
Ball Lightning, phd's MPL spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bkg1UE2HxEU-2vnS-3tQbm9VwqWtsPMGh3kitGZwTL0/edit#gid=1855992740
Kaldheim spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/khm?order=name&as=grid

Find Aspring Spike on twitter: https://twitter.com/MoughonEvart
and 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?

Watch us stream our episodes every Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 11: Breaking into Pyro Prison ft. FluffyWolf2 Jan 19, 2021

In our latest bonus episode, Modern streamer and Pyro Prison stalwart FluffyWolf2 joins us for a conversation about earning a reputation for championing a single deck, the state of Modern, and lessons learned streaming MTGO.

Find Fluffy at:
twitch.tv/fluffywolf2
twitter.com/fluffywolf2
fluffywolf2.com

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"
Download our favorite Magic Arena companion tool at http://untapped.thedivedown.com

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 107: Kaldheim Spoilers: Hot Takes on Cool Cards, Vol. 1 Jan 15, 2021

The first batch of Kaldheim spoilers have dropped, and we're here to provide our patent-pending hot takes. We answer important questions like: what Izzet card will Stan overrate, what Green 5-drop will Shane think just might work, and what reasonable stance will Dave take on every card we discuss? Prior to that we finish up our mutual journey through Zendikar Rising by finding some Cool Decks for our latest installment of Cool Decks, Inc.

The Break Down: Gazpacho Decks, Inc.
The Dive Down, pt 1: Cards Dave Loves
The Dive Down, pt 2: Cards Shane & Stan Hate

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
3:33 - Housekeeping
6:51 - The Break Down Begins: Cool Decks Inc
7:37 - Bant Snowblade
10:01 - Boros Land Destruction
13:39 - 4C Lutri
16:35 - The Dive Down Begins: Kaldheim Spoilers
19:03 - Kaldheim Mechanics
38:44 - Snow Duals
42:53 - Tibatl’s Trickery
48:49 - Alrund, God of the Cosmos
53:35 - Annul
54:21 - Behold the Multiverse
57:40 - Dragon Berserker
1:01:25 - Esika, God of the Tree
1:05:47 - Goldspan Dragon
1:09:00 - Kaya’s Onslaught
1:11:39 - Koll, the Forgemaster
1:15:19 - Niko Aris
1:18:47 - Old-Growth Troll
1:23:33 - Ravenform
1:26:23 - Rise of the Dread Marn
1:29:24 - Saw It Coming
1:33:37 - Spectral Steel
1:35:28 - Valki, God of Lies
1:43:37 - Our Parting Thoughts

Links from this week's episode:
Niambi Stoneblade: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3678247#paper
Boros Land Destruction: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3678255
4C Lutri: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3671439#paper
Kaldheim mechanics: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/kaldheim-mechanics-2021-01-07
Kaldheim spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/khm?order=name&as=grid

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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 106: Modern: Stop. Hammertime. Jan 08, 2021

This week we asked our patrons to tell us what deck to do our next dive on, and they chose one of the up-and-comers of Modern: Hammer Time. And what do you know, it performed incredibly well at the ManaTraders Modern Tournament and put 4 decks into the latest Challenge top 8. What timing! We first go deep on the ManaTraders tourny, then head into the Dive Down to provide a thorough overview of Hammer Time: how do the pieces work together, how you should think about playing it, and how people will try to hate you out.

The Break Down: Modern Manatraders Meta Madness
The Dive Down: The 0s and 1s
The Dive Down, cont: The 2s and +10/+10s

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
2:39 - Housekeeping
6:39 - Break Down Begins
8:03 - Dave’s Tournament Report
12:36 - Manatraders Modern Metagame
40:27 - Dive Down Begins - Hammer Time
41:31 - What is Hammer Time?
48:44 - Steelshaper’s Gift & other cards that get hammers
51:50 - Sigarda’s Aid & other cards that cheat on equipment costs
58:42 - Ornithopter & other cards that wield hammers
1:03:41 - Mishra’s Bauble & other support cards
1:15:03 - Auriok Champion & other sideboard cards
1:19:23 - Playing the deck to various levels of success
1:27:14 - Keep or Mulls
1:32:43 - How to beat Hammer Time
1:37:48 - Why is Hammer so good right now?
1:42:14 - Who is this deck for & other 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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 105: 2020: A Real Year. Jan 01, 2021

2020 is a year that did, in fact, happen. And we are here to talk about the year of Magic: The Gathering and our place in it. And maybe make fun of our bad takes. We review Modern, Pioneer, and Historic through 2020, talk about our favorite (and least favorit cards) from the year, review our best (and worst) picks to click, and more! Thanks for your amazing support through 2020. We appreciate you.

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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Get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
3:05 - Housekeeping
7:00 - 2020 begins with hope
9:00 - The loss of paper and gain of virtual
13:18 - Modern in 2020
30:54 - Pioneer in 2020
38:40 - Historic (and magic arena) in 2020
57:40 - Part 2: A year of The Dive Down
58:00 - Our favorite eps of the year
1:05:40 - Favorite deck and card dives
1:23:40 - Our best and worst picks to click
1:30:11 - Our worst sleeve/believe/heave take
1:33:30 - Our favorite cards of the year
1:37:02 - Our least favorite cards of the year
1:40:55 - Our best MTG experiences of the year
1:42:40 - Guests of the year
1:44:43 - Was 2020 a good year for MTG?

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 Monday night at 8pm Central: https://www.twitch.tv/thedivedown_shane

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 104: Must-Knows For (Today's) Modern Tournaments Dec 24, 2020

This week we take a journey into the ManaTraders Modern Tournament Series. We talk about the decks we played with and against, potential mental and strategic approaches to events like these, and some hot hot takes about Modern and Magic. We also spend some time talking about Stan's recent successes, and the first batch of Kaldheim spoilers!

The Break Down: Stan's Satellite Results!
The Dive Down: Our Manatraders Results!
The Wind Down: Kaldheim Spoiler Results!

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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Get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
3:29 - Housekeeping
6:02 - The Break Down begins: Stan’s SCG Tour Online Report
14:20 - New Insights on Historic Neostorm
25:12 - The Dive Down begins: Introducing the Manatraders Modern Qualifiers
34:30 - Who’s Playing in Manatraders Qualifiers?
39:50 - N=31 Metagame Analysis
46:30 - Trying to qualify with Elves, Bogles, and Ponza
52:38 - Trying to qualify with UR Prowess
1:01:16 - Trying to qualify with Mono-Red and GW Titan
1:15:36 - Let’s Talk About Modern…
1:22:38 - Tournament Takeaways
1:36:15 - The Wind Down begins: Kaldheim Spoilers, part 1

Links from this week's episode:
The December Manatraders tournament: https://www.manatraders.com/tournaments/9
Ongoing Kaldheim Spoilers: https://scryfall.com/sets/khm?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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 103: The Best Decks in Historic Dec 18, 2020

This week The Dive Down goes back to Historic. After bursting out briefly in song, the crew breaks down the metagame from last weekend's SCG Satellite Tournaments and reels in shock from one or two insights. Dave manages to make a recap of the Arena Open all about him. Stan is unsurprised. Shane is amused. After that we dive down into three of the best decks in Historic... that we haven't spoken about that much yet.

The Break Down: Satellite Results
The Break Down, pt 2: Customer Servicing into Day 2
The Dive Down: Best Titans, Best Wizards, Best Cats

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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:
1:50 - Housekeeping
6:56 - SCG Historic Satellites
28:56 - Dave Plays the Arena Open
40:35 - The Dive Down Begins
43:07 - Shane Plays Historic Sultai
1:11:01 - Stan Plays Historic Neostorm
1:29:36 - Dave Also Plays Historic Sacrifice
1:49:05 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Stan's Lovely Star City Breakdown:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Jw2JuAFYQmldURZrqr1IkeLn51tsThogo6DWvqSM4wM/edit#gid=0
Cool Decks Inc, #1 (Izzet): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3620885#paper
Cool Decks Inc, #2 (Sultai Explore): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3622893#paper
Dave's Auras Open List (Bo1): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3624511#paper
Dave's Auras Open List (Bo2): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3624523#paper
Shane's Sultai: https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/kyleboggemes-11262020-sultai-midrange-in-historic
Stan's Neoform: https://tinyurl.com/y8tyomw4
Dave's Rakdos Sac: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3624554#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 102: A Tribal Quest: Hives, Grenades, and Skeletons Dec 11, 2020

It's time for another top-tier Patron request episode! This time, long-time citizen of the nation Sean asked us to talk about tribal decks. We cover the history of tribes in Magic, common aspects of tribal decks, and do a Sleeve/Believe/Heave of some of the less popular tribes of Modern. Prior to that, we spend a long time breaking down the Historic decks and meta of the Zendikar Rising Championship that took place last weekend!

