The epic Ruler of the Skies set starring Mega Rayquaza has hit the shores of Pokémon TCG Pocket with a fleet of EX and Trainer cards up for grabs. The EX cards have been a mixed bag, so how do the Trainers fare in the ever-dynamic meta?
Recent sets have had Trainers making a bigger impact, so will Ruler of the Skies follow suit? Let’s find out!
Psychic
We kick things off with the Psychic Supporter, tailor-made for Pokémon with the Psychic Attack, which does a set amount of more damage for each 
Energy attached. Genetic Apex cards like Alakazam and Jynx come to mind, but in this very set there are a Hypno and a Mewtwo that use Psychic. But in the Ranked meta, Indeedee EX will be the most prominent harbinger of the Supporter. Gardevoir from Fantastical Parade is the Energy ramp required for the job, and Ms. Psychic here provides an extra Energy, and consequently, more damage.
Drayden
It’s quite obvious that Dragon Pokémon are at the focal point of the Ruler of the Skies set, and the Drayden Supporter card provides a superb buff to the formidable Draco Meteor users in TCG Pocket.
For perspective, there are only three Dragons that use Draco Meteor in the game:
- Genetic Apex Dragonite
- Rayquaza Promo
- Ruler of the Skies Noivern
In each case, 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon is chosen at random, and a set amount of damage (usually 50 DMG or 60 DMG) is dealt to it 3 to 4 times. Drayden adds another 50 DMG/60 DMG, or in other words, another Meteor, if you will.
The biggest beneficiary of this is undoubtedly good ol’ Dragonite, especially with a new Dragonair in town. The Ruler of the Skies has the kit necessary to help Dragons gather the Energies they need, and for Draco Meteor users, Drayden is a boon. With and 
Energies required by Noivern, you can fit it alongside Giratina EX to form a spooky and spicy deck.
Skyla
A powerful Stage 1 such as Mega Gardevoir EX is troubled with a heavy retreat cost of 3. Recent/new Trainers like Wallace, Elegant Cape, and Soothing Shore (we’ll see about this soon), and ramp mons like Mega Sharpedo EX have brought Mega Gyarados back to business again, and the only issue of high retreat cost is conveniently solved by Skyla.
Of course, you can use it with any Stage 1 (including Charmeleon/Ivysaur getting into a soup in Mega Char/Mega Venu decks), but Mega Gary benefits the most from Skyla. Is Skyla a secret agent parading for Water type greatness in Pokémon TCG Pocket? Seems legit.
Wally
For the several Stage 2 Pokémon requiring a quick Colorless Energy to fill their tank and attack, Wally comes to the rescue by offering a free Colorless Energy. In the current set, Mega Gallade EX (ironically Wally’s ace) benefits tremendously from this Supporter, not just for Energy generation, but also adding 50 DMG to its attack.
Wally helps Mega Gallade EX get ready to slash in just two turns and also helps make it among the top Fighting types in the meta. Do note that Wally won’t work for Mega Blaziken EX, but does work for Mega Charizard Y EX since one of the 4 Energies that make up its attack is Colorless. So yeah, we actually have a secret Mega Charizard Y buff, dear reader.
Order Pad
The Order Pad Item would have been fantastic if there was no involvement of coin flips or if you could at least choose the Item to draw from your deck. Alas, it does neither, and is just two accounts of a gamble. It’s a random Item that will hardly see any usage in battles, and will be forgotten in the very next set mostly.
Claw Fossil
Claw Fossil is a new Fossil card that works as a Basic, can’t be drawn from the Poké Ball, and evolves into the Armaldo line (directly with Rare Candy).
Now, when you think of Fossil Pokémon in TCG Pocket, Rampardos obviously comes to mind, but Armaldo makes a great attempt at meta-relevancy, thanks to its extraordinary powers.
For 3 Energy (two Colorless, so use Wally), Armaldo uses Abyssal Drop to OHKO any of the opponent’s Pokémon. As evident, Wally helps do it in two turns. And yes, brilliant minds do think alike, as I know we’re all thinking of the obvious… delete the Mega Evolution and win the match?
Well, it can’t be so broken, eh? If you read the attack description again, you will find that you get to choose the spot where the fatal blow happens at the end of the turn, and the opponent will know that. But with 2 Cyrus in play, you can turn it to your favor. Also, you can use Raichu’s ability to get Paralysis on the opponent (guaranteed with Will), and get the OHKO on the Mega with Armaldo.
