Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket It's all about the thrill of opening digital card packs, but it has another trick up its sleeve. Released to the public on Tuesday, the mobile game has a battle mode where people can create a deck and compete against each other. For long-time Pokémon fans who collect the cards but haven't played, it gives you a chance to experience a competitive experience. Pokémon TCG for the first time.
Created by Creatures and Game Freak with additional development support from DeNA, Pokémon TCG Pocket allows players to open packs and collect digital Pokémon cards. The game focuses heavily on the collecting aspects: you can open booster packs, design digital display cases to flaunt your collection online, and even enhance card images by combining duplicates. However, the app also features a simplified version of the competitive board game.
The battle version of the app takes much less time. Instead of beating Pokémon to win six prize cards, JCC pocket gives players the victory after eliminating three. Decks are condensed from 60 to 20 cards, and instead of drawing energy cards, players can automatically equip one energy counter per turn. Additionally, individual cards' attacks and abilities have been edited to fit this new system, so many cards have fewer attacks or simplified abilities.
This adapted battle system makes the once intimidating tabletop card game much more accessible. It's only been a day since the app launched and I've seen a group of long-time Pokémon fans battling it out for the first time. In this Reddit thread, the original poster says: “I collected cards when I was a kid and I don't think I ever fought them once.”
One person responded saying that reducing the number of cards helped encourage him to start playing. At the moment, JCC pocketGoogle's rolodex lists 226 unique cards, while the English sets for the tabletop version now total over 9,100 cards.
“I was very interested Pocket because the card pool is limited and my understanding of card combinations and strategies could grow with the game itself,” said CobaltCool215 on Reddit.
For some, JCC pocket has inspired them to play the full board version of the competitive card game. Reddit user Pufferpanda wrote: “[TCG Pocket] It was also my first introduction to a Pokémon card game when I started playing last month, but I finally checked out the main card game because I was looking forward to the competitive/ranked system.”
Based on my real-life anecdotal experience, this makes a lot of sense. I know several avid Pokémon card collectors who own hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cards, but have never played the tabletop version of the game. For many, the Pokémon TCG is more about appreciating the art and building a collection (and keeping those cards safe from damage) than it is about competing with others. JCC pocket I probably won't change that. But at least now, veteran players have a chance to see a different side of the game.