Island Hermit...Why aren't you playing it?

[dtrain]

I'm staying away from Hermit. Why do you want to show your opponent any of your your prize cards?

 

[Kempley05]

bills shuffle 1 then draw 3.... -1+3=2 cards
TV reporter draw 3 discard 1... 3-1=[2 cards
holon adventurer discard 1 draw 3(4) -1+3(4)=2(3) cards
request... draw 1 then if no stage 2 draw 2 more...

Thats misleading regarding the TVR and Adventurer, you dump stuff you don't need and crucially your getting 3-4 new cards. Net gain in hand size is worthless if you still have largly the same old bad hand. Also TVR and Adventurer allow you to capitalise on cards like Draggy d or Bennette ex. Same goes for hand refreshment, why get 2 new cards when I could get a whole handful. combine this with lack of synergy with the holon engine, and the fact that cards with similar effects (Here Comes Team Rocket) have made no impact historically on the game partially explains why many see Island Hermit as an inferior card.

 

[Muk Man]

the fact that cards with similar effects (Here Comes Team Rocket) have made no impact historically on the game partially explains why many see Island Hermit as an inferior card.

HCTR doesn't draw ANY cards, and reveals the opponent's cards at the same time (which is a HUGE negative as you're basically giving your opponent a free HCTR at the same time).

 

[im_me]

Personally I at least play 1 in every deck I build....it's just a great thing to flip over prizes.

 

[Articjedi]

That makes no sense guys, if this game were about net gain, then cosmo is technically the best draw card in the format.

 

[moza]

Yea, +1 or +2 net gain is so game breaking, but it depends on a coin flip.

In short, Island Hermit>>Prof Cozmos

Every other trainer>>Island Hermit

Pretty much just read every other post about people not liking Island Hermit to find my reasons.

 

[Papi/Manny]

By your logic, then every delta deck should play holon ruins for draw as well. Do they? No, because discading card after card is not a good idea. Would I play hermit over mary's in a stage 1 deck? Probly not, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't go something like a 3-2 split. You can play 3 tv reporters and 2 hermit. If every deck played nothing but 4 trans, 4 mentor, 4 researcher, 4 adventuer, and 4 scientist, then decks would run out of options very quickly late in the game. You can't always get the quick win, so cards like hermit can give you choices to help you get back into the game/finish it off.

 

[moza]

Umm, no.

I am just saying that there is much better draw in the format than Island Hermit.

And if something is prized, you should have seen it and planned ahead of time.

 

[Tagrineth]

I'd almost be willing to bet money that 80-90% of the people saying island hermit is SO BAD OMG! have yet to playtest it in a serious manner. =/

 

[DragonairMaster8]

Here comes team rocket was legal for almost two years, did you ever see anyone playing that, even in decks like BLS where certain cards were crucial?

I won states with HCTR in my lbs. I was starting to experiment with 1-1 steelix, and still went 8-0.

 

[Papi/Manny]

Umm, no.

I am just saying that there is much better draw in the format than Island Hermit.

And if something is prized, you should have seen it and planned ahead of time.

How can you see your prizes?? Knowing whats in your prizes and knowing where are two different things. Drawing 1 card won't always change anything, but drawing a particular card can. Tagrineth, I would agree. I test it out in almost every deck, keeping it in alot of cases.

 

[Tagrineth]

You can know what's IN your prizes. What about those times when you look through your deck and go "aw dang, ___ is prized" or "Darnit, not all of my ____ are present and I might need all of them to win this..."? In those cases, Island Hermit is a great play.

My friend Dane has been testing it in Flariados, it's quite a big boost to know for sure where that fourth Flareon ex or fourth Ariados (or Spinarak/Eevee) is - or at least have a really good idea - because sometimes, to win, you really need ALL FOUR.

 

[Muk Man]

You can know what's IN your prizes. What about those times when you look through your deck and go "aw dang, ___ is prized" or "Darnit, not all of my ____ are present and I might need all of them to win this..."? In those cases, Island Hermit is a great play.

