PLEASE STAND UP! M&M is back like he never left – the archetype that is. What’s good, Cut or Tap subs! Back with poetic justice, I have an overview of Meloetta/Mew (which I will refer to as M&M) with some interesting meta information that should help you understand why such an old archetype has taken over this new format. I’ll share some data from the … Continue reading “Shady’s Back, M&M”: A Look into the Meta that Birthed Meloetta/Mew

Salutations, weirdos! The first North American Regional in the Scarlet & Violet meta has concluded, breathing continued new life to the game. Included in my piece will be discussion on the first meta shift of this format, a shockingly effective brand-new archetype, and my personal take on this pile o’ cards. First, I want to include a quick shout-out to Andrew Hedrick, my teammate, for … Continue reading “Keep Pokemon Weird:” Portland Recap and a New Rogue

Ello bruvs! Hunter here, back from the European International Championships held in London! “Exhausted” is an understatement from the past few weeks of testing and travel. I wanna get right into the content, starting with my deck choice for the tournament. After almost 130 games with decks ranging from Lugia Vstar Single Strike to Gardevoir ex, I ended up on Giratina Lost Zone Box, or … Continue reading “ChrisTINA Aguilera:” EUIC List and Card Inclusions

Welcome back, COT subscribers! The final weeks of this Silver Tempest Standard format cannot come any sooner. Decks like Lugia, Mew Vmax, and Lost Zone Box have had a chokehold on the format, making meta calls mostly fever dreams – although I will admit that Galarian Weezing claiming both a Regional win and a 2nd place was not on my bingo card. If anything, this … Continue reading “One Punch Lug:” A Breakdown of the Single Strike Variant

What’s poppin’, COT subscribers! This time I’ll be escorting you through the most anticipated moment of the 2022/2023 season: our midseason rotation! Days have turned to months since Lugia’s chokehold on this format, and a breath of fresh air is severely needed. I hope I’m not speaking for myself as a rogue deck builder, but as a community member, when I say these last few … Continue reading “Pigs Might Fly:” A Short Guide to the Japanese Meta, and My Take on Oinkologne

Welcome back, Cut or Tap subscribers! Hunter here to present insightful information on the phenomenon that is Vikavolt Melony box. I’ll be setting the stage for how a completely unknown archetype took down two Regional Championships, earning $7,500 and almost 400 CP. More impressive than the prizes this deck has conquered, the sheer size of these tournaments command respect for the placements from both Krekeler … Continue reading “Follow The Lightning Bug:” Vikavolt Toolbox for Orlando Regionals

Welcome back subscribers! For those who don’t know, I am Hunter Butler – writer and team member for Cut or Tap and the 2020 Dallas Regional Champion! I have been blessed enormously since we last spoke; I obtained my invite to the 2020 World Championship, conquered the Dallas Regionals with an extremely rogue concept, made top 8 at the 2020 Knoxville Regional Championship, and have … Continue reading A guide to rogue – The success and failure

Hello cut or tap readers, its Hunter back again with another article on a special deck poised for success at the upcoming Atlantic City Regional Championships. The meta two weeks out from AC has shifted slightly with an influx of Non-GX Ability Fire Box and a slight increase in Malamar hype. For the most part the top five decks are still the same: Mew3Box, PikaRom, … Continue reading Shaggy Quaggy: a new look on NagQuag

Hello Cut or Tap readers, my name is Hunter Butler and I have played competitive Pokémon for 12 years! Some of my accomplishments as a master include top 8 at Portland Regionals 2017, 37th at LAIC 2017, top 16 at Worlds 2018, and top 16 at Greensboro Regionals. For my first article here at Cut or Tap I would like to talk about a deck … Continue reading Beach Vibes in Daytona: One Red Hot Rogue and One Cool Summer Swim