Pokémon TCG Pocket: Pulsing Aura Trainer Card Review (B3)

The Pulsing Aura set (B3) has Pokémon TCG Pocket players scurrying for all the new cards, including fan-favorites like Mega Lucario, Mega Sceptile, and Vaporeon. Along with these, you can also find impactful Trainer cards that have shaken the meta to its core!

So why are the Trainer cards in this set being talked about so much? Let’s find out!

Supporters

Korrina

We begin with one of the most amazing Supporters to grace the game, Korrina. When revealed in the trailer, fans speculated that Korrina would benefit only Mega Lucario EX like Iris did for Haxorus, but to everyone’s pleasant surprise, Korrina doesn’t just benefit all Fighting types, but also brings bragging rights to them!

When facing any EX, Korrina adds a hard-hitting +30 DMG to attacks done by Fighting Pokémon. She is literally Red for Fighting types, but better. In fact, by also adding 2x Red in the deck alongside 2x Korrina, your Fighting-type attackers are hitting KO punches against the EX squad.

Apart from Mega Lucario EX and all Fighting Pokémon in general, Hitmoncham EX gets heavily buffed from Korrina. For only 1 Energy, you hit 50 + 30 = 80 DMG to an opposing EX Basic right at the beginning of the battle

Korrina has revitalized the Fighting meta in TCG Pocket, but there’s a new Stadium card that adds to her charm, making Fighting types and a well-known monster from before deadlier than ever. We’ll get to that soon, so keep reading!

Cabbie

Stadium cards debuted in Fantastical Parade, and while trainers took time to warm up to them, they have finally caught up in Pulsing Aura. And when you need a Stadium in effect and are missing it in your hand, you call the Cabbie to drop a Stadium into your hand.

Cabbie can also be used when you have used one Stadium, but your opponent’s Stadium overrode yours. In such a situation, use this Supporter to get your Stadium copy, and get it live again.

Needless to say, if you have already drawn both Stadium cards or the only one in your deck, Cabbie is useless. So it’s wise to use only one Cabbie, or none at all, if you find it taking up the spot of a better card. Not great, not terrible, and definitely not a bad card overall.

That said, as Stadium cards get more prominent and come with more crazy effects, Cabbie will gain more importance in the meta.

Cheren

We have our only Pokémon-specific Supporter in Cheren, and while the effect of absorbing 100 DMG is cool, Watchog and Stoutland aren’t the most impressive finds from this set, although one of them is usable.

Watchog and its pre-evolution take up space in a deck when they aren’t even viable. On the other hand, while Stoutland can perhaps work in a Dialga EX deck, and both itself and Metal types enjoy taking nerfed damage, it’s a Stage 2, and the entire line with Rare Candy and Cheren takes up too much room in your deck. Stoutland may be decent against EX mons, but in an era ruled by Megas, it gets easily destroyed. Moreover, it’s weak to Fighting, the new hype in TCG Pocket.

150 HP, even with Giant Cape, is an effortless OHKO for many Fighting types. You’ll honestly forget Cheren in this very season.

Parasol Lady

Water types have silently been getting stronger with each new expansion in the B series, and Parasol Lady is a boon for decks that utilize non-EX cards either as Energy engines or pre-evolutions.

• In a Mega Gyarados EX deck, she can quickly summon Magikarp.
• For more established perks, Parasol Lady can fit into the infamous Suicune EX or Chien-Pao EX decks to summon Pokémon from the Baxcalibur line (Frigibax or Baxcalibur). 

The idea is to pair a strong Basic EX such as Suicune or Chien-Pao, and bring the Baxcalibur line to the Bench quickly so that your Active EX can farm Energy. This Supporter is sure to see more usage down the line, and a welcome addition to the Water meta.

Items

Field Blower

Pokémon Tools have always been in fashion, and Stadium cards are joining the trend. So ward away either of them, TCG Pocket has brought a Guzma-style Item that does the same with Field Blower. Being an Item lets you use it along with Supporters, so Guzma is strictly out of business.

The Mega Sceptile EX deck loves Poison Barb, the Mega Lucario EX deck loves the Arena of Antiquity Stadium, and Stalls love Rocky Helmet. But all of them are going to hate Field Blower.

This is undoubtedly one of the best Items to come to the game in recent times, and with the way the meta is shaping up, be sure to include at least 1 Field Blower in whatever deck you use.

