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The latest Pokémon TCG Pocket update has given us a new set and some new events to celebrate the game’s six-month anniversary. Aside from the cards in the new Celestial Guardians set, we’ve also gotten a new Drop Event with some exciting promo cards. However, not everything about the latest update is positive, and one card in particular seems to risk repeating one of the game’s worst mistakes. While this isn’t certain yet, it could be an issue if things go the same way as last time.
There’s a lot to love about the new Celestial Guardians set, especially if you’re a fan of Pokémon Sun and Moon. Solgaleo ex seems like an interesting addition, and I’ll never complain too much about a Pokémon TCG Pocket update that gives me a new Rowlet. Still, I’m a bit worried that the nature of the game’s new Drop Event rewards could repeat one of the more frustrating issues from one of Pokémon TCG Pocket‘s previous sets. There’s a possibility that a future update fixes this, and major updates in general may be necessary, but short-term problems could still arise.
The Latest Set Comes With A Rayquaza Ex Drop Event
Rayquaza Ex May Only Be Available For A Limited Time
Pokémon TCG Pocket‘s latest Drop Event includes a mechanically unique Rayquaza ex card. This is the first time Rayquaza is making an appearance in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and it’s one that lives up to the Pokémon’s power and popularity. Rayquaza ex’s attack randomly targets one of your opponent’s Pokémon four times (which can hit the same Pokémon multiple times), doing 40 damage each time. From my short time playing with the card, I’ve found it very effective at taking out multiple Pokémon at once. Rayquaza ex also synergizes well with Cyrus, as you’re able to easily manipulate your opponent’s board.
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As of now, there are two ways to get Rayquaza ex, either through the Drop Event, or by winning 50 battles before the end of the new 28-day Special Missions event. Although neither of these tasks are impossible, and I was able to get two copies of Rayquaza ex after about 10 battles in the Drop Event, restricting Rayquaza ex to a promotional reward does open up a possible issue. If the card is never released in packs, players who join the game later won’t get a chance to collect it, and it isn’t unreasonable to think this could happen.
Previous Drop Event Pokémon Never Got Released In Packs
Cresselia Ex Still Hasn’t Been Released In A Non-Promo Form
Back in February, a similar Drop Event introduced the mechanically-unique Cresselia ex. As of now, this card has not been made available in any subsequent packs, despite Triumphant Light, Shining Revelry, and now Celestial Guardians all coming out since its release. Currently, promo cards are also not allowed to be traded, so you can’t even rely on getting an extra copy of the card from a friend. This means, if you didn’t happen to participate in the Drop Event, or just started playing the game after February, you have no way of getting a Cresselia ex.
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Right now, it looks like Rayquaza ex may be in the same boat. I do have some hope that it might pop up in a pack, since the reward copy you get from winning 50 battles doesn’t have the Promo watermark on it. Still, there’s no indication if or when it will be available in packs, so there’s no telling how long you might have to wait if you miss out on it now. Although I have no issues with promos or Drop Events in general, continuing to introduce mechanically unique cards like this could create a big problem.
Putting A Time Limit On Mechanically Unique Cards Is Bad For Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Longevity
Restricting The Availability Of Powerful Cards Could Make Competitive Play Inaccessible
Making a mechanically unique card like Rayquaza ex only available for a limited time creates an issue when it comes to Pokémon TCG Pocket‘s competitive scene. If Rayquaza ex, or a card like it, becomes a major component of powerful decks, some players might get locked out of a meta just because they missed the window of availability for that card. This is a problem that will only become increasingly more frustrating as more unique cards are introduced for a limited time only.
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Magic: The Gathering had this issue when mechanically unique cards from its Walking Dead Secret Lair started making waves in eternal formats. Players who had missed the initial sales window of the Secret Lair product had difficulty getting copies at a reasonable price as the cards took a while to become widely available. Wizards of the Coast did eventually reprint new Universes Within versions of the cards in future packs, making them more accessible.
Pokémon TCG Pocket could use a similar approach, making any mechanically unique promos available in later sets. Although it would be nice if they did this for every card, as long as they did it for cards that had an impact on the game’s meta, it wouldn’t be a huge issue. That said, I think Pokémon TCG Pocket may need some major changes in general if it wants to plan for the future.
Major Changes Seem Inevitable To Keep Pokémon TCG Pocket Alive
Pokémon TCG Pocket Needs To Address Player Frustrations To Keep Its Fans
Some of Pokémon TCG Pocket‘s features have been the source of frustration for players, chief among them being trading. Initially, it was a bit of a joke that a game with the word “trading” in its name had no trading functionality, but at least players knew it was something that was planned for the game’s future. However, when trading finally arrived, it proved to be more restrictive than we had hoped. As I’ve already mentioned, certain cards can’t be traded, and it’s typically the rarer cards that can’t. Trading isn’t as meaningful when you can only exhange more common cards.
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Another nice addition would be allowing players to trade cards, even if they only have a single copy. I’ve had a few instances where friends are looking for a card that I’m not using, but I can’t trade it to them because I only have one. I suspect this is because the game doesn’t know how to account for cards that you’ve collected but don’t currently own a copy of. I won’t pretend to know what changes might be necessary to the game’s code to fix this, but if it’s possible, I think it would be a huge improvement.
That said, Pokémon TCG Pocket does seem to be making positive changes. The addition of Rare Candy, for instance, opens up a lot more deck-building opportunities because Stage 2 Pokémon are now quicker and more competitive. Hopefully, the game’s team will continue to include responsive updates like this that keep the meta from stagnating. Introducing updates that prevent important game pieces from being inaccessible also needs to be a priority for Pokémon TCG Pocket to preserve its longevity and avoid players quitting out of frustration.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
- Released
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October 30, 2024
- Developer(s)
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DeNA, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
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The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
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