The developers of Pokémon TCG Pocket have finally shared detailed plans to overhaul the game's widely criticized trading system, which has been a significant point of frustration since its launch. While the proposed improvements are promising, players will need to exercise patience as implementation is slated for the fall.
In a recent post on the Pokémon community forums, the developers outlined the forthcoming changes:
Removal of Trade Tokens
- Trade Tokens will be completely phased out. Players will no longer need to sacrifice cards to acquire the currency required for trading.
- Trading will now require shinedust for cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity. Shinedust is automatically earned when you open a booster pack and obtain a card that's already registered in your Card Dex.
- Shinedust, currently used for obtaining flair, will see an increase in availability to accommodate its new role in trading. This should enable more frequent trades than the current system allows.
- Existing Trade Tokens will be converted to shinedust upon removal from the game.
- No changes are planned for trading one-diamond and two-diamond rarity cards.
Additional Updates in Development
- A new feature will allow players to share cards they are interested in trading for directly through the in-game trading system.
The current trade token system has been a major pain point. To trade even a single ex Pokémon card, players must discard five other ex cards to accumulate enough tokens, a process that discourages trading altogether. The new system using shinedust, which players earn from duplicates and various in-game events, promises to be more user-friendly. The developers are committed to increasing shinedust availability to ensure that players have enough for both trading and purchasing flairs.
It's crucial to maintain some cost associated with trading to prevent exploitation, such as creating multiple accounts to funnel rare cards to a main account. The trade token system was simply too costly, but shinedust strikes a better balance.Another significant improvement is the ability to share desired trade cards in-game, addressing the current issue where players must communicate outside the game or rely on guesswork when trading with strangers. This feature should make the trading process more accessible and efficient, encouraging more player interaction.
The community has responded positively to these proposed changes, though there's a notable downside: many players have already lost valuable cards to the old system, with no way to recover them. While existing trade tokens will convert to shinedust, the cards sacrificed are gone for good.
The biggest challenge is the timeline. These updates won't go live until the fall, leaving a long wait during which trading may stagnate further, as players are reluctant to use the current flawed system knowing a better one is on the horizon. Multiple expansions may come and go before the trading aspect of Pokémon TCG Pocket truly flourishes.
So, for now, hold onto that shinedust!
