The 2024 Pokemon World Championships closing ceremony brought numerous announcements, the most exciting of which belonged to the TCG. The return of Trainer’s Pokemon was confirmed for 2025 in a gorgeously animated, detail-rich trailer.
Trainer’s Pokemon, sometimes referred to as Owner’s Pokemon, were first introduced to the TCG in the Gym Heroes set. These Pokemon are owned by different Gym Leaders or Team Rocket, and as such are meant to work together in gameplay even if their types don’t all match. While many of these cards depict Pokemon the Trainers own the video games, such as Brock’s Onix and Lt. Surge’s Raichu, other cards take a more liberal approach. Some are inspired by the anime, such as with Brock’s Vulpix and Zubat, while others are entirely unique to the TCG, like Erika’s Dratini, Lt. Surge’s Fearow, and even Blaine’s Moltres.
