Hey reader, Phinn again. San Jose Regionals has just passed, and yet again, I learned a very valuable lesson. Initially, I was depressed after the event because of my poor performance. However, after a conversation with Mark Garcia, I realized that there is nothing to be sad about. I sent Mark a huge message on Facebook asking him different questions about the game, and how … Continue reading “No Shaym-in Defeat:” a Look at Consistency in Deck Building

With the recent conclusion of the San Jose, CA Regional Championships and London Intercontinental Championships, one thing is abundantly clear: Dark is the king of both formats. Expanded format is more pertinent for me, with my upcoming League Cups in that format, and I’ve spent much of the past few months testing Expanded Dark decks with Kian Amini. While I was not able to attend … Continue reading “Black Christmas:” Dark Decks for Winter League Cups

Hey Guys, Phinn again. San Jose Regionals is in four days as I write this. I was growing tired of Yveltal when preparing for this event. I love the deck, but I realized that it might not be the best choice for San Jose. I tried to look to other options that can beat the parts of the meta that I care about. I looked … Continue reading “Sea-king the Archen-stone:” Three Choices for Water and Electric Types

This is a joint collaboration between Zach Lesage and Jay Lesage for double the reading pleasure! We were asked to do a special article as brothers and we loved the idea upon hearing it! We both have been playing for over a decade, with multiple successes across the span of our Pokemon career. The first part of our article will be handled by Jay, discussing … Continue reading “LeSage Advice:” The How-Tos of Playing Pokemon at a Top Level

Hey there, Cut or Tap readers! It has been a while, as my laptop 6-0’ed me back in the summer, but I am finally back with another article! A bit of an anecdote here, but I believe the last time I shared any content was in a brief statement on Olympia, in one of Phinn’s last articles. Collaborating with another player on an article is … Continue reading “Dark Side of the Lunala” – My Choices for San Jose and Why Sableye Won’t Work

Hello, Cut Or Tap readers! My name is Bradley Curcio, and I’m excited to share my most recent tournament experience with you. I just recently attended the Standard Regional Championships in Ft. Wayne, where I piloted Rainbow Road to a somewhat saddening 33rd-place finish out of 635 Masters. With a record of 6 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties (20 match points), I felt somewhat … Continue reading “Nearest and Deer-est:” Brad Curcio’s 33rd-Place Fort Wayne Report with Rainbow Road

Author’s Note: At the time of writing this, I was planning on going to San Jose. Due to certain complications, I’m now unable to attend. All the information I’ve given you was from my testing performed when I thought I would be attending, so you should find it still relevant. Hello Cut or Tap readers! My name is Kiernan, and I am thrilled to be … Continue reading “Kiernan’s Able Eye:” Five Expanded Decks and the Organization of Regionals

Whats up, Cut or Tap readers?!?! I am back again with another article for your reading pleasures, and this time I decided to straight-up drop some lists! I have a bunch of different decks that I always play around with online since I coach players on a professional level, and I want to share some of the lesser-discussed decks. I also wanted to include my personal … Continue reading “En-listing the Best:” Eleven Deck Lists to Expand your Testing

Hey guys, Phinn again. As San Jose Regionals approach, the main question on my mind is: how can I build a deck that beats Trevenant and Yveltal, but also holds fair matchups against the rest of the field. This article is my answer to that question. This piece was written over about a week, and you’ll notice that there are time skips throughout the article. … Continue reading “Escape from Twist Mountain:” Introduction to Toad/Aerodactyl and a Look at Inventing Rogues

Hey guys, Phinn again. It seems like every Top 8 list in Expanded is coming with surprises. The meta has become diverse, and somewhat overwhelming. In this piece, I will cover the deck that recently took first at Philadelphia Regionals: Trevenant. With this new list, I have come to the conclusion that Trevenant is the best deck in the Expanded format. In this article I … Continue reading “BREAKing Trevenant:” a Look at Trevenant’s New Strategy, and Its Counter

This is a joint collaboration between Zach Lesage and Jay Lesage for double the reading pleasure! We were asked to do a special article as brothers, and we loved the idea upon hearing it! We both have been playing for over a decade, with multiple successes across the span of our Pokemon careers. — The first part of our article will be handled by Zach, … Continue reading The Lesage Brothers: “Four Birds, Two Stones”

Hello Cut Or Tap readers! The 2017 winter season is in full swing, and information is still absent regarding the League Cups that were supposed to have begun by now. This means a digression from my planned article topic, and instead a look into a few decks that I like for the next major tournaments: the Standard European Intercontinentals and the Expanded San Jose, CA … Continue reading “Winter is Coming:” The Decks to Beat in the Coming Months

Welcome, Cut or Tap readers! Today I’m bringing you my thoughts and experiences with Philadelphia Regionals. I somehow made it out to the tournament with the help of some great friends. As soon as I finalized that I was going, I started testing the Expanded format with Karen to see if anything changed at all. I took a look at some older classics like Manectric/Garbodor … Continue reading “The More I Know You, the More I Want To:” Groudon and a Love/Hate Relationship

Hey guys, Phinn again. Philly Regionals did not work out; as I write this, it is 7:54 AM on Day 2 of the event, and I’m waiting for Top 32 to begin. My friends Nathian Beck and Jimmy McClure are going into their Top 32 rounds. I have the privilege of playing cheerleader. These free hours give me time to reflect on what led to … Continue reading Reflecting on Failure, and Learning from Defeat

Editor’s Note: In today’s article, Phinn lays out specific skills that help make a successful Pokemon player. It’s worth noting that an invaluable resource for improving those very skills can be found in private coaching. A good Coach can examine your deck list or play out a practice game with you, and offer particular pointers on ironing out weaknesses in each – they focus on … Continue reading “Like No One Ever Was:” the Theory Behind Pokemon’s Very Best

Table of Contents Article Introduction Thoughts on the Expanded Metagame Expanded Turbo Darkrai Skeleton Decklist Tech Cards Deck Match-Ups My Personal Expanded Turbo Darkrai Decklist Closing Thoughts 1 – Article Introduction Hey Cut or Tap readers, I am back with the second piece of my article, finishing a special two-part series focusing on the power of utilizing a deck in Standard and Expanded. I have … Continue reading Darkrai, Part 2: Actin’ Extra in Expanded