Many Pokémon TCG fans have never played competitive —Pocket changes that

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is all about the thrill of opening digital card packs, but it has another trick up its sleeve. Released to the public on Tuesday, the mobile game has a battle mode where people can make a deck and compete against each other. For longtime Pokémon fans who collect the cards but didn’t play, it’s giving them the chance to experience competitive Pokémon TCG for the first time. 

Created by Creatures and Game Freak with additional development support from DeNA, Pokémon TCG Pocket allows players to open packs and collect digital Pokémon cards. The game largely focuses on the collecting aspects: You can open booster packs, design digital showcases to flaunt your collection online, and even upgrade the visuals of cards by combining duplicates. However, the app also features a streamlined version of the competitive tabletop game. 

The app’s version of battling takes way less time. Instead of beating Pokémon to earn six prize cards, TCG Pocket gives players the win after they knock out three. Decks are condensed from 60 to 20 cards, and instead of drawing energy cards, players can automatically equip one energy counter per turn. Additionally, the attacks and the abilities of individual cards have been edited to fit this new system, so many cards have fewer attacks or simplified abilities.

This adapted battle system makes the once-intimidating tabletop card game a lot more approachable. It’s only been a day since the app’s release, and I’ve seen a bunch of long-term Pokémon fans who are battling for the first time. In this Reddit thread, the original poster says, “I collected cards when I was a kid and don’t think I ever actually battled with them once.”

One person responded by saying that the reduced number of cards helped encourage them to start playing. At present, TCG Pocket’s rolodex lists 226 unique cards, whereas the English sets for the tabletop version now total more than 9,100 cards. 

“I became really interested in Pocket because the card pool is limited and so my understanding of card combos and strategies could grow with the game itself,” CobaltCool215 said on Reddit. 

For some, TCG Pocket has inspired them to play the full tabletop version of the competitive card game. Reddit user Pufferpanda wrote, “[TCG Pocket] was also my first introduction to a pokemon tcg when i started playing last month but I eventually checked out the main tcg because I craved the competitive/ranked system.” 

Based on my real-life anecdotal experience, this makes a lot of sense. I know several avid Pokémon card collectors who own hundreds — maybe thousands — of cards, but have never played the tabletop version of the game. For many, the Pokémon TCG is more about appreciating the art and building a collection — and keeping those cards safe from harm — than competing with others. TCG Pocket probably won’t change that. But at least now, longtime players get a chance to see a different side of the game.