The Grinding Gear Podcast
387 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 517 ratingsBurnout-free video game coverage from podcast veterans. Join Garrett and Kyle every week as they get lost in games, pop culture, and everything they’re personally playing.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
#374 - Into the Nexus: “The Reign of Vengeance”
May 20, 2021 21:18 - 81.1 MBThe patch is live! Garrett and Kyle walk you through all the goodies inside to prepare you for your weekend’s Heroes-tastic adventures. Hots is in the public eye this week as not only Blizzard, but other news sources have been talking about our humble little game. Next comes the big patch rundown. Week one playtesting feelings on the reworks and covering the ins and outs of all the balance chances. Just ban Valla (unless you’re GM quality Zeratul is ready).
#373 - Into the Nexus: “UnDead Game”
May 13, 2021 21:43 - 78.2 MBThe long awaited patch is here and its BIG! Five Hero Reworks, eleven balanced Heroes, new XP Orb changes and two hosts ready to guide you through. These are the big strokes. Loan Talents are coming and they showcase new tools the developers have to adjust and argument heroes. XP orbs are being reinforced as a learning tool. Anduin, Johanna, Raynor, Stitches and Valla are all getting a fresh coat of talent paint. We’ll see you next week with the more minute crunchy details.
#372 - Into the Nexus: “The Blue Barrage”
May 06, 2021 20:44 - 58.2 MBThe Blues have spoken! Is Kofalt the new balance designer? Or just a brave soul helming the communication ship? Either way, the lines are open and we have a glimpse in the happenings over the Heroes team. Garrett and Kyle walk you through the important bits: Bug fixes, balance incoming and future skin updates. We also take a healthy dose of emails. Enjoy this Into the Nexus!
#371 - Into the Nexus: “Whip it Out”
April 29, 2021 21:04 - 63.2 MBInto the Nexus is your SOURCE for Heroes of the Storm news! Garrett and Kyle continue through our long meta with a host of new discoveries thanks to CCL. Heroes Devs have returned to the reddit to bring us a reminder of tasty breadcrumbs, which might be only 2 weeks away. Tensions are high and moral is low across the Heroes of the Storm community as they attempt to gauge their expectations. All this and more on this hearty edition of ITN.
#370 - Into the Nexus: “Redrafting the CCL” w/ Bahamut
April 22, 2021 21:35 - 75.7 MBWith HeroesHearth’s Community Clash League Season 2 upon us, Bahamut joins the show and gives us the rundown of the team which starts play this weekend. Garrett and Kyle walk you through the tournament draft, teams, meta, rules and map pools as we head towards some top tier Heroes of the Storm action. The gang also theorizes how the game has shifted since the previous Season 1 and what we can expect on the horizon. Emails and more! Enjoy this packed episode of Into the Nexus.
#369 - Into the Nexus: “Get Low”
April 15, 2021 18:05 - 58.7 MBInto the Nexus is back to throw the bones! Let’s divine up some patch information. Garrett and Kyle take a look at the old AMA and Dev comments to find the future patch.
#368 - Into the Nexus: “Tiers & Tears”
April 07, 2021 21:03 - 57.5 MBInto the Nexus returns with your weekly Heroes of the Storm update! The community is hungry for communication! Blizzard as a whole seems to be struggling to release content across their games, with Hearthstone currently the exception. CCL is right on the horizon, but will that exacerbate the perception of the community should balance not happen. Sonya, Hogger and DVa currently dominate the bruiser seen and bruisers are slowly taking over the tank roles. Does the next update need to be a...
#367 - Into the Nexus: “What the Tank?”
April 01, 2021 21:24 - 75 MBThe HOTS devs are being really quiet this week and during their silence some convincing community-made Heroes of the Storm pranks sent players into a sad spiral. Kyle and Garrett talk about this long period of no changes, the latest HOTS dev, CCL’s player drama, CavalierGuest’s new tanking guide, and take your questions.
