Pokémon TCG Pocket players brand trading system “a joke” and “downright greedy”

A new update to Pokémon TCG Pocket has added the ability for players to trade cards, but the mechanics of the system have come under intense criticism from fans.

Trading require players use up valuable resources and adhere to a lengthy list of restrictions in order to acquire cards they don’t already have.

“Let’s face it, the game does NOT want you to trade cards,” is the title of one thread on the Pokémon TCG Pocket reddit, which is awash with complaints, memes and outright disbelief at how trading has been implemented.

In general, trading is limited to players on your friends list, and only one trade can be conducted at a time. Currently, only cards of One, Two, Three or Four Diamond rarity can be offered for trade, alongside One Star rarity. (To be clear: you cannot trade Two or Three Star or One Crown rarity.)

Beyond that, trading is subject to further rules. Firstly, you can only trade cards of the same rarity – meaning a trade for a One Diamond rarity card will mean you have to offer up another One Diamond rarity card in return, limiting the selection of cards that can be offered for trade with each other.

Next, you will need to use Trade Stamina, which recharges over time or change be boosted using Trade Hourglasses. In addition to this, if you trade cards of a Three Diamond rarity or higher you’ll also need to expend Trade Tokens, another consumable that can be earned in-game. Three Diamond rarity cards require 120 Tokens, One Star cards require 400 Tokens, while Four Diamond cards require 500 Trade Tokens.

Want some more rules? Go on, then. Cards with a Flair can only be exchanged for cards with a Flair. And you can only currently trade cards from the game’s Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs. Promo cards cannot be traded.

Trade Tokens can be acquired by junking other cards, but fans have complained at the amount of cards required in order to gather enough Tokens. For example, you will receive 100 Trade Tokens for junking a One Star card, but it will cost 400 Trade Tokens in total to trade for another One Star card.

“It’s simple – the game doesn’t want anyone trading cards,” wrote on fan. “It’s rubbish.”

“If (and that’s a big if) they hand it out like flair dust it’ll get easier,” wrote another in a different reddit thread. “But right now, it’s insanely expensive to trade, and I highly doubt they make trade tokens as easy to accumulate.”

“This trading update is an insult,” wrote a player who described themselves as a whale – a heavy spender on the game – that was never the target audience for trading as they had bought so many packs already. “This just feels awful for everyone else,” the continued.

“It simply doesn’t work. It fits such a narrow scenario of someone who is missing card X but happens to have a bunch of dupes to burn. So insanely narrow. It’s just frustrating. The greed is just so excessive I can’t be inclined to spend another $.

“They should probably remove ‘Trading Card Game’ from the title screen. It’s just insulting to look at.”

If you’re trying to navigate the new update, Eurogamer can help out with a guide to Pokémon TCG Pocket trading and how to trade cards, as well as a deeper dive into Pokémon TCG Pocket Trade Tokens and how to get them.

Why is the trading system so prohibitive? It’s likely that any mechanic that could stop players buying packs will have to be balanced by high costs to ensure the game continues to make money. Will the system get changed? While the game continues to rake in cash, it seems unlikely.