Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Alternatives to Pokemon Catcher?

H

HanikoSigma

New Member
So I've recently started playing and the biggest thing I need to finish my deck are catchers. However, those are fairly expensive and I managed to only pull one thus far out of a pack (I also collect, so pack buying isn't me being too idiotic or anything.). I'd like to have something to replace the proxies with for an actual tournament. Are there any cards that can be used as a general replacement or alternative to a catcher? I run a Rayquaza Eels deck if the deck type will make a difference.
 
You really should just buy three more Catchers.

There are no real alternatives, and even if there were, it wouldn't really be worth it. Catcher isn't that expensive when you bear in mind that you will use them in every deck you ever build, ever.
 
Ninetales from the dragons exalted set has a Bright look ability. The ability, when used, is the exact same as pokemon catcher.

Carnivine from Dark Explorers has an attack like pokemon catcher, but it also poisons the opponents' pokemon too.

Finally, there is a new item called escape rope coming in a future set. However, it is kind of the opposite of pokemon catcher. When the item card is used, your opponent switches his or her active pokemon with one of his her benched pokemon. You also do the same.

Hope this information helps.
 
Not sure if this will work for your deck, but there is Lampent's Luring Light attack (one energy): "Switch the Defending Pokemon with 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon".
 
Kayle said:
You really should just buy three more Catchers.

There are no real alternatives, and even if there were, it wouldn't really be worth it. Catcher isn't that expensive when you bear in mind that you will use them in every deck you ever build, ever.
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Assuming the never rotate out, this person never quits and/or is able to resell accordingly upon quitting, we ignore possible opportunity costs and...

...there are a few reasons I am stuck proxying right now. This would be one of them. The choice really is giving up on being remotely competitive or buying at least two more (you might barely get by with three).
 
I run a rayquaza eels deck also and I had no catchers for a long while but I learned that catcher isn't that big a deal in the deck cuz rayquaza can hit so hard just run extra energy for the ultra ball so you know you can dynamotar t2 for big damage.. Goodluck
 
Otaku said:
Assuming the never rotate out, this person never quits and/or is able to resell accordingly upon quitting, we ignore possible opportunity costs and...

...there are a few reasons I am stuck proxying right now. This would be one of them. The choice really is giving up on being remotely competitive or buying at least two more (you might barely get by with three).
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This is my main concern about paying for them. I'm fine with cards rotating out, since I'll still keep them in my collection, but I don't see catchers being too valuable if they rotate out.
 
Pokemon Catchers will not rotate until the 2014-5 season, given what we know now about the way sets rotate. If you want to be a competitive player, just buy the Pokemon Catchers. You need them in literally every single competitive deck right now.

There are no alternatives to Pokemon Catcher.
 
psychup2034 said:
Pokemon Catchers will not rotate until the 2014-5 season, given what we know now about the way sets rotate. If you want to be a competitive player, just buy the Pokemon Catchers. You need them in literally every single competitive deck right now.

There are no alternatives to Pokemon Catcher.
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Are you sure it will last that long? That makes them a slightly better investment.
 
weather they do stay in that long or not, if you want to be even semi-competitive at cities, regionals, and possible nats you need to have them.
 
HanikoSigma said:
Are you sure it will last that long? That makes them a slightly better investment.
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Pokemon Catcher was reprinted in Dark Explorers as a Shiny card. As long as Dark Explorers does not rotate, Pokemon Catcher will still be in the format. The likelihood of Dark Explorers rotating is very slim (from my personal guess). Dark Explorers is likely to rotate at the end of the 2013-4 season, which means Catcher won't be rotated until the 2014-5 season.

Obviously, this is just my personal speculation, but even if it rotated after this season, Pokemon Catcher is such a good card that the cost of it will amortize itself over a few tournaments.
 
If you are a collector, you may be able to trade some cards to obtain one or two more, right?

Unless they rotate the whole BW block like they did HGSS, then catcher should be legal for some time. Just think about this; I had to obtain 12 of them so that my whole family could stay competitive. AND the EPO set had horrible pull rates for it. Took some work, but I did it. So you can get 2-3 more. Without selling a kidney.lol
 
Late in the game, when the Eels matter less, you can evolve one of them and use it's attack as a makeshift catcher. It also has the added utility of stopping Raikou from taking it's last prize by sniping your last eel.
 
ogremarauder said:
If you are a collector, you may be able to trade some cards to obtain one or two more, right?

