What is Pokémon TCG Pocket? How to Play and What to Know

Let's be honest, one of the best thing about Trading Card Game is the thrill of not knowing which cards you will get when you rip a booster pack open. Buying directly all the single cards you need for your deck is surely the less expensive approach but it is also way less satisfying than opening a booster pack. This is also one of the reasons I was quite excited about the new Pokémon TCG app as it promised a casual way of opening booster packs and collecting nice Pokemon cards. I have been playing playing the game since Pokémon TCG Pocket release date in November and I must say that the game is really quite enjoyable and very casual. Considering that the new set of cards has just been released, I though this can be a good opportunity to summarize my experience and the reasons I like this game.

What is Pokémon TCG Pocket?

As mentioned Pokémon TCG Pocket is a free game available on Android and I-Phone that released at the end of 2024. The game is free-to-play although there are a variety of in-game currency to used to play battles, open booster packs and obtain various type of rewards. A monthly premium subscription is also available with a free 2 week trial period that I strongly recommend to activate after playing the game for a while to collect as many cards as possible.  

The game offers a streamlined and digital version of the Pokémon Trading Card Game specifically designed for players new to the world of TCGs. The possibility to play and collect cards without investing real money and the simplified deck and rules to battle with your Pokémon are just a few of the strengths of this game while the number of game currencies and the gacha mechanics may not please everyone.

Players that are already familiar with Pokémon will still find the game interesting although there are a few key differences with respect to the actual TCG that may cause some discontent. Let's start reviewing these by looking on how you play the game.

How to play Pokémon TCG pocket?

As soon as you start playing Pokémon TCG pocket you will be looking to opening packs. There are currently three sets available in the game: Genetic Apex that includes three subset (Mewtwo, Charizard and Pikachu), Mythical Island, and Space Time Smackdown that includes 2 subsets (Palkia and Dialga). Each pack will include five cards of random rarity, similar to the Japanese booster packs. The cards in the game have their own level of rarity that measures how hard is to get them. The most common cards have 1 or 2 diamonds (Common and Uncommon) while the most rare have 1 to 3 stars or even a crown. This last one correspond to the Hyper Rare rarity in the TCG while the three star rarity is exclusive of this game and identifies the Immersive cards featuring a 3D artwork.

Players can open a booster pack every twelve hours. I recommend to start playing the game in the morning to ensure you can open two booster packs a day. If you purchase a premium or you start your trial period, you will be able to open an extra booster pack once a day for free. A “Pack stamina” timer will show how much is left before a new pack can be open but players can consume Pack Hourglasses to reduce this countdown at a rate of 12 hourglasses per hour.

Together with opening packs, players can also pick a card at random from a selection of pulls from other players. This process is called “Wonder pick” and consumes Wonder Stamina. Players gain 1 stamina every 12 hours or use Wonder Hourglasses to replenish their counter.

In both cases, these items are effectively currencies of the game and can be purchased at the shop or collected by doing daily and special missions. The shop sells both one-off and monthly stocks of each items that can be purchased with shop tickets. Yes, this is another type of currency that can be obtained by “thanking” other players after a match or by completing some missions.

Once your have a decent card collection, you can start playing some matches. The game offers the option to play against the AI offline and to play against other player across the network. The first category includes a few tutorial battles and a sort of solo-challenge that will reward you with Pack hourglasses, time limited rental decks and other rewards. Playing against other players will grant other rewards and badges to showcase on your account as part of periodic events. In both cases, players will need to build a deck and the game offers a decent auto-build function for newbies.

The matches in Pokémon TCG pocket are very different from those in the TCG. As a start, the deck only includes 20 cards and no energy. Cards with the same name are also limited to a maximum of two copies and the bench only includes three slots.

The gameplay itself is very standard with players alternate in playing their Pokémon, using Supporter and item cards and attacking the opponent. The mechanics are the same of the actual TCG with the main difference being that one energy is generated every turn during the match and can be attached to any of your Pokémon using the usual rules. The game is over when a player knocks out three opponent Pokémon although any Ex-Pokémon counts as two knocks-out. Is is not too far from the actual card game and it encourages quick games.