#366 - Into the Nexus: “The Smurf Special”
March 25, 2021 21:30 - 68.2 MBFresh off the Internet, Garrett and Kyle bring you the tidings from around the moba sphere. While we eagerly await out patch in two weeks, eyes have turned towards Dota 2’s new initiative to ban all smurfs from their games. Naturally Heroes of the Storm wants to get in on the smurf banning action. CCL is firing up with their Free Agent Tournament this weekend. All this and more on your Heroes of the Storm podcast of choice. Enjoy!
#365 - Into the Nexus: “Panda Parrot Pals”
March 18, 2021 21:07 - 64.9 MBGarrett and Kyle, ever ready for analogy, bring you the big news from around Heroes of the Storm! We take a look at the March 2nd Balance patch and analyse its impact on the game. Spoiler Alert: There was an impact. We also have a guess as to who the new balance designer might be. Is this the end of Activision Esports? Blizz/Activision announces more layoffs to it’s esports divisions, this time for Overwatch League. Your emails and more!
#364 - Into the Nexus: “Breaking Through Obvious Walls”
March 11, 2021 22:25 - 70.8 MBWe’ve had a busy few weeks Into the Nexus. Guests, patches. It’s time to kick it with Garrett and Kyle, old school style. Prepare yourself for anecdotes, knowledge bombs and classic off topic banter. Falstad is all the rage and we go deep on how the people are playing him. Kyle also has many lesson to share from tournament play and recent pro interviews. We also breakdown the game basics in out strategy section for a new player to the game. All this and more on this Heroes of the Storm ...
#363 - Into the Nexus: “Panda-monium”
March 04, 2021 21:42 - 87.7 MBIt’s patch time! Garrett and Kyle walk you through the changing tides on the high seas of Heroes of the Storm. While it may not be meta defining, there are plenty of new toys to play with; particularly if you are into the likes of Li Li, Falstad and Tyrael. Deep dive with us through an ocean of changes! Got an opinion on the changes? Let us know at [email protected]
#362 - Into the Nexus: “SUMMON PATCH NOTES” w/ NotParadox
February 25, 2021 22:37 - 85.2 MBAs is tradition, Not_Paradox joins us for our post BlizzCon show; BlizzcOnline anyway. While we get to our coverage, we get breaking news about the upcoming Balance Patch next week! Queue the predictions, what will be the big movers and shakers? We’ve got ideas: particular about Nova. Paradox joins Garrett and Kyle for your emails to make this a complete episode. See you next week with that balance patch!
#361 - Into the Nexus: “Mountain Out of a Gnoll-hill”
February 18, 2021 23:35 - 75.7 MBInto the Nexus is back with your weekly heaping helping of Heroes of the Storm news. Garret and Kyle walk the recent blue posts, predictions of the incoming season and our favorite new segment: This week I learned. We also have a heaping helping of Hogger strategy. Your emails and more! We will see you on the other side of BlizzcOnline.
#360 - Into the Nexus: “Mystery Cadence”
February 11, 2021 22:15 - 62.1 MBIn the immortal words of Illidan: “In truth, it was I who was betrayed. Still, I am hunted. Still, I am hated. Now, my blind eyes can see what others cannot.” In this episode of Into the Nexus, Garrett and Kyle have concerns. A savagely tone death tweet from the Heroes account let loose the bad news: No BlizzcOnline presence for Heroes of the Storm. While we have received word from the devs that things are still being worked on, it’s up to us to unravel the mystery of future Cadence.
#359 - Into the Nexus: “How lucky we are...”
February 04, 2021 22:08 - 66.2 MBBlizzcOnline approaches and we’ve gotten a peak at what our announcements might look like. Dark Nexus Deathwing takes center stage for Heroes rep on the show floor but folks are more worried about the Tracer exclusive mount. Garrett and Kyle take you through all weeks happenings including a farewell to AZ Jackson, strategies from tournament play and a big honkin’ strategy section all about how to draft better. All with notes of floral, fruity, earthy car analogies and snack chips that y...
#358 - Into the Nexus: “Team Done?”
