in this story
this Pokémon trading card game (PTCG) is only about a year younger than the video game it’s based on, and is already 27 years old this year. While classic cards usually make the news when they sell for ridiculous prices, the actual competitive gameplay it creates Never been so popular. The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) hopes to better capitalize on this with a new free-to-play mobile game, Pokémon TCG: Pocket-this Marvel SnapshotBranding. I got my hands on it to see how it compares to the two break as well as existing Pokémon TCG live broadcast.
pocket Occupy the core PTCG game and streamline it down to a concept to make a faster, more mobile-friendly game. Although it’s not like a live game Magic: The GatheringSurprisingly, the ever-changing meta with new cards added every three months means that even playing the digital version can be a difficult world to enter. pocket It’s clearly an attempt to put all that aside and create a Marvel Snapshotin addition to injecting Pokémon magic.
Pulled here in an instant, for Pokémon At least that’s what the fans think pocket Two packs of free cards are provided to every player every day. It’s disappointing that each pack only contains 5 cards – real-world packs have 10, and we’ll explain why this change is disappointing later – but all card packs have the same chance of being included in the game Some of the rarest cards. The rarest cards can be surprising, breakThe outstanding 3D effects are mind-boggling. pocket If you’re really lucky, it has what it calls “immersive cards,” which when clicked turn into gorgeous animations, with the camera dashing into full-art images to reveal entire realms filled with Pokémon. in their elements, before eventually returning to the original work of art. This is real magic.
move shrink expand
The game itself differs more from the mainline version than I expected. First, although a TPCG The game is played with a deck of 60 cards. pocket The deck only has 20 cards. There are no prize cards (in live games players usually have to win six cards to win the game), instead victory is based on getting three “KO points”, earned by knocking out your opponent’s cards. Oh, and there are no damage dice. (coach card yes Still part of the game, but they really weren’t present during my demo, so it’s hard to say exactly how they will work at this point.
However, it is important to realize pocket yes it is no Trying to Digitally Recreate a Live Match – This Is Pokémon TCG live broadcast is (should be) for. It’s something new, something different, so it’s far removed from the rest of the TCG.
Let’s go on a tangent Pokémon TCG live broadcast. it is horrible. Previous Pokémon TCG OnlineComing offline in 2022, it’s a shaky, decade-old piece of technology, but as a way to play the TCG in the digital realm, it gets the job done. Both games are played by scanning code cards found in each real world to open bags. Pokémon card game Packaging, boxes, cans, etc. But when live replaced it, it also Reduced the number of cards obtained per password card You scan from 10 to 5, and if you have more than 4, delete a large number of cards and remove the “T” from the title entirely – there is no longer any way to trade in the digital trading card game. It’s so bad that I don’t want to play online games at all.
genetic peak
pocket So more traction is gained and there is no overlap at all. A collection of packages created for pocket Completely unique – the 200-card launch set is given the shockingly horrific name Genetic Apex – incorporating classic art dating back to the 1990s, as well as many original artworks. There are no real-world code cards, nor real-world versions of the original art. (In the course of my practice, another reporter asked if there were any plans to release any art from the game on a future physical box set, and the publicist launched into some confusing gibberish. I leaned forward and said: ” course They are. Of course it is.
We were given rather unrealistic digital packs to open, and I was extremely lucky during this time (to be honest, while the number they gave us to open was far more than what would be free in the real game, the packs themselves were unreal ) those with real odds that any player would have), pull out some amazing complete art by people known and new PTCG artist. The cards are so beautiful that it kind of hurts that they’re stuck on your phone screen, rather than something you can hold and store in a binder.
Even so, pocket When it comes to things like this, than livea cute digital binder that gives you ways to store cards and display and share your collection. Speaking of sharing, it also features a “Magic Pick” feature – a daily way to try your luck at drawing a specific card you want from a pack that someone else has opened. They have nothing to lose, but you have a chance to gain.
I choose you, Pokémon Pocket!
Well, the battle itself. You’ll need a set of 20 cards to play, but the game’s opening sequence and tutorial will guide you toward this. There are also so-called “rental decks” that can be “borrowed” and used to play, but not added to your collection.
Like live games, at the beginning of each game you draw cards and place one Pokémon in the active position and up to three other Pokémon on your bench. You can then use attacks by matching energy to cards (here, the energy zone generates energy for you each turn and shows which type will be generated next turn) and whittle your opponent’s health. You can then evolve your cards as normal, switching cards in and out of active positions, and playing trainers to gain an advantage. In a sense, all effects have been watered down from live gameplay to make these skirmishes more tactical. You’re less likely to hit an opponent with lower attack power in one go, and trainers will give you the ability to draw several cards from your deck instead of the five and seven on the table.
it works. It’s snappy and low-involvement, but has enough content to make the tactics relevant. And, importantly, it behaves nothing like Marvel Snapshotand this is where it can really get into trouble, especially after “borrowing” ideas like 3D holographic cards. It plays like a diluted version of the TCG and feels like a part of that realm.
It all adds up to a simpler game, but not an easy one, whether playing against the game’s artificial intelligence or other real-world players, which is handy for quick bursts on your phone . It’s not exciting, but it doesn’t have to be. It just needs to be fun. After all, this is an app that prioritizes opening packs and collecting cards.
That’s how they twerk
Yes, it does bring to light the dark clouds hanging over this happy hour. Two free packs per day, one released every 12 hours! Ways to get extra cards through Wonder Pick! But you need at least 20 cards to play, and many times more to build a solid deck. Oh, and those collectibles! There are 200 or more cards to collect in the first set! Be sure to catch them all! Yes, this is inevitably a gacha game, isn’t it?
Because, of course, there are plenty of ways to spend real money here. The in-game currency is Poké Gold, which has the magical ability to get the next free pack quickly, with 1 Gold cutting two hours of waiting time. Priced at 99c for 5 gold coins, I can only assume that lots of new ways to use the coins will be revealed when the game launches on Halloween. You also have the option to purchase the Premium Pass for $9.99 per month, which gives you an additional booster pack each day, as well as access to “Premium Missions,” so essentially a battle pass with rewards for completing those objectives – such as unique promotional cards as well as in-game decorations such as game mats, sleeves and coins.
You can also get a range of cosmetics and apply them to the cards to make them your own. These amount to special foil effects and sparkly decorations that will appear in the game, which is a great idea, but – again, I’m assuming – it’s also another way to spend money.
Of course, this is a “free” app, it’s a business, and it’s looking to make money. But this is also Pokémonas we adults would like to pretend, this is a franchise primarily aimed at and marketed to children. Gacha plus kids make me uncomfortable. one of the real pleasures Pokémon card game live There is really no way to spend money there. Of course, code cards cost money, but if you look in the right place, you can also buy code cards for 900 trillion cents, and code cards are in addition to the actual physical (Gacha) card you pay for. This is an app you can let your kids use freely and never have to worry about them stealing your credit card or urging you to dig it out yourself. An additional $10 per month is required pocketyou can add it to the crumbling pile of VBux, Robux, minecraft Subscribe, and more you may already be addicted to.
I sincerely hope pocket could have been built around the same unfunded foundation as previous TCG digital releases, but it was also recognized how unlikely that was. As someone who is deep into card games and collecting it, I know I’ll be playing this more for the collection than the combat, but I’ll definitely be playing it. may be huge. I probably just wouldn’t tell my son about it.
.
