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After massive fan backlash, Pokémon TCG Pocket is changing how trading works

A beginning card collection.
A beginning card collection Nintendo

Pokémon TCG Pocket finally added the trading feature after several months, but it was not well received by fans for its restrictive policies and new types of currency. Since adding the feature in a few days ago, TCG Pocket developer Creatures, Inc has changed its approach and said updates and improvements are on the way, although there is not a specific release window for when the game will implement those changes.

“Since releasing the first iteration of the trading feature a few days ago, we have received a large number of comments. Thank you all for sharing your feedback. The item requirements and restrictions implemented for the trading feature were designed to prevent abuse from bots and other prohibited actions using multiple accounts. Our goal was to balance the game while preserving the fun of collecting cards that are core to the Pokemon TCG pocket experience,” the company said in a press release.

Starting a trade in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
The Pokemon Company

“However, thanks to your feedback, we understand some of the restrictions put in place are preventing players from being able to casually enjoy the feature as intended. We are actively investigating ways to improve the feature to address these concerns. Going forward, we also plan to offer multiple ways to obtain trade tokens including through event distributions.”

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The current system limits trades to the same level of rarity, and only cards with a rarity falling between 1 and 4 diamonds, or 1 star, can be traded. Players will also need to have the right type of currency to initiate the trade with trade tokens and trade hourglasses. Creatures, Inc says players who log in now will receive enough trade tokens for a free trade. It’s not clear how the trading mechanic will improve in future updates; it clearly won’t come with no restrictions, as it would be far too easy to complete card collections through trading alone.

With any luck, an update will arrive within a couple of months.

Patrick Hearn
Patrick has written about tech for more than 15 years and isn't slowing down anytime soon. With previous clients ranging from…
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