The Break Down: A Historic Championship
The Dive Down: Tribe Talk
The Dive Down, cont: Which Deck Will Stan Qualify With?

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
4:27 - Housekeeping
9:42 - The Break Down: Championship Chat
12:20 - The Championship meta
21:40 - The Top 64 meta
29:05 - The Top 8
41:03 - Some takes
45:13 - Cool Decks, Inc.
50:25 - The Dive Down: Tribal Time
53:02 - A brief history of tribes in Magic
58:38 - What are the common features of these decks?
1:02:58 - The lords and lieutenants of tribal decks
1:10:55 - The best cards for tribal decks
1:13:40 - Testing lesser-known tribal decks: 5-Color Elementals
1:29:03 - Goblins Combo
1:35:50 - 8-Whack Goblins
1:40:44 - Slivers
1:53:22 - Tribal takeaways
1:57:03 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Zendikar Rising Championship Coverage: https://magic.gg/events/zendikar-rising-championship
5-Color Elementals: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3574926#paper
Goblin Combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/goblins#paper
8-Whack: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3468163#paper
Slivers: https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/slivers-decklist-by-justburn420-1060211

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 101: Historic 101: An Intro For Casual Spikes Dec 04, 2020

For the first week of our NEXT 100 episodes, we finally took the plunge into Magic Arena's non-rotating format: Historic. We will help you understand how to assess and buy into Historic, what the decks and meta are like, what playing on Arena is like, and our thoughts on if Best of One is really Magic.... Enjoy the beginning of a new podcast adventure!

The Dive Down: 88 Goblins
The Dive Down, cont: Pants, Pants, Pants
The Dive Down, cont: Gruul Smash

Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, get details on your performance and more! Use our link to help us out without spending anything: https://mtga.untapped.gg/companion?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=divedown

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:
3:35 - Housekeeping
7:07 - The Dive Down: The Dive Down Does Historic
7:33 - Why are we covering Historic?
23:00 - What does this mean for The Dive Down?
26:42 - What were our expectations for Historic?
28:33 - How can you buy into Historic, and the economy of Arena
41:00 - The meta and decks in Historic
43:07 - Quick sidebar: how much Historic did we play?
46:53 - The decks of Historic:
47:40 - Azorius Auras
57:40 - Mono-Red Goblins
1:05:58 - Gruul Aggro
1:13:04 - Sultai Midrange
1:19:30 - Rakdos Sacrifice
1:23:07 - Other decks in brief
1:28:08 - Our thoughts on Historic's meta
1:31:43 - Best of One vs. Best of Three
1:39:30 - The competition on Arena
1:43:15 - Monitoring the Historic meta and some economy talk
1:49:45 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Mono-Red Goblins: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/historic-goblins-3896#paper
Azorius Auras: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/historic-azorius-aggro#paper
Gruul Aggro: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3575700#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 100: One. Hundred. Decks. Nov 20, 2020

It's Episode 100, so we pulled out all the stops for a live streamed recording of mini-dives into the 100 most important/cool/powerful decks of Modern, from inception to today. That's... a lot of decks! Join us for an extra-long episode full of fun and surprises!

We would have never made it to 100 episodes without the ongoing engagement and generous support from all of you out there in The Dive Down Nation. Thank you so much for being part of who we are as a podcast community.

Please support our charity drive for Feeding America, the United States' largest domestic hunger relief campaign, by donating here: https://streamlabscharity.com/@thedivedown-shane/the-dive-down-nation-helps-feed-america

The Break Down: One
The Dive Down: Hundred
The Wind Down: Decks

Timestamps:
3:50 - Housekeeping
8:33 - Decks 100 to 75
38:49 - Decks 74 to 50
1:02:36 - Decks 49 to 26
1:28:09 - The Top 25 Modern Decks!

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"

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

AGAIN! Please support our charity drive for Feeding America by donating here: https://streamlabscharity.com/@thedivedown-shane/the-dive-down-nation-helps-feed-america

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Episode 99: A Few of Our Favorite Things Nov 13, 2020

We took things a little easy this week as we prepare for the big episode 100 live stream, and asked The Dive Down Nation to prompt us with: "What's your favorite ____?" We got a TON of awesome questions, so thank you, Nation! We talk about our favorite spells, overheard conversations, books, draft formats, and more. Prior to that we have an installment of Cool Decks, Inc, where we talk about a few recent... well... cool decks that we've seen popping up in Modern.

The Break Down: Cool Decks Inc.
The Dive Down: All of our favorite stuff!

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:
3:50 - Housekeeping
5:55 - An Historic announcement
8:33 - The Break Down: Cool Decks, Inc.
8:54 - Rakdos Hollow Storm
13:50 - Golgari Infect
18:21 - 4-Color Flashback
24:38 - Izzet Control ft. Kiki-Jiki
30:00 - The Dive Down : A few of our favorite things
30:57 - Our favorite cards that aren't good enough for Modern anymore
36:04 - Our favorite sideboard hate cards
42:28 - Our favorite matchups
45:54 - Our favorite overheard comment at a Magic event
51:45 - Our favorite piece of MTG bling
55:22 - Our favorite judge interaction
59:26 - Our favorite draft format
1:04:42 - Our favorite non-sanctioned MTG format
1:07:27 - Our favorite books we have read more than once
1:16:03 - Our favorite albums
1:16:48 - Our favorite movies
1:17:07 - Our favorite Legacy cards
1:18:22 - Our favorite weird rules interaction
1:20:24 - Our favorite cards of 2020
1:28:30 - Our favorite decks ever
1:31:32 - Our favorite cards to imprint onto Isochron Scepter
1:32:38 - Our favorite flavor text
1:35:08 - How good do you want to get at Magic?
1:40:00 - Our favorite playmats
1:40:21 - Our favorite ways to win games
1:41:01 - Our favorite deck names
1:41:40 - Our favorite mtg slang
1:42:52 - Our favorite Magic art or artist
1:44:05 - Our favorite color shifted cards
1:45:30 - The Wind Down: Join us for TDD EP 100 — LIVE!

Links from this week's episode:
Rakdos Hollow Storm: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3541194#paper
Golgari Infect: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3537083#paper
4-Color Flashback: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3541195#paper
Izzet Kiki-Jiki: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3543682#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 98: Auditing Modern Mono-White Taxes Nov 06, 2020

We spend this week looking at an up-and-coming deck in Modern: Mono-White Taxes. We spend some time looking at the history of Taxes decks, how this deck works, and if we think it's actually that good. Before that we breeze through some Modern Challenge and Qualifier results from Magic Online.

The Break Down: Challenging Tournaments
The Dive Down: Challenging Sandwiches
The Dive Down, cont: Challenging Playpatterns

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:
2:36 - Housekeeping
7:26 - The Break Down begins
16:01 - Meta takeaways
19:45 - The Dive Down begins - Auditing Mono-White Taxes
21:45 - Why do people want this deck to work?
28:14 - The older Modern Taxes decks
35:10 - Why Death & Taxes is back
40:55 - The general anatomy of D&T
45:23 - Our initial takes
51:45 - The one-drops
57:30 - The two-drops
1:08:20 - The three-drops
1:25:00 - Land destruction
1:30:15 - How to play with Stoneforge Mystic and the equipment
1:38:34 - Sideboarding
1:39:43 - Is Taxes good?

Links from this week's episode:
The Modern Qualifier: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-champs-12223552#paper
Sunday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12223585#paper
Saturday's Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12223580#paper
Mono-White Taxes: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3519870#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Bonus 10: Songs About Cards ft. MTGRemy Nov 03, 2020

In our latest bonus episode, musician and comedian MTGRemy joins us for a conversation about making Magic-inspired parody songs and sketches for YouTube.

Remy's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mtgremy
Remy's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtgremy
Remy's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mtgremy

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 97: Pioneer: A G.O.O.D. Format? Oct 30, 2020

On the one year anniversary of Pioneer, we give the format a performance review. We look at what happened over the last year, and what are the Goals, Obstacles, Opportunities, and Decisions that we can evaluate and make for the newest competitive Magic format.