January 29, 2021 18:27 - 65.5 MBThe big balance patch is here! Garrett and Kyle give you the full rundown with all the buffs (though few), nerfs and talent incentivization’s. There is a lot here. The much desired Hogger nerfs have arrived, but they are tame. In fact the dudes are more excited about some of the cool new ways that talents are being updated, look at you Kael’thas. Enjoy this meaty show and be prepared for your upcoming heroes experience. Knowledge is power!
#357 - Into the Nexus: “First Patch of 2021!”
January 21, 2021 22:51 - 85.5 MBThe big balance patch is here! Garrett and Kyle give you the full rundown with all the buffs (though few), nerfs and talent incetivizations’s. There is a lot here. The much desired Hogger nerfs have arrived, but they are tame. In fact the dudes are more excited about some of the cool new ways that talents are being updated, look at you Kael’thas. Enjoy this meaty show and be prepared for your upcoming heroes experience. Knowledge is power!
#356 - Into the Nexus: “with Michael Udall”
January 14, 2021 21:58 - 58.8 MBMichael Udall joins the episode to talk about CCL and the future of Heroes of the Storm. The 30k team owner has high hopes for the game and the upcoming BlizzcOnline. Garrett and Kyle are happy to announce that next week will be a balance patch and from Blizzard sources, we know some 22 heroes will be updated. We have several ideas about what it could be and Udall shares his hopes as well. Finish it up with questions from the patrons and videos, and we got ourselves a packed guest episode.
#355 - Into the Nexus: “Plat-eau”
January 07, 2021 22:27 - 63.7 MBInto the Nexus is back and talking Heroes. Garrett and Kyle continue their plat’tastic adventures and have hit their first wall at Plat 2. The learning shall continue. In the news, players are trying to fix Quick Match and the thoughts have landed on Lane Clear. Would lane clear get people to play more tank and support? Also, the CCL is gearing up to its finals with Semi-finals starting up this weekend! Your emails and more complete this edition of Into the nexus, the Heroes of the Stor...
#354 - Into the Nexus: “Ask Us Anything”
December 31, 2020 22:02 - 99.1 MBIt’s the final episode of 2020 Into the Nexus! The Holiday meta is in full swing and news is on hold until the new year so the dudes take an AMA from the Patrons and chat! Of course we reminisce about the year that was Heroes. Favorite update of the year? Favorite release? But we also talk video games in general, ups and downs of 2020, mac and cheese preferences and the games that define us! Plus game projects for 2021. We will see you next week with more Heroes of the Storm talk, but e...
#353 - Into the Nexus: “Plat Twins”
December 24, 2020 19:25 - 74.9 MBInto the Nexus is here to bring you the Heroes of the Storm news: Rain, Sleet or Holiday Snow! Garrett and Kyle have been playing a lot together and share some stories from their Plat-tastic adventures. We also note that some CCL players are over the honeymoon and are ready to see some fundamental map changes. But despite the Holiday festivities, we do need to get serious for a moment here: What is going to happen at BlizzcOnline. What can we expect from the devs and Blizzard as a whole...
#352 - Into the Nexus: “Eventful Anomalies”
December 17, 2020 22:07 - 60.6 MBA classic Garrett and Kyle episode! The hosts navigate through the two week meta update and Hogger is doing well despite difficulty. Climbing and feasting on win-rates. They also check out how the balance has fared since the Medallion removal. But the real drama, where is the winter update? Fans fear the Toys event won’t make its triumphant return. Will there be a Holiday next week? Are the devs saving up something big for BlizzcOnline? Your emails and more. ITN is supported by our bada...
#351 - Into the Nexus: “CavalierGuest Guests”
December 10, 2020 22:16 - 64.2 MBCavalierGuest guest on this week’s Into the Nexus! The CCL Coach and content creator shares his knowledge with Garrett and Kyle, and you the listener! Learn about Hogger and how he is busted! See the Meta! Draft your heart out and be kind to one another. Community questions and more fill out this wonder episode. ITN is supported by our badass Patrons. You can become a ITN Patron by going to Patreon.com/itn.
