“No Day But Toad-ay:” How to Build and Use Seismitoad Bats

Hey guys, Phinn again. Last time I covered my US Nationals run with Toad Bats. This time I want to cover the list that I used, and how to play some of its match-ups. It was a little difficult to know which match-ups to cover, considering Pokemon Ranger changes things significantly. For that reason, I have a section explaining what decks I expect to see … Continue reading “No Day But Toad-ay:” How to Build and Use Seismitoad Bats

Diving with Skill: Top 16 Nationals Report with Seismitoad/Bats

Hey guys, Phinnegan again. About a week ago I played in the US National Championship, where I was able to make 15th as the only Seismitoad Bats player in all of top 64. This piece is going to cover how the tournament went for me, and I also include my list at the end of the piece. I don’t have a list explanation ready right … Continue reading Diving with Skill: Top 16 Nationals Report with Seismitoad/Bats

US Nationals Top 4: Darkrai/Giratina/Hydreigon Deck Analysis + Tournament Report

Hey CutOrTap nation, Liam here with my US Nationals report. I was lucky enough to finish in fourth place in a field of 1,105 masters, making it the largest Pokemon TCG tournament ever, at least outside of Japan. Today I want to give you a run down of my play for Nationals, some of the card choices, and my matches. I played this deck at … Continue reading US Nationals Top 4: Darkrai/Giratina/Hydreigon Deck Analysis + Tournament Report

Singapore Nationals Winning YZG: A Comprehensive Matchup Guide

Introduction Hi readers, I am Clifton Goh from Singapore, a Pokemon player from the Masters division and the newest contributor to the Cut Or Tap Website. I hope to churn out more quality content for your benefit and enjoyment for the near future. In this article, I would like to talk about a favourite deck of mine and a comfort pick all season – YZG. … Continue reading Singapore Nationals Winning YZG: A Comprehensive Matchup Guide

A Reprise from the North – A Canadian Nationals Insight

Editor’s Note: We apologize to Mr. Lesage for delaying his article’s publication, making his use of future tense to describe US Nationals no longer accurate.  However, we obviously appreciate his insights on deck-building, the metagame, etc. – and so, the proverbial show will go on! -Andy Table of Contents Introduction Origins Game Fair Locks and Keys Vileplume/Jolteon EX/ Yveltal EX Vileplume/ Jolteon EX/ Vespiquen A … Continue reading A Reprise from the North – A Canadian Nationals Insight

“Lock ’em Down” — Vileplume in the Standard Format

INTRODUCTION Hey, Cut or Tap readers! Let me take this moment to introduce myself! I am Caleb Gedemer, a recently turned eighteen-year-old high school graduate and Pokemon Trading Card Game player hailing from the great state of Wisconsin in the United States. I have been playing competitively since the 2013-2014 season of play, earning an invitation to the World Championships in that year as well … Continue reading “Lock ’em Down” — Vileplume in the Standard Format

Eh!: An Exclusive Look at the 2016 Canadian National Championships

Table of Contents Article Introduction My Deck List My Tournament Report Top 8 Decks A Focus on Metal Decks Championship Point Payout for Canadian Nationals What about US Nationals? Closing Thoughts — Article Introduction — Eh! Cut or Tap readers, you are a-boot to go on a crazy Canadian adventure where I will explain what happened at Canadian Nationals (watch out for the igloos and … Continue reading Eh!: An Exclusive Look at the 2016 Canadian National Championships

Phinn’s Evil Ball Trick: Three Spins on Yveltal/Zoroark/Gallade

Hey guys, Phinn here. This is my first article for Cut or Tap! I have been writing for other sites for about a year now, which is what inspired me to start this site. However, I have been so busy creating other content and running the site, that I haven’t had time to make an article until now. Normally I would give you guys a … Continue reading Phinn’s Evil Ball Trick: Three Spins on Yveltal/Zoroark/Gallade

The Lesage Brothers: Looking at Nationals Two Ways!!

This will be our first article for Cut or Tap and I would like to introduce us to you… Wait, hold up… our???… us?!?!… Yes, you did read that correctly! 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 … Continue reading The Lesage Brothers: Looking at Nationals Two Ways!!

(Rough-) Seize the Day! A Look at Mega Manectric & Water

Hello hello hello! Thanks for coming to Cut or Tap! I want to go over some quick thoughts about a deck that always seems to perform well, but never wins the big tournaments, and that’s Mega Manectric-EX. This guy can be, and has seemingly been, paired with every Pokemon under the sun. We’ve seen him with Black Kyurem-EX, Genesect-EX, and even the more odd ones like … Continue reading (Rough-) Seize the Day! A Look at Mega Manectric & Water

The Bird’s Nightmare – Why Darkrai is the Better Attacker

The year is 2012 and a new set is released. Darkrai EX is the card on everyone’s mind as it takes the win at several National Championships, as well as being featured in 5 of the top 8 decks at the US National Championships, and finally being played as a mirror match in the finals of Worlds. Skip ahead to 2016 and a new Darkrai … Continue reading The Bird’s Nightmare – Why Darkrai is the Better Attacker

Vespiquen’s Still Here! A Top 8 Regionals Deck Review

For my first article for Cut or Tap, I will be discussing my deck that I played last weekend at the Madison Regional Championship. I played this deck to a 7-1-1 on Day 1 finish to place in 3rd seed, and on Day 2, I played to a 9-1-4 finish and ended up 1st seed going into Top 8. Unfortunately, that was the end of my run … Continue reading Vespiquen’s Still Here! A Top 8 Regionals Deck Review