The Pokemon TCG Pocket bent packs have become the focus of serious internet rumour over the last week, as the belief that opening certain card packs with bent or creased corners and tops results in rarer or more valuable cards has spread like wildfire – but is it true? Do the bent packs give rare cards, or better odds? It certainly feels like there might be something to it, as the infrequency of bent packs makes it feel like they should be valuable, but we’ve been testing it to see if there’s anything to this rumour.
What do the Pokemon TCG Pocket bent packs do?
Bent packs in Pokemon TCG Pocket – i.e., those rare card packs that have a slight crease or curve in the corner of the foil at the top of the pack – do not appear to give better rewards or rarer cards than normal packs, despite some people reading them as a being “heavier”.
Now, we can’t 100% guarantee that, not having actually gone into the game’s code or spoken personally with the developers, but having tested it substantially in the game, it seems as though the cards you draw are set in stone the moment you select “Open a Pack”, no matter which of the packs available you pick, bent top or not.
There’s several reasons to think this is the case:
- Players have reported seeing card results appear in the Wonder Pick before the carousel choice is made, implying that the rewards are fixed from the moment you choose (thanks to @PokeNinaa)
- Choosing to mass-open 10 card packs at once doesn’t let you pick the packs from the carousel, implying the choice is irrelevant and a bent corner doesn’t matter.
- Having opened dozens of packs and specifically targeting those with bent corners, the actual odds of obtaining a rare card were not any different from when we choose not to do so and specifically targeted non-bent cards.
Effectively, this appears to be the illusion of choice, rather than an actual meaningful variation. We’re still testing this theory and will update this guide if there’s any evidence to suggest differently, but right now all the data suggests that a bent corner on the pack is only that – a minor visual variation meant to be reminiscent of the packs themselves. In essence, this is the modern day version of hammering A+B on the Gameboy in the hope that it increases the chance of catching a wild Pokemon.
Want some actual guaranteed rare cards? Our guide to the Pokemon TCG Pocket Lapras ex Event will lay out how to beat the limited time challenges and get those special promo cards.
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