Copycat: Nothing to Copy?

[SuperWooper]

Recently more and more POR (Professor Oak's Research) has been showing up more often. When it was Genesis and on, Cleffa was played in every deck, and so Copycat got you a seven card hand that they just EEEEEEEKED for, since they didn't have the chance to play any of those cards, as EEEEEEEK is an attack.

Copycat used to be the "new hand" card of choice. But crazy people, not to mention names coff*Otaku*coff have been saying hand sizes have been shrinking. Four words.

PLAY A BAR DECK.

I mean seriously. They Oak's Research or Reporter or something, then energy draw once or sometimes twice! Two energ draws is SIX CARDS! Plus whatever else they had, even a reporter and energy draw per turn is six more cards to copy. POR isn't that great. Delcatty and Linoone (shudder) are very popular (Linoone is played in my area) right now. They add cards to the hand. Reporter and other card drawing trainers. Add cards to the hand. I see six or seven card hands on average. Amphy EX players, sometimes opponents are hesitant to play energy. Another card to copycat. Recently a friend of mine designed an Amphy EX/Holo Shiftry deck. I urged him to use Copycat because of their combined powers that keep energy in the hand.

And don't yell at me because some decks counter this. Birch is fairly copyable and played heavily in Aggron/Wailord decks because of the inclusion of Furret. My Gardy deck has low amounts of energy at a time, which is the reason I play it (not the only reason). If I come up against Copycat, I am safe. Copycat hasn't lost power. I just listed, in my opinion, and partially most of yours, the top few decks in the current envio, and if you think I don't know what I'm talking about, you had best THINK AGAIN! Just kidding.

But seriously, Copycat doesn't have nothing to copy. Decks running Oak's Research more than likely have Delcatty stationed on the bench. Decks without POR are running...Copycat! Copycat still has plenty to copy, it was a good card, is and will be until it is rotated out of the set. Then nobody will remember it because they'll only be able to play it in unlimited, where Oak rules.

So don't forget, Copycat isn't without something to copy. It's got plenty to copy. Hand sizes aren't shrinking. They are staying the same, maybe getting larger. I don't know about where you play, but Copycat has always worked for me, and I expect it to keep playing well for me.

 

[SteveP]

It really depends. Against BAR and GardyEX decks, yes it's good. But I dare say that relying soley on CopyCat for card draw is a mistake. TV Reporter, Prof Oaks Research, Energy Draw, and/or others are a MUST to supplement CopyCat.

CopyCat is good, but it CAN'T stand alone.

 

[Pidgeotto Trainer]

Only against something running Delcatty would I say Copy is better. I play Aggron/Wailord/Furret and copycat is terrible against it. The most hand I will get is 6 with Birch and it almost always isn't 6 by my opponents turn. Gardevoir decks I still say POR is better. In my playing Copycat just gets less than 5 far too often except against Catty. Oak's Research=Best trainer in format (for most decks, ex: Birch better w/Furret)

 

[Articjedi]

Copycat still isn't the best card drawing trainer in the game right now. Regardless of what you COULD draw off of your opponents hand, the hand sizes in general are still shrinking, it's still worth running, but only if you filled up on oak's research. Simply because two other decks are known for huge hand sizes, might give you an edge in that match, but for every other opponent, oak's research is better. It's just too situational.

​

 

[Otaku]

All I know is that in my recent matches, during early game, when players are buidling everything up, mine and my opponent's hand sizes are no long as large as they were. I'd say roughly six months ago, hand sizes were close five or six cards on average. Since then, however, I ahve seen decks begin to stream-line themselves. What does that mean? WHile just about as many cards are being drawn, now they are often able to be used immediately. Later in the game, handsize begins to get larger, but by then, its a bit late to be setting your guys up. If you don't believe me, that's fine. If you think it's just confined to my "area" (though most of my games are on-line anyway), thats fine too. I just give what I know to be facts.

 

[SuperWooper]

It really depends. Against BAR and GardyEX decks, yes it's good. But I dare say that relying soley on CopyCat for card draw is a mistake. TV Reporter, Prof Oaks Research, Energy Draw, and/or others are a MUST to supplement CopyCat.