#350 - Into the Nexus: “Hogg Wild Style”
December 03, 2020 22:26 - 71.7 MBHogger is out and while he may be hard, may be unique, he is not performing well. Seems some buffs might be in order, though it doesn’t make him any less fun. There is a lot of happenings in the Nexus including a new change to the way group MMR will be calculated. Garrett and Kyle dive deep on this mystery and provide some insight on these now active changes. Follow it up with emails and you got a rockin’ 350th episode to enjoy. Support the show over at Patreon.com/itn.
#349 - Into the Nexus: “Poggers for Hogger”
November 24, 2020 21:12 - 74.1 MBIt happened! Hogger is IN! The Public Test Realm is live and we have gotten a look at the new Bruiser coming to Heroes of the Storm. Garrett and Kyle give an in depth rundown of all the gnollish happenings. There is also balance to be had, many of which mirror the CCL happenings. Oh, and Gladiator's Medallion is being removed. Enjoy this early holiday special (for Americans anyway) of Into the Nexus.
#348 - Into the Nexus: “Personal Issue with Circles”
November 19, 2020 22:39 - 68.9 MBGarrett and Kyle are here with all the Heroes of the Storm goodness. A Two Week Balance Check in perhaps? How about a look at who needs a rework? Or perhaps a Battlepass in Heroes future? Lets see what’s going on over at Hearthstone. Your emails and more, make this the perfect ITN episode for your commute or background enjoyment.
#347 - Into the Nexus: “Bruise Cruise”
November 12, 2020 22:16 - 74.5 MBInto the Nexus is back and so is Garrett! The Heroes Hosts run you through all the various influences and impacts of the ongoing CCL tournament, but first, Garrett gets a chance to comment on the most recent patch. Much has changed since his departure, including a host of new main assassins, comp structures and Medallion fall out. What will happen in three weeks? Will the Medallion stay? Will it change? And should you be banning Medivh?! Stay tuned to find out.
#346 - Into the Nexus: "Patch of Plenty" with Not_Paradox
November 06, 2020 00:21 - 150 MBHost Kyle Fergusson and guest Not_Paradox lead you through a MEATY Patch! Warhead Junction gets an update, along with a massive pile of changes to Bruisers, many being brought into balance with the new D.Va and Gazlowe changes. Of course, we don’t want any Hero to feel left out, so we hit them all! Prepare yourself for a massive episode. Enjoy!
#345 - Into the Nexus: “Put a ring on it”
October 29, 2020 21:43 - 69.7 MBGarrett is back, Blue Posts are in and Kyle has new teams! We get word from Blizzard about Mei, Deathwing, percent damage and Sonya Leap. We also get to a little CCL talk and the hot strategies and noteworthy happenings from this past weekend's Icebreaker. Finish it out with your emails. Enjoy! ITN is supported by our badass Patrons.
#344 - Into the Nexus: "CCL Special with Bahamut"
October 22, 2020 22:20 - 107 MBThis week’s show is joined by CCL ambassador, caster and analyst BahamutGaming. The CCL (Community Clash League) by HeroesHearth and Wisdom Gaming starts up this weekend with it’s Icebreaker tournament. Kyle and Bahamut give you the big rundown of the players, organizations, prize pools, schedules and more. Of course we also hit out two week balance patch review, but mostly we get into the thick of the upcoming tournament play. Garrett is out of town, but will return soon. Enjoy! Give a...
#343 - Into the Nexus: “Kickin’ It with Kiyeberries”
October 15, 2020 21:37 - 68.6 MBPatch Patch Patch! The long awaited moment is here and this one hits all the important bits. Yet it also explores some new ideas. New ways to buff talents and heroics. New ideas for some of our under-picked ideas. Garrett and Kyle are here to give you the massive rundown. Agree? Disagree? Reach out to the show at itncast@gmail with your comments and questions!
