Summary
- January’s Pokemon TCG Pocket premium pass promo is a basic Moltres ex card, disappointing subscribers.
- Subscribers were expecting a Charizard-themed card based on previous promos but received a lackluster reprint.
- Players on the subreddit criticized the design choice, linking it to concerns about the game being purely profit-driven.
Since its launch, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket has offered a special promo card for players who subscribe to the game’s premium pass. In November, the game gave players a stunning Pikachu card; in December, players who subscribed got an awesome Mewtwo. January’s is a little different.
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Players were expecting this month’s card to feature Charizard, given that the previous two promos were based on Genetic Apex’s featured Pokemon, especially as all of the promo items, including the coin and card sleeves, were Charizard-related. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and instead, they got a reprint of a basic Moltres ex card that already exists in the game. Sure, the card is far more playable than the previous two promos, but the art is utterly underwhelming when compared.
Naturally, this hasn’t gone down too well with most of the game’s Premium Pass subscribers.
Since its release, multiple threads have been created on the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket subreddit, often lamenting the design of the new Moltres ex promo card.
In one of the threads, Straight_lurkin said, “For the first time, the premium pass card is not only NOT a full art, but it’s not even a popular Pokemon/Pokemon that was on the original three pack art. It’s just a card from that set with Moltres facing left instead of right.”
The lack of Charizard was one of the sticking points for players, with BayoAkaThanos saying, “It’s crazy that it’s not Charizard; I can’t believe it’s not a last-minute change.”
It’s crazy that it’s not Charizard; I can’t believe it’s not a last-minute change.
The design of the Moltres ex promo was also linked to a perception that Pokemon TCG Pocket is purely a cash grab, with little thought given to the game’s other mechanics.
The_soup_bandit said, “Just add it to the list of lazy design choices and hope enough complaints do something. I normally wouldn’t judge a F2P harshly, but when ‘World’s biggest franchise’ is part of the brand attached, I have a lot of issues with how things are being handled. Nintendo knew they would make hundreds of thousands from this in the first month, but no one could do more than a colour swap on the battle ribbons,” with another user adding, “They’re making money, and so long as they continue making money (and growth) it’s not going to get much investment into making it better beyond what was already planned.”
It’s a damning indictment for a game that has been received pretty well, and made a boatload of cash, and it will be interesting to see how things evolve going forward.
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.