The Dive Down

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

329 episodes of The Dive Down since the first episode, which aired on December 22nd, 2018.

  • Episode 96: The Unifying Theory of Good Magic Formats

    Episode  |  October 23rd, 2020  |  1 hr 42 mins

    This week Stan and Shane pair up to explore what can make Magic great, and why Modern has been a fan favorite in 2020. Before that, we look at a quartet of Modern and Pioneer challenges to see where the meta is headed.
    The Break Down: Breaking it Down
    The Dive Down: Building it Up
    The Wind Down: Moving it Around

  • Episode 95: We Did It For Science: The Titanic Power of Uro and Omnath

    Episode  |  October 16th, 2020  |  1 hr 47 mins

    In the first installment of "We Did It For Science," we look at two cards we just aren't (or weren't) that interested in playing with: Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Omnath, Locus of Creation. Are these cards good, REALLY good, or TOO good? You're going to have to listen to find out. Before that, we take a (fairly) quick look at a few recent Challenges to see what's going on in the metagame.
    The Break Down: Always Challenging
    The Dive Down: Jump Into the Pile
    The Dive Down, cont: Four Arms to Hold You

  • Episode 94: Zendikar Rules! New Innovations in Modern & Pioneer

    Episode  |  October 9th, 2020  |  1 hr 49 mins

    Stan and Shane are on their own this week, so they talk about their recent playtesting in Modern and Pioneer in a vaguely Sleeve/Believe/Heave part two. Before that, they go over the weekend's Pioneer and Modern Showcase Challenges to see what's performing well and what the meta looks like. And then they finish with an extended Wind Down where they answer a bunch of listener questions.
    The Break Down: Dave's Not Here, Man
    The Break Down, pt. 2: Just Kidding
    The Dive Down: Stan and Shane Play Decks!
    The Wind Down: Getting Personal

  • Episode 93: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Zendikar Rising Edition

    Episode  |  October 2nd, 2020  |  1 hr 48 mins

    This week we apply our patent-pending Sleeve/Believe/Heave rating system to 3 potentially breakout Modern and Pioneer decks. Are they the real deal, or not worth your time? Only one way to find out. Prior to that, we look at the winning decks and statistics from the most recent Manatraders Modern tournament.
    The Break Down: Manatraders Modern 15k
    The Dive Down: Oops All Spells!
    The Dive Down, cont: Oops No Life!

  • Episode 92: The Early Risers of Zendikar Rising

    Episode  |  September 25th, 2020  |  1 hr 45 mins

    We take a good, long look at the latest decks, trends, and strategies in Modern and Pioneer, but this time with the cards of Zendikar Rising! We start with Cool Decks (and cards!), Inc, as we look through 2 Modern and 2 Pioneer Challenges. Then we head into The Dive Down and do a mini-dive on Gruul Goblin Charbelcher, and look at changes to Jeskai, Mill, and Death's Shadow. And look suspiciously at Omnath...
    The Break Down: Challenging Challenges
    The Dive Down: Recrossing, Reforging, Rebelching
    The Dive Down, cont: Other Concerning Things

  • Episode 91: Zendikar Rising Rises: Spoilers, Vol. 2 ft. Aspiring Spike

    Episode  |  September 18th, 2020  |  1 hr 50 mins

    Stan's on vacation, which means we get to have Evart Moughon (aka Aspiring Spike) on as a returning guest host to talk about the second week of Zendikar Rising spoilers. We revisit some cards from last week to get Evart's takes and give some more picks to click from the latest set. Before that, we look at some Modern and Pioneer Challenges to see what's happening in the meta.
    The Break Down: Modern & Pioneer Challenges
    The Dive Down: A Few Redos
    The Dive Down, cont: The Last of the Spoilers

  • Episode 90: Zendikar Rising Rises: Spoilers, Vol. 1

    Episode  |  September 10th, 2020  |  1 hr 51 mins

    We take a look at the first batch of spoilers from Zendikar Rising and identify some picks to click from the upcoming set. Before that, we have a conversation about the 2021 Magic roadmap in a non-meta Break Down!
    The Break Down: DDN FNM MTGG
    The Break Down, cont: Cool Set, Inc.
    The Dive Down: Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers!

