Pokemon TCG Pocket Backlash Prompts Trading Feature Improvements

The Pokémon TCG Pocket trading feature, launched January 29th, 2025, has sparked significant player backlash, prompting developer DeNA to promise improvements. The outcry centers on several key issues.

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Player Concerns Following Recent Update

High Cost of Trade Tokens

The trading system, while intended to aid Pokédex completion, requires a new in-game currency: trade tokens. These tokens are expensive to acquire, demanding the sacrifice of higher-rarity cards to obtain enough to trade even low-rarity cards. For example, trading a 4-Diamond card requires 500 tokens, while selling a 1-Star card yields only 100. This forces players to essentially “burn” valuable cards to facilitate trades. DeNA, in a February 1st, 2025, Twitter (X) post, acknowledged the concerns and pledged to introduce alternative ways to earn trade tokens, including event distributions. Currently, trading is limited to 1-Star cards.

DeNA explained the restrictive nature of the system was implemented to counter botting and multi-account abuse, aiming to maintain a fair and enjoyable card-collecting experience. Further details on upcoming changes remain undisclosed.

Genetic Apex Booster Pack Accessibility

Following the January 29th, 2025 release of the Space-Time Smackdown booster packs, some players reported the disappearance of the Genetic Apex packs from the main screen. This sparked concern online. However, the Genetic Apex packs remain accessible via a less-prominent "Select other booster packs" option in the bottom-right corner. Players have suggested improving the home screen display to show all available booster packs to prevent future confusion. While DeNA has not yet addressed this directly, this clarification should alleviate concerns about the initial booster pack’s availability.

The less-than-obvious location of the option to select older booster packs has led to speculation that this was a deliberate marketing decision to encourage players to purchase the newer packs. This, however, overlooks players who have yet to complete the Genetic Apex set.