Pokémon, easily one of the most popular franchises in all of gaming. Even the most casual gamers who have never touched Pokémon, know what Pikachu looks like. And with that popularity, comes a significant number of spin-offs and attempts to branch the franchise out. One of which is of course the Pokémon TCG.
Released in 1996 not long after the games which it was based on, and just like those games, the Pokémon TCG quickly took off in popularity. So much so that they even made a Pokémon TCG game for the Game Boy. It was a golden era for GameFreak and their franchise. Even after Pokémon's popularity declined for a bit, the TCG scene remained active and to this day, it's considered one of the “Big 3” of TCGs alongside Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering. It’s received dedicated apps, at least two different digital versions and constantly updates alongside the video games. Then on October 30th, 2024 The Pokémon Company released Pokémon TCG Pocket, the newest app developed by DeNA(Who also worked on Pokémon Masters) and Creatures Inc which seeks to recapture that feeling of opening card packs and hoping for the rarest cards. So what is Pokémon TCG Pocket?
The premise of Pokémon TCG Pocket is simple. Each day, a player can open up to 2 packs for free. After a couple of level-ups, you can take those cards you’ve opened and build decks with them to use in a simplified version of the Pokémon TCG. In some respects, it reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links when that game first came out. It’s a lovingly crafted homage to the franchise it belongs to. A franchise with a storied history that impacts it now and paves the way for future expansions. As of this writing, it's primarily focused on Kanto pokemon and Kanto lore but I have no doubt other regions will get the spotlight soon enough.
There’s only one set currently in TCG Pocket: Genetic Apex. But the set is divided into 3 different types of packs which include different exclusives such as Mewtwo-EX being exclusive to the Mewtwo pack, Charizard-EX to the Charizard pack and Pikachu-EX being exclusive to the Pikachu pack. I’m actually curious to see what future sets will look like but for now there’s a decent enough variety. On top of that, there are also promo cards the player can obtain during events or from the store. These include item cards and unique artwork for different Pokemon. Outside of card packs, there are also wonder picks. Players can get a chance to pick one card out of 5 that another player pulled. This also requires expending an amount of wonder stamina. The actual cost varies depending on how rare the potential picks are and sometimes there will be events for free picks or specific kinds of cards. And all of these cards can be used to make decks to use for battling.
Battles follow the same general idea as the actual TCG but is now simplified for mobile format. Each player still picks an active Pokémon to start with but now there are only 3 bench spots instead of 5. Decks are much smaller, being maxed out at 20 cards and each player gets 1 energy to distribute each turn instead of needing to run energy cards. Finally, the battle system works off of points instead of using prize cards. You get 1 point each time you knock out an opponent's Pokémon(2 for Pokémon-EX) and the first player to get 3 points wins. Everything else still plays the same. Pokémon need energy for attacks, can inflict status conditions, only one supporter card can be used a turn etc. If you’ve played the Pokémon TCG, you’re familiar with the basics already.
Of course the 20 card deck size means players will have to take greater care in deciding which cards to use. Only up to 2 of any card can be included in a deck, so in a way, TCG Pocket is quite a bit more restrictive. This also means battles go a lot faster. In fact, I did a couple online battles and there wasn’t any sort of lag or noticeable slowdown that tends to show up in games like this. Battles flow smoothly and quickly. Players can battle against each other or against AI in solo battles for more rewards. There’s a surprising degree of depth here and all without asking you to spend a lot of time or money.
This game was clearly intended as a timesink. It’s a way to pass the time when you’re waiting in line at the store or sitting in your car with nothing else to do. The game doesn’t pretend to be anything else and honestly it doesn’t need to be. Players can play it when they feel like it and not miss out on much. It doesn’t require the degree of awareness that Pokémon Go does and it doesn’t ask for dedicated sessions like other spin-offs. It's a mobile game with room to grow that fits comfortably in your pocket.
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Nothing too special, just a gamer, reader and music lover from Kansas! I love writing and woodworking!
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