Pocket TCG’s Unreleased Cards Will SHOCK You!

by

Summary

  • Pocket TCG limits players to two copies of each Item Card in their decks, with new expansions introducing a few at a time.
  • Certain unreleased Item Cards like First Ticket could change the game’s setup mechanics significantly.
  • Cards like Delivery Drone (Victory Cup), Energy Removal 2, VS Seeker (Pal Pad), and others could reshape gameplay dynamics.

In the game Pokemon TCG Pocket, you’ll find that Item Cards belong to the Trainer category. During a single turn, players can utilize an unlimited number of these cards. However, they are only allowed to have up to two copies of each Item Card within their decks.

In the Pokemon TCG Pocket version, there are several Item Cards from the physical game that are yet to be included. Given the speed at which the game is progressing, each expansion appears to introduce just a handful of new Item Cards. This could be due to their potential to significantly impact gameplay and the need for careful consideration before they’re added.

Could players have the opportunity to use unreleased Item Cards from the physical game in TCG Pocket? If so, which ones might alter, invigorate, or potentially disrupt the current meta-game within this digital TCG? The following suggestions spotlight the most influential possibilities that could redefine the competitive multiplayer experience and further captivate fans.

8. First Ticket

Reason: It Could Introduce a New Checkup Phase

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Before you flip a coin to decide who goes first in a game, you may play this card. Don’t flip that coin, and you go first. If both players play First Ticket, flip the coin as normal. (You may play only 1 First Ticket before you flip that coin.)
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: Dragon Vault

Ever since its debut, the setup rounds in Pokemon TCG Pocket have stirred up a bit of debate. At the onset of every game, a computer-generated coin toss determines who starts first. However, the controversy arises because the initial player is unable to attach Energy or attack, while the second player can do both. This has caused some players to voice concerns about the unfairness. But, what if an Item Card could shift this balance?

In the real-world Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG), the First Ticket card allows players to ensure they start the game, which provides significant benefits. However, this aspect isn’t fully mirrored in the Pokemon TCG Pocket version, where starting second can oftentimes be more advantageous. Nevertheless, introducing a method that almost ensures the first turn could encourage players to construct decks that thrive on initial moves.

The issue with First Ticker is that it introduces an additional step before matches, where players receive their starting hand and can choose either to play First Ticketer or go for a coin toss. Essentially, incorporating this Card Item into TCG Pocket may not be a common occurrence given the developers’ apparent lack of enthusiasm for modifying fundamental combat mechanisms.

7. Delivery Drone (or Victory Cup)

Reason: It Could Revolutionize Deck-Building

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Flip 2 coins. If both of them are heads, search your deck for a card and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: Paldea Evolved

As a passionate fan, I’ve noticed that one area where TCG Pocket’s deck-building mechanics could be improved is by introducing more “search” cards. In the real-world Pokemon Trading Card Game, there are numerous cards that allow players to search their deck for a specific card and add it directly to their hand. Unfortunately, so far, TCG Pocket hasn’t incorporated a true search card like this. At present, there are only a few methods to manipulate the deck, such as Pokemon Communication, Mythical Slab, and Ion, but none of them are as effective as a Delivery Drone-like card could be.

Experienced gamers understand that an Item Card used for deck-searching without limitations might disrupt the game significantly, considering that TCG Pocket decks are smaller than their physical counterparts. However, Delivery Drone comes with a safety measure; it requires a double coin toss to activate. This reduces its consistency, which can help preserve game balance while still providing players with a valuable search option.

The Victory Cup operates similarly to a Delivery Drone, however, there’s a crucial distinction: it needs just one lucky coin toss for success. This reduced risk factor significantly increases the chances of disrupting the balance in the PvP (Player versus Player) environment within TCG Pocket.

6. Energy Removal 2 (or Crushing Hammer)

Reason: It Could Balance Energy-Generating Cards

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Flip a coin. If heads, choose one Energy card attached to one of your opponent’s Pokemon and discard it.
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: EX Power Keepers

Energy-producing cards have proven capable of shaking up the game dynamics in the TCG Pocket, as demonstrated by recent cases like Giratina ex, which reigned supreme in PvP due to its self-recharging feature. Similarly, Leafeon ex significantly contributed to Celebi ex’s rise in popularity within the meta, until other similar decks eventually displaced it. Given the significant edge these cards offer, it seems sensible to add more countermeasures. One promising option could be the well-known Item Card from the Pokemon TCG, Energy Removal 2.

Energy Removal 2 provides players an opportunity to interfere with their opponent’s Pokemon’s Energy configuration. Upon playing it, the player flips a coin; if it lands on heads, they can take away one Energy card from any of their opponent’s Pokemon. This feature becomes particularly useful against decks that employ Energy-draining cards, such as Pikachu ex from Shining Revelry, which discards its Energy after every attack.

In contrast to TCG Pocket’s Team Rocket Grunt, which is a Supporter and thus can only be utilized once per turn, the benefit of Energy Removal 2 lies in its status as an Item Card, enabling players to utilize numerous instances within a single turn.