  • Episode 89: Return of the Living Dredge

    Episode  |  September 4th, 2020  |  1 hr 49 mins

    This week we revisit Dredge! In our first repeat deck dive, we talk about what's changed for the deck, how that makes it better.. or worse.. or just different? What did playing this deck feel like in the current meta? What's up with Silversmote Ghoul? Before that, we dive into 3 recent Modern tournaments to see what's up.
    The Break Down: Modern MOCS & Challenges
    The Break down, pt.2: More Cool Decks, Inc.
    The Dive Down: Shane Beeps Returns to Play

  • Episode 88: Gifts Storm: A Modern Ritual

    Episode  |  August 28th, 2020  |  1 hr 41 mins

    This week it's back to Modern for the TDD crew as they peruse Prelim pivots for a format pulse and then dive into one of the oldest and Izzetest decks in Modern — Gifts Storm. Stan gets emotional. Dave gets self-deprecating. Shane gets quiet. It's another week on The Dive Down.

    Housekeeping: A Winner is Announced!
    The Break Down: Surprises in the Modern Prelims
    The Dive Down: Grapeshot: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

  • Bonus 9: A Philosophy of Design ft. Patrick Sullivan

    Episode  |  August 26th, 2020  |  1 hr 11 mins

    For this bonus ep, we welcome Patrick Sullivan to the pod to talk Magic, game design, and broadcasting! He shares some great insights with us from his long career in gaming.

  • Episode 87: The Buyer's Guide to Double Masters & Other Stuff

    Episode  |  August 21st, 2020  |  1 hr 49 mins

    First on this week's show, the TDD crew do a quick check in on Pioneer a couple of weeks after the bannings. After that they do a deep dive into the financial implications of Double Masters and chat about how they approach the most fun part of Magic in general — buying stuff. Turns out it's more complicated than even Shane thought.
    The Break Down: Pioneer Challenges
    The Dive Down: Double the Masters
    The Double Dive Down: Putting the Fun in Financial

  • Episode 86: Pioneer Format, Reborn

    Episode  |  August 14th, 2020  |  1 hr 47 mins

    This week we break down the post-ban Pioneer Challenges and Prelims and talk about what's over and under-performing. Then we head into the Dive Down to talk about our experiences playing Pioneer, our thoughts on the state of the format, and answer some listener questions!
    The Break Down: Pioneer is Back, Baybee!
    The Dive Down: Are We Having Fun Yet?
    The Wind Down: Dive Down is that You? It's Me, Listeners.

  • Episode 85: Pioneer Bans & Modern Prowess Stans

    Episode  |  August 7th, 2020  |  1 hr 46 mins

    This week we break down the 4 new bans in Pioneer, and talk about what this means for the format! In the Dive Down we go over the many flavors of Prowess in Modern: Red, Izzet, Gruul, Rakdos - how to choose?!
    The Break Down: A Lovely Surprise Banning!
    The Dive Down: Not Everyone's Tempo
    The Dive Down, cont: We Could Bolt or Not Bolt Forever

  • Episode 84: The Many Moods of Mystic Sanctuary

    Episode  |  July 31st, 2020  |  1 hr 47 mins

    This week we take a look at one of the most popular and powerful cards in Modern - Mystic Sanctuary. What makes it good, how is it being played, and what can you do with it? Before that, we break down the Manatraders July Modern 15k tournament.
    The Break Down: Modern Manatraders
    The Dive Down: Making Mystic Mighty

  • Episode 83: That New Meta Smell

    Episode  |  July 24th, 2020  |  1 hr 49 mins

    On this week's episode, the team does a long break down on what's happened in Pioneer and Modern in the week since our most recent bans. Takes are given... and returned? Moods are had... and worked out? Then we talk about what we've been playing lately. Ponza! White Tokens! UR Prowess! Mono Green Devotion! We'll let you guess who is who!
    The Break Down: Modern/Pioneer: Similar/Same
    The Dive Down: Our Decks: That's the Same Picture

  • Episode 82: Bans: 1 Mana Permanents Edition ft. Aspiring Spike

    Episode  |  July 17th, 2020  |  1 hr 50 mins

    On this week's episode, friend of the show Evart Moughon aka Aspiring Spike drops in for a reaction to the latest Banned & Restricted announcement. Then we talk about some of Evart's latest takes on Modern Control.