The Break Down: A Call From Corporate
The Dive Down: A History Lesson
The Dive Down, cont: A Performance Review

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:
3:21 - Housekeeping
7:59 - The Break Down Begins - Pioneer Challenges
22:20 - The Dive Down Begins - Pioneer, A Year in Review
25:44 - A Spike’s History of Pioneer’s Launch
35:10 - The Initial Round of Pioneer Bannings
40:06 - Pioneer First Golden Age
41:50 - Enter Theros Beyond Death
47:00 - The Companion Era Begins
49:27 - We’ve Been Told the Combo Decks Are Fine
52:39 - Combo Cards Banned, Pioneer is Saved(?)
57:04 - What the Pioneer Meta Looks Like Today
1:01:44 - Year 1 Takeaways
1:04:16 - Performance Reviews are Due
1:07:08 - How Has Pioneer Performed on its Goals?
1:20:50 - What Obstacles Should Pioneer Overcome?
1:31:54 - What Opportunities Does Pioneer Have Ahead?
1:37:45 - Decisions, Decisions
1:41:44 - Shane's Bottom Line: Pioneer is Fundamentally A Good Idea
1:43:10 - Dave's Bottom Line: It's Not the Gameplay's Fault
1:44:30 - Stan's Bottom Line: Dave is Right

Links from this week's episode:
10/24/20 Pio Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12221068#paper
10/25/20 Pio Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12221072#paper
Abe Stein "Defining the Pillars of Pioneer": https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/defining-the-pillars-of-pioneer/
Pioneer announced: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/announcing-pioneer-format-2019-10-21

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 96: The Unifying Theory of Good Magic Formats Oct 23, 2020

This week Stan and Shane pair up to explore what can make Magic great, and why Modern has been a fan favorite in 2020. Before that, we look at a quartet of Modern and Pioneer challenges to see where the meta is headed.

The Break Down: Breaking it Down
The Dive Down: Building it Up
The Wind Down: Moving it Around

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:
4:43 - Housekeeping
8:44 - The Break Down begins
9:28 - Modern Challenges
22:37 - The Modern Challenge Meta
24:40 - Pioneer Challenges
28:02 - The Pioneer Challenge Meta
33:06 - The Dive Down begins - The Unifying Theory of Good Magic Formats
37:55 - Laying out the signs of a healthy format
44:38 - Evaluating diversity in Modern
53:46 - What is good gameplay?
1:03:47 - What are the different incentives to play Modern?
1:12:22 - What are the untapped possibilities in Modern?
1:21:48 - How can a good format go bad?
1:31:12 - The Wind Down - Moving it Around
1:40:56 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Modern challenge #1: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12218052#paper
Modern challenge #2: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12218058#paper
Pioneer challenge #1: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12218055#paper
Pioneer challenge #2: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12218059#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 95: We Did It For Science: The Titanic Power of Uro and Omnath Oct 16, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 94: Zendikar Rules! New Innovations in Modern & Pioneer Oct 09, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 93: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Zendikar Rising Edition Oct 02, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

Support The Dive Down

Episode 92: The Early Risers of Zendikar Rising Sep 25, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 91: Zendikar Rising Rises: Spoilers, Vol. 2 ft. Aspiring Spike Sep 18, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 90: Zendikar Rising Rises: Spoilers, Vol. 1 Sep 10, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 89: Return of the Living Dredge Sep 04, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 88: Gifts Storm: A Modern Ritual Aug 28, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 9: A Philosophy of Design ft. Patrick Sullivan Aug 26, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 87: The Buyer's Guide to Double Masters & Other Stuff Aug 21, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 86: Pioneer Format, Reborn Aug 14, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 85: Pioneer Bans & Modern Prowess Stans Aug 07, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 84: The Many Moods of Mystic Sanctuary Jul 31, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 83: That New Meta Smell Jul 24, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 82: Bans: 1 Mana Permanents Edition ft. Aspiring Spike Jul 17, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 81: A Dive Down State of Mind Jul 10, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 8: Big on Tik Tok w/ Deezy_MTG Jul 07, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 80: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Core Set 2021 Edition Jul 03, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 79: Naya Winota: Joining Forces in Modern & Pioneer Jun 26, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 78: Pioneer Possibilities & Core 21, pt. 2 Jun 19, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 77: Companions Crash & Core 21, pt. 1 Jun 12, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 76: Gathering the Magic ft. Cavedan Jun 05, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 75: Pioneer Jeskai Lukka: Superfriendly Fires May 29, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 74: Complicated Companion Questions ft. Aspiring Spike May 22, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 73: Diving Deeper: How Do I Know If I'm Winning? May 15, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 72: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Constant Companions, v.2 May 08, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 71: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Constant Companions, v.1 May 01, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 70: Ponza: Sprawling Out Apr 24, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 69: Ikoria: A Lair of Spoilers, Pt. 2 Apr 17, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 7: Mono-Red Prowess ft. Ryan Overturf Apr 15, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 68: Ikoria: Lair of the Spoilers, Pt. 1 ft. Aspiring Spike Apr 10, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 67: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Pioneer Budget Decks Apr 03, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 66: Mono-White in Pio: Heliod, Fun-Crowned, pt. II Mar 27, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 65: Staying in Touch at a Distance Mar 20, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 64: MTG Bans, SCG Regionals, and Other Happy Thoughts Mar 13, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 63: Testing Innovations in Modern and Pioneer Mar 06, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 62: Orzhov Sram Auras: Pants in Pioneer Feb 28, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 6: Modern Blue Moon w/ ThePenSword Feb 25, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 61: Heliod Combo: Modern Spike Feeding Feb 21, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 60: More Meta, More Meta, More Meta Feb 14, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 5: The Shadowy Science w/ Michael Rapp Feb 11, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 59: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Theros Beyond Death Edition Feb 07, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 58: Diving Deeper: #2020Goals Jan 31, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 57: Oh Lord He Comin': Chonky Red ft. Todd Anderson Jan 24, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 56: Bans & Theros: Beyond Hyped, Vol. 2 Jan 17, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 55: Theros: Beyond Hyped, Vol. 1 Jan 10, 2020

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 4: Casual Spike Meets Aspiring Spike Dec 31, 2019

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 54: The Many Moods of Monastery Mentor Dec 27, 2019

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 53: Diving Deeper: 5 Pioneer Takeaways Dec 20, 2019

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 52: 2019: A Real Year Dec 13, 2019

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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 51: ROY G NIV: 5C Niv-Mizzet ft. Faithless Brewing Dec 06, 2019

The Dive Down teams up with Faithless Brewing to bring you a deck dive into Five Color Niv-Mizzet!
The Break Down: The week of Pioneer PTQs and the subsequent bans
The Dive Down: The Five Color Niv-Mizzet deck dive!

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Now get 15% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
3:28 - Introducing Faithless Brewing
7:52 - Housekeeping
10:28 - The Break Down begins: Pioneer PTQs = Pioneer bans
19:28 - The Dive Down begins: Introducing 5C Niv
25:10 - What IS 5C Niv?
31:28 - The gameplan
43:24 - The cards begin: The BTL toolbox
50:00 - The mana
57:34 - The guild cards
1:16:15 - Executing the game plan
1:21:03 - The place in the meta
1:29:10 - Sideboarding with Niv
1:32:07 - Sideboarding against Niv
1:36:43 - The future of Niv
1:41:26 - Closing out

Links from this week's episode:
Faithless Brewing's homepage: https://faithlessbrewing.podbean.com
Faithless Brewing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/faithlessmtg
Faithless Brewing's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/faithlessbrewing
December 2nd Pioneer Bannings: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/december-2-2019-pioneer-banned-announcement
An example 5CNM decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2518206#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 3: Return of the Reply Guys Dec 02, 2019

In our third bonus episode, we take questions from our awesome fans and listeners about Magic the Gathering and our personal lives.

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:
2:05 - How bad does your favorite deck have to be in the metagame for you to play something else?
5:55 - How have your paper groups changed with Pioneer? Have people started leaving Modern to play Pioneer?
9:28 - Is The Dive Down going to transition its focus to Pioneer?
13:11 - What are your favorite deck archetypes?
17:35 - What were your favorite cards when you started playing, and what are your current favorite cards?
26:29 - How did we start playing Magic?
37:34 - What do you do outside of Magic for fun or when you need a break from Magic?
47:24 - What's one pre-Modern card we would add to the card pool?

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 50: How to Casual Spike a New Deck Nov 27, 2019

The crew tackle a level-up topic: how to overcome the challenge of picking up a new deck!
The Break Down: GP Columbus
The Dive Down: That Fresh Deck Smell
The Dive Down, cont.: Those Fresh Deck Plans

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:
2:16 - Housekeeping
4:45 - The Break Down begins - GP Columbus
7:07 - The day 1 meta
17:20 - The day 2 meta
21:38 - The top 8 and our thoughts on Modern at the end of 2019
31:30 - The Dive Down begins - how to learn a new deck
33:10 - What we like about picking up a new deck
40:10 - What we don’t like about picking up new decks
45:59 - How do we learn about new decks
54:58 - Thinking about a deck’s plan - the early game
1:05:38 - The mid-game
1:11:03 - The late-game
1:13:25 - What is your deck trying to do better than other decks
1:19:00 - Looking for card synergies in your deck
1:21:24 - What is your deck’s position in the meta?
1:23:44 - What’s the role of your deck?
1:31:52 - what can you lose to?
1:37:50 - closing out

Links from this week's episode:
CFB's MF Columbus Coverage: https://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/42
Who's The Beatdown?: https://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/whos-the-beatdown/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 49: Ban is Just Another Word for Pioneer Justice Nov 22, 2019

This week, the Dive Down looks at some of Modern's bans throughout history, and examine how they shaped the format as it today.

