Introduction to GLC

GLC Overview

Last Update: December 2023 - Paradox Rift

Greetings trainer! Welcome to the world of Gym Leader Challenge (GLC). GLC is a singleton Pokémon Trading Card Game format that is ripe with possibilities and strategies to explore. The rules of Gym Leader Challenge are simple:

  • Only one of each card with the same name per deck (except Basic Energy)

  • No Rule Box cards or ACE SPEC cards

  • Only one type (color) of Pokémon per deck

  • Cards printed from Black & White–on

  • No cards on the Ban List

However, mastering the format is no easy task. In GLC, resources are limited, which makes deck building and skillful in-game decisions critical to victory. Gym Leader Challenge is a rewarding gameplay experience that will have you wanting to refine your deck and battle again and again!

Unlike Standard Format, the largest barrier to entry for Gym Leader Challenge isn’t the cost of the deck. In fact, most Gym Leader Challenge decks can be obtained for less money than an Elite Trainer Box! (No, seriously). The biggest barrier to entry for GLC is card knowledge. The legal card pool for GLC includes all cards from 2011’s Black and White through the most recent Pokémon TCG expansions! That’s thousands of cards to consider! My goal in writing this article is to make it easier for players to learn about some of the best cards and strategies in Gym Leader Challenge. Let’s get started!

The Staples

    • Arven

    • Avery

    • Ball Guy

    • Bird Keeper

    • Boss’s Orders (or Lysandre)

    • Brigette

    • Clavell

    • Colress

    • Colress’s Experiment

    • Cynthia

    • Cynthia & Caitlin

    • Erika’s Hospitality

    • Gladion

    • Gloria

    • Green’s Exploration

    • Guzma

    • Guzma & Hala

    • Hex Maniac

    • Iono

    • Klara

    • Lusamine

    • Marnie

    • Mela

    • N

    • Peonia

    • Peony

    • Professor’s Research (or Professor Juniper/Sycamore)

    • Raihan

    • Rosa

    • Tate & Liza

    • Teammates

    • Wally

    • Acro Bike

    • Battle Compressor

    • Battle VIP Pass

    • Bicycle

    • Escape Rope

    • Evolution Incense

    • Evosoda

    • Field Blower

    • Heavy Ball

    • Hisuian Heavy Ball

    • Level Ball

    • Nest Ball

    • Ordinary Rod

    • Pal Pad

    • Pokégear 3.0

    • Professor’s Letter

    • Quick Ball

    • Rare Candy

    • Rescue Stretcher

    • Revive

    • Scoop Up Net

    • Special Charge

    • Super Rod

    • Tag Call

    • Timer Ball

    • Town Map

    • Trainers’ Mail

    • Ultra Ball

    • VS Seeker

    • Air Balloon

    • Bravery Charm

    • Cape of Toughness

    • Fighting Fury Belt

    • Float Stone

    • Luxurious Cape

    • Muscle Band

    • Pot Helmet

    • Technical Machine: Evolution

    • Technical Machine: Turbo Energize

    • U-Turn Board

    • Artazon

    • Chaotic Swell

    • Jubilife Village

    • Lost City

    • Parallel City

    • PokéStop

    • Silent Lab

    • Town Store

    • Training Court

    • Tropical Beach

    • Viridian Forest

    • Aurora Energy

    • Capture Energy

    • Counter Energy

    • Double Colorless Energy

    • Double Turbo Energy

    • Draw Energy

    • Gift Energy

    • Jet Energy

    • Prism Energy

    • Rainbow Energy

    • Recycle Energy

    • Reversal Energy

    • Therapeutic Energy

    • Triple Acceleration Energy

    • Twin Energy

    • Warp Energy

    • Weakness Guard Energy

Trainers/Energy by Pokémon Type

The Supporters and Items listed above are cards you might find in any Gym Leader Challenge deck, but some Trainer cards are only good in certain types of decks! Here are some Trainers and Energy that benefit only specific types of Pokémon.

