I’ve collected Pokemon cards my whole life, but I only became heavily invested at the start of the Sword & Shield era. I have a complete master set of Sword & Shield Base Set – that’s a binder with one of every card – including every V, Full Art, Rainbow Rare, and Gold Secret Rare. With 216 cards (30 Ultra Rare or above) this was a massive undertaking and, considering Pokemon TCG releases six new sets a year, one I could never dream of keeping up with every set.
I’ve since switched to Disney Lorcana, which has been a lot more manageable as a collector. There are 204 cards in each set and 12 Enchanted (the expensive, super-duper rare cards you only find about once every six boxes). I’ve had no problem collecting full playsets of four of each card in the first five sets, and I try to make peace with the fact that the 12 Enchanted cards – which range from $80-800 each – are out of reach. The amount I’m collecting for each set is sustainable, but it still feels bad that my collection will never be truly complete.
I’m fully aware a full playset of 816 cards for each Lorcana set is unnecessary and excessive. This is cardboard collecting, it’s not supposed to be rational.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Is The Pokemon Card Game For Collectors
On paper, Pokemon TCG Pocket is exactly what I’m looking for. By sidelining the ‘game’ part of a trading card game, it puts the focus almost entirely on collecting, which I’m all about. Naively, I imagined a world where I could actually collect a full set of cards, revel in the joy of a complete collection, and then move on to the next set and do it all over again. I dreamed that Pocket could be the game for neurotic collectors like me who believe that if you can’t collect everything, there’s no point in collecting anything.
I didn’t think it was going to be easy. I got to test out Pocket at a preview event this summer, and even with unlimited Poke Gold (I was ripping ten packs at a time for hours, it was glorious) I didn’t even get close to finishing a full master set. During an interview I asked the developers at DeNA if it would be possible to collect an entire set without spending any money, and as much as it seemed to pain them to comment on monetization, the answer was no: some monetary investment would be necessary to acquire a full collection.
As a physical TCG collector, that investment didn’t seem totally unreasonable. While some estimates put a full collection somewhere in the range of $3200 (or 1,843 days of continuous play) I’ve seen some flaws in that math that don’t take into account Wonder Picks, crafting, and the upcoming trading system (though we don’t yet know how that system will work). One Reddit user claims the actual cost to complete the set (minus the gold Crown cards) was $410. That’s less than a case of Lorcana cards, and a case won’t get you anywhere near a complete set.
I’m an active Pocket player that farms events for resources and is strategic about Wonder Picks and crafting. I’m 31 cards away from a complete set of Diamond-rarity cards, and I’m at 21/60 secret cards. Part of me believes that with enough time and the occasional splurge on Poke Gold, I could actually finish this set in time for the next one. But I’ve been a Pokemon fan my whole life, so I really should have known better.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Sets Are Coming Fast
According to data miners, the next set is coming much sooner than I thought. There’s a mini-set (60-80 new cards) coming in December, and then another full 250+ card set coming in January. This indicates that, much like the physical Pokemon TCG, there will be at least six new sets each year. As a collector I’m going to have the same problem I’ve always had with Pokemon cards. There just isn’t enough time – or money – to finish a collection before the next one comes out.
For players, this is great news. Trading card games need a constant influx of new cards to keep things fresh and interesting. People are already complaining about the imbalance in Pocket’s battles, and a new set of cards stands to shake up the meta significantly. I don’t mind Pocket’s battles, but if you’re looking for high-level Pokemon TCG gameplay, there’s already a game for that. I love Pocket because it caters to the collector, so while new sets are great for the meta, they’re terrible for completionists like me.
You have to open around 100 packs to earn enough Pack Points to craft a single ex card.
Knowing I’ll never finish a master set of Pokemon TCG Pocket set without going full whale on it makes me far less interested in the game. These digital-only cards have no value outside of the app. I can’t trade them or sell them. I can’t display them on the wall or ask the artist to sign them. They exist to fill a virtual binder and satisfy my collector instinct, but a satisfying collection requires a conclusion. If there’s always going to be gaps in my card list because the new set always comes before I could finish the old set, I’m not sure what the point of it is.
Yes, it’s exciting to pull something shiny out of a pack. If you’re a fully free-to-play player that just likes the hit of dopamine you get from opening a pack twice a day, I can see the value in that. But spending any money on this game feels like a waste if you’re not going to spend all the money on this game. Maybe you don’t mind seeing a bunch of blank spots in your collection, but it bothers me a lot.
Experience the fun of collecting Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards with Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, an upcoming game for iOS and Android devices from Creatures Inc., the original developers of the Pokémon TCG, and DeNA Co., Ltd.
In this game, you will be able to open two booster packs every day at no cost. You can collect digital cards featuring nostalgic artwork from the past as well as brand-new cards that are exclusive to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.
Be on the lookout for new “immersive cards,” which will make you feel as though you’ve leapt into the world of the card’s illustration.