The Dive Down

Bonus 5: The Shadowy Science w/ Michael Rapp

Episode  |  February 11th, 2020  |  1 hr 18 mins

In this bonus episode, Dave interviews certified Death's Shadow Scientist Michael Rapp about playing... well Death's Shadow. They actually do a bit of a deep dive on decks of all different shadow sizes including the most popular build of the moment — 4 Color Traverse.

Episode 59: Sleeve/Believe/Heave: Theros Beyond Death Edition

Episode  |  February 7th, 2020  |  1 hr 41 mins

We kick off this week’s show with a Break Down of the first two Pioneer Players Tours, from sister cities Brussels and Nagoya. Then we Dive Down with the latest Sleeve/Believe/Heave featuring 3 spicy Pioneer decks inspired by new cards from Theros.
The Wind Down: Players Tours Brussels & Nagoya
The Dive Down: Sleeve/Believe/Heave ft. Theros Beyond Death

Episode 58: Diving Deeper: #2020Goals

Episode  |  January 31st, 2020  |  1 hr 48 mins

First up this week, we take a spin through what's been popping up in Pioneer and Modern since the release of Theros: Beyond Death. In our Dive Down section, each of us talks about our goals for improving our game or relationship with MtG in 2020 (#2020Goals #squadgoals #whathappensnextmightsurpriseyou). Finally, we wind down with some of Stan's tales of fantastic planeswalkers and where to find them — in London and Amsterdam, at least.

Episode 57: Oh Lord He Comin': Chonky Red ft. Todd Anderson

Episode  |  January 24th, 2020  |  1 hr 55 mins

This week The Dive Down crew welcomes special guest Todd Anderson to join us on our first Pioneer-focused Deck Dive — Chonky Red! Listen to find out why it's not an aggro deck, how tightly you should hold your Rabblemasters, and how to really bring the glory.
The Break Down: Todd and All Things Todd
The Dive Down: Chonk and All Things Chonk
The Wind Down: Listener Questions

Episode 56: Bans & Theros: Beyond Hyped, Vol. 2

Episode  |  January 17th, 2020  |  1 hr 42 mins

We take another look at Theros Beyond Death, and share some of our picks to click in Pioneer and Modern!
The Break Down: Irrelevant top 8s and, oh yeah, HUGE MODERN BANS
The Dive Down: Theros Beyond Death Picks to Click - Again!
The Wind Down: The Dive Down Nation's favorite cards from Theros Beyond Death

Episode 55: Theros: Beyond Hyped, Vol. 1

Episode  |  January 10th, 2020  |  1 hr 36 mins

The crew takes a first look at Theros Beyond Death, and share some of their favorite, standout cards.
The Break Down: MTGO Modern Championship
The Dive Down: Theros Beyond Death Picks

Bonus 4: Casual Spike Meets Aspiring Spike

Episode  |  December 31st, 2019  |  1 hr 1 min

In this installment of our monthly bonus episodes, Shane talks to the popular streamer Evart Moughon, better known as Aspiring Spike, about Pioneer, Modern, streaming, and playing with and against control decks.

Episode 54: The Many Moods of Monastery Mentor

Episode  |  December 27th, 2019  |  1 hr 44 mins

The lads see if Monastery Mentor has what it takes to succeed in Pioneer by testing 3 different decks!
The Break Down: Looking over the post-Oko Pioneer Preliminaries (plus some Modern Prelims)
The Dive Down: Making mistakes with Monastery Mentor
The Wind Down: Holiday listener questions

Episode 53: Diving Deeper: 5 Pioneer Takeaways

Episode  |  December 20th, 2019  |  1 hr 39 mins

This week we Dive Deeper into the Pioneer format, and bring you 5 ways to level up your play!
The Break Down: The latest Pioneer bans, and WOTC's new B&R schedule
The Dive Down: Level up your Pioneer thinking with 5 takeaways
The Wind Down: We answer some listener questions

Episode 52: 2019: A Real Year

Episode  |  December 13th, 2019  |  1 hr 47 mins

The guys get together in a studio to indulge themselves with discussion of our favorite Dive Down (and Magic) moments of 2019.
The Break Down: We talk about what we have been playing and enjoying in Modern and Pioneer
The Dive Down: The best (and worst) of 2019

Episode 51: ROY G NIV: 5C Niv-Mizzet ft. Faithless Brewing

Episode  |  December 6th, 2019  |  1 hr 45 mins

The Dive Down teams up with Faithless Brewing to bring you a deck dive into Five Color Niv-Mizzet!
The Break Down: The week of Pioneer PTQs and the subsequent bans
The Dive Down: The Five Color Niv-Mizzet deck dive!

Bonus 3: Return of the Reply Guys

Episode  |  December 2nd, 2019  |  56 mins 22 secs

In our third bonus episode, we take questions from our awesome fans and listeners about Magic the Gathering and our personal lives.

Episode 50: How to Casual Spike a New Deck

Episode  |  November 27th, 2019  |  1 hr 39 mins

The crew tackle a level-up topic: how to overcome the challenge of picking up a new deck!
The Break Down: GP Columbus
The Dive Down: That Fresh Deck Smell
The Dive Down, cont.: Those Fresh Deck Plans

Episode 49: Ban is Just Another Word for Pioneer Justice

Episode  |  November 22nd, 2019  |  1 hr 39 mins

This week, the Dive Down looks at some of Modern's bans throughout history, and examine how they shaped the format as it today.
The Beak Down: SCG Invitational, Modern and Pioneer results
The Dive Down: A history of bans and their impact on Modern
The Wind Down: The cards we liked in 2019

Episode 48: Sleeve It/Believe It/Heave It: Pioneer Edition

Episode  |  November 15th, 2019  |  1 hr 51 mins

This week, the Dive Down gents explore three winning decks from the breakout new format - Pioneer!
The Break Down: Veil of Summer banned, and the MTGO Modern Challenge
The Dive Down: S/B/H Pioneer Edition!
The Wind Down: Archival Masters

Episode 47: Spirits: Be Yourself, in Ghost Form

Episode  |  November 8th, 2019  |  1 hr 41 mins

This week, The Dive Down gents do a patent-pending Dive into a fan favorite tribe - Spirits! We also discuss the first wave of Pioneer bans and the decks of the first Pioneer PTQ.

Breaking News - The first Pioneer bans!
The Break Down - The first Pioneer PTQ!
The Dive Down - A Spooky Modern Tribe