Everything We Know About Pokemon TCG Pocket So Far!

A lot of new information has surfaced regarding the upcoming Pokémon TCG Pocket game. Bandai’s new Pokémon card game aims to simplify gameplay, making it accessible to casual players who prefer quick games over long, drawn-out card games. Pokémon TCG Pocket seems to be adopting a Marvel Snap-like approach, offering fast-paced gameplay and digital cards with old and new card illustrations that have 3D art to them. The game is set to release on October 30 for iOS and Android devices. No PC version has been announced so far.

I'll share everything I've learned so far about what's coming in Pokemon TCG Pocket, and I'll update the article as new information is announced.

Trailer:

Gameplay:

The trailer didn't show too much of the gameplay and mostly focused on the card collection aspect of the game. So players are worried that the game will mostly revolve around collecting digital cards, and the actual gameplay will be suboptimal. However, from the trailer and other pieces of information that were revealed, we can connect the dots and figure out what the gameplay will look like.

So from the trailer, there's 1 Active Pokemon and 3 benched Pokemon, two less benched Pokemon than what we're used to in Pokemon TCG. Just before the game footage starts, we see five cards in a floating animation, but then it cuts out into the gameplay. The edit cutout makes it difficult for us to confirm if this was meant to indicate the "Starting hand", but if it did, it looks like players will have 5 cards at the start of the game.

There is an energy zone to activate your Pokemon's attacks, but there's no information on how it works. Cards do not mention anything of "Energy Cards" like in the old Pokemon TCG game, so I'm assuming there won't be Energy cards like we're used to. Instead, Pokemon are referencing the Energy Zone directly. So you can attach Energy from the Energy Zone onto your Pokemon, but we don't know the rules around it.

All Pokemon have a +20 Weakness, none have resistance.

Information from Apple Store

From Apple Store: This digital take on the real-world card battler is super-speedy. Fill decks of 20 cards with a variety of Pokémon, Items, and Supporters (like Brock or Professor Oak), then hop into solo challenges against the computer or five-minute matches against online rivals. First to score three points wins!

This Apple Store is giving us way more information about the gameplay than what we got from the trailer. So 20 cards in the deck, Pokémon, Items, and Supporters, already looking like games shouldn't be lasting too long.

Players can play solo challenges against the computer, but it's confirmed here that we can also play against other human players online! Matches are five minutes long, confirming quick games similar to Marvel Snap. Quick games are better for mobile games and have proven to attract casual players who aren't willing to invest too much time during their day.

Lastly, "the first to score three points wins". You get 1 point for knocking out a regular Pokemon and 2 points for knocking out an ex Pokemon. So knocking out 2 Pokemon can be enough for the game to end.

---

Card Collection & Art

The trailer heavily focuses on card collection, opening packs, and the beauty of the Pokemon art. There will also be support for different languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.

We've learned that all players will receive two free packs every day. Card aquisition can be daunting for many players who pick up digital card games, and we've seen mobile card games with aggressive monetization systems. So far we don't have information on the actual prices for packs and cosmetics and how difficult it'll be to build a collection.

Even at worlds, when players were testing out the demo, they only had access to pack opening. You get to rip open the top of the packs or you flip them over to open them from the back.

Three Genetic Apex booster packs have been revealed, Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo. Each booster pack has 5 cards, the last card is the rarest. You can sort your cards in a binder and show them off to your friends on a display board.

The trailer shows that the board art changes between two footage. So we'll have a cosmetic option to customize our board, which will likely be a part of the monetization system that allows players to purchase their favorite boards.

Immersive art! By clicking and holding onto specific cards, you can immerse into the art and explore it in more detail, viewing it from different angles.

Trading System! Although it won't be live when the game releases, the plan is to implement a trading system where you can trade cards with friends.

Cards