Pokémon has been around for nearly 30 years now in various forms, including the classic trading card game. But, the newly released mobile game, Pokemon TCG Pocket, has turned the heads of both fans and newcomers alike. One thing I’ve been asked by multiple people is what the difference is between TCG Pocket and previous iterations of the battling system, such as Pokémon TCG Live.
What is the Pokémon Trading Card Game?
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (or TCG, for short) is a long-running card game designed in a way that anyone can learn to play, including kids. It’s loosely based on the iconic video game series from the same franchise.
Within the main game, you run a 60-card deck against another player with a 60-card deck. You can generally buy pre-constructed decks to get going or, for more advanced players, you can build your own.
You choose a type of energy (i.e. Fire, Water, Psychic, etc.) to run through the deck. But, some advanced decks offer multiple energy types for, oftentimes, way more powerful Pokémon to be included.
In this article, I’m not going to go into full detail on how to play the game. If you’d like to learn more about how to play the classic physical game, you can check out the official Pokémon website for the official rules and tips.
What you should know when making a comparison to Pokémon TCG Pocket is that the classic game has 60-card decks, offers six prize cards for knocking out your opponent’s Pokémon, and has a very wide array of card options.
In this version, you also base your tier of play on what era of cards you use in your deck. To be considered “Standard”, you have to only include cards from specific newer eras of card sets, which are released every 3 months (give or take). If your cards don’t fall under that, you’re likely to be using what’s called an “Expanded” deck all the way back to a more bygone era. And so on.
What is Pokémon TCG Live?
With that said, there have been multiple iterations of the TCG in digital form. Starting back on the Game Boy Color, they had a Pokémon Trading Card Game for the classic game console. For years, players also had access to Pokémon TCG Online, a flawed-but-well-regarded game that allowed players to build full-sized decks and battle the same way you could in person. After it officially closed back in 2023, it was replaced with Pokémon TCG Live.
Pokémon TCG Live works similarly to its predecessor but made things a little more straightforward. It put a much harder focus on battling than collecting. For those who enjoy battling over collecting, it’s become a staple for fans of the franchise.
The game utilizes the same cards you can buy right now in a real game store. For instance, Surging Sparks is the newest set as of writing this article, which you can buy booster packs from in the game using the earned in-game currency or through the battle pass.
You can also utilize code cards that come with physical Pokémon Trading Card Game booster packs, which allow you to enter the code to earn the same type of digital booster pack for TCG Live. This can help you keep up on their ranked system or play on Standard. But, expanded is also available to players who don’t purchase every set.
You also can build an in-game humanoid avatar. There are a few free options for clothing, but you can earn coins through normal playing to unlock more. This doesn’t affect gameplay at all but is just for the sake of visuals.
One thing of note is that, while other iterations of the Pokémon TCG require some form of money to really maximize, TCG Live is entirely free. The game relies on players buying physical booster packs and entering codes to make money on the app.
What is Pokémon TCG Pocket?
I’ve talked a great detail about what’s come before. But, Pokémon TCG Pocket is something very different and very new, meant to rally both new and old fans alike.
Not everyone cares about battling with their Pokémon cards. Pokémon TCG Pocket has a more balanced gameplay, focusing on the gacha aspect of opening booster packs over the actual battling portion of the game.
Some small aspects of TCG Live have carried over to TCG Pocket, such as the ability to purchase specific cards you need using an earned currency. But, the entire vibe is shifted toward the collector’s mentality. Where the classic Pokémon Trading Card Game has been around for decades, one thing has always been true: The collectors just want to collect pretty cards.
How does Pokémon TCG Pocket change the way you play the Pokémon Trading Card Game?
That’s a lot of backstory to get to the reason you’re here. The way you battle in Pokémon TCG Pocket is actually incredibly similar to the classic TCG. But, there are some very notable differences that change the way you think and handle each battle.
While the classic game (and TCG Live) utilizes 60-card decks, TCG Pocket maxes out with 20 cards in a deck. It’s also in line with other modern mobile games, like the 30-card Hearthstone decks, or the minuscule 12-card decks of Marvel SNAP.
In the classic game, you build decks with the Energy Cards baked into the deck. This allows you to tech out decks to find energy or specific cards you may need. Pokémon TCG Pocket sidesteps that by offering you one automatic energy from your Energy Pool, to do what you like with, per turn. Some cards, such as the often-maligned Misty card, allow you to grab way more energy in a single turn.
As mentioned, the classic TCG is based on the original Pokémon games. In those games, you can have one active Pokémon and up to 5 benched Pokémon to simulate the same kind of lineup options in the RPGs. TCG Pocket brings that down to a maximum of 3 benched Pokémon.
One last major change is the Points system of Pokémon TCG Pocket. In the old games, you’d place down 6 of your cards at the start of the game with their backs up. They are your Prizes, which you earn by knocking out your opponent’s Pokémon. When you take all 6 prize cards, you win. In Pokémon TCG Pocket, you earn up to 3 points for taking down your opponent’s Pokémon, half of the usual necessity.
Needless to say, all of this is to help streamline your time playing. You won’t be stuck in a 45-minute stalemate in TCG Pocket, unlike other iterations.
Aside from how the battles run, it’s important to note that the sets in Pokémon TCG Pocket are entirely different from what you can buy in a store. For instance, the first set, Genetic Apex, is exclusive to this mobile game. This allows them to build sets to balance the game, specifically, instead of introducing too many crazy concepts to casual fans who just want to collect and occasionally try to complete events once in a while.
Earning more of the same card also allows you to do things like adding flair to specific cards in your deck to show off your collection without being obnoxious about it. But, collectors sometimes just want to show off their cool cards to their friends and the public. That’s what display boards and binders are for!
That’s also where the monetization comes into play. You can purchase a monthly Premium Pass to earn an extra free booster pack to open per day and have access to the Premium shop, which includes exclusive promos and special cosmetic items. You can also buy Gold to help speed up slow timers and earn more things.
You can download Pokémon TCG Pocket for free on Android and iOS. But, for those who already have, what are your favorite parts of Pokémon TCG Pocket and how it plays? Tell us in the comments below!
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