The long-awaited trading update for Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has been released today, but it has sparked even more outrage than anticipated. Despite the backlash when the mechanics were initially revealed by developer Creatures Inc. last week, the community's reaction has been overwhelmingly negative.
Players have taken to social media to express their frustration with the trading feature, highlighting its numerous requirements and restrictions. While some restrictions were disclosed last week, the need to "consume items" to trade was only hinted at, leaving players unprepared for the full scope of the system.
Unlike the Wonder Pick feature or opening booster packs, each trading attempt requires two specific items. The first is Trade Stamina, which regenerates over time or can be purchased with Poké Gold, essentially real-world currency.
Trade Tokens
The second item, Trade Tokens, has caused significant uproar within the Pokémon TCG Pocket community. These tokens are necessary for trading cards of 3 Diamonds or higher. For example, trading a 3 Diamond card requires 120 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card needs 400, and a 4 Diamond card (an ex Pokémon) demands 500 tokens. Players can obtain Trade Tokens by sacrificing cards from their collection: a 3 Diamond card yields 25 tokens, a 1 Star card 100, a 4 Diamond card 125, a 2 Star card 300, a 3 Star immersive card 300, and a Crown gold card 1500. Lower rarity cards are essentially valueless in this context but do not require tokens to trade.
This system means players must sacrifice multiple high-value cards to trade just one. For instance, trading one ex Pokémon requires sacrificing five others, and trading one 1 Star card means sacrificing five more of the same rarity. Even selling the rarest Crown card only provides enough tokens for three ex Pokémon trades, and selling a 3 Star immersive art card, a key selling point of the game, does not yield enough tokens to trade either a 1 Star or a 4 Diamond card.
'A Monumental Failure'
The community's frustration is palpable. "The trading update is an insult," wrote hurtbowler on Reddit, a sentiment echoed by many who have vowed not to spend another penny on the game. "It's just frustrating. The greed is so excessive I can't be inclined to spend another dollar. They should probably remove 'Trading Card Game' from the title screen. It's just insulting to look at."
Comments on the system have been scathing, with players calling it "silly" to have to burn multiple high-value cards just to trade one. "I understand they want to keep people from creating bots and exploiting the system, but this is currently absurd," one user remarked. Others have labeled the update as "hilariously toxic" and a "monumental failure," lamenting the loss of a potential community-building feature to such an onerous system. The process of exchanging cards for tokens itself takes around 15 seconds, making the entire trading experience laborious.
Some players have suggested renaming the app to "Pokémon Card Game Pocket" due to the high trade costs, with one user stating, "I don't think they want people trading at all. That's why they made it so bad."
Pay Day
Many fans believe the trading system is designed to boost revenue for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which reportedly earned $200 million in its first month before trading was introduced. The inability to trade cards of 2 Star rarity or higher further supports this theory, as it forces players to spend more on booster packs to complete sets. One player reportedly spent $1,500 just to complete the first set, with the third set launching tomorrow.
"The trading system is predatory and downright greedy," wrote ACNL on Reddit, highlighting the conversion rates for Trade Tokens. "That's just messed up man. Like who designed this? If there were other ways to get tokens, this might be passable, but at the moment there are no other ways to get tokens. This isn't sustainable at all. On top of that, you can't even burn a card unless you have three copies of it. If you want to trade in this game, you better buy a ton of packs and keep buying them."
Creatures Inc. Stays Quiet
Creatures Inc. has yet to respond to the community's outcry over the trading system. Although the developer previously acknowledged concerns when the trading mechanics were first announced, stating, "Your concerns are seen. Once this feature becomes available, I'd like to invite everyone to try it and provide feedback. This way, the game can continue to evolve in an enjoyable way for everyone," the reality has not met player expectations.
IGN has reached out to Creatures Inc. for comment on the backlash and potential changes to the system. Suggestions have been made that including Trade Tokens as mission rewards could help alleviate some of the issues, though it seems more likely that Trade Stamina will be featured in these rewards, as has been the case with similar items like Wonder Stamina and Pack Hourglasses.
The introduction of such a poorly received mechanic is a significant blow for Pokémon TCG Pocket, especially as it prepares to launch its next major update featuring Diamond and Pearl Pokémon like Dialga and Palkia.
