Trainer cards (Supporters, Items, and Pokémon Tools) are core aspects of battles in Pokémon TCG Pocket, helping you build formidable decks and clinch victory. The Wisdom of Sea and Sky set (A4) is a major expansion, so you can bet there are many Trainer cards in the mix.
Let’s find out how each such card performs in the meta.
Will
Let’s begin with the most talked-about Supporter in the set: Will.
The mysterious lad comes with jaw-dropping tech that is going to redefine the meta: The next time you flip coins (following the usage of Will), the first outcome is guaranteed to be heads! Whoa!
Remember that Will is a Supporter, and you can only use one Supporter per turn. So, if you’re planning to use this effect on Misty, you can only do it the next turn or later.
But there are plenty of Pokémon who are directly going to benefit tremendously from this effect. A few such cards are:
- Alolan Exeggutor: 150 DMG from only 1 heads.
- Exeggutor EX: 80 DMG from only 1 heads.
- Tinkaton EX: 160 DMG from only 1 heads.
- Guzzlord EX: Removes Energies from the opponent for the number of heads until you get tails. Will guarantees at least 1 Energy removed.
- Celesteela: 100 DMG from only 1 heads.
- Origin Forme Palkia: 120 DMG from only 1 heads.
And many more…
Then, there’s the big one: Xatu! The Xatu card in Wisdom of Sea and Sky has a move called Life Drain (2 Energy) that reduces the opponent’s remaining HP to 10 if you get heads from a coin flip! That is unheard of and sheer lunacy for the meta.
There’s also Typhlosion from this set, whose ability Fire Breath burns your opponent once per turn. Combine this with Xatu and Will, and you get instant KOs!
I’ll be covering an article about the biggest winners from Will, but you get the picture. This card can retrieve many cards that were kept at the bottom of the barrel due to the coin flip shenanigans. Many of them do nothing if they hit tails, so Will is a blessing for them.
Definitely a card you’d love to use. Good Will Hunting!
Lyra
Lyra is a reverse Cyrus. It positively affects the user by switching out a damaged Active Spot Pokémon with any card from the Bench.
This is amazing for cards that have a high retreat cost or even those whose Energy gains you’d like to preserve.
For instance, Guzzlord EX can now be switched with Pokémon that aren’t Ultra Beasts (Celesteela only moves UBs around). Think Darkrai EX or Weavile EX.
Dragonite EX can’t use the 180 DMG Giga Impact in the next turn, but there’s a fix: Lyra!
Let Dragonite EX tank the next move with its massive 180 HP, use Lyra to switch in a Pokémon with 1 Energy retreat cost, supply the turn’s Energy to that Pokémon to retreat, and bring back Dragonite EX to attack again!
Lyra is also a massive buff to Crabominable EX that uses only 1 Energy to attack, but has an annoying 3 Energy retreat cost. The high retreat cost was the only hindrance to its amazing power, and now, it can function in a formidable Water deck with the new Kingdra EX, one of the strongest EX cards in Wisdom of Sea and Sky.
In other decks, you can include both Lyra and Leaf to have extra retreating power. A very handy Supporter with future value as well!
Silver
Imagine you have a menacing Supporter in your Hand that you’re all set to use soon. It can be Sabrina or Cyrus, Misty in a Water deck, Erika in a Grass deck, or Red in a Meowscarada deck. You’re itching to use it at the right moment, but then bam! Your opponent uses Silver to reveal your Hand and then they cherry-pick your Supporter and shuffle it to your deck.
Silver can throw well-built strategies out of the window and completely change the outcome of the battle.
Jasmine
Jasmine is a Supporter exclusively meant for two Pokémon cards: Steelix and Skarmory EX. During your next turn, Jasmine lets either of these two take 50 less damage from attacks.
Steelix is a 150 HP card with a ridiculous 4 Energy retreat cost. While Jasmine can make it a good stall to absorb damage, you still need to use Lyra to withdraw it from the Active Spot. Moreover, it evolves from Onix. All this leads to more cards being included in a deck just for one Pokémon.
