Note: This article is part of a series covering the cardpool of the Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is not concerned with how well the cards it mentions are performing, just noting their existence. The plan is to either update or release replacement articles that will address how the cardpool changes approximately once per month, when the latest set drops. When I list counts for cards, multiple releases of the same card are treated as “one”.
Trainer cards are a major part of the Pokémon TCG Pocket, just like they’re a major part of the full Pokémon TCG. In Pocket, they’re the only way to do something that isn’t part of the game’s fundamental mechanics that doesn’t originate from a Pokémon. There are three major categories of Trainer card in Pocket: Items, Supporters, and Tools. There is also currently one notable subcategory of Item cards: Fossils.
Items
020 Total
005 Fossil
Item cards are the simplest Trainers to use. While an individual Item card may have costs or conditions printed on it, there are no universal costs or conditions besides the universal ones for Pocket. That is, if you have an Item card in your hand and no other card effects say otherwise, you can play it during your turn so long as it will have some effect on the game.
As such, Item cards tend to be weaker than the closest equivalent Supporter card or Tool card. The former, we actually have examples like X Speed (P-A 002) and Leaf (A1a), where the cards have the exact same effect of reducing the Retreat Cost of whatever Pokémon you have Active, for the rest of your turn. Except X Speed reduces the cost by (C) and Leaf by (C)(C).
There are two cards with effects that pertain to Item cards: Alolan Raticate (A3 107) and Vikavolt (A3 065). Alolan Raticate is a (D) Type Stage 1 with an attack for (D)(D). This attack does 50 damage, plus it discards a random Item from the opponent’s hand. Vikavolt is a (L) Type Stage 2 with an attack for (L)(L). This attack does 70 damage, and prevents the opposing player from using Item cards during their next turn.
“Item (Fossil)” is a division you’ll find if you make use of the Search feature in your collection. Though these cards are otherwise Items in the usual way, their effects make them distinct. There are five Item cards: Armor Fossil (A2 145), Dome Fossil (A1 217), Helix Fossil (A1 216), Old Amber (A1 214; A1a 063), and Skull Fossil (A2 144).
Item (Fossil) cards all have an effect that lets them to be put into play as if they were Basic Pokémon. You cannot use this effect during pre-game setup, only during your turn, when you can normally use an Item card or put a Basic Pokémon into play. Similarly, another part of the effect states you can discard an Item (Fossil) card you have in play, at any time during your turn. Though not before you draw, or after you’ve done something (like attacking) that automatically ends your turn.
When put into play via their effect, Item (Fossil) cards count as (C) Type Basic Pokémon with 40 HP. They have no Weakness, no Retreat Cost, no Ability, and no attacks. They cannot retreat. Their text states you can discard them at any time, during your turn. This actually means after you draw, but before you do anything that ends your turn upon resolution (like attacking).
Supporters
037 Total
You may only use one Supporter card during your turn, after you draw but before you do anything that ends your turn (like attacking). Some have additional costs or conditions. As such, they tend to have the strongest effects you’ll find among Trainer cards. After you use a Supporter for the turn, until your next turn, your other Supporters will be dead cards in hand. Barring things like discard costs that could still make use of them. Supporters are about twice as powerful as the equivalent Item card.
For example, Big Malasada (A3 142) and Potion (P-A 001) are healing Items. The former heals 10 damage and removes one Special Condition from one of your Pokémon, with the Special Condition chosen at random if the targeted Pokémon is affected by more than one. Potion heals 20 damage from one of your injured Pokémon. Pokémon Center Lady (A2b 070, 089) is a Supporter who heals 30 damage, plus removes all Special Conditions on the targeted Pokémon.
There are five cards with effects pertaining to Supporters in Pocket: Gengar (A1 122; A3 222), Gengar ex (A1 123, 261, 277; A3 234), Looker (A3a 068, 082), Psyduck (A1 057), and Silvally (A3a 061, 074). Silvally could be considered Supporter “support”. It is a (C) Type, Stage 1 Pokémon with an attack for (C)(C) that does 50 damage, plus another 50 damage if you used a Supporter that turn.
