Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket adapts the beloved card game for faster, more mobile-friendly gameplay, but players can’t come to terms with one rule change about going first and are calling on developer Creatures Inc. to change it.
Simply put, the Pokémon TCG works by players attaching energy to their Pokémon to perform attacks, with more energy resulting in more damage dealt. The Pokémon are eventually knocked out, and after defeating a certain number, someone wins.
Card games often handicap the player who goes first so as not to gain an unfair advantage over the coin flip, and Pokémon TCG is no exception. The starting player draws a card first and can attach a single energy to the Pokémon as usual, but cannot attack.
This balances things out because while player two is the first to attack and therefore deals damage, player one can fall back on the next turn with two energy and more attack. But Pokémon TCG changes this mechanic by only allowing you to draw cards on the first turn, making the whole thing, according to some players, completely unnecessary.
“We all seem to admit that being first in this game is terrible, and don’t get me started on energy evolution benefiting from being first.” Reddit said user Seedler420.
“Can’t we swap the ability to attack on the first turn, which makes no sense from a gameplay perspective, with the ability to add energy on the first turn? This way, the player going first would have an energy advantage, while the player going second would have the first attack.”
The way the Pokémon TCG Pocket works basically gives an advantage to the second-place player, as they have both an energy advantage and a first damage advantage. “It would be a little better if we could put energy into the card at least in the first turn,” one player said in the comments. “It’s definitely a bad feeling,” said another.
Creatures Inc. asked for feedback when it announced that the game had been downloaded by over 30 million players in just nine days, so perhaps if enough people complain there will be a change.
Pokémon TCG Pocket launched on October 30 as a streamlined version where players can open packs, collect cards, build decks, and battle others; a elementary formula that immediately gained popularity, considering it grossed $12 million in four days.
Creatures Inc. has been busy since launch, as it has already added three events to the game: one focusing on collecting, one focusing on solo battles, and one focusing on player vs. player battles.
The first one offers players a free Wonder Pick with a chance to pull a Meowth or Chansey along with event tickets and Wonder Hourglasses, and the second part was also released today.
The Solo Battle event then allowed players to take on several water-themed decks and get a chance to win modern promotional cards, including Lapras ex. Later, a PvP event was also added, putting badges on the line in true Pokémon style.
As you might expect, players want to operate their best decks in these events, and Mewtwo and Charizard have been naturally dominating so far. One outlier, however, comes from Misty, whose heads-or-tails effect is driving many to the wall.
When it comes to collecting, some players focus on the ruffled horns conspiracy theory, while most swoon over the mythical god packs that give you five alternate graphics cards in one go. There is also a secret Mew card hidden in the game, which is not too challenging to obtain.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He will talk about The Witcher all day long.
