Say Goodbye to Mew, Guest Collin Merli-Matthews, and Lost Zone KitchenSay Goodbye to Mew, Guest Collin Merli-Matthews, and Lost Zone Kitchen
The Payoff with Pete
Competitive player Collin Merli-Matthews talks about his final big event with Mew, his near-Worlds season, and life with testing squad Lost Zone Kitchen. The conversation also looks ahead to post-rotation decks, charity events and the upcoming Chicago Clash two-deck conquest tournament.
47:47•22 Mar 2024
Saying Goodbye to Mew: Collin Merli-Matthews, Lost Zone Kitchen and Life After Rotation
Episode Overview
- Collin plans to play Fusion Mew at Vancouver Regionals as a final send-off before rotation removes the deck from standard play.
- He is only 12 championship points away from a Worlds invite and feels he could have reached travel stipend range with a few stronger finishes.
- Lost Zone Kitchen operates like a close-knit testing group, sharing decklists, channels by archetype and regular practice while also supporting charity events.
- A charity team battle with NRG at a Chicago store raised over $2,000 for The Chicago Food Depository through in-person tabletop play and side formats.
- Post-rotation, Collin is trialling decks like Charizard, Lugia, Chien-Pao and Ancient Box, debating whether to stay a one‑deck specialist or branch out.
“Part of me wants to play multiple decks, and that’s actually the best thing for me to do. However, one-tricking something… I love one-tricking stuff.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? For competitive Pokémon fans, it might be watching someone say goodbye to their comfort deck and start fresh. This chat centres on long-time Mew VMAX specialist Collin Merli-Matthews, who’s staring down rotation and his final major event with his favourite deck at Vancouver Regionals.
Host Corey keeps things light and chatty as Collin looks back on two years of being “basically a one-trick” and explains why he still wants to go out swinging with Fusion Mew. He shares how he’s “been playing the 60 since about Knoxville” and why mirror matches, prize maps and Judge–Path turns still get his heart racing. You’ll hear a great story of the pair randomly matching on Pokémon Live, with Collin later messaging, “Dude.
Is this you?” after losing with Mew to Corey’s Snorlax list. It captures the friendly, slightly nerdy vibe that runs through the whole conversation. Collin also talks about being just 12 points off his Worlds invite, his hopes for Vancouver, and life with his testing squad, Lost Zone Kitchen. He describes the team as “a little family… we all care about each other” and recalls their charity team battle with NRG that raised over $2,000 for The Chicago Food Depository.
Looking past rotation, Collin walks through trying out Charizard, Lugia, Chien-Pao and Ancient Box, and admits he loves “one-tricking stuff” so much that picking a new main deck won’t be easy. There’s also a preview of the Chicago Clash two‑deck conquest event, where he *can’t* play Mew at all. If you enjoy detailed card talk, tournament stories and hearing a specialist figure out what comes after their signature strategy disappears, this one’s worth your time.
Which deck would you cling to if you knew you had to retire it forever?
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