This week, we’re looking at the rest of the Trainer Supporter cards list we started in the last article. These are all from Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield sets.
Anyway, here’s this week’s list:
Boss’s Orders
Blaine10/10
Non-conditional “gust” effects are mandatory. This is a Supporter, so it is harder to play than Gust of Wind or Pokemon Catcher.
Jose10/10
Gust.
Tony9/10
Gust as a supporter. This is only a 9 because Gust is strictly better. Note that in our format, you can (and probably should) have Boss’s Orders and Lysandre in your deck.
Cynthia
Blaine8/10
Gets you a new hand without discarding any cards. Very good and usually never gets cut. Choose Professor Oak’s New Theory instead if you can only fit one.
Jose7/10
There are so many draw 7 or “draw [your prize count]” cards that sometimes it’s hard to give this card a slot. Usually a filler for me if there isn’t something better. Lower score than Professor Oak’s New Theory since it’s a Trainer.
Tony8/10
A new version of P.O.N.T. This one is a Trainer in addition to being a Supporter, so it’s less good if you’re under Trainer lock.
Gladion
Blaine10/10
If you prize something you need, you must be able to get it. This card is the only card that has that effect. You could consider Hisuian Heavy Ball instead if the only cards you can’t lose are basic Pokémon.
Jose10/10
Auto-include, sometimes that key card is in your prizes, and “at worst” it’s a “pick a card out of 10 cards to add to your hand.”
Tony10/10
In a singleton format, prizing an essential card can sometimes result in an auto-loss. Gladion is essential for making sure you still have a chance in those situations.
Green’s Exploration
Blaine8/10
This card is amazing if you don’t have any (or many) abilities. It is usually a less restrictive version of Teammates.
Jose7/10
This is an awkward card to score. It’s a 10 if you don’t rely on Abilities, but most decks do, and in those decks this is like a 5.
Tony8/10
If you rely on abilities, this has no place in your deck, but most decks can use this supporter which has a pretty powerful effect. It’s worth noting that you can have Pokémon with Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, and Pokémon-Powers and still use this card.
Guzma
Blaine10/10
Non-conditional “gust” effects are mandatory. This is a Supporter, so it is harder to play than Gust of Wind or Pokemon Catcher; however, it allows you to switch in a new Pokemon which can be helpful in a lot of situations.
Jose10/10
Gust
Tony9/10
Guzma? More like GUSTma… amirite? Anyway, Gust + Switch seems pretty good, and it usually is.
Klara
Blaine9/10
This is one of my most recent staples. I always favor discard pile recursion heavily and this can retrieve up to 4 cards total!
Jose8/10
Don’t like having to use a Supporter for recovery, but the flexibility of getting both Pokémon and Energy is pretty nice.
Tony8/10
Good recovery card. Can recover 4 cards to hand if you choose both.
Marnie
Blaine9/10
Decent draw but great disruption. This card could set your opponent back many turns.
Jose9/10
“Shuffle and draw 5” is only OK, but it also comes with a Red Card, disruption is a great effect. Together they make this overall a great card.
Tony9/10
The effect of sending the cards to the bottom of the deck instead of just shuffling them in can be pretty powerful. The amount you draw is decent, and with the possible disruption to your opponent’s hand, this card is worth the slot.
Professor’s Research
Blaine10/10
Every “draw 7” supporter gets played in almost every deck. There is so much discard pile recursion in the format that discarding your hand usually isn’t a problem.
Jose10/10
See other “draw 7” professors.
Tony9/10
Draw 7 cards? Yes, please! Probably worth mentioning that you can run this card in the same deck with Professors Juniper and Sycamore.
Sonia
Blaine3/10
I was running this card in my staples list when it came out but I learned to really dislike it. Since you have to choose all Energy or all Pokémon, it just feels bad to play. Use Roseanne’s Research instead.
Jose6/10
I’d only use this as a filler if I had nothing else I needed. There are better options.
Tony8/10
Versatile.
And that concludes all of the staple Supporter cards from Base Set through Sword & Shield. (Yes, we know there were no Supporters in Base Set, but If we said “from Expedition through Sword & Shield”, it makes it sound like we left some out.)
So what’s in the next article? All that’s left is our staple Pokémon cards. (Yea, yea… all of the cards are Pokémon cards technically, but we didn’t want to say “monster cards” because this isn’t Yu-Gi-Oh!)
After that we’ll take a look at some notable cards from Scarlet & Violet sets that we think are or may become staples. Do you have any suggestions? Because our list is pretty short so far. Comment below or on any of our socials (links below).
Format Staples - Part 8: Colorless Pokémon 
Format Staples - Part 6: Trainer Supporter Cards