The developers of Pokémon TCG Pocket have recently announced significant enhancements to the game's trading system, which has been a major point of contention since its launch. These improvements promise to revolutionize the trading experience, though they won't be implemented until later this year.
In a detailed post on the Pokémon community forums, the developers outlined the upcoming changes:
Removal of Trade Tokens
- Trade Tokens will be completely eliminated, and players will no longer need to sacrifice cards to acquire the currency needed for trading.
- Trading cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity will now require shinedust. This resource is automatically earned when players open a booster pack and receive a card already registered in their Card Dex.
- Shinedust, which is currently used to purchase flairs, will see an increase in availability to accommodate its new role in trading. This change is expected to allow for more frequent card trades.
- Existing Trade Tokens will be converted to shinedust once the update is rolled out.
- No changes will be made to the trading of one-diamond and two-diamond rarity cards.
Additional Updates in Development
- A new feature will enable players to share cards they are interested in trading directly through the in-game trading function, making the process more transparent and user-friendly.
The current trading system, which relies on Trade Tokens, has been widely criticized. To trade cards, players must convert other cards into these tokens, making the process cumbersome and costly. For instance, trading one ex Pokémon card requires sacrificing five other ex cards to obtain enough tokens. The new system using shinedust, which players already accumulate from duplicates and other in-game activities, is a significant improvement. Shinedust's existing use for purchasing flairs means many players already have a stockpile, and the developers plan to increase its availability to support trading.
While imposing a cost on trading is necessary to prevent exploitation, such as creating multiple accounts to trade rare cards to a main account, the trade token system was excessively restrictive. The upcoming changes aim to balance this by making trading more accessible while maintaining a thoughtful approach to card exchanges.
The ability to share desired trade cards will also be a game-changer. Currently, there's no way to communicate trade preferences within the game, making it difficult to connect with potential trading partners. The new feature will streamline this process, encouraging more players to engage with the trading system.
The community has responded positively to these announcements, though there's frustration over the cards already sacrificed for trade tokens. While existing tokens will convert to shinedust, the lost cards cannot be recovered.
The major downside is the timeline for these updates. The developers have indicated that these changes won't be implemented until the fall of this year. This delay could lead to a significant slowdown in trading activity, as players may be reluctant to use the current system knowing a better solution is on the horizon.
In the meantime, players are advised to save their shinedust in anticipation of the new trading system. With several expansions expected before the update, the "trading" aspect of Pokémon TCG Pocket may remain dormant until the changes take effect.