The Beak Down: SCG Invitational, Modern and Pioneer results
The Dive Down: A history of bans and their impact on Modern
The Wind Down: The cards we liked in 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:
1:59 - Housekeeping
3:44 - The Break Down Begins
8:00 - Modern Discussion
24:43 - Pioneer Discussion
40:55 - The Dive Down Begins
44:39- The First B&R
50:45 - Eggs Ban
57:36 - Eye of Ugin Ban
68:37 - KCI Ban
77:08 - Putting it All Together
91:54 - The Wind Down

Links from this week's episode:
SCG Pioneer Day 2 Metagame: http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/4680_day_2_metagame_breakdown.html
SCG Modern Day 2 Metagame: http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/4680_day_2_metagame_breakdown.html
SCG Modern Decks 7-1 or Better: http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/4687_71_or_better_modern_decklists.html
The First B&R: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/explanation-september-2011-br-changes-2011-09-20-0
Eggs Ban: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/banned-and-restricted-2013-04-22-0
Eye of Ugin Ban: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/banned-and-restricted-announcement-2016-04-04
KCI Ban: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/january-21-2019-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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 48: Sleeve It/Believe It/Heave It: Pioneer Edition Nov 15, 2019

This week, the Dive Down gents explore three winning decks from the breakout new format - Pioneer!

The Break Down: Veil of Summer banned, and the MTGO Modern Challenge
The Dive Down: S/B/H Pioneer Edition!
The Wind Down: Archival Masters

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:
2:16 - Housekeeping
3:06 - The Break Down Begins - MORE Pioneer Bans
9:33 - The Nov 10th Modern Challenge
32:38 - The Dive Down Begins - Our first Pioneer Sleeve/Believe/Heave
34:20 - Shane with Hardened Scales
54:01 - Dave with Boros Feather
1:15:51 - Stan with Izzet Ensoul Artifact
1:29:22 - The speed of Pioneer
1:32:28 - Is Pioneer Standard+ or Modern-?
1:39:32 - The Wind Down: Our card storage methods

Links from this week's episode:
The Nov 11 Pioneer Banning: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/november-11-2019-pioneer-banned-announcement
The Nov 9 Modern Challenge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12014490#paper
Hardened Scales: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/pioneer-hardened-scales-111268#paper
Boros Feather: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2463134#paper
Izzet Ensoul: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2473872#paper
The Ultimate Guard Arkhive: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guard-Arkhive-XenoSkin-Card/dp/B01M9C7OUU

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 47: Spirits: Be Yourself, in Ghost Form Nov 08, 2019

This week, The Dive Down gents do a patent-pending Dive into a fan favorite tribe - Spirits! We also discuss the first wave of Pioneer bans and the decks of the first Pioneer PTQ.

Breaking News - The first Pioneer bans!
The Break Down - The first Pioneer PTQ!
The Dive Down - A Spooky Modern Tribe

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
04:47 - Housekeeping
05:42 - Breaking News - Pioneer Bans!
18:40 - The Break Down - The Pioneer PTQ
33:36 - The Dive Down Begins - An introduction to Modern Spirits
37:09 - A brief history of Spirits
42:00 - Cards and strategy - The disruption
59:56 - The lords
1:04:41 - The broken cards
1:15:38 - Bant vs Azorius Spirits
1:22:02 - The Spirits sideboard
1:25:29 - Playing against Spirits
1:31:40 - The future of Spirits
1:37:34 - Wrapping things up

Links from this week's episode:
The Nov 4 Pioneer Bannings: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/november-4-2019-pioneer-banned-announcement
The first Pioneer PTQ: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-ptq-12006968#paper
Azorius Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2422839#online
Bant Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-bant-spirits-52507#online
Pioneer Spirits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2474730#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 46: Threat Level: Oko Nov 01, 2019

This week we dive deep on Magic's latest boogeyman — Oko, Thief of Crowns. Is it one of the best cards ever or just one of the goodest? We work it out in between tournament reports on SCG Atlanta and the first MTGO Pioneer Challenge.

The Break Down: SCG Open Atlanta
The Dive Down: Oko, Thief of Hearts
The Wind Down: The First Challenge of Pioneering

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
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2:05 — Housekeeping
3:30 — The Break Down begins: SCG Open Atlanta
7:50 — Meet Simic Whirza
14:00 — Day 2 Meta
25:36 — Top 8
30:00 — Shocking math about Urza
33:17 — Oko rising
35:15 — Takeaways
39:40 — The Dive Down Begins: #OkoWatch2k19
40:53 — Why are we talking about Oko?
46:52 — How Oko impacted our games
59:58 — Common play patterns with Oko
1:06:20 — Is Oko the best planeswalker ever?
1:12:40 — So… how ya killing Oko?
1:17:10 — What happens to the best planeswalker ever?
1:24:35 — The Wind Down begins: What we’ve been playing in Pioneer
1:31:30 — The first Pioneer Challenge meta

Links from this week's episode:
SCG Atlanta day 2 decks: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-10-26_modern_Atlanta_GA_US/1/
Team Lotus Box Simic Whirza deck tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIkQ_n5vCrA
First MTGO Pioneer Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pioneer-challenge-2019-10-28

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 2: Modern Horizons Revisited: Mistakes Were Made Oct 29, 2019

In our second monthly bonus episode, we revisit our Modern Horizons grades to see what we missed on - and why.
The Dive Down: Modern Horizons Revisited

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
2:26 - Introducing this month's bonus episode
3:39 - Arcum's Astrolabe
8:45 - Aria of Flame
12:12 - Wrenn and Six
16:42- Marit Lage's Slumber
20:24 - Sling-Gang Lieutenant
23:59 - Giver of Runes
27:41 - Soulherder
30:58 - Flusterstorm
35:02 - Crashing Footfalls
39:01 - Tribute Mage
41:24 - Archmage's Charm
44:59 - Planebound Accomplice
47:05 - Cabal Therapist
50:59 - Unsettled Mariner

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 45: Pioneer Days: Fording Rivers, Dying of Dysentery Oct 25, 2019

We talk the SCG Regionals, the decks that got away, and, oh yeah, an ENTIRELY NEW ETERNAL FORMAT - Pioneer!
The Break Down: SCG Regionals
The Dive Down: Welcome to Pioneer Town
The Wind Down: White Whales

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Timestamps:
2:22 - Housekeeping
3:58 - The Break Down begins - SCG Regionals top 8 data
9:53 - 9 takeaways from the SCG Regional results
33:37 - The Dive Down begins - Introducing Pioneer!
41:55 - The Pioneer ban list philosophy
48:57 - What Pioneer means for The Dive Down
56:22 - What are we excited to play?
1:06:47 - What are we nervous about?
1:12:00 - The potential impact of Pioneer on Modern
1:17:00 - What does this mean for Modern players?
1:29:29 - Our final takes on Pioneer
1:32:16 - The Wind Down - The decks that got away

Links from this week's episode:
A bunch of SCG Regionals lists: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/results/start_date/2019-10-19/end_date/2019-10-19
WOTC's Pioneer announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/announcing-pioneer-format-2019-10-21

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 44: Ascending Urza: A Whirld of Clicks Oct 18, 2019

We go over the SCG Indy (AKA the Motor City) Open, then perform our patented deep dive process on the various Urza-based decks showing up in Modern!

The Break Down: The Motor City SCG Open
The Dive Down: Playing Vintage in Modern
The Wind Down: How the podcast has impacted our play

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
1:54 - Housekeeping
2:48 - The Break Down begins - SCG Indy's day 2 metagame
8:13 - SCG Indy top 8
20:01 - SCG Indy take-aways
23:20 - The Dive Down begins - how we're covering Urza
28:45 - The common thread - Urza!
35:24 - The artifact friends
45:09 - Paradoxical Urza
50:40 - Paradoxical Urza's payoffs
54:24 - Emry, Lurker of the Loch
58:18 - Planeswalkers
1:05:08 - Paradoxial Ascendancy
1:14:35 - Selecting between the Paradoxical versions
1:17:18 - Whirza
1:24:01 - How to beat Urza decks
1:28:30 - Our thoughts on Urza decks
1:34:45 - The Wind Down - are we better or worse?

Links from this week's episode:
The day 2 meta of SCG Indy: http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/4664_day_2_metagame_breakdown.html
The day 2 decks of SCG Indy: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-10-12_modern_Indianapolis_IN_US/1/
Paradoxical Urza: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2327485#online
Paradoxical Ascendancy: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2368650#paper
4C Whirza: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-four-color-whirza#online

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 43: Comboing Off with Throne of Eldraine: Sleeve/Believe/Heave Edition Oct 11, 2019

The crew talk about combo decks they have tested with new Throne of Eldraine cards.

