Pokémon TCG Pocket Trading Unveiled — But Is So Poorly Received the Developers Had to Respond

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket developer Creatures Inc. has finally unveiled how the incoming trading feature will work, but the community response was so poor it had to release a follow-up response.

As expected, and perhaps feared, by the Pokémon TCG Pocket community, there are fairly severe restrictions on the incoming trading mechanic, which still lacks a release date despite being confirmed for January. Creatures Inc. announced these on X/Twitter.

Complaints are headlined by the inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher. This means no ex level alternate art cards can be traded, not in their basic forms, rainbow bordered forms, immersive forms, or gold (Crown rarity) forms.

Creatures Inc. said only “certain cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs will be able to be traded,” though it’s unclear if this solely refers to the 2 Star or higher restriction or if there are further cards banned from trading.

This all but confirms trading will arrive alongside the next full set, however, which is also due in January. Creatures Inc. is likely emphasizing that those new cards cannot be traded upon their release, but will seemingly be opened up to the feature later when it’s less relevant. It also means the often timed exclusive Promo cards cannot be traded.

Other restrictions to trading apply too. Cards can only be traded between friends, which the community has deemed makes sense, and only cards of the same rarity can be traded, which has been accepted too. The last element that’s frustrated many, however, is that “items must be consumed in order to trade.”

It’s unclear what this means exactly. Pokémon TCG Pocket uses Hourglasses to pace certain features including pack opening, wonder picks, and event battles. One booster pack can be opened for free once every 12 hours, and one Pack Hourglass, for example, reduces that amount of time by one hour.

It’s therefore possible Trade Hourglasses will be implemented as an item, essentially restricting how often players can trade without spending real-world money. Another popular theory is that Shinedust, an item considered by many to have little value as it solely changes the visuals of cards, will work for trades too.

Pay Day

This mechanic, alongside the other restrictions, are likely being implemented to encourage (and maintain) player spending, as Pokémon TCG Pocket arrived October 30 and is estimated to have made $200 million in its first month alone.

This huge amount of money comes as the digital TCG follows the standard mobile and free-to-play game model, flooding players with rewards in the first few days before soon drying up, with spending real-world money the only real way to re-experience that early thrill outside of the occasional set drop like Mythical Island.

Completing Genetic Apex, the first set of cards which totals 226 officially but also contains 60 rare alternate art cards, will take players not spending money around two years according to one estimate, while those looking to make it rain can wrap up the collection after dropping around $1,500.

Trading is undeniably a strong addition to Pokémon TCG Pocket that will improve the overall player experience, but fans have complained it’s also fairly clearly being implemented as a means of increasing revenue too. Items being consumed in order to trade certainly alludes to this, as whether it’s Trade Hourglasses or Shinedust or something else, players wanting to trade more regularly than the game deems okay will have to pay real money to do so.

It’s also evidenced in the inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher, which after almost three months of play for dedicated fans, are the majority of cards they are still missing. But making these cards available to trade would be a threat to Creatures Inc.’s revenue; if players could immediately trade for their missing cards, they wouldn’t need to spend $10 or $100 for a random chance of getting them.

As noted by the player who spent $1,500 on completing the first set, it’s these final few pieces that are most difficult to get and thus require the most money spent. The standard $9.99 purchasing option grants 57 PokéGold, an item which can be used to replace any of the Hourglasses otherwise available but at an increased rate. One PokéGold replaces two Pack Hourglasses, for example.

Spending $9.99 therefore lets players open 28 booster packs for a total of 140 cards. Booster packs work in the same as their real-world counterparts, or in digital terms, loot boxes, meaning nothing of (relative) value is guaranteed, never mind the specific card players are looking for.

Pokémon TCG Pocket does offer a mild alternative to finding these cards in the form of Pack Points; players earn five for every pack opened, and these can be exchanged for any card in the set.

Exchanging a 2 Star rarity card costs 1,250 Pack Points, however. This means players must open 250 booster packs in total, or around $220 worth of PokéGold, for a single card. Considering there are 29 different 2 Star rarity cards in the first set alone, plus three 3 Star rarity cards which cost 1,500 Pack Points and three Crown rarity cards which cost 2,500, there are fairly sobering restrictions to this mechanic.

Trading Complaints

Trading was therefore seen as a saving grace for players looking to collect every card (which is encouraged in-game via missions and rewards), but those hopes are all but dashed given Creatures Inc.’s announcement.

“Not being able to trade 2 Star at least really makes me want to drop the game,” said lilgalois on Reddit. “Trash system,” said Ashamed-Teaching6837. “So extra 3 Star cards are just dead cards. What a crock,” said Analogmon.

Social media is full of such complaints, which seemingly grew so excessive that Creatures Inc. had to issue a rare response.

“Thank you, everyone, for your immediate thoughts on this topic,” Creatures Inc. said in a follow-up X/Twitter post. “Your concerns are seen. Once this feature becomes available, I’d like to invite everyone to try it and provide feedback. This way, the game can continue to evolve in an enjoyable way for everyone.” Crucially, Creatures Inc. failed to say it would consider this criticism and aim to make changes.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.