Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has finally rolled out its much-anticipated trading update today. However, despite the excitement surrounding its release, the update has been met with widespread criticism from the community. Players took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the new trading mechanics, which they found overly restrictive and cumbersome. The trading system's details, which were initially disclosed last week, have only fueled further discontent among the players.
One of the main grievances centers around the necessity of consuming items to facilitate trades. Unlike the straightforward mechanics of the Wonder Pick feature or opening booster packs, trading now requires the use of two distinct items: Trade Stamina and Trade Tokens. Trade Stamina, similar to other in-game resources, regenerates over time or can be replenished with Poké Gold, essentially requiring real-world money for immediate use.
Trade Tokens
The more contentious item, however, is the Trade Token. Players must use these tokens to trade cards rated at 3 Diamonds or higher. The token requirements are steep: 120 for a 3 Diamond card, 400 for a 1 Star card, and 500 for a 4 Diamond card (an ex Pokémon). Acquiring Trade Tokens involves sacrificing cards from your collection, with varying returns depending on the card's rarity. For instance, discarding a 3 Diamond card yields 25 tokens, while a 1 Star card provides 100, and a Crown gold card, the rarest in the game, nets 1500 tokens. Lower rarity cards, while not requiring tokens to trade, are essentially valueless in this system.
This means players must dismantle multiple high-value cards just to trade one. For example, trading a single ex Pokémon requires sacrificing five such cards. Similarly, trading a 1 Star card demands five 1 Star cards in return. Even selling a Crown rarity card, which might take months to obtain, only provides enough tokens for three ex Pokémon trades. The 3 Star immersive art cards, a highlight of Pokémon TCG Pocket, don't yield enough tokens to trade either a 1 Star or a 4 Diamond card, making the system feel punitive.
'A Monumental Failure'
The community's frustration is palpable, with players like hurtbowler on Reddit calling the update "an insult" and vowing not to spend any more money on the game. "It's just frustrating. The greed is just so excessive I can't be inclined to spend another dollar. They should probably remove 'Trading Card Game' from the title screen. It's just insulting to look at," he wrote in a highly upvoted post. Others echoed his sentiment, labeling the system "hilariously toxic" and a "monumental failure," criticizing its laborious nature and the time it takes to convert cards into tokens.
One user suggested that the game should be renamed to "Pokémon Card Game Pocket" given the high trade costs, while another speculated that the developers might not want players to trade at all, given the system's design.
Pay Day
Many fans believe that the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly earned $200 million in its first month. The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher further supports this theory, as it forces players to buy more packs to complete sets. One player reportedly spent $1,500 just to complete the first set, highlighting the financial burden of the current system.
ACNL on Reddit described the trading system as "predatory and downright greedy," emphasizing the lack of alternative ways to acquire Trade Tokens. "That's just messed up man. Like who designed this? If there were other ways to get tokens, this might be passable, but at the moment there are no other ways to get tokens. This isn't sustainable at all. On top of that, you can't even burn a card unless you have three copies of it. If you want to trade in this game, you better buy a ton of packs and keep buying them," they wrote.
Creatures Inc. Stays Quiet
Creatures Inc., the developer behind Pokémon TCG Pocket, has yet to address the backlash against the trading update. Although the company previously responded to initial concerns about the trading system last week with a promise to consider feedback, it has remained silent since the update's launch. IGN has reached out to Creatures Inc. for a statement on the community's reaction and potential plans for changes.
Some users have suggested that the trading system could be improved by including Trade Tokens as rewards for in-game missions. However, it's more likely that Trade Stamina will be integrated into these rewards, following the pattern of existing items like Wonder Stamina and Pack Hourglasses.
The poorly received trading update arrives just before the game's next significant expansion, which will introduce Diamond and Pearl Pokémon such as Dialga and Palkia, making it a challenging moment for Pokémon TCG Pocket's future.
