The Dive Down

A Magic: The Gathering podcast for the casual spike, focused on Modern, Pioneer, Explorer, and more!

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

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Episodes and Blog Entries

  • Episode 237: Wild 'n Out in Eldraine, pt.1

    Episode  |  August 24th, 2023  |  1 hr 37 mins

    It's that most magical time once again — it's spoiler season! Join Dave, Devon, and Shane as they begin surveying the Wilds of Eldraine.

  • Episode 236: Pondering Preordain & NRG Detroit, ft. SpiderSpace

    Episode  |  August 17th, 2023  |  1 hr 44 mins

    This week Shane and Stan are joined by returning guest Gabriel Maxson, aka SpiderSpace, to talk about the implications, impact, and potential uses of Preordain in Modern. Before that, we take a good look at the results from the NRD Detroit Modern $10k. How many copies of Preordain made the top 8? I guess we will never know....

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    Episode 235: Pro Tour Deck Tests, Modern Bans, and Future Product Plans

    Episode  |  August 10th, 2023  |  1 hr 40 mins

    On this week's episode, Stan, Devon, and Shane kick off with a round of B&R reactions, followed by a recap of the upcoming product roadmap including Modern Horizons 3. Then we take some Pro Tour decks for a spin to see what these so-called pros have been cooking up.

  • Episode 234: PT Barcelona Takeaways: What Happened, What it Might Mean

    Episode  |  August 3rd, 2023  |  1 hr 26 mins

    This week Dave, Shane, and Stan go through the biggest things we learned from the Modern PT last week in Barcelona. It might feel like Rakdos and Tron led the story (and they did) but there's a lot of other things to be learned from what happened.

  • Episode 233: PT Barcelona Preview, ft. d00mwake

    Episode  |  July 27th, 2023  |  1 hr 37 mins

    In preparation for PT Barcelona, Shane, Dave, and Devon (aka d00mwake) go through all of the changes to Modern since LOTR and what we think that means to Pros and to the rest of us.

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    Episode 232: Over the Top with The One Ring

    Episode  |  July 20th, 2023  |  1 hr 26 mins

    This week the boyz go over the top with the biggest decks that have gotten buffs from the LOTR set. Control and big mana strategies have been strengthened by The One Ring, so we take a trio of the best of them out for a test drive.

  • Episode 231: Intercontinental Modern Tournament Results

    Episode  |  July 13th, 2023  |  1 hr 25 mins

    On this week's show, we continue to track the impact of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth on the Modern metagame with a detailed recap of tournaments from all over the world and world wide web. We touch on the St. Louis NRG Team Trios, the Legacy European Tour Bologna event, and a bunch of Modern challenges.

  • Episode 230: Put a Ring(s) on It

    Episode  |  July 6th, 2023  |  1 hr 26 mins

    This week we keep talking about THE PRECIOUSSSSs... because no one can stop putting this colorless 4-drop in their Modern decks.

  • Episode 229: NRG Chicagoland & the Power of The One Ring, ft. d00mwake

    Episode  |  June 29th, 2023  |  1 hr 40 mins

    We finally return to Modern!! Shane and Devon join forces to break down a bunch of tournaments from last weekend, including the NRG Chicagoland Modern $10k, a huge Japanese paper tournament, and some wild MTGO Challenges. After that, they look more closely at The One Ring (and some other cards) and how it's quickly changing the face of Modern.

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    Episode 228: The Past, Present, and Future of MTGO, ft. Ryan Spain

    Episode  |  June 22nd, 2023  |  1 hr 27 mins

    Ryan Spain, now the Creative Director of Magic Online at Daybreak Games, returns to The Dive Down to talk about the transition of MTGO from WOTC to Daybreak, goals and hopes for the platform's future, and the realities of managing such monolithic software.

  • Episode 227: The Pod Tempts You, ft. aspiringspike & d00mwake

    Episode  |  June 16th, 2023  |  1 hr 36 mins

    This week Shane welcomes back two friends of the show — Devon O'Donnell (aka d00mwake) & Evart Moughton (aka aspiringspike) — to sub in for Dave and Stan to talk Pioneer and Modern.

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    Episode 226: Pioneer RC Results and Modern Ring Temptations, pt. 1

    Episode  |  June 8th, 2023  |  1 hr 49 mins

    The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth spoilers are in full swing, so we dive into a bunch of cards that could see play in existing Modern decks or even create some new ones. Plus we recap the results of the latest Pioneer Regional Championship in Dallas.

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    Episode 225: Boros Convoke: Demolishing Artifacts For Fun & Profit, ft. d00mwake

    Episode  |  June 1st, 2023  |  1 hr 40 mins

    Join us this week for our deep dive into the Pioneer's hype deck: Boros Convoke — followed by a quick preview of Dreamhack Dallas.

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    Episode 224: B&R Hot Takes & NRG Minneapolis

    Episode  |  May 25th, 2023  |  1 hr 17 mins

    Stan and Shane combine forces to discuss the NRG Pioneer $10K in Minneapolis, and then give some hot takes about the changes to the B&R cadence and Standard's new 3-year rotation. What latest tech from March of the Machine (and it's Aftermath?) had an impact in Pioneer? And what do WOTC's changes mean for the future of our formats? Listen and find out!

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    Episode 223: Getting Weird in the Aftermath of MOM, ft. d00mwake

    Episode  |  May 18th, 2023  |  1 hr 23 mins

    This week d00mwake joins Shane and Dave to go through a quick tour of the weirdness that happened in Modern and Pioneer MTG. We dive deep into several MTGO tournaments from the weekend and talk about the new decks that appeared — and the old decks that re-appeared.

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    Episode 222: Aftermath and LOTR: The Spoilers Will Continue Until Morale Improves

    Episode  |  May 11th, 2023  |  1 hr 16 mins

    This week it's time for... you guessed it... more card talk on The Dive Down. We're doing double duty with a look at the cards that stand tall in the Aftermath of MOM and then a quick trip to Middle Earth to talk about some tempting new information. Listen. Now. You've been tempted.