Good day, Pokémon trainers! The new casual trading card game, Pokémon TCG Pocket, for mobile devices was recently released, and I’ve been trying out all its different features. So if you’re still apprehensive about trying it out or want to learn more about it here are the things I like so far, things I’m neutral on, and things of concern from my humble perspective:
The Positives
The Presentation
One thing that immediately jumps out is how good of a first impression the game makes in terms of presentation. The UI is very clean and inviting, the tutorial does a good job of explaining the game quickly, and everything from finishing missions, opening packs, or battling feels very satisfying. There’s a lot of detail details that really sell the feeling of the game well with things like well timed sparkles for new packs.
Live-service mobile games sometimes have a tendency to become cluttered as the games get constant updates with tons of content. I really hope they keep this smart design philosophy in mind so the game can continue to be this inviting in the future.
The Playstyles
So when TCG Pocket was first announced it was advertised as a more casual Pokémon TCG experience. I think this has the chance to give the wrong impression in two very distinct ways. For actual trainers looking for a cozy casual experience might be turned off by the fact that it is still a card-battling game. While those looking forward to some friendly PvP might be thrown off by the “casual” label.
From my experience, Pokémon has always provided differing experiences for different people. Think about Pokémon GO, there’s the ones focused on raiding and collecting the rarest shinies, those that use it as an exercise or travel companion, those who are into AR photography, those who enjoy PvP or the fashion elements, and so on. I think it’s fair to say that TCG Pocket, for now, is similar to a lesser extent.
If you’re not interested in battling there are still many ways to enjoy the game. There’s of course the collecting element. And the game does a lot to make this element of the game multidimensional. There are many unique types of cards, such as full art cards, ex cards, and the touted “immersive cards”. And you have many ways to accessorize both your account and the cards you collect. One of the best parts of this element of the game is that you can put your cards in binders and showcase them for other people to see and “Like”. I’ve already seen some pretty creative ones!
The Battles
The other side of the game is really really solid as well. It is faster-paced and is some ways streamlined compared to the base game (removal of energy cards being one of the most major ones). But it really isn’t a downgrade so much as a different feeling sidegrade to the preexisting TCG. As already stated, it’s very fast-paced making for some exhilarating battles and alternative wincons than what you might be used to in the physical card game or TCG Live.
One thing I really like is that even in battles, it’s very inviting, at least right now. Part of this might just be that as a new game, there are fewer cards and types of decks in circulation right now. But I saw what the Misty card does and immediately some sparks flew off as to how a deck I might want to play might look like. As someone who enjoys card battling but has never had the chance to go completely hardcore, I feel like this is the best experience card games can provide.
While I’m not completely done making the deck I had in mind, I do have it half-made and even managed to win a battle against another player with it!
The Neutrals
Auto-battle
I say “Neutrals” but really there’s one thing I’m neutral on. Since I wanted to try out every mechanic before I wrote this I tried out the auto-battle system. I first tried running auto-battle on “Advanced” difficulty in the Solo Battle menu, which is the menu you use to fight against bots. So really, I had two bots fight against each other as I watched. I used the “Rapidash Deck” that you get for opening the Pikachu Pack as your first booster pack. And then had it fight against the Venusaur EX deck. Unsurprisingly, it lost 0-3.
This got me curious so I auto-battled in the Beginner and Intermediate levels too using the same deck and versus the Bulbasaur line decks. The auto-battle bot won rather impressively with 3-0 points. But go Intermediate, it lost 1-3. So from my very limited sample data, it seems the bot is better than Beginner but worse or close to Intermediate going by the game’s own difficulty logic.
You could argue that maybe the Rapidash deck itself is a beginner deck and thus not suited to winning the higher tiers. But I did manage to win in all 3 tiers swimmingly with the same deck thanks to the type advantage. From what I’ve seen the bot is good at making good decisions in the moment. It understands that Farfetch’d is a good opening card as an example. But doesn’t seem to understand the advantage it gets from starting to build Centiskorch early as an example.
But the real question is, why does auto-battling even matter? Well, it’s probably not for me, someone who wants to participate in the battle aspect. But say you’re just interested in the collection aspect. The game does have a mission system that can give you cards, items and so on. If there are ever battle-themed missions I can see how that would be useful for you. Especially if you need to win PvP battles and the Beginner Battles actually functioned properly. Which brings us to:
The Points of Concern
Battle Modes
So these aren’t really huge negatives but concerns about things that might become more of a problem down the line. The first is battle modes against other players. You have two major methods to battle against other players, private battles with your friends or battles against random players.
Say you choose to battle against random players, you have two options again, “Beginner” and “Trading Card Game Player”. Pretty explanatory right? Obviously, you start off with “Beginner” where you play against other new players, and then jump to “Trading Card Game Player” when you start feeling more confident, right?
Well, it’s not quite them simple. There’s nothing really blocking anyone from selecting “Beginner”. In fact, a lot of trainers of varying skill levels are playing in beginner mode. And not really out of malicious intent either. It’s just the first option you’re given.
So I think eventually there should be some kind of level cap or some other means to make “Beginner” mode an actual beginner mode. There’s also the fact that there isn’t really any ranked matchmaking or ladders to climb. This could be something added in the future to give greater incentives to battle, or maybe not to keep the casual vibes. Personally, I would love to see a different take to ranked than what’s commonly seen in other games. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate did something different so there’s certainly room to innovate! Speaking of incentives to battle, there is one incentive which brings us to the final point of concern:
Too Many Items
So far I’ve been praising the game for being inviting, clean, and easy to understand. There is one area in the game, however, where this does not apply, items and currencies. From the start, it feels like you’re introduced to too many of them. Each is used for different purposes, such as getting new cards, accessories, flares, etc. Which not only takes a while and external resources to get a holistic idea of but also raises some major concerns.
Now, this is of course, very common in mobile games. Whether it be Pokémon GO or popular gacha games there are always resources to collect, either in-game or through spending money for power players. So the question becomes how freemium the game will turn out. Especially as limited-time events and new packs start appearing in the game. Ideally, it should be so that if you play frugally enough you should be able to get some of the cards you want when they start appearing.
Right now I did do two 10x pack openings, one Pikachu Pack and one Charizard Pack, and got multiple EX cards and full art cards. Along with the cards I wanted for the deck I’m trying to build. But games such as these are pretty generous at the start of the game.
On another note, remember how I said there are still incentives to battle? Well, you can thank your opponent after battling and also thank players once you get one of their cards through wonder picks. And thanking rewards the thanked with Shop Tickets. These shop tickets seem to be the “main currency” that you can use to buy specific cards, accessories, or hourglasses used to open more packs on a given day. Trading should be coming soon too, I imagine there would be a daily limit for it.
Conclusion
And there you have it! So far I’ve actually been really enjoying my time with the game. And really, if we boil it down my only real concern is that the game continues to be fun without being a big spender or “whale” as they are called. On another note, the TCG Pocket official X account has been posting cute art and animations from various artists even before the release of the game and even the cards in-game mention the artist. Which, as a creator myself, I love quite a lot! Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