5. VS Seeker (or Pal Pad)

Reason: It Could Popularize More Supporter Cards

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Put a Supporter card from your discard pile into your hand.
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: XY—Phantom Forces

Allowing multiple instances of Supporter cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket could significantly shift the game dynamic. Currently, the Supporter pool is mainly controlled by a handful of high-reliability options, with the exception being the 18-Trainer archetype that employs a wider variety. This diversity is largely due to the restriction of two cards per deck, which makes less predictable cards like Misty, whose effectiveness depends on coin flips, less desirable because of the impact on consistency. Consequently, many players opt not to include them in their decks.

In the Pokemon TCG, having an item card like VS Seeker could significantly alter the game’s outcome. In the traditional game, VS Seeker enables players to reuse a supporter card that has already been played, thereby allowing for more than two instances of the same card in a single match. This feature is particularly beneficial, as it aligns with the TCG Pocket format, where each deck can only contain two copies of any given card. Even with two uses of VS Seeker, a player would be limited to playing the same supporter card no more than four times during the game.

Pal Pad operates differently than VS Seeker. Instead of placing a Supporter card directly into your hand, it enables you to put two previously used Supporter cards back into your deck and reshuffle them.

4. Damage Mover

Reason: It Could Add a New Strategic Layer

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Move three damage counters from one of your Pokemon to another of your Pokemon.
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: Shining Legends

Translating that into a simpler and more conversational style: Shifting damage from one Pokemon to another is a whole new ball game compared to healing. If we had a card like Damage Mover in TCG Pocket, battles would get much more strategic. It wouldn’t only prevent Pokemon from fainting; it could also make it smart to choose self-destruction over retreating when the cost to do so isn’t justified.

In a strategic move, Damage Mover complements cards such as Mars effectively. Picture a scenario where a player sacrifices one of their own Pokemon using Damage Mover to award an additional point to the opponent. However, immediately after, they play Mars, limiting the opponent’s card options for the remainder of the game. Although this strategy is risky, calculated moves like these can undeniably add excitement and unpredictability to PvP combat.

3. Toy Catcher

Reason: It Could Create a Deadly Triangle with Sabrina and Cyrus

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Switch one of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon that has 50 HP or less remaining with your opponent’s Active Pokemon.
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: Evolving Skies

Essentially, Toy Catcher serves as a simplified version of Cyrus. Unlike Cyrus, which requires a prior injury to function, Toy Catcher can grab Pokemon with 50 HP or lower without any damage being inflicted beforehand. This feature allows players to strategically pull a low-health Benched Pokemon onto the Active Spot early in the game and eliminate it before it has a chance to evolve. In contrast, Cyrus requires that the target be injured first before it can be moved.

Presenting Toy Catcher as an Item Card can create one of the potent counter-strategy combinations in the TCG Pocket game. Should your opponent be delaying, utilize Toy Catcher to discard their tank and eradicate a crucial pre-evolution; if they’re concealing an injured Pokemon on the Bench, deploy Cyrus to extract and annihilate it; and if they’re exerting pressure with their Active Pokemon, apply Sabrina to repel them for a turn and recuperate. This strategy is adaptable and multi-layered, boasting genuine potential.

2. Devolution Spray

Reason: It Could Intensify the Combat

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Devolve one of your evolved Pokemon and put the highest Stage Evolution card on it into your hand. (That Pokemon can’t evolve this turn.)
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: XY—Fates Collide

Imagine: The currently active Pokémon on your side is hanging on with low Health Points (HP). Just as it seems about to be defeated, your opponent uses the Devolution Spray card, transforming your Pokémon into its Basic form and avoiding the two-point penalty for fainting. If the Devolution Spray card were added to Pokemon TCG Pocket, such strategic plays could become a possibility.

Devolution Spray might aid in reducing the surrender rate among players. Presently, numerous competitors concede when a game seems unwinnable. However, having a card like this would provide them with an alternative strategy, allowing them to remove and reactivate either an ex-card or a Stage One or Two Pokemon, increasing their chances of making a comeback. Essentially, it’s a tool that maintains the possibility of a comeback.

1. Rare Candy (or Evosoda)

Reason: It Could Fix the Stage Two Pokemon Problem

  • Card Text in Pokemon TCG: Choose one of your Basic Pokemon in play. If you have a Stage Two card in your hand that evolves from that Pokemon, put that card onto the Basic Pokemon to evolve it, skipping the Stage One. You can’t use this card during your first turn or on a Basic Pokemon that was put into play this turn.
  • Pokemon TCG Expansion: Sword & Shield

The issue with the Pokemon TCG Pocket game is that it takes an excessive amount of time to advance to a Stage Two Pokemon. Since each deck only allows two copies of any card and there are no dependable search tools, the process of finding and evolving into a Stage Two can be excruciatingly slow. Introducing Rare Candy could immediately solve this issue by allowing for instant evolution.

With this Item Card, players can jump ahead to Stage Two without passing through a stage, which is quite significant given that numerous Stage Two Pokémon in the TCG Pocket are often undervalued due to complex setup processes. Introducing Rare Candy could bring new life to these cards and introduce more diversity into the game’s meta.

In simpler terms, Evosoda resembles Rare Candy, but there’s an essential distinction – Evosoda can be used for both Stage One and Stage Two Pokémon, whereas Rare Candy is exclusively for Stage Two.

Read More

2025-04-21 10:25