At the very least, it forces your opponent to rethink their strategies or even throw them off-guard. Armaldo is quite a red-alert Pokémon, but the retreat cost holds it back from true glory.
Root Fossil
Root Fossil is a new Fossil card that works as a Basic, can’t be drawn from the Poké Ball, and evolves into the Cradily line (directly with Rare Candy).
Cradily isn’t as imposing as Armaldo, but is definitely usable on some spicy decks. Preventing the opponent’s Active Pokémon from retreating, and following it up with some serious damage on that turn can be a death sentence for Mega Evolutions EXs. However, do note the silly 3 Energy retreat cost. That’s why it’s a spicy addition, and not meta.
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.
Deceptive Needle
Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is the undisputed best Trainer card from the Ruler of the Skies set, and also one of the best in TCG Pocket: the Deceptive Needle. Darkness types are arguably the best in the game, and with this Tool, you simply do 10 DMG to your opponent’s Active Pokémon as long as the carrier of this Tool is also in the Active Spot.
This synergizes poetically with Darkrai EX, now technically doing 30 chip damage. Not only that, but the dreaded Hydreigon also hits for 140 DMG now, hitting the break point required to OHKO Miraidon EX. With Bombirdier helping with free retreats, Darkness types just got a nasty new weapon. Even Hoopa EX enjoys this, dishing out damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon (40 DMG with the Needle) as well as 1 of their Benched spots (20 DMG). Even Poison decks employing Nihilego are going to salvage this broken Tool.
In case you haven’t yet, say hello to Darkness, your new friend in TCG Pocket!
Clear Veil
The Clear Veil provides the user immunity from the effects of attacks inflicted upon it, which means that Mega Balziken EX can’t burn you and Mega Sceptile EX can’t poison you. But, in the grander scheme of things based on recent meta trends, the Clear Veil’s biggest benefit is keeping you safe from the notorious ‘sleep scam’ in Pokémon TCG Pocket, popularized by the demonic duo of Igglybuff and Darkrai.
Going by how common that duo has been, don’t be surprised to see even the most seasoned players adding this Tool to their deck(s). Remember, you will still get poisoned if you hit an opponent adorning a Poison Barb, and you are only safe from the effects of an attack hitting you.
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.
Soothing Shore
There’s a well-known saying among the Pokémon TCG Pocket community that the game’s devs love Water types. Going by how stellar Mega Sharpedo EX and the surge to Mega Gyarados EX have been, you’d think that was it, but this set also brings an amazing Stadium for Water types called Soothing Shore.
With this live, any Pokémon from your and your opponent’s end that has 
Energy attached to it is healed for 20 DMG at the end of each turn. So free Potion through and through! With Irida having the same effect and Potions being Items, you can heal 40 (Irida) + 20 (Soothing Shore) + 40 (2x Potion) = 100 DMG healed in a turn! This is sheer insanity and a major shot in the arm for Water Energy decks.
Note that Soothing Shore doesn’t just work on Water types per se, but also on any Pokémon that has Energy attached. This means that it also heals Genetic Apex Dragonite and essentially any Colorless type using Energy. This Stadium is here to stay, so enjoy the shores!
Rainbow Cave
And finally, we come to the Stadium everyone is talking about: Rainbow Cave, a much-needed boost for Dragon types and basically anything using multiple Energies in a deck.
Say you’re using Mega Rayquaza EX, a Dragon that operates using 
and 
Energies. You’ve got one of the Energy types sorted through each turn’s generations, but are unable to get the other type. So, you use Rainbow Cave to use the next Energy instead, which hopefully is the other type. Yes, you are not guaranteed to flip the Energy type, but you get a shot at using the next Energy, which should ideally be the type you’re seeking.
In the Ruler of the Skies set, the new Dragonair has an ability that attaches an Energy from the discard pile to the Active card. This has excellent synergy with Rainbow Cave, together giving the Active Pokémon 2 Energies (another if you’re using 2x Dragonair on the Bench).
While this is niche, it works wonderfully when it does, making this combo excellent for Dragon types. Future Dragons will finally be considered worthy of competition thanks to Rainbow Cave, as it’s the agent that helps make multiple Energy decks viable.
And there you go! The Trainer cards in the Ruler of the Skies are truly remarkable, with most of them displaying high future usage potential. Undoubtedly a stronger lot than the EX cards in this expansion.
As always, happy collecting and battling, Pokémon TCG Pocket-ers!