Instead, use Jasmine for Skarmory EX. It’s a Basic card that does 70 DMG for 2 Energy and also takes -20 DMG the next turn. Stack with Jasmine, and Skarmory EX takes -70 DMG!
Skarmory EX can form a powerful Metal deck with the infamous Solgaleo EX. With Jasmine, its damage-absorbing capacity, and a Pokémon Tool like Steel Apron (will be discussed soon), it can stall while you set up Solgaleo EX on your Bench.
Metal decks are getting better with each new expansion, and players are going to be on the edge of their seats!
Fisher
Flip 3 coins and for each heads, Fisher can bring a Water Pokémon from your deck to your Bench. Some Water Pokémon benefit from Benched Pokémon.
One of them is Wishiwashi EX, which does 30 DMG plus 40 more damage for each Wishiwashi/Wishiwashi EX on your Bench.
If you lose one of them to a KO, Fisher can bring it back and let you do more damage. Remember, the Water Pokémon that Fisher chooses is Random, so you need to run pure Wishiwashi Pokémon decks to use this well.
Another application is Gyarados from Wisdom of Sea and Sky. This Pokémon does 20 DMG plus 40 damage for each card you discard from your Bench.
Fisher brings back a Water Pokémon card to your Hand, which you can put on your Bench. It can also be used with Will to ensure at least one heads. Moreover, Fisher can be used with the Fishing Net Item card, which brings a random Basic from your discard pile.
With Fishing Net bringing a Basic first, Fisher can bring an evolution.
Arceus EX does max damage with a full Bench so Fisher helps there as well if you’ve lost a card.
Overall, it’s a Supporter that works in certain situations. Not too meta-shaking but neat for sure.
Hiker
Hiker is used in Fighting-type decks and is very strong. When you use Hiker, you count the number of Fighting-type cards you have in play at the Active Spot and Bench (anywhere from 1 to 4). Then, you look at as many cards at the top of your deck and put them back in any order.
This is huge for Rampardos. If you find a Skull Fossil, Rare Candy, or Rampardos itself (depending on the situation), you can put the card you want at the top of your deck and pull it the very next turn. What’s more, you would also know what some of the next cards are.
Ideally, you would have 4 cards in play when you already have all Basic cards on board. So, if you have a Skull Fossil on your Bench already, you can hope to find Rare Candy or Rampardos up there on your deck and pull it ASAP.
It helps other Stage 2 Pokémon like Garchomp EX or even a Stage 1 like Lucario.
In other cases, you can change the order of your Trainer cards to plan ahead. Hiker is a game-changer… often a match-winning card. Expect to see it rise in usage and continue to thrive in future expansions.
Elemental Switch
The Elemental Switch moves a Fire, Water, or Lightning Energy from 1 of your Benched Pokémon to your Active Pokémon. It’s like Dawn but for these specific types.
You can use Zeraora to generate free Lightning Energy through its ability, retreat it after using its 2 Energy attack (using X Speed), and then employ an Elemental Switch to transfer Lightning Energy to Dragonite EX or a Lightning-type Pokémon. Pure Lightning decks can use Pachirisu or Pichu as well.
This Item can be used in Ho-Oh EX decks (Fire deck) to turn Driddigon into an attacker.
For Water decks, a Pokémon getting more Energy than required from Misty can transfer 1 Water Energy to Palkia EX.
In Stoke Charizard EX decks, if your Charizard EX is weakened, use Lyra to switch it out with another Fire-type mon. Give that new Active Pokémon the turn’s Fire Energy and transfer another Fire Energy from Charizard EX. This can work in decks where Charizard EX partners with Incineroar EX or Infernape EX.
This Item may be core for Dragon Pokémon attacks in the future. Watch this space!