Finally, Pokémon TCG pocket offers in game trade and periodic events. Players can trade cards with friends as far as they are of similar rarity. There is no cost for trading a card although higher rarity cards require tokens that can be obtained by trading low rarity cards. This is a very new functionality that has just been rolled out and we will likely see more to it in the next few weeks.

On the other hand, events have been a key component of the game since its release. Battle events aside, some events allow you to collect promo cards via Wonder pick or by taking some challenges against the computer. The game offers also a few collection challenges that you can complete at any time to unlock themed decks, cosmetic features and even alternative art cards. As some of these may be focused on different type of Pokémon, they’re a good way to practice your deck-building skills and to learn different playing styles.

What are the best cards in Pokémon TCG pocket?

With the release of the newer expansion, Space-Time Smackdown, there are now more than 450 cards featured in the game and this lead to the obvious question “what are the best cards in the game?”. In terms of Rarity, it is obvious that those marked with three stars of with a crown are the most rare cards in the game. They are also the ones with the most impressive artwork and the most difficult to pull. However, in term of consistency and impact on the game, these cards may not necessarily be the most useful to have in your deck.

In this sense, Mewtwo ex is one of the card I saw played the most when the game released. This Pokémon has actually a very good HP of 150 combined with two attacks that can deal 50 and 150 damage for a cost of 2 and 4 energies respectively. Mewtwo works very well in tandem with Gardevoir due to its ability to charge Mewtwo with one additional energy each turn. Mew ex is also a very good card in a Psychic deck. Slightly less resistant that Mewtow (130 Hp), it has a better attack pattern as it can copy any attack of an opponent Pokémon by only using three generic energies.

Another very good card to have in your deck is Druddigon. The main attack of this Pokémon is quite strong (90 damage) but it is also pretty difficult to use as it needs three energies including a fire and a water one. However, the value of this Pokémon lies in his “Rough Skin Ability” that passively deals 20 damage to any Pokémon that damages Druddigon. Not a very offensive option but a great tank to help setting-up your main Pokémon.

Pikachu ex is likely the most impressive damage dealing Pokémon and likely the easiest to setup. The main reason is that Pikachu's attack can deal a maximum of 90 damage (30 damage for each Pokémon in the player bench) and it only requires 2 energies to be used. There are a lot of good electric type Pokémon that can be used in tandem with Pikachu to create explosive setups including its evolution Raichu that can deal 140 damages by discarding all its energies. Disregarding the cost, this attack can easily knock-out any opponent card opening the way to an easy win.

How good is Pokémon TCG pocket – final thoughts?

I must admit that the collectible aspects of Pokémon TCG pocket were the ones that captivated me at the very beginning. As a fan of the original Trading Card Game, opening booster packs and collecting new cards was plenty of fun. I was honestly excited about the battle gameplay offered by this game as I thought it may be less engaging for someone used to play the TCG. However, to my surprise, I have been proven wrong.

It is true the deck building and the battling aspects of this online game are different from the one I used to play but they are still quite fun and engaging. It is not easy to prepare a strategy with only 20 cards and there are surely come cards that are more effective than others but the overall game is well balanced and measuring yourself against an opponent still retain the same fun you have when playing with your physical cards. Although in this case, you do not need to commit any real money that is a big difference with respect to the actual TCG. I also quite love the possibility to play online as well as against an AI as you can fit a few games even if you have a very busy life.

Of course, those not inclined to play online or against the computer can still continue to just collect the cards and admire their beautiful artwork. I personally quite love the mix of very recent artwork together with some renown classic ones and I must also admit that playing this games sometime makes me willing to jump on the website of Magic Madhouse to purchase some boosters to open. I also know that a few players enjoyed playing with Pokémon TCG cards using the same deck-building and gameplay rules of TCG pocket. It is clear that Pokémon TCG pocket can please all fans of the Pokémon Trading Card Game whatever or not they play the actual TCG and if you haven't done it yet, I would recommend to give it a try.