Gengar and Gengar ex are (P) Type, Stage 2 Pokémon. The former has an attack for (P) that does 50 damage, with an effect that prevents your opponent from using Supporters during their next turn. The latter has an Ability that, while Gengar ex is Active, prevents your opponent from using Supporters. Looker is a Supporter that lets you see all Supporter cards in your opponent’s remaining deck. Psyduck is a (W) Type Basic Pokémon. For (C), its attack also prevents the opponent from using Supporters during their next turn, but the attack only does 10 damage.
Tools
007 Total
Pokémon Tools are a kind of Trainer card that can only be played from your hand by attaching them to one of your Pokémon that are already in play. Each Pokémon may only have one Tool attached at a time. Tools remain attached to a Pokémon until that Pokémon leaves play, until the Tool’s own effect says to discard it, or until another card effect says to discard the Tool. This means you can, at most, have four Tools in play at one time.
Some Tools provide an “always on” effect the entire time they are attached. Others will list conditions that will trigger when their effect goes off. I find this makes it tricky to determine if they’re supposed to be more powerful, less powerful, or about as powerful as other Trainers. I believe they are roughly on par with Item cards, and I will explain why by comparing the closest I could come to matching effects.
Giant Cape (A2 147) is a Tool that grants the equipped Pokémon +20 HP. This affects both the card’s current HP, as well as their maximum HP value. As such, it kind of functions like healing 20 damage with Potion. Except it can be used on something that hasn’t taken damage, and there’s a risk of it going away if a card effect that discards Tools is used on it.
Now, look at Big Malasada. It’s an Item that heals 10 damage and removes one Special Condition from one of your Pokémon. Since Potion is also an Item card, this suggests that removing one Special Condition is on par with healing 10 damage, since the two together need to equal the 20 healed by Potion. In turn, this suggests that a hypothetical Item that removed two Special Conditions would be in line with the rest of these.
Functionally, I doubt that would be the case, but what if the Special Condition removal effect was buffed? Enter Lum Berry (A2 149). This Tool removes all Special Conditions on the Pokémon to which it is attached. The catch is that you don’t control when this happens. It’s automatic; at the end of the turn, if the Lum Berry equipped Pokémon has one or more Special Condition, Lum Berry activates, cures the Special Condition(s), and then discards itself.
Disregarding the actual metagame, at least on paper, this seems to preserve the pattern. There’s still a lot of wiggle room, as some effects are better than others when they persist on the field, and the metagame can make something being in play (instead of in the hand) better or worse. Still, I believe I have made my case for assuming this cost relationship between Item cards and Tools. So, let’s move onto the cards with Tool-related effects.
There are six cards with effects that reference Pokémon Tools. Alolan Meowth (A3a 037, 073), Guzma (A3 151, 193, 208), Looker (A3a 068, 082), Rotom (A2 062, 164) and Starly (A2 132) punish the opponent to varying degrees. Pachirisu ex (A2 061, 183, 198) and Skarmory (A2 111; P-A 039) reward Tool usage, though not exactly in a manner I’d really call “Tool support”.
Alolan Meowth is a (D) Type Basic Pokémon. For (D) its attack can discard a random Tool card from your opponent’s hand. Guzma is a Supporter that discards all Tools from your opponent’s side of the field. Looker is a Supporter that reveals all Tools in your opponent’s (remaining) deck; it won’t show you what’s in their hand. Rotom is a (L) Type Basic. For (C), it’s attack does 20 damage, plus 30 if the opposing Active has a Tool attached.
Starly is a (C) Type Basic Pokémon. For (C), it’s attack discards all Tool attached to the Defending Pokémon, then does 20 damage. Pachirisu ex is a Basic (L) Pokémon with an attack for (L)(L) that does 40 damage, plus another 40 if it has a Tool attached to itself. Skarmory is a (M) Type Basic Pokémon with an attack for (M) that does 20 damage, plus 30 if it has a Tool attached to itself.