Pokemon TCG Pocket won't let you trade for rarest cards
Players excited to finally trade for an immersive art Mew ex in Pokemon TCG Pocket may have to keep waiting, as it appears trading for the game’s rarest cards may not be an option anytime soon.
Since the game’s public release in late October 31, Pokemon TCG Pocket has been downloaded over 60 million times. Fans have praised it for being mostly free-to-play and for simplifying the battling process. TCG Pocket features over 350 cards between Genetic Apex, Mythical Island, and promo cards. Now, fans will soon finally be able to engage in one of the classic aspects of any Pokemon game —trading.
With all of the hype built up around trading, some players may be a little surprised to find that there are some restrictions in place. Here’s what they can expect to see surrounding trading as well as when.
Initial trading in Pokemon TCG Pocket to include limited options
Several known sources and leakers revealed that at the launch of trading in the game, Pokemon TCG Pocket players will only be able to exchange cards with rarities up to one star.
Ranging from emoji “clues” from leakers like Pyoro to consolidating information from several sources, many creators report that trading will have specific restrictions. With the initial advent of trading, fans can still expect to be able to complete the main card collections of Genetic Apex as well as the most well-known competitive decks. But they won’t be able to complete the entire dex as it currently stands just yet.
Cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket come in eight categories of rarity. These range from a common one-diamond Bulbasaur all the way up to the incredibly rare crown gold Pokemon ex. According to current information circulating, players should be able to trade up cards up through ex level and basic full arts. Players who wanted to trade for rare cards like the immersive art Celebi or any of the four gold crown cards are currently out of luck.
It is currently unknown if players will be able to trade promo cards or not. Netease will likely keep premium promos under lock to maintain their exclusivity. But there are currently over 20 cards only obtainable through Wonder Pick events, drop missions, and other limited-time opportunities that have players feeling eager to trade.
Trading to come before the end of January
All official communications so far point to Pokemon TCG Pocket receiving trading capacity before February 2025.
The Pokemon TCG Pocket operations team confirmed on X in mid-November that players could look forward to trading sometime during January 2025. They added that while trade options would be limited at first, they hoped to expand the selection of cards that could be traded in the following months. Also coming in January is the second full set of cards and a full line-up of events.
Some theorize that players will only be able to trade by exchanging Shinedust. This is based on how similar Pokemon GO trades cost Stardust. As of now, the only way to get Shinedust is by pulling duplicate cards, and the only use for them is adding cosmetic flairs to existing cards. If trading does require the underutilized in-game currency, players should stock up now rather than spending it on unnecessary cosmetics.
Unless Netease and the Pocket development team hit a roadblock, trading should pop up any day now. Hopefully, players can find others to trade with for the cards they most need in their digital collections.
There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.
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