The Break Down: Modern Challenge
The Dive Down: "Wait, do you just win here?"
The Wind Down: I Don't want No Slump

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
1:31 - Housekeeping
3:25 - The Break Down - The Modern Challenge
23:10 - The Dive Down Begins
32:16 - Goblin Combos
45:06 - Kiki Jiki Combos
1:06:26 - UR Through the Breach
1:23:31 - Grixis Control
1:30:06 - The Wind Down Begins

Links from this week's episode:
The Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-10-06
Goblin Combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2320042#online
Grummy’s Toolbox: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2356719#online
Vannifar Kiki: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2311103#paper
Naya Kiki Value/Stoneblade): https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2311113#paper
Temur Kiki: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2311099#paper
UR Through the Breach: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2311111#paper
Blue Moon: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2327488#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 42: Mono-Red Prison: A Guide to Turn 1 3-Drops Oct 04, 2019

The crew do a deck dive into a personal favorite - Mono-Red Prison!
The Break Down: #OkoWatch2019
The Dive Down: SSG Ritual Ritual Karn
The Wind Down: Pocket Monsters

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
2:32 - Housekeeping
5:00 - The Break Down - The Modern Challenge
16:02 - The Dive Down begins - Mono-Red Prison
17:42 - What are prison decks?
21:34 - The fast mana spells
26:43 - The lock pieces
35:00 - The wishboard lock pieces
41:16 - The threats
55:13 - The planeswalkers
1:10:05 - The removal
1:13:25 - The lands
1:18:35 - The sideboard
1:21:30 - Playing against Mono-Red Prison
1:28:16 - Our thoughts on Mono-Red Prison
1:30:18 - The Wind Down - Gotta catch 'em all!

Links from this week's episode:
The Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-09-29
Mono-Red Prison decklist; https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-mono-red-prison-84623#online

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Bonus 1: Milling About Sep 30, 2019

The Dive Down: Reducing Libraries to Zero With UB Mill

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Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=t... and use code "thedivedown"

Timestamps:
4:47 - What is Mill?
8:50 - Cards That Mill
14:20 - The Creatures
23:20 - Non-Creature Permanents
31:59 - The Planeswalkers
34:52 - Cards That Keep You Alive
51:09 - How to Mill
53:50 - The Sideboard
56:56 - How to Beat Mill
1:03:45 - Would We Mill Again?

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 41: Watch the Throne (of Eldraine) ft. Emma Partlow Sep 27, 2019

The Dive Down: Our picks to click from Throne of Eldraine
The Wind Down: What we plan to do with some downtime
**
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Get 10% off your first 3 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use code "thedivedown"**

Timestamps:
2:10 - Housekeeping
4:38 - The Dive Down begins - What makes a card appealing for Modern?
11:44 - The mechanics of Eldraine
24:43 - The Dive Down Nation's set review survey
25:48 - Once Upon a Time
33:36 - Emry, Lurker of the Loch
45:22 - Hushbringer
53:46 - Brazen Borrower
60:18 - Grumgully the Generous
66:00 - Charming Prince
71:45 - The Royal Scions
78:48 - Claim the Firstborn
82:19 - The Wind Down - Our plans for the break in Modern tournaments
89:18 - How to find Emma Partlow

Links from this week's episode:
The Dive Down Nation's set analysis: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_jHEbC0kKlcXxC3qrtMjMnT4x1VrVCX-Tn4CAqP0rs0/viewanalytics
https://scryfall.com/card/celd/371/once-upon-a-time
https://scryfall.com/card/celd/342/emry-lurker-of-the-loch
https://scryfall.com/card/celd/339/hushbringer
https://scryfall.com/card/celd/281/brazen-borrower-petty-theft
https://scryfall.com/card/eld/192/grumgully-the-generous
https://scryfall.com/card/celd/335/charming-prince
https://scryfall.com/card/celd/272/the-royal-scions
https://scryfall.com/card/eld/118/claim-the-firstborn
Emma's twitter: https://twitter.com/emmmzyne
Emma's twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/emmmzyne
Emma's TCGPlayer articles: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article_search_result.asp?author=Emma%20Partlow

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 40: Modern Sideboarding: Going From Good to Great Sep 20, 2019

The Break Down: GP Ghent discussion and analysis
The Dive Down: Talking sideboarding in modern
The Wind Down: Our favorite sideboard cards

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown

Timestamps:
1:25 - Housekeeping
3:29 - The Break Down begins - GP Ghent
8:40 - GP Ghent top 4 team decks
16:17 - Thoughts on the meta
19:25 - The Dive Down begins - talkin' sideboards
20:55 - Silver bullet cards
29:51 - Color hosers
35:55 - Building a sideboard
38:27 - Knowing your plan, pivoting your plan
42:59 - Why to not netdeck sideboards
46:48 - Should you plan for your perceived local meta?
50:40 - Preparing for an expected meta
53:53 - Preparing for an unknown meta
56:48 - Sideboarding - for your good or bad matchups?
70:25 - When to tweak your sideboard
74:53 - Common sideboarding habits of Modern decks
87:04 - The Wind Down begins - our favorite sideboard cards

Links from this week's episode:
CFB's MagicFest Ghent coverage: https://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/32

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 39: Stoneforge Steve Austin: Live and Die by the Blade Sep 13, 2019

The Break Down: GP Hoosier State
The Dive Down: Wielding Swords
The Wind Down: Heel Turn

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown

Timestamps:
2:36 – The Break Down begins: GP Indianapolis
9:49 – Our thoughts on the top 4 team decks
13:13 – The GP Indy metagame
22:28 – The Dive Down begins: The history of Stoneforge Mystic
28:44 – The Stoneforge unban in New Modern
32:59 – The Stoneforge Package
42:36 – New swords on the block
47:14 – Sword strats
50:55 – Sleeve/Believe/Heave – UW Control
1:02:26 – S/B/H – GW Eldrazi
1:10:55 – S/B/H – Jeskai Tempoforge
1:24:47 – S/B/H – Bant Snowflash
1:31:50 – The Wind Down begins – is modern better with a big baddie?
1:39:35 – What do you love playing against?

Links from this week’s episode:
Every deck from GP Indy: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTCwN2g7cBwLzmED2vedpMsqsSObsvi3jHJCJSDm7YQ36gSHRUICWOi0fzbKCvGle5lIFekPt02wOIs/pubhtml
Day 1 and day 2 GP Indy data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSsh9wpyhBTSTOjTmUrsiOOrSCyO1K0zsPK0E2gh2I1m9bRFCZ2BoIyNeL2gR7AQuWxYD2LQM_mX30A/pubhtml
UW Control: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2232374#paper
GW Eldrazi: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2239583#online
Jeskai Tempoforge: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2239424#paper
Bant Snowflash: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2239373#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 38: Settling the Wreckage: Stoneforge Ahoy! Sep 06, 2019

The Break Down: 24 to 32 Modern Decks
The Dive Down: Reactions // Responses

Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown

Timestamps:
2:35 - Housekeeping
4:17 - The Break Down begins - SCG Dallas Modern Open
23:35 - SCG Dallas Modern Classic
34:15 - MTGO Modern MCQ
46:09 - MTGO Modern Challenge
56:20 - The Dive Down begins - our initial thoughts
1:01:22 - Are you still playing graveyard hate?
1:04:03 - How does the speed of the format feel?
1:09:00 - Is this the new normal?
1:13:25 - The community reaction
1:19:49 - The first 5-0 deck dump
1:22:05 - What we've been playing and seeing
1:25:37 - Thoughts on "old" decks
1:31:44 - Where do we want to go from here?
1:35:10 - Where's the wind down?