    • Aether Paradise Conservation Area

    • Blend Energy [GRPD]

    • Gardenia

    • Gardenia’s Vigor

    • Net Ball

    • Revitalizer

    • Turffield Stadium

    • Unit Energy [GRW]

    • Aqua Patch

    • Blend Energy [WFLM]

    • Brooklet Hill

    • Capacious Bucket

    • Dive Ball

    • Irida

    • Nessa

    • Rough Seas

    • Splash Energy

    • Unit Energy [GRW]

    • Blend Energy [GRPD]

    • Dimension Valley

    • Fog Crystal

    • Horror [P] Energy

    • Mysterious Treasure

    • Mystery Energy

    • Old Cemetery

    • Spell Tag

    • Tulip

    • Unit Energy [LPM]

    • Aspertia City Gym

    • Cheren’s Care

    • Powerful [C] Energy

    • Winona

    • Adaman

    • Blend Energy [WFLM]

    • Metal Frying Pan

    • Metal Goggles

    • Metal Saucer

    • Mt. Coronet

    • Reverse Valley

    • Shield Energy

    • Unit Energy [LPM]

    • Blacksmith

    • Blend Energy [GRPD]

    • Burning Energy

    • Fire Crystal

    • Giant Hearth

    • Kindler

    • Magma Basin

    • Mela

    • Scorched Earth

    • Unit Energy [GRW]

    • Welder

    • Aether Paradise Conservation Area

    • Blend Energy [WFLM]

    • Electric Generator

    • Electropower

    • Speed [L] Energy

    • Stormy Mountains

    • Unit Energy [LPM]

    • Volkner

    • Blend Energy [WFLM]

    • Brooklet Hill

    • Focus Sash

    • Grant

    • Gutsy Pickaxe

    • Karate Belt

    • Korrina

    • Martial Arts Dojo

    • Scorched Earth

    • Stone [F] Energy

    • Strong Energy

    • Unit Energy [FDY]

    • Blend Energy [GRPD]

    • Dark Claw

    • Dark Patch

    • Devoured Field

    • Piers

    • Reverse Valley

    • Unit Energy [FDY]

    • Crystal Cave

    • Double Dragon Energy

    • Lance

    • Mela

    • Mysterious Treasure

    • Stormy Mountains

    • Zinnia

Sample Decks

Building your own deck is an amazing part of the Gym Leader Challenge experience, but not totally required to enjoy the intricate gameplay that GLC has to offer. Ultimately, your Gym Leader Challenge adventure can be as creative and unique as you want it to be! One of the most fun things you could do is stop reading right here, get a couple friends together and start building decks using the ruleset I’ve laid out so far with no spoilers. The sense of discovery in Gym Leader Challenge is part of the fun!

There is also something to be said for getting up to speed quickly, especially if you are trying to be competitive in Gym Leader Challenge. In the pages linked below, you’ll find my picks for the top Pokémon in each type with some example deck lists featuring them. Each of these lists is a good starting point, but should absolutely be changed and improved upon to your liking! Don’t settle here! Get to know your favorite type and feel free to play your favorite cards. That’s what it’s all about!

Decklists in the GLC Guide are updated at least every other set. At the top of the page is the last update to the guide (date and set). Featured Pokémon and staples are updated every set. For more decklists, make sure to join the Tricky Gym Discord!

Choose Your Type

About Fairy Type:

Fairy Type

While Fairy is not banned from Gym Leader Challenge, it has been officially discontinued from the TCG. It is at a large disadvantage compared to every other type due to the fact it has two blocks less of cards to work with, and is no longer being printed. Due to this, it will not be included in the guide. Bold trainers who are still interested in Fairy can see some examples from online tournaments here.

You would think that being limited to a single copy of each card would make GLC decks inconsistent, but that is not the case! There are hundreds of Supporters to choose from and countless Items to help you execute your strategy consistently.

Before we dive in here, I want to acknowledge that looking at lists of cards can be a little intimidating, especially if you don't know what they all do. One of my favorite things to do is scroll through pkmncards.com and browse cards at my leisure! The website, developed by Adam Capriola, is an incredible Pokémon TCG database with excellent advanced search functions that will allow you to find the exact card you need for any situation. I cannot express how essential Adam's pkmncards.com is to the GLC experience. If you haven't used it yet, you're truly missing out!

That being said, if you don't wanna dig through every Trainer ever printed to find the good ones, here is a list of some of the most powerful Trainer cards that you are likely to encounter in Gym Leader Challenge.