Pokemon TCG Pocket gives players a new, exciting way to collect Pokemon cards. From holographic effects that move with the player’s touch to full and immersive art cards, the types of cards Pokemon TCG Pocket take advantage of its mobile medium to enhance the collecting experience. The way players can collect digital cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket is a bit of a reprieve from the physical version of the game, still battling with scalpers.
DeNA’s mobile trading card simulator is not without its issues, however. Fans have been calling for changes to Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Pack Points since it was launched, and another cool change would be that 10-pack pulls to at least guarantee an EX card. These critiques of Pokemon TCG Pocket are only made more prevalent among fans with the fact that the app has released sets every month, giving more and more cards for players to collect regularly. It adds Pokemon to the game rather quickly, but there’s an imbalance happening between the game’s critters, and it can even be seen between the starter Pokemon.
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Pokemon TCG Pocket Has Put Itself in a Tricky Situation with Starters
How Many Cards Each Starter Currently Has in Pokemon TCG Pocket
- Generation 1: Venusaur (1 rare, 2 EX, 1 Shiny rare, 1 Shiny EX, 1 Promo), Charizard (1 rare, 4 EX, 1 Immersive, 1 Shiny EX), Blastoise (1 rare, 2 EX, 1 Shiny rare, 1 Shiny EX, 1 Promo)
- Generation 2: None
- Generation 3: None
- Generation 4: Torterra (1 rare), Infernape (3 EX), Empoleon (1 rare)
- Generation 5: Serperior (2 rare, one being a full-art)
- Generation 6: Greninja (1 rare, 1 Shiny rare, 1 Promo)
- Generation 7: Decidueye (1 rare, 3 EX), Incineroar (1 Uncommon, 3 EX), Primarina (1 rare, 3 EX)
- Generation 8: None
- Generation 9: Meowscarada (2 rare, one being a full-art)
There is a lot that goes into choosing what packs focus on which themes, and what Pokemon fit the expansion itself. One of the big deciders is brand synergy and marketing, which gives way for the missing Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig lines to possibly be added to Pokemon TCG Pocket closer to Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s launch. Generation 3 has the potential to shine in the future, what with Pokemon Sleep focusing on those starters later in July, and Generation 8 may be waiting for a more opportune moment when Cinderace isn’t in the spotlight after Pokemon GO, its recent Pokemon TCG cards, and its newest Unite skin. It’s clear that DeNA tried to keep at least the Kanto starters relatively even, but once the Alola starters came into the mix, a problem emerged.
Every single one of the pocket monsters has its fans, and one way or another, they’ll notice when their favorite isn’t treated fairly.
The Double-Edged Sword With Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Starter Representation
Unlike the balance with the Kanto starters, the Celestial Guardians and Extradimensional Crisis sets showcased a problem with spacing out starters across multiple sets. Primarina, a Pokemon that is often overlooked and ridiculed for its more feminine evolutionary line, was reduced to only a rare while the other Alolan starters got 3 EXes and 1 rare (in Decidueye’s case).
Primarina has three EX versions in Eevee Grove, but it was after fans hoped it would appear in Extradimensional Crisis. Even then, Incineroar was close behind as an uncommon. This issue was only irritated by how Empoleon and Torterra were given the same treatment with the hope they’d be added later.
Primarina’s situation in particular makes a good argument as to why certain Pokemon shouldn’t be held back from region-specific expansions. Every single one of the pocket monsters has its fans, and one way or another they’ll notice when their favorite isn’t treated fairly. Incidentally, showcasing the flaws of holding critters back to add them later with the starters may have led to DeNA shooting itself in the foot somewhat as the stigma around Primarina didn’t help, and Torterra and Empoleon are popular critters that have been held back for 4 expansions now.
In the end, as long as Pokemon TCG Pocket keeps releasing expansions every month, it’s only a matter of time before each and every Pokemon gets its due. Hopefully the current line-up is just a circumstantial bump in the road, and every fan-favorite like the starter critters will have its earned time to shine during the app’s lifetime.