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.c...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 128
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.patr...
Jun 02, 2021•2 hr•Ep. 127
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! http...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 126
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=th...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 125
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.c...
May 14, 2021•1 hr 23 min
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 ManaTr...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 124
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 Wi...
May 07, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 123
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. 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 spend...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 122
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 ...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 121
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 D...
Apr 16, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 120
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 Di...
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 119
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: S...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 118
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 deck...
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 117
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!...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 116
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:...
Mar 12, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 115
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, ...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 114
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 l...
Feb 26, 2021•2 hr•Ep. 113
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? Download the FREE Untapped Companion to track your stats, see your decklists, ge...
Feb 17, 2021•2 hr•Ep. 112
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: F...
Feb 12, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 111
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 Chall...
Feb 05, 2021•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 110
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...
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 109
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 ...
Jan 22, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 108
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...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 9 min
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:...
Jan 15, 2021•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 107
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 wil...
Jan 08, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 106
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 p...
Jan 01, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 105
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 Compani...
Dec 24, 2020•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 104
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 ...
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 103
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 T...
Dec 11, 2020•2 hr•Ep. 102
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...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 101