Pokémon Tools

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.

Lucky Egg

The Lucky Egg draws cards to put 5 of them into your hand when the Pokémon it is attached to gets KO’d. Obviously, it’s best used early game when there are actually more cards to draw from your deck.

One good use is Bonsly, a Baby Pokémon that nerfs the damage done by the opponent’s Active mon by 30 and also does 10 DMG.

With no Energy required to get the job done, Bonsly is a good sacrificial card to attach the Lucky Egg. Your next Active Spot takes 30 less damage, and thanks to Lucky Egg, you also get a hand of at least 5 cards. Honestly, the effect of 2x Professor’s Research and an extra card is huge when you have less cards in your hand, and more often than not, you will be drawing your main cards from the sacrifice of the Lucky Egg holder. 

Attach it to any Baby or a certain Pokémon you’re willing to sacrifice. 

Pro tip: Lucky Egg pairs really well with the Celestic Town Elder Supporter from Triumphant Light, as she puts one random Basic from your discard pile to your hand.

Stadium Cards

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.

Arena of Antiquity

We have talked about Arena of Antiquity at least twice in this write-up, so let’s see what all the hype is about! This Stadium card adds +20 DMG to the damage done by Fighting Pokémon to EX cards, and when paired with Korrina and Fighting Coach Lucario from Space-Time Smackdown, carnage happens.

The math is simple. With Korrin, Arena of Antiquity, and 2x Fighting Coach Lucario in effect, you give 30 + 20 + 2(20) = 90 DMG boost to Fighting-type damage on opposing EX Pokémon.

Some practical examples are wild:

• Rampardos now does 130 + 30 + 20 + 40 = 220 DMG for only 1 Energy to all those powerful EX cards.
• Mega Lucario EX does 140 + 30 + 20 + 20 (since only 1 Lucario can be evolved) = 210 DMG to EX for 3 Energy
• Hitmonchan EX, a Basic, does 50 + 30 + 20 + 40 = 140 DMG to EX

Essentially, all Fighting types have put EX Pokémon on notice with these new cards, and with Stadium cards staying in effect all battle until removed, you’re enjoying a built-in Red effect all the time.

Fragrant Forest

If you thought the Grass meta couldn’t get stronger, well, say hello to the Fragrant Forest Stadium card that summons Grass-type Basics each turn until you run out of them in your deck. This is excellent for quickly grabbing Bulbasaur, Treecko, and Teal Mask Ogerpon EX, who are all instrumental in getting your main attackers live.

This Stadium is a blessing for Grass decks and definitely holds future significance as well.

Pro tip: For many Grass decks, you can replace the 2 Poké Ball with 2x Fragrant Forest instead, as this replicates the same effect. For instance, use Fragrant Forest in Mega Sceptile EX decks to quickly draw Treecko and Teal Mask Ogerpon EX, or in Mega Venusaur EX decks to grab Bulbasaur and Petilil quickly.

Bounded Field

There’s a lot of confusion regarding the effect of the Bounded Field Stadium card. Is it 2x super-effective damage? Can it be used only by Megas or on Megas?

Let’s clear up the confusion with these two simple pointers:

• Weakness will be treated as x2 instead of +20 DMG.
• Mega Evolution EX can’t use this Stadium card, any other EX or Pokémon can.

To put this into perspective,

• Jumpluff EX is a Grass Pokémon that does 70 DMG for 1 Colorless Energy, and does 90 DMG to Dark types due to their weakness. Now, it does 140 DMG to Dark types for the same 1 Energy!
• Even crazier, Yanmega EX that does 120 DMG for 3 Colorless Energy, and 140 DMG to Dark types will now do a whopping 240 DMG with Bounded Field.
• Mega Charizard Y does 500 DMG with Bounded Field to Grass types, not 270 DMG lol. 

No, understand that Weakness is always applied last when calculating damage, and Bounded Field doubles the damage that the Pokémon ultimately does.

Remember that there’s also a case wherein Bounded Field deals less damage.

For attacks with 10 DMG:

• Regular weakness is 10 + 20 = 30 DMG
• Bounded Field is 10 x 2 = 20 DMG

Of course, there’s always the factor of luck because you need to run into a deck weak to your deck’s type to salvage this Stadium. It’s an insane card when it applies. Otherwise, this Stadium does nothing.

Happy collecting and battling, Pokémon TCG Pocket-ers!