My friend Dane has been testing it in Flariados, it's quite a big boost to know for sure where that fourth Flareon ex or fourth Ariados (or Spinarak/Eevee) is - or at least have a really good idea - because sometimes, to win, you really need ALL FOUR.

i run it in flaridos, and yeas you need it for that 1 espy tech, which actually won me a couple games cause it was prized, or that stadium, or that super scoop up. lol or the last evee you need to drop the combo late game.

 

[Whicker]

You can know what's IN your prizes. What about those times when you look through your deck and go "aw dang, ___ is prized" or "Darnit, not all of my ____ are present and I might need all of them to win this..."? In those cases, Island Hermit is a great play.

What about the times you don't? Which is, if I may add it in, more often than your situation.

 

[Papi/Manny]

What about the times you don't? Which is, if I may add it in, more often than your situation.

If I may answer, there are 6 prizes. Odds are, you'll have an energy, 2/3 pokes, and 3/2 trainers prized (for most decks). Later in the game, when you start taking prizes, you may need some draw power. Assuming that at least 2 of those are draw/get you draw, you have options to 50% of your prizes (the 2 face up and a random one). If you need a particular prized poke, flipping 2 (or 6) prizes will help you find it to help secure that win. And having prized cards will happen in matchups. You need to be prepared for anything, and hermit is the best answer to the problem.

 

[Lawman]

Hermit isnt a baaaaad card folks. Dont worry Muk, some folks just cannot fathom thinking outside the box! See ya sunday in Greenville SC

Keith

 

[Articjedi]

There's better ways of thinking outside the box than using a crappy draw card that is inferior to most of the other draw cards in the format.

 

[ryanvergel]

If I may answer, there are 6 prizes. Odds are, you'll have an energy, 2/3 pokes, and 3/2 trainers prized (for most decks). Later in the game, when you start taking prizes, you may need some draw power. Assuming that at least 2 of those are draw/get you draw, you have options to 50% of your prizes (the 2 face up and a random one). If you need a particular prized poke, flipping 2 (or 6) prizes will help you find it to help secure that win. And having prized cards will happen in matchups. You need to be prepared for anything, and hermit is the best answer to the problem.

Like I said, most people run at least 2 of most cards. The chances of having those two prized and needing them reveleased is about 1%. 1% of the time I will really need to see my prizes, and a Hermit will reveal 33% of my prizes, which means there's still a good chance I won't get what I need even when it is prized (2/3 chance it won't be revealed, and a 50% chance of picking it in the unrevealed cards). The fact is that in most games having one card prized isn't killer, at least not enough to warrant the use of the card. Sure, everyone's had the games where all three dark dragonair are prized, or the 2 pidgey are prized... but those chances are slim, and picking an inferior draw to alleviate situations that rarely come up at all is bad play.

There ARE better ways to think outside of the box than to use bad draw.

Thinking outside of the box implies creating a solution to a problem that breaks away from norms... using a bad draw won't solve any problem and will only create more. Thus, using hermit is NOT thinking outside of the box.

To say that players who don't use hermit or like hermit are those who can't think outside of the box is wrong on every level- from the use of the phrase to the concept of the argument itself.

Hermit is an inferior card for inferior players. This is just another fieldworker, cozmo's, etc.

 

[Metagross_Ex]

I can see this fitting into Lunasol...having a prized Solrock or Lunatone (however rare it is) hurts a lot later in the game.

 

[Tagrineth]

There ARE better ways to think outside of the box than to use bad draw.

Thinking outside of the box implies creating a solution to a problem that breaks away from norms... using a bad draw won't solve any problem and will only create more. Thus, using hermit is NOT thinking outside of the box.

To say that players who don't use hermit or like hermit are those who can't think outside of the box is wrong on every level- from the use of the phrase to the concept of the argument itself.

Hermit is an inferior card for inferior players. This is just another fieldworker, cozmo's, etc.

I'd argue that the inferior players are the ones that don't even try it, but merely go LOL IT ONLY DRAWS 2 SO IT SUX - like most of the people downplaying its potential.

But, hey, who am I to argue? I've only, you know, been playtesting it with my friends. Nevermind that I've had good results from it. Maybe you should try it some time? And don't just stick a token Hermit in a random junk deck that you just "happen" to end up discarding anyway for a Holon supporter... actually put some effort into USING it. See how it plays.

I'm done here, far as I'm concerned there's no use in going any farther with this.