Brace yourselves, Pokémon TCG Pocket players! Arguably the biggest set of updates in the game’s history will land at the end of October 2026 to mark the debut of the C1 expansion, and they will completely change how we play this mobile trading card game. That’s not all: the C2 expansion will also bring new card effects with its arrival in mid-December.
The TCG Pocket devs, DeNA, reported a shocking decline in the player base a couple of months back, and it looks like they are finally locked in to reinstate glory.
Let’s clock all the details and contemplate what’s in store!
Until now, all new booster packs have been released with a gap of around a month between them. While this kept the game fresh, it also played spoilsport for the set-collecting goals of players, especially F2P. With major expansions typically featuring a huge haul of cards (easily 100+), players would be left with gaps in their cards collected before FOMO would set in for the new pack. As a result, many sets have remained incomplete for countless players, while also posing a challenge to grab their chase card.
Now, instead of the frustrating four-week cycle, new sets will be released at a frequency of roughly six weeks, giving players two more weeks than usual to catch ’em all! Honestly, this is a welcome change. Completing all the cards and securing desired Immersives and Rainbow Rares from major expansions is nightmarish even for those who pay and/or have the Premium Pass. And if you’re lucky enough to complete your collecting goals within a short span, you can use the remaining time to catch up on older sets. Huge W!
Immersive cards from missions
Apart from the Immersive cards found in booster packs, players will also find different Immersive cards from completing missions! In fact, a Pikachu ex Immersive card will be obtained from the Pika Pika! Pikachi missions starting on October 20, 2026. This Immersive is a counterpart to the Pikachu ex from the Shining Revelry set and is inspired by the new FUR rarity Mew and Mewtwo cards found in the 30th Celebration set of the physical TCG.
Special Pack: First Partners debuts
A new Special Pack: First Partners will be available in TCG Pocket, which will contain cards featuring the first partner Pokémon (Starters) from each of the nine regions! However, unlike normal booster packs, these First Partners packs can only be opened using special pack stamina that resets once a week.
Piplup ex and Fuecoco ex are the first starters to grace this feature, and both look great for the meta! If this trend continues, then these first partner cards would be loved by both collectors and battlers alike.
Introducing ★1 Promo cards
Event missions will be held, from which you can obtain ★1 Promo cards. These special Promos will showcase unique illustrations in a unified theme. Missions will be added each week for three weeks, and completing each set will allow you to obtain one of three varieties of illustrated Promo cards available.
A unique collecting theme with unique illustrations? Yessir! More importantly, players will have something to look forward to each week, helping remove monotonicity.
Community Decks
New features such as theme deck lists and 2D pattern codes are already available to assist players in building decks. Next, a new Community Decks feature will be included as an additional way to make deck-building even more accessible.
This feature will let you view player-created decks in-game, such as decks that are popular among players or your friends’ decks, then use your own cards to copy them. Since it allows you to easily build decks, it is excellent for both current players and those who have just started battling. For those struggling to keep up with the meta, this is a great addition. Expect Ranked to become more competitive with better quality of decks all around!
Rental decks are better than ever
Players have slammed rental decks with feedback talking about how they are obtained and their number of uses. Also, the sheer number of rental decks available made it difficult to know which to use.
To help even more players experience the appeal of cards, beginning in the new series, rental decks will become available to use as soon as new booster packs have been released, and they will be playable for an unlimited number of uses. In addition, they will also become available for use in versus battles. Wow, so we don’t have to wait to pulls meta-relevant cards and then dive into the new Ranked season? Bring it on!
Addition of limited battle events
Battle events with rules limiting eligible cards to use will be held for a set period after each booster pack’s release. With these, you can obtain accessories to use in battle, promo packs, and more based on your number of wins. The aim is to allow players to enjoy a unique battle experience using different decks than they usually would, while also being easy to participate in for players who have yet to experience battling.
Once again, a great way to generate more interest in the game, moving away from the mundane style of playthrough by having something dynamic to look forward to. This is literally a case of rewarding you for the more you play, something that was missing previously.
Plans are in store to make existing features even easier to use. These include a feature that allows you to check cards of any rarity that are not registered in your trade partner’s card dex while trading, a feature that identifies cards on your share partner’s wishlist, and more.
Well, this sounds fine and dandy, but it’s high time that players are able to trade their Immersives and Crown Rares. After all, these are some of the most sought-after cards in any set, and trading them (obviously with increased costs) would make collecting more lucrative for all. Some sets have multiple Immersives and Crown Rares, and players are often left with only part of the lot. By trading these rare cards, completing collection goals becomes more exciting and player base activity automatically goes through the roof.
Abilities
- Once per turn: applies [damage] as ability to your opponent’s Pokémon that already has damage on them.
- Once per turn: draw [number] cards.
- Static effect (always active): increase damage dealt to Basic Pokémon by [number].
- Static Ability: while the effect is active, no player can attach Pokémon Tools.
Trainer Effects
- Attach [number] [Energy type] Energy from your discard pile to your Active [card name]. (Limited to one specific Pokémon).
- Put [number] random [type] Pokémon from your deck into your hand.
- Flip a coin. If heads, your [list of Pokémon] do +[damage] to your opponent’s Active Pokémon this turn.
- Attacks do [number] less damage to your Basic Pokémon during the opponent’s next turn.
- Reduce the cost of attacks for [Pokémon 1] and [Pokémon 2] by [number] [Energy type].
Tool Effects
- Attach to 1 of your Pokémon; discard it at the end of your opponent’s turn. If the holder takes at least [number] damage from an opponent’s attack, it deals [damage] back to the attacker.
Attack Effects
- Damage multiplied by the number of [Energy type] Energy attached.
- Reveals your opponent’s hand. Damage is [damage] times the number of Trainer cards in it.
- Deals an additional [damage] to [number] selected opponent’s Pokémon.
- If this Pokémon moves from your Bench to the Active Spot this turn, apply [condition] to your opponent’s Active Pokémon.
- Your opponent does not get a point when knocking out your Pokémon during their next turn.
- Discard 1 Energy from the attacker; the opponent’s Active Pokémon is Knocked Out at the end of your opponent’s turn. (Like Armaldo, but fixed to the Active Pokémon).
- Both players draw [number] cards.
- Flip a coin. If heads, put [number] random cards from your discard pile into your deck.
Stadium Effects
- Benched Pokémon can’t be damaged by the other player’s attacks or Abilities.
These updates would surely instill a new lease of life into Pokémon TCG Pocket and make the game more exciting than ever. Of course, players are also demanding that dark mode be added (lol, but who doesn’t like dark mode, eh?), but we’ll have to wait for that. We also have to see whether Immersives and Crown Rares are eventually allowed to be traded.
However, one thing’s certain: the C series of expansions will bring a continental shift to how we play and enjoy this beloved game, and it definitely looks to be on a positive note.
Which update are you most excited for, trainers? And what more do you wish to see?
