The Dive Down

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...

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....

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...

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 perfor...

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...

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 fin...

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....

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? B...

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 s...

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 potentia...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 Pion...

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...

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...

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....

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: p...

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 matche...

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 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...

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,...

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! h...