Ranked Matches In Pokemon TCG Pocket, Explained

Ranked Matches are here in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, and they bring with them a welcome paradigm shift to the competitive experience. In fact, it would be fair to say there is a competitive experience now; the infrequent emblem events hardly counted as such.

Naturally, this brand-new gameplay system is a rather involved affair. We’ve got the full scoop on how Ranked Battles function in Pokemon TCG Pocket, from overview-level stuff that the in-app tutorials touch upon to varying degrees, to more in-depth analysis that The Pokemon Company and DeNA haven’t quite covered within the game’s Ranked Matches overview.

Ranked Matches Overview

WIth Ranked Matches, players can aim to climb several competitive ranks in a bid to acquire unique emblems and end-of-season rewards. These rewards can be well worth the effort. We’ll go into further detail on those in a bit, but for now, let’s cover the basics.

Ranks

It wouldn’t be much of a ranking system without ranks, and in Pokemon TCG Pocket, there are a total of five ranks to climb.

Each rank, except Master Rank, also has its own tiers, from 1 to 4. In order to reach the next rank, you must earn enough points to reach and surpass the highest rank within your current tier.

Additionally, for the first two tiers, Beginner and Poke Ball, you will earn extra points whenever you earn winning streaks. Put another way, you’ll get points for winning matches; but you’ll get more points for winning matches in succession.

From Poke Ball onward, you will not only earn points for emerging victorious, but lose points when defeated. This makes Beginner the only exception to the rule, as point advancement is guaranteed here.

Match Opponents

Suffice it to say, you will be pitted against opponents within your own rank. We’re not sure whether the individual tiers are also taken into account, but we’ll update this guide if and when we hear confirmation therein.

While you’ll generally be pitted against other players, there’s a chance that you’ll face AI opponents instead. Per the developer, this only happens in “certain ranks”, which we’re taking to mean the lowest ranks.

In our own experience, we’ve encountered several AI opponents whilst climbing Beginner Rank. AI opponents are something of a boon, as they’ll generally be easier, and battle animations are mercifully abbreviated.

Certain animations are also abbreviated in Ranked Matches against real players, too, but not as many!

Ranked Rewards

While you may feel that testing your mettle against skilled players is its own reward, there are tangible benefits to playing Ranked Matches as well.

Simply by participating just once in a given season, you will be eligible for rewards upon that season’s end. Even if you loathe battling, you should probably take a moment to do one!

Rewards, Explained

Each season has its own rewards list. As of this writing, Ranked Matches are a brand-new addition to Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket. Naturally, we can only speak of the inaugural season here: Season A2b.

Season A2b will run from March 28, 2025, until April 27, 2025, and results will be announced at some point thereafter. We can likely expect future seasons to follow a similar cadence.

At the beginning of every season, your progress partly restarts. Therefore, when the next season starts, you’ll probably return to Beginner Rank (or, in the unlikely event that ranks are renamed, whatever the stand-in is for the first tiers).

Yet, as the tutorials denote, the Rank Points earned from one season will affect the number of points a player will begin with. You’ll get something of a head start this way.

Season A2b Rewards

Now, we’ll cover this first season’s upcoming prizes. If you happen to be reading this guide during a future season, you can safely disregard this part. Unless, we suppose, the rewards prove identical!

You’ll earn an Emblem corresponding to each rank and its multiple tiers. You will also earn a set number of Pack Hourglasses tied to your final rank when the season’s finished. We’ve documented the numbers below:

Notice how Master Rank has a different form of tiers? This is because those who manage to place within the top 10,000 players will have their names displayed for bragging rights.

Best Practices

Needless to say, you want to win Ranked Matches. We have a few thoughts on how you can increase your chances.

Leave The Experimentation At Home

Versus Battles, AKA regular competitive matches, are an excellent testing ground for deck experimentation. Solo Battles as well, though you’re at least guaranteed to earn a bit of EXP from the former, and they’ll better prepare you for real opponents.

…But Do Experiment

That said, it pays to hop into most ranks with surprising decks. By the time you reach Master Rank, there’s a very real chance that every single player is going to be rocking meta decks, at which point you’ll not have much choice, yourself.

Before then, though? You can really improve your chances by tossing big spins on classic archetypes. For instance, we’ve been bringing a deck with two Weavile ex and two Honchkrow to many matches. No Darkrai ex, nothing else big-time.

Opponents frequently do not bother reading attacks on Pokemon they’re unfamiliar with, and you can use this to your advantage. In our above example, Honchkrow can deal 50 damage to any of your opponent’s Pokemon. It’s an uncommon choice, and that can be helpful.

Another good example: Starly. Starly’s Pluck destroys the opponent’s Active Pokemon’s Tool before the attack lands. So, so, so, many players don’t read this – and they waste a Tool at the start of the game.

Hone your skills elsewhere, and if and when you find unexpectedly excellent twists on Pokemon TCG’s tried-and-true staples, unleash them to great effect. Good luck!