#342 - Into the Nexus: “Opening Our Presents”
October 08, 2020 22:42 - 101 MBPatch Patch Patch! The long awaited moment is here and this one hits all the important bits. Yet it also explores some new ideas. New ways to buff talents and heroics. New ideas for some of our under-picked ideas. Garrett and Kyle are here to give you the massive rundown. Agree? Disagree? Reach out to the show at itncast@gmail with your comments and questions!
#341 - Into the Nexus: “Fellowship of the Things”
October 01, 2020 22:45 - 70.5 MBThe continuing adventurers of Garrett and Kyle, now with more team action! The patch has been delayed, or is mysteriously missing. ARAM has taken over the game as the best way to level up an account. Many feel that the mode's unique drafting mechanics could make it’s way over to Quick Match. Should the Medallion stay? Should it go? Should it change? Talent builds, emails and more round this out to a hearty Heroes experience.
#340 - Into the Nexus: “Humble Rumble”
September 25, 2020 17:01 - 64.6 MBInto the Nexus has been packed with guests recently and it's time to take things back to basics. Garrett and Kyle have been playing in full teams and the experience has been eye opening, humbling and brutal. But there is more to be had than personal accidotes. DreamHaven was announced, packed to the brim with the whos who of old Blizzard. BlizzcOnline is incoming in early February and the guys go over the big new GrubbyTier List. Your emails and more make this episode a complete and bal...
#339 - Into the Nexus: “Stats and Statues”
September 17, 2020 21:48 - 88.5 MBNot_Paradox is here so you know we got a meaty show for you! Garrett and Kyle guide our guest through the two week check-in. Where are we on Gladiator’s Medallion? Who is up, who is down? Whats the deal with Gazlowe and D.Va. Naturally, many other discussions to be had including CCL, influence of tournament play and how to find your own builds in a sea of information.
#338 - Into the Nexus: “Arting with Kinabrew”
September 10, 2020 22:39 - 55.3 MBIn this Episode of Into the Nexus: Garrett and Kyle are joined by Andrew “TheBrew” Kinabrew, Senior II Artist for Heroes of the Storm. The gang gets to talking about how the art works over at Blizzard and the recent Craft Wars release. How models are built, lit, adjusted and released; a process taking the entire team. This is a deep dive into the art department for Heroes. We will see you next week with our two week balance check it. Enjoy and thank your artists!
#337 - Into the Nexus: “Everyone Gets Unstoppable!”
September 03, 2020 21:24 - 71.5 MBThe event Garrett and Kyle have been waiting for. The crossover Warcraft and StarCraft event is coming with the new season. The guys couldn’t be more excited for it. Get ready for the Gladiator's Medallion, unstoppable for all! Brawl is becoming the official ARAM mode. There is also a D.Va and Gazlowe rework incoming, making them full blown Bruisers ready to meet our 2020 opinions on the role. More balance to follow, making this a packed episode of Into the Nexus.
#336 - Into the Nexus: “Holy My Chromie”
August 27, 2020 21:58 - 77.8 MBInto the Nexus is supported by our wonderful patrons via Patreon! If you would like to help support the show go to http://Patreon.com/ITN. The ITN Patrons are responsible for many improvements to the podcast including the addition of monthly contributers like NotParadox.
#335 - Into the Nexus: “Bringing Home the Beetles”
August 20, 2020 21:41 - 81.1 MBPatch time! No surprise here, Garrett and Kyle like talking tanks and there is another massive patch of tankery goodness. Of course we all have our pet projects. Garrett is stoked about the Tyrande buff and Kyle looks forward to streamlining a few talent tiers.
#334 - Into the Nexus: “つ _ ༽つ SUMMON PATCH NOTES”
August 13, 2020 21:16 - 59.4 MBHeroes Esports is coming back! Or did it ever leave? Garrett and Kyle break down all Heroes of the Storm happenings. The expected 3 week balance patch has been delayed to next week, but devs converm it is on the way. HeroesHearth is teasing out their upcoming CCL event with Masters and Grandmasters across the NA region. Kyle shares his recent macro discoveries from team play and Garrett tells us all about his probius desires. Emails and more, enjoy this episode of Into the Nexus sponsor...
