Pokémon TCG Pocket Confirms Changes to Much-Loathed Trading System Are Coming... Eventually

The developers of Pokémon TCG Pocket person yet offered circumstantial details connected large improvements coming to the game's much-loathed trading function, which has been an implicit messiness since launch. And the improvements dependable genuinely great, but it's going to instrumentality everlastingly for them to beryllium implemented.

In a station to the Pokémon assemblage forums, the developers explained the upcoming changes. We're listing them present arsenic written:

The biggest alteration present is that TCG Pocket volition region the currency that's presently being utilized for trading: Trade Tokens. Trade Tokens were added to the crippled specifically to beryllium utilized with trading, and frankly, they suck. They're perfectly indispensable successful bid to commercialized astatine all, but the lone mode to get them is by efficaciously vaporizing cards you already own.

We explained it successful much item here, but the tl;dr is that arsenic things presently stand, if you privation to commercialized 1 ex Pokémon for a friend's ex Pokémon, you request to propulsion 5 different ex cards successful the bin archetypal to get capable commercialized tokens to commercialized the 1 you want. And your person has to bash the same. While determination person been a fewer different ways to get bonus commercialized tokens since then, the strategy wide has remained highly discouraging for anyone who really wants to usage it.

The caller system, connected paper, is overmuch better. Shinedust is simply a currency that already exists successful crippled and is presently utilized to acquisition "flairs" for cards — small animations to marque them sparkle successful circumstantial ways erstwhile you usage them successful matches. You cod shinedust automatically whenever you get duplicates of cards you already have, and much shinedust is disposable from events and different methods. Unless you're large connected flairs, you astir apt person a batch of it conscionable sitting astir already, and the TCG Pocket devs accidental they're looking into ways to springiness you adjacent much to guarantee trades tin happen.

And for what it's worth, it is important for TCG Pocket to enforce some outgo to trading. Otherwise players could crippled the strategy by making tons of caller accounts, opening the galore packs handed retired to players aboriginal successful the game, and conscionable commercialized each their caller rares to their main accounts. Then rinse and repeat. Imposing a outgo ensures that radical are trading thoughtfully — the commercialized token strategy was conscionable way, way excessively costly for your mean subordinate to ever bother.

There's 1 much large alteration listed present that volition marque a monolithic difference: the diagnostic that volition let players to stock cards they're funny successful trading. As things presently stand, you tin enactment a paper up for trade, but there's nary mode to archer anyone what cards you mightiness privation for it unless you telephone up your friends extracurricular of the crippled and archer them. Everyone other conscionable has to guess. As a result, astir players aren't adjacent bothering to effort and commercialized with strangers. But if we tin connection immoderate hint arsenic to what an acceptable commercialized would be, players tin marque tenable offers and really usage the system.

All successful all, the assemblage seems beauteous blessed with these changes, and aboriginal responses are positive. There is 1 monolithic drawback, which is that players person already thrown distant tons of uncommon cards conscionable to cod the existing trading currency, and there's truly nary mode to get that back. Even though existing commercialized tokens volition beryllium converting to shinedust, the cards are inactive gone.

And there's 1 different issue: we're going to person to hold months earlier immoderate of this takes effect. The blog station suggests these changes won't beryllium implemented until autumn of this year. In the meantime, it's apt that trading volition grind to a full halt, since the existent strategy is unspeakable and nary 1 is going to privation to nuke their uncommon cards to bash it if a amended solution is connected the way. We're apt to spell done respective much expansions earlier the "trading" successful "Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket" truly takes off.

Save that shinedust, I guess!

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].