I’ve been a fan of the Pokémon franchise ever since I was a kid and played Pokemon Red on a Nintendo GameBoy. Years later, I got into Pokémon TCG, but this newest release is something a little different. Here’s how you get started with Pokémon TCG Pocket.
Not Your Usual Card Game
Some of the most strategic games out there are card games. Whether it’s a video game like Slay the Spire or a physical card game like my favorite trading card game (TCG), Magic: The Gathering, they offer a lot of depth in building a deck and taking on the world on your terms.Pokémon TCG Pocket also does that, alongside providing a game perfect for quick sessions.
Installing is as simple as getting onto the Google Play Store, downloading the game, and waiting for it to install. After installation, the app will take some time to download card images and other game data, but the download isn’t huge and should be done in ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the speed of your connection. If you’re nostalgic about playing Pokémon as a kid and you like card games, you’ll get into this one pretty quickly.
When you initially load into the game, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your Google account or link your Nintendo account (which you’ll automatically have after a Switch subscription). Either works, but you get more rewards for connecting to your Nintendo account. If you have a Switch, you should already have one. Signing up for one is quick and easy, so it’s not a huge barrier. If you want to cover all your bases, you should connect both accounts.
When you start, the game will prompt you to go through an initial tutorial that will familiarize you with how the game works. If you’ve played Pokémon TCG before, this will be very familiar. If you haven’t, it’s elementary to pick up, and most players won’t have much to worry about. Getting invested is pretty easy, especially since opening packs is so immersive.
Beginner Steps After the Tutorial
Once you’ve finished the tutorial, you’ll have several options. I advise you to check the “Missions” button, which should be blue at the bottom right of the start screen. Missions grant you rewards in several currencies. Claim your mission completion bonuses, and you’ll get a lot of rewards. Like most other of the best Android games on the Play Store, the game has a daily login bonus to keep you coming back.
You might also want to set up your profile and check out the starting deck. The game gives you just one, but as you get more cards, it has an intuitive auto-build button that will fill the deck out with Pokémon of the chosen type and normal-type ones to make up the rest of the 20-card deck. As you get into the game, it’ll give you more cards to experiment with.
The Pack and Currency Systems
Every day, you’ll be able to open two packs—a timer limits when you’ll have those two packs to open, usually 12 hours apart. One of the currency systems allows you to speed up this pack opening, and at the start, you’ll have a lot of excess time speeds to get you into the game. I’d advise you to use all of them to start building your collection. You’ll probably spend your first few hours leveling up and completing a few missions to get more pack-opening currency.
There’s also a system known as the “Wonder Pick” system. You have a currency that refreshes slowly over time, allowing you to choose one of five cards in a pack. These packs might be from your friends on the app or from strangers. It randomizes the pack, and you choose one of the cards. You get that card added to your collection, but the original owner doesn’t lose a card. You also get one of these Wonder Picks for free once per day. If you want to refresh the Wonder Pick currency, you have to spend a different type of currency, which you get from daily rewards.
Opening a pack is also pretty immersive since you have to trace the line on the pack to open it. If you’re a TCG player, the sound is a dopamine hit like no other. The initial set release has three pack types, with different drop rates and cards available in each. I’d recommend the Charizard pack for your first few pulls, then alternating between the Pikachu and Mewtwo packs.
Pokémon TCG Pocket also has a shop system where players can spend their daily reward currencies. Honestly, the number of currencies in the game is overwhelming for new users, but stick with it, and it’ll make sense soon enough. You also get a daily reward from the shop when you log in.
The app offers something called “rental decks” as well. When you crack a pack and get the “headline” card for a rental deck, you get to use that deck a set amount of times. These are premade decks that demonstrate the power of a particular type of playstyle, but once you’ve used the rental deck a set amount of times, you lose it. However, if you collect the individual cards in the deck from pack openings, you can rebuild it and keep it forever.
Playing Games and Earning XP
Your profile has a level, and you can earn XP to raise it by playing games (solo or multiplayer) or completing missions. When you level up, you also get rewards in currency or cards. At the start, don’t be too eager to jump into the multiplayer arena. A lot of players have some pretty powerful cards. Instead, go through the solo play guide and play through the single-player missions. You’ll still get XP, and you’ll get a feel for what’s out there.
Next Steps on Your Pokemon TCG Pocket Journey
If you want to be the very best, it all starts with collecting. The more packs you open, the more chances are you’ll get particularly powerful cards. Use your pack currency as much as possible to get as many pack openings as you can. Don’t forget to add friends (each player has a code) so you can get Wonder Picks from them. Thanking them for Wonder Picks also gives them rewards.
I’m not too fond of the sheer amount of currencies the game has, but my complaints about playing the game are relatively few. It’s a simpler version of the Pokémon TCG, and because the decks are so small, games are quick. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the franchise.