#333 - Into the Nexus: “A Tale of Two Tiers”
August 07, 2020 02:15 - 74.6 MBTier List Mayhem! Garrett and Kyle are back, but it’s all quiet on the developer front. While Mei might be suffering from some RNG power, the game, the meta, is in a solid place. Time to enjoy the settled landscape and talk a little about Tier Lists. The hosts duke it out of a fresh pile of opinions. Who is SSS? Who is F? And who is the classic cookie? Stay tuned and enjoy this episode of Into the Nexus!
#332 - Into the Nexus: “D Value”
July 30, 2020 21:37 - 62.4 MBGarrett is back and it’s time to get caught up on all the Heroes happenings with Kyle. Garrett is back on an old favorite, Tychus. Kyle is tanking up the tanking biz. We have a big check in with the win-rates over at HOTSlogs.com and talk about their new tool for reputation and team analysis. There are also some AMA Tidbits from the recent developer Q&A worth mentioned. Your emails finish out this episode.
#331 - Into the Nexus: “Renaissance Beam” with Bahamut
July 23, 2020 23:13 - 132 MBKyle and Bahamut break down the recent July 15th patch with some coordinated play in mind. With a recent shotcaller take over of the team, Kyle has a lot of questions, and who better to answer them than perhaps the busiest casting in Heroes: Bahamutgaming. Nerfs and Buffs, all of interest. Garrett is on vacation and will rejoin the show next week. Enjoy!
#330 - Into the Nexus: “Noodling” with AZ Jackson
July 16, 2020 22:39 - 89.9 MBGame and Balance Designer AZJackson returns to the show, following his most recent balance patch. We catch up since his last episode 311: Xul, Tassadar, Cassia, Tracer, Call for Help, Mei and the Weather. Of course the weather is a big topic of our conversation, but what we really want to talk about is Tanks and the recent balance patch. Garrett and Kyle lead you through a rollercoaster of an interview, with delightful heights, challenging lows and the story of Broody the Broodlord.
#329 - Into the Nexus: “Where we’re going we don’t need angles.”
July 09, 2020 21:21 - 67.9 MBGarrett and Kyle are here with the big patch rundown! The movers and shakers of 2.51. Some make perfect sense with the weather anomaly, others are complete mysteries. We’ll have to ask AZJackson how things look on his end next week. We round out the show with emails and more!
#328 - Into the Nexus: “Project Picks”
July 03, 2020 03:55 - 65.3 MBWith a solid number of games to draw stats from Garrett and Kyle take a good look at the current state of Heroes of the Storm following Mei’s release. If you’re looking to update your roster to get the most out of the weather anomaly this is the episode for you!
#327 - Into the Nexus: “What Kind of Icing?” w/ NotParadox
June 25, 2020 21:20 - 77.4 MBNotParadox joins the episode to give us his impressions on Mei, Weather and more. Garrett and Kyle guide you through many other topics as well such as game information and game education. What can be done? Would people take advantage of it? And does the new weather actually impact the game in a meaningful way or does it just complicate our nuance. Wise up and enjoy this episode of Into the Nexus.
#326 - Into the Nexus: “Whether the Weather”
June 18, 2020 20:52 - 68 MBAn Overwatch Tank? Called it! Mei joins Heroes of the Storm, but it’s hardly the most scandalous happening of the week. Weather is on its way, and it’s looking to change up your gameplay! Rain, Snow, Fog! And Garrett is having none of it! What strategies will be revealed. Can Kyle sell you the incoming climate? Stay tuned.
#325 - Into the Nexus: “The Same Snowflake Theory”
June 11, 2020 21:34 - 77.4 MBMysteries on the horizon! On this week's Into the Nexus, Garrett and Kyle try to solve the snowflake puzzle, knowing full well they may be wrong come tomorrow's reveal. Mei? Baal? Map rework? D.va Rework? Stay tuned. The guys also have at a number of other game issues including overnerfing Deathwing and lane freezing. The episode culminates in a less-than-rapid-fire mailbag. Enjoy!