The Dive Down – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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