Links from this week's episode:
SCG Modern Open: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-08-31_modern_Dallas_TX_US/1/
SCG Modern Classic: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-09-01_modern_Dallas_TX_US/1/
MTGO Modern MCQ: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-mcq-2019-09-02
MTGO Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-09-01
29 Stoneforge Deck 5-0 dump: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-league-2019-08-30

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 37: Eldrazi Tron: Smash Back to Reality Aug 30, 2019

The Break Down: B&R Bonanza
The Dive Down: All Hail Eldrazi Temple

Timestamps:
1:44 - Housekeeping
3:54 - The Break Down begins - the B&R announcement
24:01 - GP Las Vegas
27:30 - The Dive Down begins - Eldrazi Tron
28:45 - What E-Tron Isn't
38:48 - What E-Tron Is
43:30 - The History of E-Tron
46:56 - Diving into E-Tron - The Manabase
57:06 - The Planeswalkers
1:05:42 - The creatures
1:17:19 - The non-creature spells
1:24:33 - The sideboard
1:30:35 - Playing with E-Tron
1:39:06 - Playing against E-Tron
1:42:09 - Our thoughts on E-Tron

Links from this week's episode:
The 8/26/19 B&R Announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/august-26-2019-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2019-08-26
GP Las Vegas top 8: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/grand-prix-las-vegas-2019#paper
The Modern Streamers League: https://www.modernstreamersleague.com
Eldrazi Tron decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2202225#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 36: Modern in Mathmagic Land Aug 23, 2019

The Break Down: GP Birmingaak with a special focus on Mardu Death's Shadow
The Dive Down: Probably Correct Math
The Wind Down: Comboing Out

Timestamps:
2:15 - Housekeeping
3:58 - The Break Down Begins - GP Birmingaak
8:24 - Day 1 stand-outs
11:33 - Day 2 metagame breakdown and conversion rates
14:01 - Top 8 begins
14:57 - Discussing Mardu Death's Shadow
22:00 - 2nd place and beyond
24:14 - Post-GP discussion
26:11 - The Dive Down Begins - Probably correct math
31:52 - Why care about Magic Math?
39:28 - How to use a hypergeometric calculator
46:27 - Thanks to Frank Karsten
46:51 - 1) The Rule of 2 and 4
54:59 - 2) Your opening 7
57:26 - 3) 2-card combos
1:01:57 - 4) Mana screwing yourself
1:05:56 - 5) Cheating that Chalice
1:09:04 - 5a) The Deckulator
1:10:10 - 6) T1 Blood Moon
1:13:12 - 7) Natty Tron and other Tron math
1:16:42 - 8) Getting burned
1:20:21 - 9) Hollow numbers vs. Hogaak numbers
1:25:24 - 10) Jund'ing them out
1:26:28 - 11) Mono-red damage
1:30:30 - The Wind Down - Comboing out

Links from this week's episode:
See Zak commentate the MSL on 8/28: https://www.modernstreamersleague.com
Our custom token art: https://www.patreon.com/posts/our-awesome-are-29292615
More of Ben Dewey: https://benjamindewey.tumblr.com
GP Birmingham Top8:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/grand-prix-birmingham-2019#paper
Math References:
http://channelfireball.com/articles/how-many-copies-of-any-given-card-should-you-put-in-your-deck/
https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/the-london-mulligan-rule-mathematically-benefits-strategies-that-rely-on-specific-cards/
https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/how-reliable-is-hollow-one/
https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/magic-math-hogaak-can-be-played-on-turn-2-in-60-of-its-games/
Calculators:
https://stattrek.com/online-calculator/hypergeometric.aspx
https://deckulator.appspot.com/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 35: Turn Zero Gaaktions: Leylines in Modern Aug 16, 2019

The Break Down: GP Gaakiapolis
The Dive Down: Leying Lines
The Wind Down: What We Deck in the Shadows

Timestamps:
1:40 - Housekeeping
2:38 - The Break Down begins - GP Minneapolis
10:56 - Discussing the lack of GP coverage
19:20 - The Dive Down begins - Introduction to Leylines
24:33 - The Guildpact Leylines
26:39 - The M11 Leylines
30:24 - The design of Leylines
35:20 - Leyline math!
42:16 - The Modern playable Leylines - Leyline of the Void
56:36 - Leyline of Sanctity
1:05:13 - Leyline of Abundance
1:10:44 - Leyline of Combustion
1:22:43 - The Wind Down Begins - What Shane's playing
1:25:31 - What Stan's playing
1:28:14 - What Dave's playing
1:31:42 - What Zak's playing

Links from this week's episode:
https://www.channelfireball.com/home/grand-prix-minneapolis-top-16-decklists/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 34: All Decks Go To Heaven ft. Ross Merriam Aug 09, 2019

The Break Down: The 8/4/19 Modern Challenge - only 38% Hogaak
The Dive Down: I've Abandoned My Bird
The Wind Down: It's Not Easy Being Fair

Timestamps:
03:15 - Housekeeping
03:39 - The Break Down begins - 8/4/19 Modern Challenge
24:13 - The Wind Down begins - Is it time to put Izzet Phoenix down in Modern?
37:47 - The current and past Modern metagame
43:55 - Has Modern "rotated"?
49:16 - The impact of Modern Horizons
56:19 - Is Hogaak bannable?
60:55 - Making the most of Modern now
74:37 - Modern after Hogaak
79:17 - Can Phoenix actually survive in a Hogaak world?
87:23 - The Wind Down Begins - Why play fair?
98:14 - The role of Magic in Ross's life

Links from this week's episode:
8/4/19 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-08-04
The MTG ELO Project: http://www.mtgeloproject.net/50decks/modern.html
Ross's article: http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/38921_Its-Time-To-Put-Izzet-Phoenix-Down-In-Modern.html
Gerry's article: http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/38937_Dont-Give-Up-Yet-Ross-Izzet-Phoenix-Is-Actually-Great-Right-Now.html
Find Ross on twitter: https://twitter.com/RossHunneds
Watch Ross on Vs. Live! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5d1KNNFArSPiU3vDwsH3dNtMGVm7Ldmd

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 33: Jund: The Matriarch of Midrange Aug 02, 2019

The Break Down: MC IV: Karn's Comeback
The Dive Down: For Those About To Jund: We Can Help You
The Wind Down: Practice Makes Perfect

Timestamps:
1:51 - Housekeeping
5:10 - The Break Down begins - MC Barcelona
10:33 - MC Barcelona top 8
20:57 - SCG Columbus Open
23:44 - Discussing the weekend's results
28:40 - The Dive Down begins - Jund!
34:31 - Jund's Creatures
58:09 - Jund's Removal
1:06:56 - Jund's Planeswalkers
1:15:31 - Playing against Jund
1:23:03 - What Jund will do vs. you
1:27:03 - Our experiences playing Jund
1:33:13 - The Wind Down - Getting comfortable with a deck

Links from this week's episode:
Mythic Championship 4 Barcelona decklists: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/mythic-championship-iv-barcelona#paper
SCG Columbus Open decklists: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/scg-open-columbus#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 32: Down and Out at the Denver MCQ Jul 26, 2019

The Break Down: The Modern MOCS - Hogaak's Back
The Dive Down: MCQs are Hard - Our experiences at MF Denver
The Wind Down: The Modern Power 9

Timestamps:
02:13 - Housekeeping
03:42 - The Break Down begins – The Modern MOCS
18:30 - The Dive Down begins – Getting to MF Denver
22:45 – What’s a MF like?
35:30 – The decks we played during the MF
38:29 – What’s a MCQ like?
45:33 – What we played at the MCQ – Shane
48:50 – Dave
1:01:25 – Shane pt2
1:05:08 – Stan
1:16:39 – Zak
1:26:19 – The Wind Down – Our Modern Power 9

Links from this week's episode:
The Modern MOCS: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-mocs-2019-07-17-0

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 31: How to Casual Spike a Tournament Jul 19, 2019

The Break Down: MF Krakow's MCQ and Tobi Henke's GP Dallas Data
The Dive Down: Deck Selection for GP Denver's MCQ
The Wind Down: The Timing of MH1's Release

Timestamps:
The Break Down Begins – MF Krakow's MCQ: 2:36
Tobi Henke’s GP Dallas data: 18:08
The Dive Down Begins – Our deck selection process: 31:40
Shane: Timing your selection and metagaming modern: 35:00
Zak: Familiarity vs. Power and learning something new: 45:14
Stan: Playing the unfamiliar and tournament goals: 56:51
Dave: Finding your way in the Modern meta and data-driven decisions: 1:10:40
The Wind Down – The timing of MH1’s release: 1:28:21

Links from this week's episode:
GP Krakow's MCQ T8: https://www.channelfireball.com/top-8-decklists-of-the-modern-mcq-at-magicfest-krakow/
Tobi Henke's Dallas Data: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/full-modern-metagame-and-win-rates-from-dallas-and-what-it-means-moving-forward/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 30: Cut to the Core Jul 12, 2019

The Break Down: Analyzing the Bridge from Below ban
The Dive Down: Our picks to click for Core Set 20
The Wind Down: What to do with all these cleared up sideboard slots

Timestamps:
Start of the Break Down - 2:21
Analyzing WOTC’s Announcement - 8:10
ELO Project - 24:18

Start of Dive Down - 27:20
Thunkerin Awakener - 29:19
Chandra, Awakened Inferno - 33:46
Elvish Reclaimer - 40:39
Fry - 46:25
Chandra, Acolyte of Flame - 51:48
Scheming Symmetry - 58:23
Leyline of Abundance - 1:06:28
Chandra’s Regulator - 1:08:05
Risen Reef - 1:11:37
Brought Back - 1:15:37

