News 'Sun & Moon Trainer Kit' to Feature Alolan Raichu and Lycanroc!

jessalakasam

Floette is love Floette is life
Member
I'm badly Hoping these decks have powerful cards like Seekers or Elixer but I doubt it, who knows though maybe the promos themselves will be good
 

Apterous

Aspiring Trainer
Member
The trainer kits are always extremely bad and have a minimal amount of trainer cards and usable pokemon, period. Pikachu Libre/Suicune came with 3 Tierno and 2 potions.
 

jessalakasam

Floette is love Floette is life
Member
The trainer kits are always extremely bad and have a minimal amount of trainer cards and usable pokemon, period. Pikachu Libre/Suicune came with 3 Tierno and 2 potions.
Really? Those were the only trainers? I don't understand why they waste time on these they're honestly worse than theme decks IMO
 

RiverShock

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Trainer Kits would serve a purpose if they actually resembled proper decks. Not having enough trainers makes them HORRIBLE teaching tools. (Even Theme Decks are a LOT better in this regard...) Only the HGSS and BW ones had a decent array of Trainers. (Though the BW Trainer Kit suffered from unbalanced Pokemon. Excadrill is by far the best card in either deck, and hits the other deck for weakness as well, though I guess this doesn't matter much for the guided-duels that Trainer Kits are kinda intended for, not that I think many people go through them.) The last couple in particular (the Latias/Latios one and the Pikachu Libre/Suicune one) were terrible.

If you're going to teach people how to play the game, you need to include more trainers and less Pokemon. "Run every Pokemon you can and don't worry about Trainers" is not a good precedent to set for new players. They should be encouraged to look at their options. Considering the only options for most of the Pokemon typical of Trainer Kits is attach energy to your active Pokemon and use its highest-damaging attack, it's not a very good way to learn the game. (They're too linear. There's never a point where you have an option of what to do. I know they're guided duels, but they could at least have multiple things you could've done even if you're forced into a specific choice, to get players to think about potential plays in the future.)

I wonder if the "great game tips" are any use to new players. I'm guessing it's just the simple "don't run too many types" type stuff. Either way, it's obviously a throw-away line that doesn't really mean anything.
 

Starsoulklr

'Rolling around at the speed of sound'
Member
*sigh* most likely going to have nothing at all in it. Anyone remember when they would print Promo Trainer cards like Trevor in these or really crazy good ones like Pokemon Collector? Nope put in minimum healing and the draw three cards Trainer cards and we'll call it a day.

They should at least put in some simple but useful Trainer cards at least include Switch for goodness sake.
 

BraviaryBoi

Anonymus
Member
Trainer kits are pointless because they don't teach ppl how to play the game even tho that's the heir goals lmao​
 

signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Trainer kits are pointless because they don't teach ppl how to WIN the game even tho that's NOT the heir goals lmao​

Fixed
Trainer Kits would serve a purpose if they actually resembled proper decks. Not having enough trainers makes them HORRIBLE teaching tools. (Even Theme Decks are a LOT better in this regard...) Only the HGSS and BW ones had a decent array of Trainers. (Though the BW Trainer Kit suffered from unbalanced Pokemon. Excadrill is by far the best card in either deck, and hits the other deck for weakness as well, though I guess this doesn't matter much for the guided-duels that Trainer Kits are kinda intended for, not that I think many people go through them.) The last couple in particular (the Latias/Latios one and the Pikachu Libre/Suicune one) were terrible.

If you're going to teach people how to play the game, you need to include more trainers and less Pokemon. "Run every Pokemon you can and don't worry about Trainers" is not a good precedent to set for new players. They should be encouraged to look at their options. Considering the only options for most of the Pokemon typical of Trainer Kits is attach energy to your active Pokemon and use its highest-damaging attack, it's not a very good way to learn the game. (They're too linear. There's never a point where you have an option of what to do. I know they're guided duels, but they could at least have multiple things you could've done even if you're forced into a specific choice, to get players to think about potential plays in the future.)

I wonder if the "great game tips" are any use to new players. I'm guessing it's just the simple "don't run too many types" type stuff. Either way, it's obviously a throw-away line that doesn't really mean anything.

I find it funny how some of you say this product should have this or that, while its main purpose is to teach new players how to play after they still don't get it, after reading the rules sheet on the back of the theme deck playmats.

This is simply a hands on approach to learning how to play. Note that it does not teach you how to beat a competitive player, that you have to find out on your own.

I remember there were these MTG starter games, or core games, which is similar to trainer kits. The cards were vanilla, and the decks sucked, but I sure learned how to play MTG with them. It wasn't like I used them, and I still don't know how to play MTG. A product like that would fail, if I bought it, followed the tutorial, and still have no idea how to play the game. Sure it didn't have threshold, or flashback, or morph or those block expansion mechanics at the time, but you were supposed to learn those later.

For trainer kits, attach energy to pokemon, attack with pokemon, use trainers that do basic things, and the turn structure is all this product needs to teach. The rest, they can learn with other products. The worst thing this product could do is have a bunch of trainers, and the person using it says "I don't get it".
 
