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 Do...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 211
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...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 210
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 ...
Feb 09, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 209
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) ...
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 208
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...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 207
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 fr...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 206
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 t...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 205
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,...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 204
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, an...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 203
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 Ma...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 202
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 Mo...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 201
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 ...
Dec 01, 2022•2 hr 17 min•Ep. 200
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...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 199
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 $...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 198
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 Barris...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 197
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 w...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 196
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...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 195
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-i...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 194
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 Div...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 193
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...
Sep 29, 2022•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 192
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/t...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 191
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:/...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 190
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 t...
Sep 01, 2022•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 189
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...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 188
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 ...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 187
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 excel...
Aug 11, 2022•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 186
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 ...
Aug 04, 2022•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 185
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 ...
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 184
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 P...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 183
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 leas...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 182
