Pokémon TCG Pocket Announces Upcoming Changes to Trading System

The developers of Pokémon TCG Pocket have finally unveiled significant enhancements to the game's much-criticized trading system, which has been a source of frustration since its launch. These improvements sound promising, but players will need to exercise patience as implementation is slated for the future.

In a detailed post on the Pokémon community forums, the developers outlined the upcoming changes:

Removal of Trade Tokens

• Trade tokens will be entirely phased out, eliminating the need for players to sacrifice cards to acquire trading currency.
• Trading cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity will now require shinedust.
• Shinedust will be automatically earned when opening a booster pack and obtaining a card already registered in your Card Dex.
• Given that shinedust is also used to obtain flair, the developers are considering increasing the amount available to accommodate its new role in trading.
• This change is expected to facilitate more frequent trading than the current system allows.
• Existing trade tokens will be converted to shinedust upon removal from the game.
• Trading of one-diamond and two-diamond rarity cards will remain unchanged.

Additional Updates in Development

• A new feature will enable players to share cards they are interested in trading via the in-game trading function.

The current trading system, which relies on trade tokens, has been widely criticized. To trade even a single ex Pokémon card, players must discard five other ex cards to accumulate enough trade tokens. This cumbersome process has deterred many from engaging with the trading feature.

The proposed system using shinedust is a significant improvement. Shinedust, already used for purchasing flairs, is earned automatically from duplicate cards and through various in-game events. Players who do not heavily invest in flairs likely have a surplus of shinedust, and the developers are exploring ways to increase its availability to support trading.

Implementing a cost for trading is crucial to prevent exploitation, such as creating multiple accounts to trade rare cards to a main account. The trade token system, however, was excessively costly, making it impractical for most players.

The ability to share desired trade cards will revolutionize the trading experience. Currently, players can list cards for trade but cannot specify what they want in return, leading to guesswork and limited engagement with strangers. This new feature will enable more targeted and effective trading.

The community has responded positively to these proposed changes, though there is a significant downside: players who have already sacrificed rare cards to obtain trade tokens will not recover those cards, despite the conversion of existing tokens to shinedust.

Unfortunately, these improvements won't be implemented until the fall of this year. In the interim, trading activity may stagnate as players await the new system, unwilling to further sacrifice rare cards under the current setup. Several expansions may come and go before the trading aspect of Pokémon TCG Pocket truly flourishes.

In the meantime, players are advised to save their shinedust for the upcoming changes.