The Pokémon TCG Pocket trading feature, launched January 29th, 2025, has faced significant player backlash, prompting developer DeNA to announce improvements. The outcry centers around several key issues.
Pokémon TCG Pocket: Player Complaints and DeNA's Response
The High Cost of Trade Tokens
The trading system, while offering a much-needed way to complete Pokédex entries, requires a new in-game currency: trade tokens. These tokens are expensive to acquire, demanding the sacrifice of higher-rarity cards to obtain sufficient amounts for trading even common cards. For example, trading a 4-Diamond card needs 500 tokens, while selling a 1-Star card only yields 100. This forces players to essentially “burn” valuable cards to facilitate trades. In response to player complaints voiced on February 1st, 2025, via a Twitter (X) post, DeNA pledged to introduce alternative ways to obtain trade tokens, including event distributions. Currently, only 1-Star cards are tradeable.
DeNA explained the restrictive nature of the system as a measure to prevent bot abuse and multi-account exploitation, aiming for a fair and enjoyable experience for all players. Further details on upcoming changes remain undisclosed.
The Apparent Disappearance of Genetic Apex Packs
Another source of frustration stems from the release of the Space-Time Smackdown booster packs on January 29th, 2025. Some players reported the Genetic Apex packs (the game's initial set) as missing from the main screen. This sparked concerns about the packs' permanent removal.
However, the Genetic Apex packs remain accessible; they're simply tucked away in a less-prominent "Select other booster packs" option at the bottom right of the pack selection screen. The small and easily missed text led to confusion and fueled speculation of intentional removal to promote the newer packs. While understandable from a marketing perspective, this oversight has prompted calls for a UI update to clearly display all available booster packs on the home screen. DeNA hasn't yet commented on this specific issue.
This clarification should alleviate concerns for players still aiming to complete the Genetic Apex set.
