Are you still using Exact Match Domains?

I've been out of SEO for awhile, just strictly working on magazine cover designs. However, I did notice that a majority of my sites I have dropped considerably in ranking, and they are EMDS.

So, for someone who is interested in getting back into SEO, like myself, when purchasing a domain, what is the most successful strategy here?

EMD rank just fine still

EMD penalty made it so that the domains ranked based off the authority/links not just the keyword in the TLD.

EMD ranks way easier then a random domain still for me at least.

I believe EMD will be fine till the end of the internet.

No, really. Google can weaken EMD (for example as adeptbob said) but it can't ignore or even penalize them. So I would use Exact Match Domain for niche sites all the way.