Pokemon TCG Pocket: Trading Feature Upgrades Amid Backlash

Pokemon TCG Pocket Players’ Complaints About the Game’s Latest Update

TCG Pocket’s Trade Tokens are Quite Expensive to Obtain

The launch of the trading feature in Pokemon TCG Pocket on January 29, 2025, was met with significant player dissatisfaction, leading developer DeNA to commit to future enhancements in a Twitter (X) post dated February 1, 2025. This feature enables players to exchange 1-4 Diamonds and 1-Star rarity cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs, which is beneficial for those looking to complete their Poke Dex. However, the limitations imposed, such as a restricted card selection, the introduction of a new in-game currency, and high trading costs, have caused considerable frustration among the community.

In response to the backlash, DeNA has announced they are "actively investigating ways to improve the feature to address these concerns." They plan to introduce "multiple ways to obtain trade tokens, including through event distributions." At present, players are limited to trading only 1-Star cards. These trade tokens, essential for executing trades, can only be acquired by sacrificing cards of higher rarity, with higher rarity cards yielding more tokens. For example, trading a 4-Diamond card (an ex Pokemon) requires 500 tokens, while players can only gain 100 tokens for a 1-Star card and 300 for 2-Star and 3-Star cards, which are of higher rarity than a 4-Diamond card. This forces players to use up their rare or multiple cards just to engage in trading.

DeNA has justified the stringent rules and restrictions of the trading feature, stating, "The item requirements and restrictions implemented for the trading feature were designed to prevent abuse from bots and other prohibited actions using multiple accounts. Our goal was to balance the game while maintaining a fair environment for all players and preserving the fun of collecting cards that is core to the Pokemon TCG Pocket experience." Although other potential changes to the trading system remain undisclosed, it appears the developers are considering ways to mitigate any possible exploitation before rolling out updates.

Genetic Apex Seemingly Disappears After Space-Time Smackdown’s Release

Another concern raised by players following the release of the Space-Time Smackdown booster packs on January 29, 2025, was the apparent disappearance of the Genetic Apex booster packs. Some players expressed their worries on Reddit, noting that only the Mythical Island and Space-Time Smackdown booster packs were visible on the home screen.

However, this is not the case as players can access the Genetic Apex packs by navigating to the pack selection screen located at the bottom right corner, labeled "Select other booster packs." The small size of the text may have led to confusion among players, making them believe that the game's first booster pack was no longer available.

While some attributed this to poor design choices, others speculated it was a deliberate move to encourage the opening of the newly released packs. This approach might be beneficial for marketing, but it overlooks players who are still working on completing their collections from the Genetic Apex set. Suggestions have been made for DeNA to update the home screen to display all three booster pack sets to prevent future confusion.

Although DeNA has not yet addressed this issue, this clarification should help players understand that they can continue to invest time and hourglasses in completing the Genetic Apex booster packs.