Trainer’s Of Rebel Clash

So, with the second Sword and Shield TCG set, Rebel Clash, almost upon us, don’t forget to pre-order your Rebel Clash products on Bath TCG, let’s have a look at some of the new cards coming with the set. To start we’ll be looking at all the Trainer’s and Special Energy from the set.

Though we have a lot of help for nugget with the Oranguru in Sword & Shield base set and Magcargo to set our deck for next turn to draw the nugget. We also have a major disadvantage in the form of Marnie which is very common in many decks and will change your top deck for next turn.

Tool Scrapper – Item

Discard up to 2 Pokemon Tools from either player’s Pokemon

This is our first reprint from this set and it may not be needed as much as it was needed before as it was in a format with the Garbodor that if it had a tool attached stopped all other Pokemon abilities. Though it can still be used this format as may decks use a Jirachi escape board combo and with many decks including damage reducing/health increasing tools such as metal frying pan and big charm being used to escape OHKOs. I can see many uses of Tool Scrapper and can see it being at least a one of in many decks.

Cursed Shovel – Tool

If the Pokemon this Tool is attached to is Knocked Out by damage from an opponent’s attack, discard the top 2 cards of your opponent’s deck.

Cursed Shovel is a tool most at home in mill decks and can be used with Lillie’s Poke doll and the new Palossand from this set. But with ways to get around it like the new Boss’s Orders, which we’ll get to later, and the previously mentioned Tool Scrapper, this card probably won’t be see tons of play.

Full Bucket – Item

Search your deck for 2 [W] Energy, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

Were you disappointed with Frosmoth last set this item could turn that deck around, this card is in the same vein as Professors Letter but just for water energy. This is a very welcome addition to all water decks but I’m still not convinced that this one card will make Frosmoth decks top tier decks though I would happily be proved wrong.

Burning Scarf – Tool

If the [R] Pokemon this card is attached to is your Active Pokemon and is damaged by an opponent’s attack, the Attacking Pokemon is now Burned.

Burning Scarf is entering a format where fire decks already have many very good cards in their arsenal, and this feel like a card which can be easily avoided and doesn’t have a huge impact on the game.

Boss’s Orders – Supporter

Choose 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon and switch it with their Active Pokemon.

A brilliant card and a must have in almost all if not all decks. Boss’s Orders is a spiritual reprint of Lysandre and can help you knock out the Pokemon you want from your opponent’s bench, even if it uses your supporter for turn this supporter will often be a game winner.  

Dan – Supporter

Draw 2 cards. Play Rock-Paper-Scissors with your opponent. If you win, draw 2 more cards.

No just no, don’t play this card it’s a draw 3 card on average, but even if you win you draw 4 cards. Though it’ll be fun to play rock-paper-scissors at a regional and you’ll gain the respect of your opponent and players around you, unfortunately it’s not worth it.

Milo – Supporter

Discard up to 2 cards from your hand. Then draw twice as many cards as you discarded.

Another possibly draw 4 card this time more dictated by you and not fate, though still not good might see some play in some decks which require the early discard of specific cards. But we have Professor’s Research which is a superior alternative to Milo.

Oleana – Supporter

Discard 2 cards from your hand in order to play this card.

Your opponent reveals their hand. Choose a Trainer you find there and put it at the bottom of your opponent’s deck.

Oleana is a card which I think is borderline terrible as you discard 2 cards and just slow your opponent down for a turn if you’re lucky and they don’t have multiple key trainer cards in their hand and you put it back in their deck rather than discarding it. I believe Mars is a much better card even if it is a random choice of card just because you discard that card.

Skyla – Supporter

Search your deck for a Trainer card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

Skyla is back and I welcome her return this card is a brilliant aid for stage 2 decks to get rare candies and ways to get evolution Pokemon when you want them. This card also allows decks to contain one off item techs while allowing the player ease of access to get them when they want them.

Sonia – Supporter

Search your deck for up to 2 Basic Pokemon or up to 2 Basic Energy, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

Unfortunately, Sonia is a sufferer of the turn 1 rule change which stops player 1 from playing any supporters on their first turn. Though it does have later game possibility 2 energy for a supporter use is not an effective use of a supporter majority of the time.

Galar Mine – Stadium

The Retreat Cost of each Active Pokemon (both yours and your opponent’s) is [C][C] more.

Initially this card seems to only have a place in stall, which it will be effective in, but also in this set we have Milotic V which does 50 more damage per Retreat Cost of the Opponent’s Active Pokemon whether Milotic V will be good or not is a discussion for another day. Another use is to stop the Jirachi and escape board combo though I believe an Absol would be a safer option.

Training Court – Stadium

Once during each player’s turn, that player may choose a basic Energy card from their discard pile, reveal it, and put it into their hand.

Training Court is another card where it is trying to replace a card which is better than it in most situations and Viridian Forest is such a card, the only time Training Court is better than Viridian is when you have no energy remaining in your deck. Viridian Forest is better early and mid-game because you might not have energy in your discard yet and Viridian allows you to thin you deck.

Turrfield – Stadium

Once during each player’s turn, that player may search their deck for a [G] Evolution Pokemon, reveal it, and put it into their hand. Then, that player shuffles their deck.

Turrfield is perfect support for grass decks we already have grass basic support in the form of Net Ball this aids grass evolutions and gives grass decks the best chance to have one off stage 1 and stage 2 lines.

Twin Energy – Special Energy

This card provides 2 [C] Energy.

If this card is attached to a Pokemon V or Pokemon GX, this card provides 1 [C] Energy instead.

This is another assistance piece for non-GX and non-V decks, it’s almost like Double Colourless Energy is back. Though not many Pokemon require two colourless energy to attack and the ones which do don’t look very promising for the current format. But keep this card in mind for future sets.

Speed Lighting Energy – Special Energy

This card provides 1 [L] Energy while it’s attached to a Pokemon.

When you attach this card from your hand to an [L] Pokemon, draw 2 cards.

This special energy can aid lightning decks such as PikaRom which sometimes struggle with obtaining all the cards they require to properly set up. Though it won’t be a four of in many lightning decks considering it doesn’t synergise with Tapu Koko (Prism Star).

Horror Psychic Energy – Special Energy

This card provides 1 [P] Energy while it’s attached to a Pokemon.

When the [P] Pokemon this card is attached to is your Active Pokemon and is damaged by an opponent’s attack, put 2 damage counters on the Attacking Pokemon.

Horror Energy is a way for psychic Pokemon to get even more damage counters on their opponent’s Pokemon this won’t be played by lots of psychic decks immediately as it tends to pair well with high HP Pokemon and doesn’t work with Malamar the engine of a lot of psychic Pokemon.

Capture Energy – Special Energy  

This card provides [C] Energy only while attached to a Pokemon.

When attaching this card from your hand to 1 of your Pokemon, search your deck for a Basic Pokemon and put it on your Bench. Then, shuffle your deck.

Quite a good card for some niche cases but is only really for decks with a low Pokemon count, decks which require lots of stage 1’s or stage 2’s or evolution decks that only need colourless energy attachments. Which all will happily use Capture Energy, but this list is small.