Episode 186: These Ends Were Made for Living, ft. Chris Castro-Rappl

The Dive Down August 11, 2022 Modern, Podcast

About this Episode

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.

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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