The former international felt he bowled well last season but this summer he has found a little extra.
In Neil Wagner's absence on international duty, the man nicknamed Butts has been used to take wickets, rather than tie up an end, and the results have been impressive.
He was a key member of the successful Otago twenty/20 team which won 10 consecutive games to claim the title and yesterday starred with the red ball, taking six for 65 to help dismiss Northern Districts for 217 on the opening day of a Plunket Shield game at the Queenstown Events Centre.
At stumps, Otago was 135 for two and in a strong position to push on and build a substantial lead.
Going into the match, Butler was the competition's joint leading wicket-taker with 26, at an average of 28.30.
By lunch, his tally had risen to 28, as he found the edge of James Marshall's bat and bowled Essex professional Adam Wheater for a duck. After the break, he removed Jono Boult, leaving Northern limping along at 135 for six, and returned to mop up the tail.
It was Butler's second five-wicket bag this summer and, surprisingly, just the fourth in his career.
His best performance remains the six for 46 he took in a test against Pakistan in Wellington in 2004.
''Some days, when the ball does too much, you don't get the nicks because they play and miss,'' Butler said.
''But today was my day. Cricket is funny. Some days you bowl really, really well and get none and other days it is your turn.
''But I don't play cricket to take wickets, I play cricket to help win games. I've never won the four-day comp and that is a big motivation for me.''
Butler spent most of last season trundling into the wind but this summer the 31-year-old has had an opportunity to do do what he does best - attack and take wickets. He has hit good areas and it has brought success.
Northern actually got off to a brisk start, bringing up 50 in the 10th over. But that momentum quickly evaporated when all-rounder Sam Wells accounted for the top three batsmen.
He nicked out Joseph Yovich for 26, trapped Daniel Flynn (32) lbw in his next over and then had Brad Wilson caught before he could get established.
Daryl Mitchell (60) and Ish Sodhi combined in a handy 76-run stand for the seventh-wicket, guiding their side past 200.
Butler got the breakthrough when Sodhi was caught on 52. It was the Indian-born player's second first-class 50 and highest score.
Auckland batsman Craig Cachopa scored his second hundred in as many matches as his side split the honours with Central Districts on day two of their Plunket Shield match at the Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday, APNZ reported.
The home side began the morning on 142 for three and Cachopa went about making his third first-class hundred, which backed up his 115 in Auckland's match against Northern Districts last week.
The 21-year-old was dismissed for 145.
Central Districts openers Jamie How and Jeet Raval both made half centuries to pull CD back in to the game at 107 without loss, eight runs behind.
• At the Basin Reserve in Wellington, a 10th-wicket partnership between Ryan McCone and Tim Johnston saw Canterbury push to a respectable first-innings total of 329-9 declared against Wellington on day one of their match.
Wellington faced two overs before the end of the day, which openers Michael Papps and Josh Brodie survived and Wellington closed play one without loss.
