Battling in Pokemon TCG Pocket isn’t very fun. It’s heavily determined by coin flips and turn order, while matchmaking has become inundated with metas that make victory almost impossible if you aren’t tuned into them. People who are good at this game are really good at it, with no interest in giving casual players like myself room to breathe. So I haven’t really bothered. But the best part is, to enjoy this game to its fullest, I don’t really have to.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Works Even Without The Battling
I imagine a huge number of Pokemon TCG collectors have little interest in the battling side of things. Numerous content creators and hardcore collectors are more interested in filling up a binder with rare cards and complete sets than risking damaging them on the field. The goal is to collect and trade, and once in a blue moon, they will play with friends if they fancy it.
While you might turn your nose up at this philosophy, it isn’t dissimilar to you or me purchasing a Blu-ray for a film we’ve already seen or a limited edition of a game we’ve played before. The aim is to collect and preserve it while occasionally showing it off to the world for an ego boost. Having never collected physical Pokemon cards before because I wasn’t willing to cough up the investment required on countless booster packs and individual cards, Pokemon Pocket felt like an opportunity to see what I was missing out on. Turns out, collecting cards is a lot of fun, but battling is a hassle I want no part in.
I’ve dabbled in battles somewhat, just to clear the handful of tutorial missions and to see how I measure up against real world opponents, but mostly I’ve stuck with AI battles and an assortment of limited-time events to earn rare promo cards. Unless I want to earn emblems or rise up the ranks, partaking in battles with other players is entirely optional. Thank god for that, because if I had been forced into it as a means to keep on opening packs I would have left a long time ago.
In Fact, It’s Better When You Only Focus On Collecting
When it first launched, I wrote about how I refused to let Pokemon TCG Pocket ruin my life. It touched on a tangible fear I had of this game following in the footsteps of Genshin Impact or Overwatch with its gacha mechanics that preyed on completionist mindsets like my own. People willing to spend enough money will complete their collections eventually, while casual players will be left opening packs forever knowing things would be so much easier giving into the digital slot machine. While I’ve spent some money on the game picking up a couple of gold bars and a specific bundle or two, I’ve otherwise been able to resist.
Now the dust has settled, I’ve formed a satisfying daily routine with the game. I wake up and open my duo of packs before I get ready for work, do my wonder picks, complete all my daily quests, and then log back in during the evening to spend my hourglasses on another pull. I’m not and will never be the type to horde hourglasses. Pokemon TCG Pocket hasn’t ruined my life, but I’m still not patient enough to wait for a new expansion to drop before going ham.
But the most important thing is that battles haven’t entered my mind once over the past few weeks, to the point that when a friend asked me what decks I was using I didn’t have a single answer to give them. There is no incentive right now for me to take part in battles, and knowing I’m unlikely to enjoy any of them if I did, it’s a relief that Pokemon TCG Pocket allows players like me to exist that are only interested in using this app to build a bigger and bigger digital collection.
Maybe one day this outlook will change, but for now, if you need me, I’ll be opening packs.
