Supporter card (TCG)

Supporter cards (Japanese: サポート Support; also known as サポーター Supporter prior to the expansion) are one of the four primary subclasses of s in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, alongside s, s, and s. Supporter cards depict and feature people; generally, these are characters from the Pokémon games and Pokémon animation such as Gym Leaders and es, though many are exclusive characters featured within the many themes created for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Supporter cards are color-coded as orange, as shown on the name of the card type and the card's infobox.
Supporter cards debuted in English in the with the start of the e-Card Series, and within the during the Web Era in Japan. Originating as a subclass of s, Supporter cards, as well as s, were elevated to equal level as Trainer cards with the start of the Diamond & Pearl Series. When the Trainer cards of Generation IV were reclassified as s, the term "Trainer card" became an overarching term, while Supporter and Stadium cards joined Item cards and returned to subclasses of Trainer cards. Generally, Supporter cards have stronger effects than Item cards, or have effects that are unique to this card type.
Players are allowed to play only 1 Supporter card during their turn (unless a card allows them to play more). When they were first introduced, most Supporters were to be played next to the player's Active Pokémon and discarded at the end of that player's turn. The only supporter not to be discarded was , who returned to the hand instead. With the release of the expansion, this practice was changed, and Supporters were to be discarded directly after being played. This was to allow players to retrieve Supporter cards from the discard pile during the same turn if they wished. Beginning with the Sword & Shield series, the player who goes first cannot play a Supporter card on their first turn.Changes Coming to the Pokémon TCG with Sword & Shield - Pokémon.com (accessed January 9, 2020) There are currently different , though many have received multiple prints.
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==Information==
As the characters of the games and Pokémon animation change periodically, it is not uncommon for various Supporter cards from different generations to share the same effects: for example, both the Generation III EX Series Supporter and the Generation V Black & White Series Supporter share the same effect. In most cases, Supporter cards with different names that have the same effect can be played together, allowing a deck to have more than four cards that have the same effect. However, the cards , , Professor's Research, , and Boss's Orders have effects that are too powerful for a deck to be able to have more than four instances of their effect.Favorite Pokémon TCG Cards of the Galar Era from Tord Reklev, Jason Klaczynski, Michael Pramawat, Ross Cawthon, and Mike Martin, Mike Martin for Pokémon.com These cards have specific rules preventing them from being played in the same deck as a card with an identical effect.Sword & Shield—Rebel Clash Banned List and Rule Changes Announcement The cards Professor's Research and Boss's Orders were created to allow for the effect to be themed to multiple characters without creating new cards with new names that would fall under this rule.Changes Coming to the Pokémon TCG with Sword & Shield On Professor's Research and Boss's Orders, the name of the character featured on the card can be found to the left of the card name, in a smaller and lighter font.
A feature started from the Black & White Series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game onward is that popular Supporter cards are reprinted as s. Other than Full Art cards, Supporter cards typically do not receive alternate artworks. Occasionally, when the card is reprinted in a completely different Series or is reprinted and released through a special promotion, it may receive an alternate artwork.
===TAG TEAM Supporters===
 Supporter Cards were introduced in the Cosmic Eclipse set of 2019. These cards feature two characters from the Pokémon franchise instead of the normal one and have distinctive yellow patterns around the upper left and lower right borders of the card. TAG TEAM Supporter Cards act the same way as normal Supporter cards, but they have an optional second effect. The second effect can only be used if the player discards a certain number of cards from their hand as a cost.
==List of Supporter cards==
===Japanese cards===
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==References==
Category:Trainer card classifications
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fr:Carte Supporter
it:Carta Aiuto (GCC)
zh:支援者卡（TCG）