Pokémon TCG Pocket feels like the series’ Marvel Snap

We’d only been playing Pokémon TCG Pocket for a few minutes before we got that first “hit.”

In trading card parlance, that’s a rare card, or a specific card you were looking for before you started opening the packs. The feeling of getting hits, some of which in the real word game can be worth literally thousands of pounds, is the dopamine rush that keeps the lifeblood of the physical Pokémon TCG pumping.

Creatures have managed to recreate that feeling in Pokémon TCG Pocket, spelling absolute disaster for our free time, attention span, and wallet.

Pokémon TCG Pocket streamlines every element of the physical Pokémon trading card game. Battles are faster, packs have fewer cards in them, and at launch, there will be only one set of cards from which to open booster packs.

With a mix of classic artwork and new favorites, as the 30th anniversary of the franchise approaches, this feels like another way to tug at the heartstrings of dormant fans, just as Pokémon Go did in that magical summer of 2016.

There’s also an acknowledgment from Creatures that there will be a large number of players who exclusively want to collect cards, which has thankfully been accommodated. By the time we’d finished our preview session, we couldn’t wait to open more packs, and do more battles.

Pokémon TCG Pocket consists of both classic cards, and new designs that are exclusive to the game. All of the new cards have been designed in collaboration with the artists at Creatures that handle the physical game, but the digital realm allows for a wider variety of card types, and effects on the cards themselves.

There are even some immersive cards, which will let the player travel into the card art itself and explore the scene that’s just beyond the borders of the artwork. The first immersive card features Pikachu (who else) sitting on a log, however when players explore the card they can see Butterfree flying between the trees, a herd of Ponyta, and a Poliwag having a sleep next to a pond.

In recent years, the physical card game has been full of cards that feature other Pokémon in the background as cameos, so this next logical step in the digital game is welcome and offers endless possibilities for which Pokémon can receive these cards (though it’ll probably be Charizard).

However, the Donphan in the room is: How do you pay for packs?

Like most mobile games, Pokémon TCG Pocket is very, very good at drowning you in free packs at the start of the game. We played on a fresh account, which had access to the same missions and free gifts that every player will get when the game launches in late October.

Every day, players can open at least two free packs. These packs can be from any set, and once you’ve opened one of your packs, the timer will reset. You can only stack two packs at a time, and the game will notify you if you’ve got new packs to open.

You can reduce this timer using in-game items. These items are often rewarded for completing quests, such as playing a few battles or finding a certain number of Pokémon from that region.

The number of quests is another way the game reminds us of the early days of Pokémon Go. You’re constantly rewarded for the smallest things, and our account level was shooting up as we explored the app. Obviously this will eventually plateau, but it seems that Creatures and The Pokémon  Company are keen to make sure fresh accounts are loaded with cards and packs quickly.

While games like this rely on the fear of missing out to make sure players are buying packs as frequently as possible, Pokémon TCG Pocket is doing something to help players who are desperate for a specific card. Players can use a Wonder Pick to see the results of other player’s pack openings, and open that pack for themselves.

Say for example your friend packs an Art Rare Cubone you’re missing, you can open that pack for yourself and attempt to get the card. All five cards from that pack will be flipped, and you’ll randomly receive one of the five. How the odds for these packs are calculated wasn’t shared with us, but we were told that pack rates would be included in the final game.

The other way to get packs is to buy them with in-game currency. From our play session, this didn’t seem massively necessary, as the only thing you can use it for is packs, and at launch, there will only be one set to complete, but we can easily see TCG fans ripping dozens of packs to get their most desired card.

There are four types of earned in-game currency. Shop Tickets are earned by completing missions. Emblem Tickets are given out for completing collections or PokéDex missions, Special Shop tickets are gained by trading in duplicate high-rarity cards and Event Shop Tickets are given for completing special missions.

The game will also offer a Premium Pass. This will cost $9.99 and offer one additional free booster pack per day. First-time subscribers will get the first two-week period for no cost. This pass will also unlock premium missions, which will offer the chance at a unique promo card.

The Pokémon Company told us that while these cards may feature different artwork from standard cards in the set, they will feature the same attacks, and count as the same entry in the PokéDex.

“Pokémon TCG Pocket is going to bolster the market for portable phone chargers in the exact same way Pokémon Go did.”

Battling in TCG Pocket is massively simplified from the physical game. Matches only last a few minutes, with the goal being scoring three points. Players win points by knocking out their opponent’s Pokémon.

Energy is also generated automatically, so energy cards are not part of the experience. Trainer cards are still in the game, but some of their abilities have been changed to reflect the shorter in-game matches.

Players now draw from a deck of 20 cards rather than 60, and can now only play three Pokémon to their bench. The idea is to be able to get in and out of match in between bus stops, and we think it just about achieves that goal.

There will likely develop a much higher level of play, especially when players start to craft decks out of the early 300 cards available at launch, but it also seems set up so that casual players can understand it easily.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is going to bolster the market for portable phone chargers in the exact same way Pokémon Go did. So far it seems like an incredibly smart, streamlined approach to transferring the wildly popular physical game to mobile.

We’re keen to see how the mission structure and free pack rewards play out as players get higher up the levels, but from what we’ve seen, free-to-play players should be able to collect full sets just as easily as paid players, if a lot slower.

The changes to the battle mechanics make such a huge difference that it’ll likely introduce players who’ve only ever collected the cards into that side of the franchise, and that’s a very good thing. Not enough can be said about the card art, which will have us pulling our phone out to rip a few quick packs while on the train for a long time to come.