The Paldean Wonders mini expansion (B2a) has been declared a “filler set” by the Pokémon TCG Pocket community, with the cards not exactly disrupting the meta after three different sets of powerful Mega Evolution ex additions. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting and even strong ex and Trainer cards in these booster packs!
So let’s take a look at the Trainers available in Paldean Wonders, and see if there are any that could become a mainstay in battles!
Arven
Arven is an evergreen card that will see usage in Pokémon TCG Pocket, be it in Ranked or casual battles.
You flip a coin, and:
- If heads, you draw a random Item card
- If tails, you draw a random Pokémon Tool card
In other words, you have nothing to lose, and it helps narrow down your deck, increasing the odds of drawing a Pokémon card in your next turn.
And the best part is that whether you get an Item or a Tool, you can use either of them in the same turn!
For decks built around Stage 2 Pokémon, where Items and Tools are minimal, Arven can make your play stronger whenever it’s used.
This is a very useful Supporter, so it’s not surprising that Arven is the Immersive Rare from the Paldean Wonders set!
Nemona
Lightning types have been treated well in Paldean Wonders, with Bellibolt ex arguably being the strongest of the lot, and Pawmot being quite powerful!
Pawmot could have been an ex card, honestly. Lightning types tend to have low HP and hit with low Energy costs, with this one inflicting 100 DMG at just two 
Energy.
But Pawmot becomes deadly with Nemona.
With Nemona in tow, Pawmot’s attack gets an additional 80 damage, making the combo a whopping 180 DMG hit!
180 DMG is high enough to even OHKO certain Mega Evolutions, making it deadly. Even without Nemona, getting 2 Energy is no big deal for Lightning Pokémon, with several cards helping get the job done (Tapu Koko ex, Zeraora, Elemental Switch, Pichu, and Pachirisu). Not to mention, Pawmot can pair itself with Oricorio to stall opposing ex Pokémon, and bring Pawmot + Nemona to the forefront when convenient.
Team Star Grunt
The Team Star Grunt Supporter discards a random Energy from the Energy attached to all your opponent’s Pokémon that have abilities. While this mechanic is random, sometimes it might actually be great if the victim of this effect is a Pokémon from the Bench.
In many cases, the opponent may simply attach the next turn’s Energy to the Active Spot once it loses an Energy, but losing Energy from Pokémon that the opponent is building on the Bench may often shift the tide in your favor.
On the other hand, for Pokémon that lose Energy after using an attack, Team Star Grunt may cripple the said attacker the next turn, again shifting the tide in your favor.
The randomness of this effect is a gamble, and while you technically do gain from the opponent losing an Energy no matter what, some outcomes serve as a missed opportunity.
Overall, this card can trouble the dreaded Giratina ex a lot since this ex ends the turn on using its ability (that gives it free Energy). Not a bad card at all!
The remaining two Supporters from Paldean Wonders are reprints of two older Supporters, both containing alternate artwork but carrying the same effect.
Penny
Penny is one of the two Supporter reprints in Paldean Wonders. Debuting in the Eevee Grove set, Penny never kicked off in any of the metas during or after Eevee Grove.
On the chance that Penny’s effect of searching for a Supporter from the opponent’s deck, shuffling it back, and using the said Supporter’s effect as its own may be great for something like Professor’s Research, it is useless more often than not.
Think Cyrus when none of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon have taken a hit, or Erika if your deck is not Grass, or Sabrina if you don’t even want to switch out the opponent’s Active Spot.
Paldean Wonders is the first set to get Supporter reprints (not taking the limited Deluxe Pack ex into account), and the game could have done much better than including Penny in the mix. With limited characters from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, perhaps these reprints could have been brought in for a future set.
Iono
Unlike Penny, Iono is still usable in TCG Pocket, but its utility has been overshadowed by Copycat.
If you see yourself with an unfavorable hand, use Iono to shuffle the bad cards back to your deck and bring fresh ones, with the opponent doing the same.