CopyCat is good, but it CAN'T stand alone.

Yeah, Steve, this I understand. What I can't understand is that most people seem to think that the average hand has five or six cards. And then they say that Oak's Research is better. I don't know about any of you, but I play people who have plenty of options all the time. Their hand is chalk full of cards, and I can pull off huge copycats and get almost exactly what I need. I usually get five, six, or seven card hands with Copycat, and it's not like I don't have other supporters in my hand if they have a three or four card hand. Then I Oracle or Reporter, or PETM, or something like that. But if you think that a five card hand is good, then play Oak's Research. Usually, however, since so many people say the average hand is five or six cards, and I find this usually true, then Copycat will give you exactly the same results as POR! If your opponent is usually packing five cards, then both cards do the same thing. I just prefer to play Copycat, because then I have two options: go for the bigger hand, or use a Reporter or something else that turn. Copycat is giving you the same results as POR under average conditions, so why not play it instead, and play a different supporter when their hand is low? Think people!

 

[Otaku]

Usually, however, since so many people say the average hand is five or six cards, and I find this usually true, then Copycat will give you exactly the same results as POR! If your opponent is usually packing five cards, then both cards do the same thing. I just prefer to play Copycat, because then I have two options: go for the bigger hand, or use a Reporter or something else that turn. Copycat is giving you the same results as POR under average conditions, so why not play it instead, and play a different supporter when their hand is low? Think people!

Perhaps, just perhaps, the people who say the average hand is 5 or 6 cards are wrong? Maybe they are right for their local area. As I have stated, in the games I ahve played, the hand size is 2-4 cards. Now, yous eem to think this is a bad thing. You love options. Me, I like results with an back-up plan. So for me, that's a deck where the only thing I have in hand is a draw card for the next turn, because it's a supporter and I can't use it this turn. How useful is it to have a bunch of dead cards in hand? While it can be reassuring, for example, to know that you can attach your 4 Metal Energies over the next 4 turns, I ahve found you really can't plan that far ahead. Why? Well, Gardevoir ex's first attack only gives me a little trouble because the main deck I have been using is SS Steelix/Xatu. As such, if my hand ever does get large (as it tends to late game), then it can put the hurt on me and by pass my Metal Energy. As such, I like my decks to "flow"-I like to get cards I can play as soon as I get them, with one or two options ready for the next turn. If its turn one, and I've slapped down 4 Natu and one Onix, and I've got all the evos and a draw card in my hand, then that's fine. That's also incredibly rare. Normally ( and I do ask my friends after games to find this out), people with large hands don't have that kind of luck. They have a large hand becuase they got a POR, a Copycat, and TV Reporter, and then their Stage 1 and 2, but no basic that they need. Is this something that happens constantly? No. But it happens quite a bit. Me, I like using Desert Shaman. It only gives me one or two cards below "your average", but its great for messing up people who rely on keeping a heavily stocked hand.

 

[Pidgeotto Trainer]

Copycat is giving you the same results as POR under average conditions, so why not play it instead, and play a different supporter when their hand is low? Think people!

Because most of us are saying Copycat that under 'average conditions POR is better and Copy can't give you the same results. You don't always have room for both so go POR.

 

[dkates]

Basically, Copycat isn't worth it. I've had a few games where I ended up Copycatting hands with 1 to 3 cards. I've also had plenty of games where my opponent Copycatted a 1-3 card hand.

 

[Cyrus]

Well, hate to pull the "My State" argument, but against those that I've played in Texas, I, on AVERAGE, pull about 5 cards. Early game, you can really win big, especially against a Wynaut or an Eevee. Mid game, you really don't see a whole lot. As Venu described, it's about 4- cards. In LATE game, this thing garners a little more, like 6-.

All in all, it's still a good card. You just need to use it correctly.

 

[Otaku]

Patriarch-actually, when everyone does the whole "My state" thing, there really isn't an arguement. I figure that different states play differently. that was my point I keep making-in my area, hand sizes are shrinking-players go for efficient decks so tht they have maybe one or two cards they got too early/late, and then one draw card to restock their hand next turn. In yourarea, its differnt, and thats fine.