Gardevoir ex has been one of the most dominant decks since its release in Scarlet and Violet. As one of the most rewarding and punishing decks in the format, it has made itself one of the most infamous decks of the past year. I have been on an absolute tear with the deck recently. In the past four events I have played Gardevoir, I have … Continue reading Perfecting the Best Deck: Gardevoir ex for Vancouver Regionals

Hey, what’s up, Cut or Tap readers! SmartTCG here, and I am stoked to bring another article for you all! I hope you have been having a wonderful 2024, and I hope to have another content-filled year to share with everyone.  Today, I have a different style of article that has been widely requested. I have been paying attention to feedback on articles, and know … Continue reading The Ultimate Charizard Guide

Miraidon is on top of the world, and it continues to dominate the Standard format. What’s up, everyone! SmartTCG here, and today I am going to go over one of the current best decks in the standard format. As of right now, the format has been shifting quite a bit. Paradox Rift warped the format substantially, and things are looking quite different out on the … Continue reading “Journey to the Peak:” A Look into Miraidon for the Paradox Rift Format

Paradox Rift is the brand new set to come out, and the Pokemon TCG may never be the same. With the new set’s arrival, the game is feeling fresh again, and there are so many intriguing combinations of cards you can pair with each other. The Latin American International Championships just occurred this past weekend, where we saw Miraidon take down the entire event. This … Continue reading The Tides Have Turned: Where Do We Go After LAIC?

Hey, what’s up everyone! Hope you have been enjoying a month full of Pokemon events. In just the past few weeks, we have seen multiple Regionals take place, with Peoria, Sacramento, and Lille Regionals all crowning separate decks. In Peoria, we saw Lost Box Kyogre with the Zamazenta take down the event. In Sacramento, we saw none other than Lugia VSTAR return to the top … Continue reading Returning to an Old Friend: Single Strike Lugia for Toronto Regionals

I most recently got back from the Peoria Regional Championships, placing 38th out of over 1700 players, and I was able to collect a lot of data on the format, heading into the next major event: Sacramento Regionals! What’s up, everyone! SmartTCG here, and I am stoked to be writing another article for you all! Peoria Regionals just wrapped up, with Raymond Long taking down … Continue reading “Burning Down Sacramento:” Charizard ex for the Upcoming Regional

Pittsburgh Regionals has just concluded and Andrew Estrada strikes first blood, securing his Worlds invite and taking down over 1700 players with Lost Zone Kyogre. The 2014 World Champion reasserted his place as one of the very best, and the season is officially underway. Whats up, everyone! SmartTCG here, and today I am going to be diving into one of the best cards in 151, … Continue reading “Restart and Reload:” A Look into Mew ex

Obsidian Flames is the brand new set to release in the Pokemon TCG! With many new cards, the competitive Pokemon TCG is expected to shake up quite a bit. What’s up, everyone – SmartTCG here, and I am excited to be going into the best new deck in Obsidian Flames. I have been working heavily on new decks, and I have a really good idea … Continue reading Infernal Castle: A Look Into the New BDIF

What’s up, everyone! SmartTCG here, and I am stoked to be hopping into an article dedicated to your success heading into the 2023 Pokemon TCG World Championships. I have qualified for several World Championships, and I know what it takes to do well. I finished with over 1100 Points this season, and have automatically qualified for Day 2 of the World Championships. Now… what exactly … Continue reading How to Do Well at the World Championships

The biggest tournament run by TPCI of all time has concluded, and Cyrus Davis took down over 1800 players with one of the most unique decks in the format: Rapid Strike Urshifu and Inteleon VMAX. I most recently returned from the North American International Championships placing 19th, and I learned a lot about the metagame, and where the deck I chose to play leads into … Continue reading Lugia is back! A Look into my 19th place NAIC Lugia List

This is the article you want to read if you want to do well at the North American International Championships. The biggest tournament of all time in the western world is upon us, and it is time to get ready to compete in it. What’s up, everyone! SmartTCG here, and I am stoked to be writing my most important article to date for Cut or … Continue reading How to Do Well at NAIC: Two Picks for Columbus

Paldea Evolved has finally arrived! Every time a new set comes out, it feels like Christmas for Pokemon players. What’s up, everyone! SmartTCG here, and I am stoked to be hopping into my first Paldea Evolved deck article today. I currently have been focusing a lot of my time on the Scarlet and Violet format, however with the brand new set, it’s time to shift … Continue reading “A Psychic Embrace:” A Dive Into Gardevoir ex with Paldea Evolved

Over time, players begin getting tired of the same format. It becomes repetitive, as you continue to experience the same thing over and over again. With months of having the same experiences, many players get bored and look to new horizons. Over the next month, we still have multiple Scarlet and Violet expansion tournaments that will continue to shape the metagame as we know it. … Continue reading Top 5 Best Paldea Evolved Cards

Hey, what’s up everyone! Gabriel Smart here! I hope most of you got into NAIC registration, as it is shaping up to be one of the biggest events ever recorded in Pokémon history! Despite NAIC on the horizon, there still are many important events that us Pokémon TCG players are preparing for. Regionals at Hartford, Malmö, Milwaukee, Santiago, Fresno, and much more are happening over … Continue reading My Top 2 Decks for Hartford

Portland Regionals has just concluded, and the metagame has shaken up once again. It seems every Regional gives us more questions than answers, and it becomes ever more important to continue to evolve along with the metagame. Adaptability is everything in this game – moving towards the popular trends, and being able to play multiple different iterations of decks is not talked about enough. I … Continue reading A Journey to the Northwest with Gardevoir. My Day 2 Gardevoir ex List and More

The biggest international Championship of all time just concluded with Alex Schemanske taking down over 1,500 players with his Arceus VSTAR / Alolan Vulpix VSTAR / Duraludon VMAX deck. To say I am surprised to see an Arceus deck win the event would be an understatement. Tord Reklev was his Finals opponent piloting quite an interesting build of Gardevoir ex. What’s up, everyone! Smart TCG … Continue reading Life After EUIC: a Look at Lugia and Arceus Duraludon

A new format means new opportunities, updated lists, altered play styles, and a fresh start that many of us quite frankly needed. Scarlet and Violet is upon us, and the outlook of the Pokemon TCG has never been better! What’s up, everyone! SmartTCG here. I am stoked to be writing another article for Cut Or Tap. Over the past few months, players have been frustrated … Continue reading Two Alternate Realities: A Look into Two Decks for EUIC

Hey, what’s up Cut Or Tap readers! SmartTCG here. I hope you are having a wonderful week, and your testing for Charlotte and Fort Wayne Regionals is going well if you are attending! Today, I am going to take a dive into the metagame currently, and exactly what the BEST plays are heading into the events. Now, I will be the first to admit, players … Continue reading My Top Two Decks for Charlotte Regionals!

Hey! What’s up everyone! SmartTCG here! I am ecstatic to be writing another article for you all. Over the past few months, the Pokemon TCG has become relatively stale, but this is set to change over the next month! As I write this, we are just about a month away from the next Pokemon TCG Rotation. Rotation is typically a yearly occurrence that causes multiple … Continue reading “A Psychic Embrace:” Diving Into Gardevoir EX

Hey everyone! My name is Gabriel Smart, and I am ecstatic to begin writing for Cut or Tap. I am a professional Pokemon TCG Player based in California, and I travel the world playing the TCG. Currently, I am ranked in the top 10 players in US/Canada, and have already achieved my Worlds invite. You might know me from my consistent tournament placements, Youtube Videos, … Continue reading “Wish Upon a Summoning Star:” a Look at Lugia VSTAR/Archeops