I swore to myself I wouldn’t download Pokemon TCG Pocket. After editing several features by my colleagues, it was clear the mobile game was a manipulative money pit eager to pull me in with piles of free booster packs before slamming the brakes and making it difficult to progress without spending any money. I was right, but here I am playing it like a fool anyway.
Pocket does such a tremendous job of pulling you in that it’s hard not to feel enamoured. The cadence of earning cards and playing matches quickly reminded me of Marvel Snap, which is one of the few mobile games
I’ve committed to in recent years. Its matches are rewarding and snappy, its cards are gorgeous and varied, and it takes only a few minutes to figure out exactly how everything works. Then everything begins to unravel and you’re out of pocket.
Nothing Beats The Thrill Of Opening Booster Packs
I have a compulsive personality, which is one of the big reasons I’ve sworn off the likes of Overwatch and Genshin Impact in recent years. Despite how much I enjoy the characters and gameplay mechanics of either game, they are fundamentally designed around getting players to open lootboxes and pull for characters.
You can earn the currency required to do so by playing the game, but this inevitably turns what began as a fun experience into a dire grind where the only thing you care about is the hit that comes from getting the character or skin you so desperately want.
Like any decent gambler, I’ve already started sharing my sick pulls with friends and colleagues. Just this morning I walked into the kitchen wielding a Mewtwo ex.
University friends of mine used to grind for lootboxes on the weekend, logging on for nothing else and putting aside other games and hobbies as a consequence. It just wasn’t worth it for me, and other friends have since tried to break my Genshin Impact hiatus only for me to turn them down each and every time.
I know it will break me, or allow me to indulge in vices that I have such terrible control over. The amount of money I’ve spent on both of these games isn’t something I’m proud of, and it’s not a mistake I want to repeat with Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Right now, you can earn two free booster packs per day by waiting out a timer and not spending any additional resources. You can earn hourglasses by completing challenges to speed up the process and open them quicker, or purchase gold to do it immediately. That’s where the trickery begins.
Pokemon TCG Pocket is very generous with booster packs and resources in the early hours, allowing the player to build up enough of a collection that they would be foolish not to continue. Look how full your binder is already. Why not open more?
Pokemon TCG Pocket Is All About Keeping Players On The Hook
What hurts the most is that, outside its predatory monetisation practices, Pokemon TCG Pocket is one of the most well-realised versions of the card game we’ve ever seen. Almost every part of the experience is beautifully presented, whether it be the cards decorated with interactive artwork, myriad themed player mats, or the ability to add flair to your collection by using duplicates. I’ve already started making custom collections and decks, while the fun of opening cards is actually encouraging me to learn how the game works for the first time.
Obviously, playing the Pokemon TCG in Pocket is more of an afterthought, given it’s simply designed to level you up and increase the chances of you pulling cards and spending lots of money. But it works, and is engaging thanks to its simplified matches and engaging tutorials that do a killer job of teaching me how engaging this game can be, whether you’re using one of the rental decks or building your own. Both work, and the game doesn’t punish you for it.
If you’re a premium member, which there is a free trial for, you can open three booster packs a day. How naughty…
I don’t want to stop playing Pokemon TCG Pocket. All of my friends are playing it, and it has me engaging with the trading card hobby, albeit in digital form, for the first time. It’s super fun and consistently rewarding, but also something I could lose myself and fail to find a way out of. So consider this my line in the sand to hold myself responsible.
I’ll open my daily packs, play against strangers, and trade with friends once that feature comes along. But in order to avoid repeating past mistakes, I’m going to be more careful.