Now, this may also make your opponent’s hand stronger and yours more or less the same, making you technically give away the match to your opponent, all thanks to Iono.
Think Cyrus when none of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon have taken a hit, or Erika if your deck is not Grass, or Sabrina if you don’t even want to switch out the opponent’s Active Spot.
Copycat, on the other hand (no pun intended), shuffles your bad deck and draws the same number of cards as your opponent’s hand. So, in situations where your opponent has several cards in their hand, and you have just one or two, Copycat is guaranteed to make your hand better, if not stronger. Moreover, you can rest assured that there’s no effect on the opponent’s hand, so you’re not giving them an advantage by any means.
These two reprints are cool for the 2-Star Rarirt arts, but not impactful for battles.
Electric Generator
It goes without saying that Lightning types are the true winners in the Paldean Wonders set, with strong Pokémon and the only Item dedicated to this type.
The Electric Generator makes you flip a coin. If heads, you pull a free Energy from the Energy Zone and attach it to one of your Benched Lightning Pokémon.
As mentioned previously, Lightning types are known for their low Energy attacks (albeit with a low HP), so a free Energy at any time of the match is a blessing. You can even use two Electric Generator Item cards together, and have the notorious Shining Revelry Pikachu ex ready in no time!
With the Lightning meta getting more love, this Item can easily become a mainstay, often becoming the reason behind your smashing victories! The Electric Generator has a bright future!
Pokémon Tools are super useful cards that have been available in the physical TCG games and follow these rules in Pokémon TCG Pocket:
- Pokémon Tool cards can be attached to your Active or Benched cards, and they provide some special battle effects.
- They stay attached to the Pokémon in question until it leaves play.
- Like Item cards, you can use as many Pokémon Tool cards as you like during a turn, but each Pokémon can have only one Tool attached at a time.
Big Air Balloon
The Big Air Balloon Pokémon Tool is a superb addition to the TCG Pocket meta, providing free retreat cost to Stage 2 Pokémon. Its mechanism is simple but extremely useful.
This Tool is particularly great for Mega Evolution ex Pokémon like Mega Venusaur ex, arguably the best Mega Evolution in the game, and basically any Stage 2 Mega, as losing them gives your opponent 3 points, or in other words, you lose the entire match instantly.
To protect your damaged Stage 2 Mega Evolution ex from fainting, you can attach Big Air Balloon, and retreat it for no cost whatsoever.
This tool has niche use, but a very pivotal one at that! Consider including one Big Air Balloon card in your Mega Venusaur ex or Mega Charizard Y decks.
Stadiums are Trainer cards whose effects affect all Pokémon in play (both you and your opponent) and can be used once per turn.
- This card stays in play after you use it, unlike Items and Supporters, which are discarded after they are used.
- Only one Stadium can be in play at a time, and it’s discarded only after a new Stadium enters the battlefield or if the effect of a Pokémon/Trainer disposes the Stadium.
- Stadium cards of the same name cannot be played when the same Stadium is already active.
Mesagoza
Stadium cards are gaining prominence in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and Paldean Wonders brings one quirky little Stadium that accelerates the drawing power of cards as long as heads is obtained from a coin flip.
Mesagoza works every turn and is entirely dependent on getting heads, with the benefits going to either side, based on the usefulness of the card drawn. It’s all probability, and there’s no strategy as such. When the coin flips in your favor, you would hope to draw something that immediately benefits your play, and hope that if your opponent has also drawn something, it’s not as beneficial to them!
Stadium cards are mostly a fun gimmick that makes battles all the more interesting, and Mesagoza is definitely a nice one!
To be fair, the Trainers in Paldean Wonders are quite a welcome bunch, helping alter the meta more than the ex cards in this set.
Big Air Balloon, Mesagoza, and Electric Generator are sure to see a lot of play in future metas, and maybe even Arven to an extent. So we do have a silver lining in this mini expansion after all!
As always, happy collecting and battling, Pokémon TCG Pocket-ers!
