Staple Trainers

G

GamerRay

Aspiring Trainer
Member
My daughter and I got in to the PTCG a few months back with some theme decks, and I'm thrilled that she's stuck with it. I'd like to start expanding our collection and help her build some decks using Pokemon she likes, but are a bit more consistent than the wonky theme decks.

I figure the place to start is to get at least 1 full set of each staple trainer card, but I'm not too sure where to start. I'm not too concerned about the format, but at some point I plan on taking her to a nearby league so I'd like her to have cards that aren't too outdated or too powerful for players who may only have current stuff (i.e. I prefer Pokemon Catcher over Gust).

So what are come common, affordable staples I should be looking out for? And is there a better way to get them other than buying singles? I saw the Red Genesect Collection, and I thought we might get 2 of those to start with.
 
RE: Staple trainers to start buying/hunting?

The Red Genesect Collection is a great pack for getting staple Trainer cards, if you can still find it. Especially with N being essentially out of print, you're better off just getting it from there than hunting down and tearing open NV/ DRX packs and hope you get lucky. Juniper / Sycamore is easier to come by, but since it's used in practically every deck, you won't likely find people who will just give them to you.

These are the "staple Trainers" that are included in almost every competitive deck

Professor Juniper / Sycamore (3-4 copies, you can only have one or the other, but it's the same effect.)
N (3-4 copies, these are pricey but essential)
Colress (1-3 copies)
Lysandre (1-3 copies, depending on deck type)
Ultra Ball (3-4 copies)
Starling Megaphone (1-2 copies)
Computer Search ACE SPEC (A deck can only have one ACE SPEC. This is the most commonly played one, will run you about $10)
Dowsing Machine ACE SPEC (An alternative to Computer Search for slower decks)
Bicycle (1-4 copies, non-Supporter draw)
Muscle Band (3-4 copies)
Switch (2-3 copies)

The next few cards aren't necessarily run in every deck, but are used in commonly played archetypes.
Skyla/ Korrina (2-4 copies, for tool heavy decks. Use Korrina for Fighting decks, Skyla for others)
Hypnotoxic Laser (3-4 copies, used in Garbodor and some Plasma decks)
Virbank City Gym (2-3 copies, used in conjuction with Hypnotoxic Laser)
Roller Skates (4 copies, used in decks with lots of non-draw supporters, such as Pyroar)
Sacred Ash / Super Rod (1 copy, Super Rod is Extended format only)
Rare Candy (3-4 copies, used in Stage 2 decks)
Evosoda (1-3 copies, used in evolution heavy decks)
Float Stone (2-3 copies, used with Garbodor, or any Pokemon with a big retreat cost)
Escape Rope (1-2 copies, tricky card to used, but in the right situation is pretty helpful)
Pokemon Catcher (3-4 copies, Requires a coin flip to work, even though older prints don't say this.)

Most other viable Trainer cards are used specifically in certain decks, so you don't need to worry about them unless you want to build a particular deck. For example, Colress Machine and Plasma Ball are "staples" in a Plasma deck, but useless otherwise. Also, keep in miind that if you have an older print of a card, it's till legal if it was reprinted recently. The Dark Explorers N's from the Red Genesect box, for example, are still legal because N was reprinted as a promo.
 
RE: Staple trainers to start buying/hunting?

I'm not sure you could have answered my question any more perfectly. Thanks so much for that breakdown!
 
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