Unless they rotate the whole BW block like they did HGSS, then catcher should be legal for some time. Just think about this; I had to obtain 12 of them so that my whole family could stay competitive. AND the EPO set had horrible pull rates for it. Took some work, but I did it. So you can get 2-3 more. Without selling a kidney.lol
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I've only recently started, and my local league isn't exactly drowning in them. :p I'd have to invest cash in them.
 
It's really worth the investment. I'm sure it sounds daunting to spend $50 on a few cards that won't matter in two years... well, it doesn't, really, but... consider how much you'll spend actually GOING to tournaments (or even just to League) if it's any kind of a commute, and it kind of stops seeming so scary.

$90-130 on a playset of Landorus is one thing. $50 on a playset of Catchers is another.
 
HanikoSigma said:
I've only recently started, and my local league isn't exactly drowning in them. :p I'd have to invest cash in them.
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We don't have anything but competitive players in my area, so no one traded them at all. I've done most of my trading here on the Gym. And if you're paying more than $10-12; then they're not really giving you a deal. If you can buy from eBay, I've seen some Singleton copies go for as low as $7. Like I said, the more time you invest the more you can save. As a father of two players, I assure you we play Pokemon on a budget.
 
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Kayle said:
It's really worth the investment. I'm sure it sounds daunting to spend $50 on a few cards that won't matter in two years... well, it doesn't, really, but... consider how much you'll spend actually GOING to tournaments (or even just to League) if it's any kind of a commute, and it kind of stops seeming so scary.

$90-130 on a playset of Landorus is one thing. $50 on a playset of Catchers is another.
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I can see your point there, it definitely isn't as bad as Landorus or a playset of FA Skylas.

---------- Post added 11/15/2012 at 08:03 AM ----------
ogremarauder said:
We don't have anything but competitive players in my area, so no one traded them at all. I've done most of my trading here on the Gym. And if you're paying more than $10-12; then they're not really giving you a deal. If you can buy from eBay, I've seen some Singleton copies go for as low as $7. Like I said, the more time you invest the more you can save. As a father of two players, I assure you we play Pokemon on a budget.
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Ebay bids or buy nows that just happen to be low? Ebay bids irritate me as the second guy ALWAYS jumps the bid from like, 1.25 to over ten bucks.
 
Kayle said:
It's really worth the investment. I'm sure it sounds daunting to spend $50 on a few cards that won't matter in two years... well, it doesn't, really, but... consider how much you'll spend actually GOING to tournaments (or even just to League) if it's any kind of a commute, and it kind of stops seeming so scary.

$90-130 on a playset of Landorus is one thing. $50 on a playset of Catchers is another.
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This kind of reasoning always scares me. It is like how the U.S. government thinks. ¬_¬

You have to determine if you have the disposable income, and then if there are no better uses of your money. Some, such as myself, don't meet that first check mark, so we patiently wait until a "staple" like Pokémon Catcher comes down in price or rotates out.

Being able to use it in any deck isn't a benefit when you must use it in every deck and by extension, no deck can be spared its expense.
 
I think the problem here is that you see Catcher as a waste... something you lose $50 on that you will never get back. What you have to remember is that when you're entertaining yourself, you're always going to pay something. Rarely is anything ever free. If you go to the movies, an amusement park, out to a restaurant, a baseball game, anything, you're going to spend money. And for all of those activities, you have nothing tangible in return and they can cost more than a playset of Catchers. For a tangible example how about video games, which you buy new at $60, but good luck getting $40 back when selling it a month later. Pokemon cards, and Catcher in particular, are a part of your hobby/entertainment budget AND they have the added bonus of being usable for the same price for years.

As for ebay, either bidding or buy it now works. When bidding, just bid your limit. So if you don't want to spend more than $11 per Catcher, just bid $11 and see if you won later. Always keep refreshing the 'newly listed' search, as people often misprice Catcher and you can get them for less than $10 each.
 
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