Pokémon TCG Pocket has become more strategic with several Trainer cards being added during each expansion. The latest Triumphant Light set has graced players with four Trainer cards and like we’ve seen with Cyrus from Space-Time Smackdown, these cards can be game changers.
Let’s unwrap each Trainer card from this mini set and explore their viability. There are no new Item cards in this set so it’ll be all Supporter cards.
Irida
Irida is not just the best Supporter card from the Triumphant Light set, it’s one of the best cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket. It’s like Erika but better since it recovers 40 HP for any Pokémon with Water Energy attached.
Note that it’s not Water deck but rather any Pokémon with Water Energy. This means that as long as you attach at least 1 Water Energy to a card, Irida heals 40 DMG from it. So, aside from Water-type Pokémon, it also accounts for cards that utilize Water Energy like Dragonite, Garchomp (Space-Time Smackdown), Druddigon, and even Colorless cards like Arceus EX and Yanmega EX.
But, what makes it better than Erika is the fact that it heals every single Pokémon in play as long as the card has a Water Energy attached, not just 1 specific card like Erika! Add a couple of potions and a single card is capable of recovering up to 120 DMG (2x Potion, 2x Erika) while also recovering other cards in battle.
Pokémon like Yanmega EX (requiring Colorless Energy for doing damage) can also recover from Erika (since it’s a Grass-type card). In total, the recoverable HP is 220 (2x Potion, 2x Irida, and 2x Erika), making it almost unkillable. Even Leafeon EX can take advantage of Irida since Solar Beam requires only 1 Grass Energy and 2 Colorless Energy (use Water). The best part is that you won’t have to use Grass Energy in your deck since Leafeon EX’s Forest Breath can generate Grass Energy on its own.
Arceus EX has proved to be an excellent card and it can be paired with Articuno EX to make a tremendous deck.
Lastly, pure Water decks comprising of stalwarts like Articuno EX, Palkia EX, Glaceon EX, etc are now stronger.
All this shows how fantastic of a card Irida is and she is bound to find even more usage in upcoming sets. A must-have card from Triumphant Light!
Adaman
Irida’s rival from Pokémon Legends Arceus, Adaman, is another Trainer card in this set!
Adaman is an improved Gary card but specifically for Metal-type Pokémon. During your opponent’s next turn, attacks used against your Metal Pokémon in the Active Spot do 20 less damage. This is particularly useful for Dialga EX who relishes the Active Spot while supplying 2x Metal Energy to one of your Benched cards each turn with Metallic Turbo.
Dialga EX has been successfully paired with Arceus EX, forming one of the strongest decks in Triumphant Light versus events like the SP Emblem. Armed with a Pokémon Tool like Rocky Helmet or Giant Cape, Dialga EX can hold fire until Arceus EX is ready to go.
The use of Potions, Shaymin’s healing, and Adaman keep Dialga EX in high HP while prepping up Arceus EX. In fact, you can also use Dialga EX’s attacks to better effect and assist Arceus EX by making it last longer.
Adaman works like a charm for the severely underrated Probopass EX and is bound to find more usage in future Meta decks.
Barry
All Supporter cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket are viable in some way or the other and so is Barry, but in a relatively underwhelming way.
Snorlax, Heracross, and Staraptor are all spicy picks and not exactly meta. Yes, they are useful but with stronger non-EX options like Rampardos, Lucario, Sudowoodo, and Tauros, you’re not going to risk using them in must-win situations like SP Emblem events.
The bulky Snorlax is useful as its 4 Energy move now needs only 2 Energy. But more importantly, Staraptor can now deal 130 DMG with only 1 Energy. The trick here is to evolve it all the way (Stage 2 cards can be frustratingly tedious) and also to ensure that you draw Barry early.
So while Barry has its uses, there are too many uncertain factors in play and that makes it a ‘find-or-miss’ addition to a deck. Of course, if you’re lucky enough to pull a Barry or two quickly and also evolve Starly to Staraptor without trouble, you can pull off some upset wins against the opponent.
For Snorlax, you’d ideally need both Barry cards in your Hand while also having the Lum Berry Pokémon Tool card to wake it up from its sleep after using Collapse. Do try it out in solo battles or if you’re bored, not if you want to grab consistent wins.
Celestic Town Elder
Pokémon TCG Pocket’s version of Revive is here! The Celestic Town Elder revives a KO’d Basic card from your discard pile and brings it to your hand.
This is fantastic more cards like Arceus EX and Pikachu EX… Pokémon who require a full Bench to deal maximum damage. Or, say you lost an Articuno EX earlier than you anticipated. Use Celestic Town Elder to bring it back and say you get lucky with Misty’s coin flips, you have a sweeper all set to get you the win.
The best part is that it has future use as more Pokémon requiring full Benches are sure to arrive down the line. For now, the EX cards of Arceus and Pikachu (you can even use them together) are the main beneficiaries.
Unlike Trainer cards from previous expansions, the ones in Triumphant Light have niche uses. Irida, Adaman, and Celesric Town Elder are sure to finds application in future sets so keep them handy!
Happy collecting and battling, TCG Pocket-ers!
