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.patreo...
May 15, 2020•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 73
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 "thediv...
May 08, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 72
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 M...
May 01, 2020•2 hr•Ep. 71
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 - ...
Apr 24, 2020•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 70
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=thed...
Apr 17, 2020•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 69
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 fir...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 22 min
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 -...
Apr 10, 2020•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 68
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 -...
Apr 03, 2020•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 67
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 Di...
Mar 27, 2020•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 66
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 ...
Mar 20, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 65
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...
Mar 13, 2020•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 64
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" Tim...
Mar 06, 2020•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 63
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...
Feb 28, 2020•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 62
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/thedive...
Feb 25, 2020•1 hr 23 min
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 B...
Feb 21, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 61
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 c...
Feb 14, 2020•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 60
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...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr 18 min
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! h...
Feb 07, 2020•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 59
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: G...
Jan 31, 2020•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 58
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 ...
Jan 24, 2020•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 57
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 "t...
Jan 17, 2020•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 56
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...
Jan 10, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 55
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...
Dec 31, 2019•1 hr 2 min
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" Timest...
Dec 27, 2019•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 54
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...
Dec 20, 2019•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 53
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...
Dec 13, 2019•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 52
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! 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: 3:28 - Introducing Faithless Brewing 7:52 - Housekeeping 10:28 - Th...
Dec 06, 2019•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 51
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 Pionee...
Dec 02, 2019•56 min
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 met...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 50
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" Times...
Nov 22, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 49