Squirt Bottle
For Pokémon like Charizard EX (Genetic Apex or Shining Revelry) and Infernape EX, each Fire Energy is crucial. Discarding even one before they get set up can hinder them severely.
That’s where the Squirt Bottle fits in.
Take the Shining Revelry Charizard EX, for instance. Stoke requires 1 Energy, and using it gives Char EX 3 more Energy. However, it still needs 5 Energy to use its powerful 150 DMG Steam Artillery. And when it uses Stoke, Char EX has to be in the Active Spot.
Now, if you use Squirt Bottle, Char EX loses 1 Energy, and you’re able to prevent Steam Artillery in the next turn. This makes Char EX decks lose steam (literally) and puts you in a stronger spot since most of those Fire decks rely on Charizard EX as the primary attacker.
Ideally, you use Squirt Bottle to remove a Fire Energy from Charizard EX and follow it up with Sabrina/Cyrus to bring in something else, adding to your opponent’s frustration. It’s a very specific tech, but one that can bring one of the strongest decks to a standstill.
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.
The Wisdom of Sea and Sky set has introduced three Pokémon Tools.
Rescue Scarf
The Rescue Scarf is a fun Pokémon Tool that directs a KO’d Pokémon to your Hand instead of the discard pile.
Remember that the opponent still gets points when they KO your Pokémon, even if they hold a Rescue Scarf. It only alters where the KO’d Pokémon goes, not the point gains.
Once again, the Rescue Scarf helps Pokémon that benefit from a filled Bench. Arceus EX comes to mind, and Rescue Scarf helps keep its max damage output more consistent. Obviously, you’ll be attaching the Scarf to Pokémon that stall while Arceus EX gets ready, but the tradeoff is that you’re definitely sacrificing one Pokémon.
Decks that like to use Druddigon EX could run this Pokémon Tool.
The presence of Druddigon is always nice, but it’s a debate between Rescue Scarf (keeping Druddigon around for longer) and Rocky Helmet (doing 40 chip damage).
Definitely not the most valuable Pokémon Tool, but it has its niche uses.
Dark Pendant
The Darkness meta has been getting stronger in recent times. Starting with the notorious Darkrai EX, then the Poison type antics of Nihilego and Naganadel, Guzzlord EX, and now, Umbreon EX and Crobat EX in Wisdom of Sea and Sky… it’s getting darker!
The Dark Pendant is one of the best Pokémon Tools ever in TCG Pocket.
Whenever an Active Darkness type Pokémon wearing the Dark Pendant is hit by an attack, your opponent reveals a random card from their Hand and shuffles it back to their deck! What?! This is insanity.
That’s not all, as you can include the Silver Supporter to remove overall two cards from their Hand (one guaranteed Supporter thanks to Silver).
This combo helps any Darkness Pokémon, but it’s particularly amazing for Guzzlord EX and Umbreon EX.
To quote, “Hello Darkness, my new friend!”
Steel Apron
Recall me telling you that Skarmory EX can take up to -70 DMG thanks to its own tech (-20 DMG) and Jasmine Supporter (-50 DMG)?
Well, let’s make that -80 DMG courtesy of the Steel Apron Pokémon Tool!
The Steel Apron makes the wielder take -10 DMG from attacks and also safeguards it from Special Conditions (Poison, Burn, Sleep, Confusion, etc). There’s more! If your Pokémon was laced with some Special Condition, the Steel Apron also helps it recover from that!
While Skarmory EX definitely loves this, taking 80 less damage from attacks in turns where Jasmine is used, regular Skarmory (yes, that annoying one that does 50 DMG with a Tool) also works great.
With the Will Supporter, Dialha EX can also see more play, and the Steel Apron is superb here.
Alongside the rise of Darkness, there’s another type, and that’s Metal. Dialga EX, Solgaleo EX, and the Skarmory duo have all added to the cause, and now, the Steel Apron joins the bandwagon.
Happy collecting and battling, Pokémon TCG Pokcet-ers!
