Pokémon TCG Pocket Has Brought Me Back 25 Years, & I Couldn't Be Happier

Pokémon TCG Pockethas recaptured my interest in Pokémon in a way that few games have done since I first playedPokémon Bluein 1999 . This is n’t to say that it ’s my first time revisiting the series . Back in 2016 , my friends and I would take almostdailyPokémon GOtrips to our local park . Occasionally , out of a sense of nostalgia , I ’ll seize anew mainlinePokémongameto see what I ’ve been miss ( and put it down after an hour , never to disturb it again ) . ButPokémon TCG Pocketcomes closest to capturing my initial obsession with Pokémon .

Collecting cards and creating pack of cards inPokémon TCG Pocketfeels a fortune closer to my early experiences opening night packsof Pokémon card than even my more recent engagement with thePokémon TCGandPokémon TCG Live . This is part due to my societal experience withPokémon TCG Pocket , but also thanks to the game ’s card pool . The game ’s focus on tight and accessible gameplay also deserves some credit entry for fuel its success .

Showing Off Pokémon Collections Has Made a Comeback

I never would have conceive of that , at age 30,a healthy dose of my everyday communication now has to do with Pokémon . Since the release ofPokémon TCG Pocket , I have rarely start a few hours without at least one content showing off an impressive new circuit card being send to a mathematical group chat . Of of course , it helps thatPokémon TCG Pocketis a mobile game , so the process of screenshotting a corking pull and apportion it with admirer involves only a few clicks .

While the methods may be updated , the human action of showing off my coolest Pokémon to friends is still very nostalgic . Pokémon TCG Pocketalso has built - in ways for instrumentalist to show off their favorite cardson their public profile . That think of even player who do n’t have an enthusiastic chemical group ofPokémonfans to share their accumulation with still have a chance to share their pulls with other players . But it is n’t just the collecting aspect ofPokémon TCG Pocketthat feel interchangeable to collecting the first version cards back in the XC .

Deck Building In Pokémon TCG Pocket Feels More Old-School

Pokémon TCG Pocket Is A Better Environment For Experimenting With Decks Because It’s Free

To be clear , Pokémon TCG Pocketdoes have a pot of the same deck - building tendencies that can overcharge forward-looking TCGs of some illusion . There is a pretty well - defined meta , and finding meta builds online ( or net decks ) is very easy . While this was n’t necessarily the instance back in the day of dial - up , I still feel that deck of cards building inPokémon TCG Pocketfeels similar to cobbling a deck together from random ring I buy at Toys " R " Us .

One of the reasons I thinkPokémon TCG Pocketlends itself to the type of experimental pack of cards building I used to do as a kidis its limited card pool . sit down to act the fullPokémon TCG , where K of cards are legal in Standard , it can be a little impractical to sift through them all to produce a unique deck of cards . In contrast , Pokémon TCG Pockethas only around 200 cards , with some repeats for special art treatments . This prepare it a tidy sum easier to appear through and find card I require to wreak with .

Another wayPokémon TCG Pocketencourages creative pack of cards construction is by having a decent free - to - play model . When diddle the physicalPokémon TCG , there is n’t really an option to get free cards . Because players have to be smart with their money , they are encouraged to simply purchase cards that are good in the meta . However , when instrumentalist are consistently sustain free cards fromPokémon TCG Pocket , there ’s no actual harm in try out some new creative material body that might not puzzle out .

Pokémon TCG Pocket imagery surrounding an old-school cell phone with Pikarchu coming out of its screen.

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Going up against my champion ’s janky Venusaur deck of cards cue me of a time when the only real consideration I gave myPokémoncards was how much I wish the Pokémon I was collecting . I think being pumped to draw a Venonat as a kid , simply because I thought it was cute . Since I ’m not worrying about how much batting order be or how competitory my pack of cards will be at a local event , playingPokémon TCG Pocketfeels a lot close to this simpler way of engaging with the biz .

The Simplicity Of Pokémon TCG Pocket Gives It A Wide Appeal

Pokémon TCG Pocket Is Less Complex Than The Full Pokémon TCG

While I had a suspicion that I would be interested inPokémon TCG Pocketwhen it was announced , I would n’t have expected it to have a broad enough appeal to pluck in people who did n’t actively engage with TCGs . What has helpedPocket ’s broad appeal - and in turn helped it recapture the feeling of the initial90sPokémoncraze- is its simplicity . The game is a much more streamlined version of the TCG , making it much easier for players to engage with .

Not only are the rules and card designs a bit simpler , butPokémon TCG Pocketis also to the full automated . This mean players do n’t have to remember rules or sequence , because the secret plan does it for them . It even has ready to hand reminders if you forget to attach DOE or fiddle a friend notice , making it less likely that you ’ll make a serious misplay . This accessibility , plus the easiness with which friends can play remotely , has helped makePokémon TCG Pocketappealing to a wider audience than a distinctive TCG might have . And built - in nostalgia for Pokémon does n’t hurt .

How Pokémon TCG Pocket Mirrors The ’90s Pokémon Craze

Pokémon TCG Pocket Helps Capture The Excitement Of Collecting Pokémon Cards

Now that I ’m older , it take a set for something to occupy the same amount of distance in my brain asPokémondid back in the ninety . However , Pokémon TCG Pockethas done a middling good business of keeping me excited about the game . For one , open up a couple of ring daily think I ’m consistently engaged with the biz . Pull rates for cool scorecard also are n’t fearful , so it ’s not uncommon for me or someone I love to get a rare notice that we want to partake . This help keep an active social scene around the game for me .

This frequent engagement withPokémon , especially with a rendering of card collecting , is something I have n’t experienced since I was in grade school . While I wo n’t say my enthusiasm forPokémon TCG Pockethas reached full five - year - onetime status , it is the closest I ’ve come in a long time . Any lifelongPokémonfan who has n’t tried out the plot yet should give it a guesswork .