Start of the Wind Down - 1:17:59
Leyline of the Void moving forward - 1:22:05

Links from the episode:
B&R announcement - https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/july-8-2019-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2019-07-08
ELO Project - http://www.mtgeloproject.net/
Thunderkin Awakener - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466916
Chandra, Awakened - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466881
Elvish Reclaimer - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466923
Fry - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466894
Chandra, Acolyte - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466880
Scheming Symmetry - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466867
Leyline of Abundance - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466933
Chandra’s Regulator - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466885
Risen Reef - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466971
Brought Back - https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=466763
Edgar’s Elemental Deck - https://twitter.com/EdgarMTG/status/1148284547156647936

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 29: The Gaak Came Back Jul 05, 2019

The Break Down: SCG Pittsburgh Open & GP DFW
The Dive Down: Hogaak Bridgevine Deck Dive
The Wind Down: Randomness in Modern Magic

Timestamps:
2:07 Housekeeping
3:07 The Break Down begins: GP Dallas / Fort Worth
21:57 SCG Pittsburgh Team Open
36:59 The Dive Down: The Gaak Came Back
1:40:04 The Wind Down: Randomness in Modern Magic

Links from this week's episode:
GP DFW Top 2 decklists: http://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/22
SCG Pittsburgh Day 2 decklists: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Team_Open/2019-06-29_modern_Pittsburgh_PA_US/1/
Hogaak Bridgevine: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-hogaak-bridgevine#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 28: Sleeve It / Believe It / Heave It: Modern Horizons Edition Jun 28, 2019

The Break Down: We analyze the emerging meta and the Hogaak menace in MTGO tournament results.
The Dive Down: Do we want to Sleeve, Believe, or Heave 4 Modern decks built around new Modern Horizons cards?
The Wind Down: Mistakes were made.

Timestamps:
Break Down Starts - 3:39
Modern MCQ - 4:24
Modern Playoffs - 10:34

Dive Down Starts - 24:31
Sultai Snow - 25:38
RB Goblins - 27:25
RB Skelemental - 34:10
Mardu Octomancer - 52:18
Bant Infect - 1:06:03

Wind Down Starts - 1:23:56
Aria of Flame - 1:24:19
Crashing Footfalls - 1:29:46
Unearth - 1:31:08
Hogaak - 1:32:35

Links from the episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Modern MCQ: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-mcq-2019-06-24#decklists
Modern Playoffs: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-event-2019-06-23#decklists

Deck lists:
Sultai Snow: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-snow-sultai#paper
RB Goblins: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-rakdos-goblins#online
RB Skelemental: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-red-black-aggro#paper
Mardu Octomancer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2025289#paper
Bant Infect: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2019572#online

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 27: Knights of the Necropolis ft. Riley Knight Jun 21, 2019

The Break Down: We talk about the latest MTGO 5-0 deck dumps and the last MTGO Modern Challenge.
The Dive Down: Stan and Zak chat with CFB's Riley Knight.

Timestamps:
4:56 - Start of Break Down
5:32 - Sultai Snow
5:54 - Devoted Karnbo
9:27 - Jeskai Humans
14:08 - RB Goblins
17:22 - Mardu Octomancer
18:39 - Modern Challenge
31:20 - Start of Riley Knight interivew
32:15 - "What’s your favorite Modern deck to play?”
35:28 - “How often do you get to play?”
36:29 - “How has broadcasting Magic events changed your perception of the game?”
39:14 - “What are your most and least favorite decks to discuss while broadcasting?”
41:55 - “Do any banalities in the game get more interesting when you’ve seen them for the thousandth time?”
43:26 - “Does the nature of Modern make covering it different compared to Standard or Limited?”
45:36 - "Are you ever at a loss for things to talk about on coverage?”
47:42 - "Does coverage make you a better player?”
49:46: CFB Modern Madness
57:15 - "Why is playing snow basics strictly better?"
1:00:13 - "Do you like any Modern Horizons cards for Scapeshift?"
1:02:38 - "What effect will the new Force cycle have on Modern?"
1:05:51 - Hogaak discussion.
1:09:08 - "How often do you get concerned with new decks' power levels?"
1:11:48 - "What consequences do overpowered decks have on Modern?"
1:14:13 - "What other decks could Modern Horizons introduce or improve?"
1:17:02 - "Are Modern decks becoming more versatile?"
1:18:40 - "Do you set goals for yourself as a player?"
1:22:33 - "Should combo decks be built to be faster or more resilient?"
1:29:04 - "Could Hogaak get banned before MC Barcelona?"
1:32:48 - "Does WOTC print enough answers to new cards?"
1:40:33 - "How much vegemite do you have on your toast?"

Links from this weeks episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Riley's Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileyquarytower
CFB Articles: https://www.channelfireball.com/author/riley-knight/
Arena Boys: https://www.channelfireball.com/author/arena-boys/
Half-Arsed History Podcast: https://halfarsedhistory.net
CFB Modern Madness: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/denis-stranjak/modern-madness-the-best-modern-deck-of-all-time/

Deck lists:
Sultai Snow: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1999817#paper
Devoted Karnbo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2004203#paper
Jeskai Humans: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2004168#paper
RB Goblins: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2004208#paper
Mardu Octomancer: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2004185#paper
Battle of Wits: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2013017#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 26: Reply Guys Jun 14, 2019

The Break Down: We talk about the London Mulligan and the first Modern Horizons MTGO Modern Challenge
The Dive Down: Modern Horizons Listener Questions!

Timestamps:
03:08 - London Mulligan
09:18 - 6/8/19 Modern Challenge
12:09 - Modern Horizons cards show up
22:30 - Hogaak Bridgevine discussion
33:30 - The Dive Down begins
36:30 - Did Modern Horizons deliver?
47:01 - How will the meta shake out after MH1?
52:47 - Which tribe will see the most success?
56:48 - What would we play at the next large event?
1:04:52 - Which archetypes got the right push to be competitve?
1:08:40 - What's the most noticeable reprint that wasn't in MH1?
1:13:16 - Why so few reprints vs new cards?
1:15:06 - Fallen Shinobi?!
1:17:11 - Are graveyard engines accidental or on purpose?
1:20:45 - What new cycle of cards would you like to see in the next MH?

Links from this weeks episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Hogaak Bridgevine: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1989519#paper
Esper Death's Shadow: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1989525#paper
UR Control: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1989528#paper
UR Delver: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1989534#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 25: Modern Horizons Set Review, Part the Second Jun 07, 2019

The Dive Down: The gang reviews the OTHER half of Modern Horizons using the beloved sleeve / believe / heave grading system.

W: 4:04
U: 15:40
B: 41:42
R: 1:04:15
G: 1:17:23
Multicolor: 1:23:37
Artifacts: 1:34:27
Lands: 1:37:00

Links from this weeks episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Modern Horizons full set: https://scryfall.com/sets/mh1

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 24: Modern Horizons Set Review, Part the First May 31, 2019

The Dive Down: The gang reviews half of Modern Horizons using the beloved sleeve, believe, heave grading system.

Links from this weeks episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Frank Karsten on Collected Conjuring: https://twitter.com/karsten_frank/status/1131215587470970880
Modern Horizons full set: https://scryfall.com/sets/mh1

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 23: UW Control: My Son Is ALSO Named Teferi May 24, 2019

The Break Down: 4 early preview cards from Modern Horizons.
The Dive Down: The UW Control Deck Dive! What makes control decks tick, and why is UW seemingly better than ever?
The Wind Down: A Patreon question about the Golden Age of Modern.

Links from this weeks episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
The UW Control list we ran: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1909178#online
"The Deck" article on The Dojo: http://www.classicdojo.org/history/thedeck2.html

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 22: Sleeve It / Believe It / Heave It: War of the Spark Edition May 17, 2019

The Break Down: We look at some spicy new decks making their appearance in the Modern Challenge and the Modern MOCS Monthly.
The Dive Down: Do we want to Sleeve, Believe, or Heave 4 Modern decks built around new War of the Spark cards?
The Wind Down: When and how to buy into Modern?

Links from this week’s episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown

Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-05-13
MOCS Monthly: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-mocs-2019-05-13

10-Rack: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1895733#online
Narset Prison: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-ub-86040#paper
Rainbow Niv-Mizzet: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-rainbow-niv-mizzet#paper
Wish Tron: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1906135#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood -_ Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? _

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 21: Humans: Be Yourself, In Card Form May 10, 2019

The Break Down: 3 new decks courtesy of War Of The Spark
The Dive Down: Deck Dives are back! We talk Humans - how it's constructed, some tips and tricks, and how you might try to beat this Tier 1 staple.
The Wind Down: Why isn't UW Control more popular?