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signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I meant what I said

If a new guy comes in, uses the trainer kit, and comes out knowing how to play the game, then it isn't pointless now is it. It would only be pointless if a new player with 0 experience with the game uses this product, and still doesn't get how to play, and I don't mean losing a lot of games, I mean getting the rules wrong, or squinting at the card figuring out what everything means.

How to play =/= how to win, hence why I fixed your post.
 

jessalakasam

Floette is love Floette is life
Member
If a new guy comes in, uses the trainer kit, and comes out knowing how to play the game, then it isn't pointless now is it. It would only be pointless if a new player with 0 experience with the game uses this product, and still doesn't get how to play, and I don't mean losing a lot of games, I mean getting the rules wrong, or squinting at the card figuring out what everything means.

How to play =/= how to win, hence why I fixed your post.
But what's the point when it teaches you much less than Theme decks :/
 

RiverShock

Aspiring Trainer
Member
The composition of the deck is itself a teaching component. These decks are so poorly constructed that they set a bad example for when the kid wants to build their own deck. Realistically, you should be cramming how important Trainers are down their THROATS. Not just "Ok, on turn 5, play a Potion and don't use another Trainer ever".
 

chella182

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Though the BW Trainer Kit suffered from unbalanced Pokemon. Excadrill is by far the best card in either deck, and hits the other deck for weakness as well
Won't Lycanroc be hitting Raichu for a Weakness also? Assuming Raichu is a Lightning and not Psychic. I guess Weakness (and Resistance) is a big part of the game though, so new players would need to understand it.

*sigh* most likely going to have nothing at all in it. Anyone remember when they would print Promo Trainer cards like Trevor in these or really crazy good ones like Pokemon Collector? Nope put in minimum healing and the draw three cards Trainer cards and we'll call it a day.
I believe Trevor was released in a Battle Arena deck, not a Trainer Kit. The last few Battle Arena decks have been 100% better than these things for actual players of the game.

I do agree that these products are pretty useless overall, but they're not intended to be bought by actual players of the game I don't think; they are meant purely a learning tool to get people used to the sequencing of a turn etc. While they don't teach actual competitive strategy, again I don't think they're supposed to. If people play with these kits and enjoy it, then they can move on to turning up at a league and watching experienced players to learn about how the competitive game works (which is, imo, the best and fastest way to learn what's good and what's not).
 

Loaf of Slakoth

BREAD is loafing around!
Member
I'm not sure how to put in a "<username> said:<quote>" thing, but maybe like this?
The last couple in particular (the Latias/Latios one and the Pikachu Libre/Suicune one) were terrible.
I highly disagree that this would affect them. As stated earlier in your post, the HGSS and BW ones were better, and Sun and Moon is an entirely new expansion. It COULD follow the trend from XY, but considering that the theme decks come with Sun and Moon's EX equivalent, Pokémon-EX. And the previous posts seem to agree that theme decks are also bad( I agree) but the Sun and Moon theme decks might indicate how good the Trainer Kits are.

I'm not saying they'll be good either, but just that many people posting here are not taking into consideration that we're not in XY anymore.
 

PIXELMAGE

Pokemon and Anime Loving Memelord
Member
Personally, Pokemon should just scrap the trainer decks and make an official guide on playing the game, in a book-like format. This book could give thorough information for beginners on the basics and simple strategies and offer more complex strategies and rulings for more experienced players
 

signofzeta

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Personally, Pokemon should just scrap the trainer decks and make an official guide on playing the game, in a book-like format. This book could give thorough information for beginners on the basics and simple strategies and offer more complex strategies and rulings for more experienced players

Some people learn through a hands on approach, and not everyone has someone nearby who already knows how to play.

There were times when I read the rules to a board game, and I still didn't get it, and I had to get someone who knew the game to teach me. MTG also had a product similar to this, that I wish they brought back. The worst thing is reading a bunch of text, and still don't get it. Considering how Pokemon TCG is so simple to learn, the trainer kit isn't necessary, but you may never know. There could be someone out there who still doesn't get it after reading the rules sheet.

Trainer kits are nothing more than a hands on approach to reading the rules sheet. If a new player reads the rules and gets it, then there is no need for a trainer kit. If a new player doesn't get it, then a trainer kit helps.

Theme decks are NOT designed as examples on how to build a deck. They are supposed to be a base point for new players to improve the deck on. If theme decks were built with the competitive template in mind, new players would buy their decks, not build them.

Here's the important thing to say. Not every single product is designed with you in mind.
 

PIXELMAGE

Pokemon and Anime Loving Memelord
Member
Personally, Pokemon should just scrap the trainer decks and make an official guide on playing the game, in a book-like format. This book could give thorough information for beginners on the basics and simple strategies and offer more complex strategies and rulings for more experienced players
I would spend a hundred dollars for a book that went into "smogon U" detail into the ptcg... However, Pokemon
Yeah I understand that. Personally I like words and numbers (I am quite an analytical person) so a huge 1000 page book which underlines every strategy, ruling, and card would work best for me. I love information!
 

Mr. Rhyperior

The Drill Pokemon. An evolve form of Rhydon.
Member
another addition to the collection but Lycanroc and Surfing Raichu will become "low" in the meta
 
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