The developers of Pokémon TCG Pocket have finally shed light on significant enhancements to the game's widely criticized trading system, which has been problematic since its inception. These forthcoming changes promise substantial improvements, though their implementation will take considerable time.
In a detailed post on the Pokémon community forums, the developers outlined the upcoming modifications:
Removal of Trade Tokens
- Trade tokens will be entirely phased out, eliminating the need for players to sacrifice cards to acquire trading currency.
- Instead, trading cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity will now require shinedust.
- Shinedust will be automatically earned when opening booster packs if the card is already in your Card Dex.
- Since shinedust is also used to obtain flair, the developers are considering increasing its availability to support trading activities.
- This change is expected to enable more frequent trading compared to the current system.
- Existing trade tokens will be converted to shinedust upon removal from the game.
- There will be no changes to the trading process for one-diamond and two-diamond rarity cards.
Additional Updates in Development
- A new feature will allow players to share cards they are interested in trading through the in-game trading function.
The most significant overhaul is the elimination of Trade Tokens, which have been a major pain point. These tokens were essential for trading but could only be obtained by discarding owned cards, making the process cumbersome and discouraging.
Currently, trading an ex Pokémon card requires sacrificing five other ex cards to gather enough tokens. This system has been a significant barrier to engaging in trades. The proposed shinedust system appears more user-friendly. Shinedust, already in use for purchasing card flairs, is earned automatically from duplicate cards and through various in-game events. Players likely have surplus shinedust, and the developers plan to increase its availability to facilitate trading.
Implementing a cost for trading remains crucial to prevent exploitation, such as creating multiple accounts to amass and trade rare cards. However, the trade token system's high cost has deterred regular players.
Another key update is the ability to share desired trade cards, which will significantly enhance the trading experience. Currently, without this feature, trading with strangers is inefficient as there's no way to communicate desired trades in-game, leaving potential traders guessing.
The community has responded positively to these proposed changes, though there's a notable concern: players have already discarded many rare cards to amass trade tokens, and those cards are irretrievable. While existing tokens will convert to shinedust, the loss of these cards remains a sore point.
A major drawback is the timeline for these changes; they won't be implemented until the fall of this year. This delay may lead to a standstill in trading, as players are unlikely to continue using the current flawed system with a better solution on the horizon. Several more expansions may come and go before the trading aspect of "Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket" truly flourishes.
In the meantime, players are advised to save their shinedust for the upcoming changes.
