About the show
The Dive Down is a Magic: The Gathering podcast focused on the latest decks, trends, and strategies for the casual spikes in Modern, Pioneer, Explorer, and more!
Each week your hosts Dave, Shane, and Stanislav discuss the latest innovations, competitive events, and level-up topics for paper and online players.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Proudly sponsored by Heavy Play, a new card gaming accessories brand that'll improve your gameplay and game day. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2024 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com/
We're also sponsored by ManaTraders, the best Magic card rental service for both Magic Online and paper! Get 10% off your first 2 months of ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown or use Manatraders coupon code THEDIVEDOWN_8LU
The Dive Down on social media
Episodes and Blog Entries
-
Episode 302: The Mad Lads Did It
Episode | December 19th, 2024 | 1 hr 39 mins
A B&R so hot we had to pause our vacation. The One Ring, Amped Raptor, and Jegantha are banned. Mox Opal is unbanned. Mox Opal, Green Sun's Zenith, Faithless Looting and Splinter Twin are unbanned. Discuss.
-
Episode 301: Standard Rules, Modern Drools, and Pokémon Fools
Episode | November 21st, 2024 | 1 hr 50 mins
We kick off this week's show with an important announcement about the future of The Dive Down. Just listen since it's too long to explain in writing. Then we bemoan the B&R window before highlighting the fun times happening in Standard right now. And we wrap with a nice chat about our love-hate relationship with the new Pokémon TCG Pocket.
-
Episode 300: Magic as Richard Garfield Intended, ft. Richard Garfield, Ph.D.
Episode | November 13th, 2024 | 1 hr 1 min
The doctor is in. For a very special episode 300, The Dive Down sits down with THE Richard Garfield, inventor of Magic: The Gathering and great-great-grandson of President James A. Garfield. What is Magic as Garfield intended? We finally have the answer.
-
Episode 299: Stan Won an RCQ!
Episode | October 31st, 2024 | 1 hr 37 mins
They said it couldn't be done, but one of the Dive Down boys (other than D00mwake) finally won an RCQ. On this week's show, Stan talks about piloting Boros Energy to qualify for RC Portland, and we break down the Standard metagame and results from the Magic World Championship in Las Vegas.
-
Episode 298: The Foundations Era is Here
Episode | October 25th, 2024 | 1 hr 38 mins
Hot off the presses of WOTC's Foundations announcement, we break down and discuss the impact of Universes Beyond sets entering the Standard format in 2025.
-
Episode 297: Modern: What to Play Before RCQ Season Ends
Episode | October 17th, 2024 | 1 hr 36 mins
On this week's show, Dave tries to determine what to play during the one RCQ he can attend this season. We do our best to help him out by reviewing the latest Metagame Mentor, taking a closer look at Dimir Oculus, following in the steps of some Jeskai Control masters, and trying something new with Fear of Missing Out in Rakdos and Jund Delirium.
-
Episode 296: RC DC: Demons, Trees, Cauldrons, & Company
Episode | October 10th, 2024 | 1 hr 36 mins
In the last part of our mini-arc on the current state of Pioneer, Devon, Dave, and Stan dive deep into what happened at this weekend's RC in Washington D.C. We cover the decks that took too long, the decks that aimed too high, and the decks that took it all down.
-
Episode 295: RC DC Preview & First Duskmourn Decks
Episode | October 3rd, 2024 | 1 hr 33 mins
It's time (for Devon) to get ready for the RC in DC this weekend, so we dive deep into Pioneer for the week. We talk through the RC that happened in Brazil last weekend, examine new/interesting decks, and go through some of Devon's considerations on deck selection.
-
Episode 294: Working Not Playing, ft Mark Stanton
Episode | September 26th, 2024 | 1 hr 22 mins
On this week's show, Stan and Dave are joined by a new guest to The Dive Down. Taking a break from Regional Championship and World Championship testing, Mark Stanton stops by to talk about the competitive mindset and how to practice Magic better.
-
Episode 293: Boros Energy is Better than Rakdos Aggro & Duskmourn Spoilers, pt 2
Episode | September 19th, 2024 | 1 hr 35 mins
On this week's show, d00mwake recaps his RCQ win with Gerry T's take on Boros Energy, Stan recounts all the reasons he hated Rakdos Aggro, the boys review results from the NRG Louisville Modern Open, and discuss our final picks from Duskmourn.
-
Episode 292: Rakdos Aggro Takes Pioneer & Duskmourn Spoilers, pt 1
Episode | September 12th, 2024 | 1 hr 37 mins
A new Pioneer metagame is upon us, just in time for a slate of new cards from Duskmourn. On this week's show, we review Pioneer MTGO Challenge results following the Amalia and Sorin bans, take a closer look at the hot new Rakdos Aggro deck making waves in the format, and peer into the latest spoilers from Duskrmourn.
-
Episode 291: Dreams Do Come True: Stan Visits WOTC, Modern is Healing
Episode | September 5th, 2024 | 1 hr 51 mins
What a long strange trip it's been... from Chicago to Seattle! On this week's show, Stan shares stories and highlights from his visit to Wizards of the Coast headquarters. Then we look at the first batch of Modern results since the Nadu ban, and breathe a sigh of relief at a format finding its footing.
-
Episode 290: Grief is Banned. Joy is Allowed.
Episode | August 28th, 2024 | 1 hr 34 mins
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.
-
Episode 289: Breached Eldrazi and Lizards, Wizards
Episode | August 22nd, 2024 | 1 hr 21 mins
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.
-
Episode 288: Scoop Less, Mull More, Remember Cards That Were Good Before
Episode | August 15th, 2024 | 1 hr 48 mins
On this week's show, we marvel at the return of Through the Breach in MTGO Modern events, followed by a couple level up topics about scooping and mulligans. Then Lee McLeod drops buy to educate us about some Nadu Loops, and we wrap with a walk down memory lane via Dave's box of former playables.
-
Episode 287: Modern Since MH3 & First Bloomburrow Tests
Episode | August 9th, 2024 | 1 hr 28 mins
This week it's a bit of a grab bag — or bags? Or grabs bag? One is the state of Modern since MH3, the other is our first tests with Bloomburrow in Modern and Pioneer. We take a dive through several recent challenges and a whole mess of concerning stats from frequently cited Modern watcher, Anaël Yahi. After that, we take a look at a few Bloomburrow cards in Modern and Pioneer — does Thundertrap Trainer slap? Is Rottenmouth Viper the truth... in Pioneer? We talk about all this and more.