Links from this weeks episode:
JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Neoform Combo: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1885374#paper
Wish Tron: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1879166#paper
Narset Pitch Blue: https://twitter.com/Conley81/status/1124172639180689408

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 20: MC2: London Boogaloo May 03, 2019

The Break Down & The Dive Down: Mythic Championship London.
The Wind Down: We take some listener questions.

Links from the episode:
The most played cards at MC London: https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/2019MC2/most-played-modern-cards-mythic-championship-ii-2019-04-27
The top 8 from MC London:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/mythic-championship-london-top-eight-decklists
Mark Jacobson's Red Eldrazi Deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1847510#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 19: War of the Spec! Apr 26, 2019

The Break Down: Going over the final GP before Mythic Championship London: GP Yokohama.
The Dive Down: Our picks to click from War of the Spark.
The Wind Down: A philosophical tournament report from Stanislav.

Links from the episode:
The top 32 decks of GP Yokohama: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/grand-prix-yokohama-2019#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 18: London Mulling Apr 19, 2019

The Break Down: We talk about the latest Modern GP, Sao Paulo!
The Dive Down: The London Mulligan: how does it impact modern? What we can learn from the latest Magic Online tournaments, and our own experiences.
The Wind Down: Our predictions for MC London.

Links from this weeks episode:
TAKE OUR PATREON SURVEY: https://forms.gle/yjyDSZSntAzR2mcg7
The Day 2 Sao Paulo Metagame: https://twitter.com/ChannelFireball/status/1117406325254828032
Day 2 winrates: https://twitter.com/ChannelFireball/status/1117559245803855879
The Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-04-14
The Modern MOCS: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-mocs-2019-04-14

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 17: The Best Unplayables Apr 12, 2019

The Break Down: We talk the SCG Cleveland Modern Open and the latest MTGO Modern Challenge.
The Dive Down: 4 cards (and a little bonus!) that aren't quite ready for prime time. Why they aren't there and what we're looking for to make them playable.
The Wind Down: A special announcement many of you have been waiting for!

Links from this weeks episode:
TAKE OUR PATREON SURVEY: https://forms.gle/ay8AsPLdHhn5zheTA
The SCG Cleveland decks: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-04-06_modern_Cleveland_OH_US/1/
The 4/7/19 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-04-07

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 16: The Unholy Grail Apr 05, 2019

The Break Down: Dissecting GP Calgary, the Modern MOCS, and Tobi Henke's full meta packet of GP Bilbao.
The Dive Down: How best to use, abuse, and understand Chalice of the Void.
The Wind Down: Our first picks to click from War of the Spark.

Links from this weeks episode:
Tobi Henke's GP Bilbao Breakdown: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/full-meta-packet-the-99-of-grand-prix-bilbao/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 15: 1+1+1=7 Mar 29, 2019

The Break Down: Analyzing the results from SCG Cincinnati's Team Open and Modern Classic.
The Dive Down: We dive down into the big green menace: TRON. How it works, what it's trying to do, and how you can try to stop it.
The Wind Down: The crew answers a listener question about the Modern decks we miss most.

Links from this weeks episode:
Brandon Czognowski's Restore Balance deck: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/128025
Philip Silberman's Cruel Control deck: http://www.starcitygames.com/decks/128007

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 14: The Bird That Shan't Be Named ft. Ross Merriam Mar 22, 2019

The Break Down: Analyzing the results from GPs Tampa and Bilbao, and SCG Philadelphia.
The Dive Down: We interview Ross Merriam about Izzet Phoenix, tournament preparation, Modern Horizons reprints, and more.
The Wind Down: The crew talks about new decks we're looking at.

Links from this weeks episode:
Subscribe to Ross on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosshunneds
See past episodes of Versus Live at https://www.youtube.com/user/starcitygamesvideo/videos
Watch Versus Live when it airs and more SCG events at https://www.twitch.tv/scgtour

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 13: Modern Modulation ft. GP LA Runner-Up Gal Schlesinger Mar 15, 2019

The Break Down: Digesting all the top 8 results from the SCG Regionals
The Dive Down: Gal Schlesinger joins us for an interview to talk all things Hardened Scales
The Wind Down: Another B&R announcement with no changes

Links from this weeks episode:
Subscribe to Gal on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/yamakiller/
Our SCG Regionals breakdown spreadsheet: https://tinyurl.com/y2az8l3j
How to Play Hardened Scales by Matt Nass: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/how-to-play-hardened-scales/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 12: Surgical Precision Mar 08, 2019

The Break Down: The Grand Prix Los Angeles metagame, fun and winning decks, and the power of Faithless Looting.
The Dive Down: How to avoid and overcome 3 problems related to Surgical Extraction.
The Wind Down: How Stan is prepping for this weekend's SCG Regionals.

Links from this weeks episode:
GP LA Top 32: https://www.channelfireball.com/grand-prix-los-angeles-top-32-deck-lists/
GP LA Top 8: https://www.channelfireball.com/grand-prix-los-angeles-top-8-decklists/
Craig Wescoe's Mono-White Devotion Deck Tech: https://twitter.com/ChannelFireball/status/1101960638123765760
The 3/2/19 Modern Challenge: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-03-03#decklists

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 11: Dredge: It's Confla-Great! Mar 01, 2019

First things first, we talk about the announcement of Modern Horizons!
The Break Down - Feb 24 Modern Challenge and MagicFest Cleveland's Modern MCQ, as well as some spicy picks from this weeks Modern Leagues
The Dive Down - An in-depth look at Dredge: how it works, how it wants to win, and how to try to beat it
The Wind Down - We talk the newly proposed mulligan rule

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

Find Emma Partlow's work here: https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/author/epartlow/

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 10: Prime Real Estate Feb 22, 2019

We break down the GP Strasbourg and Magic Online Modern Mythic Champ Qualifiers, dive down into four different decks built around Primeval Titan, then wind things down with a conversation on what happens if your favorite deck gets banned.

Ironworksless Ironworks: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-ironworksless-ironworks#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 9: Sleeve It / Believe It / Heave It: The Latest Developments in Modern Feb 15, 2019

We go over GP Toronto and the Nerd Rage Gaming 5k in Milwaukee, then rate 5 of the latest winning decks in Modern, and finally answer the burning question: what is a "casual spike?"

Decklists from this episode:
Shaman Tribal: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1643170#paper
RG Beats: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1643157#paper
Vannifar Pod: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1643149#paper
Sultai Teachings: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1647502#paper
Living Dominance: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1643173#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 8: To Tweak: Weak, or on Fleek? Feb 08, 2019

We talk about the Modern portion of the Team Constructed event at SCG Baltimore, then dive down into the highs and lows of tweaking decks for the metagame, and bring it home with a listener question.

Jeffrey Carr's write-up from his awesome run with Mono-Red Phoenix: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VtTGrHGm-5vvTda_E9tKny-eHLXgmVZZq_T6VCDTNt0/

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 7: When In Doubt, Burn 'Em Out! Feb 01, 2019

We go over the latest Modern Challenge and the new Pod, talk about Stanislav's awesome finish at the SCG Classic, then dive down into a discussion of the latest experiments with Burn.

Prime Speaker Vannifar Pod: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/prime-speaker-vannifar-with-kiki-combo-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: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 6: My Shadow Hold Me Down 4 Whatever Jan 25, 2019

We discuss the banning of KCI and some MTGO tournament results, dive down into an analysis of Death's Shadow decks, and chat about Gavin Varhey's interview with The Professor.

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 5: Pterry, Phoenix, and Pfriends Jan 18, 2019

We discuss the results of SCG Worcester, analyze ways to beat Izzet Phoenix, and break down our picks for the top modern cards from Ravnica Allegiance.

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 4: I, For One, Welcome Our New Furnace Overlords Jan 11, 2019

The crew break down the SCG Non-Unified Team Modern and GP Oakland results, then talk about KCI, what makes a deck bannable, and the impact of some potential upcoming bans in modern.

The KCI Combo Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8olqGdtZuvg

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? Thanks to our friends for the use of their music!

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 3: These Planes Were Made For Walking Jan 05, 2019

The crew talks about the MTGO Modern "Finals" (whatever that means) results, then dives down into the topic of Planeswalkers in Modern.

The Modern Finals results can be found here: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-finals-2018-12-31

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 2: 2018 in Review Dec 29, 2018

In this episode, the crew talks about the most impactful cards of 2018, then breaks down the 2018 metagame across all the Modern GPs.

The reddit article that looks at the 2018 Modern GPs can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/a64wnc/looking_back_at_2018_gp_top_8s_plus_br_speculation/

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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Episode 1: Modern Izzet Phoenix and the costs and benefits of self-mill Dec 22, 2018

Welcome to the first episode of The Dive Down, a modern focused podcast for the casual spike!

In this episode we talk about Izzet Phoenix, and the costs and benefits of milling yourself.

email us: thedivedown@gmail.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/thedivedown

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