Table of Contents
With the launch of Pokémon TCG Pocket, tons of new players are joining in for the first time. In this guide, we will cover everything you should know as a new player. We will also cover the best way to get a good starting collection!
What is Pokémon Pocket?
Pokémon Pocket is a Trading Card Game (TCG) as well as a card battler. Your main goal is to log in every day to open card packs to increase your collection. You can make albums to showcase your best pulls, or build a deck to take into battle!
Battling consists of a 1v1 using a 20 card deck. Players take alternating turns with the goal of defeating the opponent's Pokémon to score 3 points in a match. You receive energy each turn, which allows you to power up your Pokémon cards to attack your opponent.
The overall design of the game currently is weighted towards collecting over battling other players. This could change in the future, but you should be aware of this as a new player. You can log in once a day, open your daily packs, and log out for the day without much time investment.
In the future, the game will also have a card Trading mechanic. It isn't clear how this will work at this time, but we will update once the feature goes live.
Starting the Game
Pokémon Pocket does a great job of explaining in detail how the basics of the game function. There are a few tricks though to help maximize your early game collection!
To start: When opening your first pack, you have 3 options- Pikachu, Charizard, or Mewtwo. For only your first pack, the contents inside are predetermined. If you are interested in a specific outcome, see the table below to know the key reasons to select each deck. Otherwise, skip to the next section.
Pikachu Pack: Opening pack will contain a basic Squirtle and a Arcanine EX. Your first Wonder Pick will guarantee a special alternate art Squirtle.
Charizard Pack: Opening pack: guaranteed basic Charmander and a Exeggutor EX. First Wonder Pick: alternate art Charmander.
Mewtwo Pack: Opening Pack: guaranteed basic Bulbasuar and a Marowak EK. First Wonder Pick: alternate art Bulbasaur.
How to level up and get more cards
When the game first begins, you will be showered with Pack Hourglasses, which allows you to open packs quicker. Using these will get you a random collection to start the game. Complete missions and level up for more hourglasses, which will give you more cards.
You level up by gaining XP from opening packs (25 XP each) and using Wonder picks (15 XP). Early game you can get extra XP and resources from completing bot matches, but you only get limited XP through PvP. For winning a game, you get 15XP. For losing though, you get zero. This limits long term leveling to basic pack opening every day.
Once your initial supply of hourglasses are gone, your supply of card packs slows down significantly to just 2 a day on average. You can purchase the monthly pass, which upgrades you to 3 pack openings a day. This will both increase your card acquisition rate and your XP gain rate.
Cards Types
You have 3 basic categories for cards: basic, EX, and support. Each of these are important to have in each deck, but their ease of collecting varies. EX versions of cards are also different from basic cards (basic Pikachu vs Pikachu EX for example). The EX versions are significantly stronger and are used to build decks around, but defeating them in battle awards 2 points instead of 1.
Here is a breakdown of each card type:
Basic: These are most of what your card pulls will be. Standard Pokémon that give your deck structure. You can collect alternate art versions of these cards, but no abilities of the card will change.
EX: These are rare Pokémon cards that give a character specific abilities. Typically these are used to build a deck with, and you add basic cards in to support the EX. You can pull alternate EX art, but no additional abilities will be added.
Support: These are non-Pokémon cards that give you unique, one-time abilities in a match. These are less common than basic cards, but more common than EX cards. Some cards are human characters, some are objects like a Pokéball or a healing potion. A few of these will refine your deck ideas.
Change How You Open Packs
If you want make opening packs more exciting, the game offers a neat feature to hide your card pulls. When selecting the card pack you want, don't tap the pack right away! Instead, spin the pack where you can see the back of the package. Now if you tap the pack, you will open the pack backwards! But why does that matter?
Opening a pack backwards makes the cards reveal backwards too. You can flip a card over to reveal its contents one at a time, similar to how many collectors open packs in real life. If you are wanting to stream the game or make other video content, opening packs this way is a great way to build suspense or run predictions on what pulls will be!
Outside of a visual difference, opening packs in this manner makes no difference in the cards you will pull. It simply adds some flair to your pack opening experience.
Managing Resources
In total, Pokémon Pocket currently has 10 different currencies. For a full breakdown on what they all do, check our our currency guide.
Your main resources to manage are Wonder Hourglass and Pack Hourglass. These give you access to cards. For new players, I recommend you use all of your Pack Hourglass as soon as you get them to quickly unlock new cards. I would save the Wonder Hourglass for times when there are special picks avaliable and you need extra stamina to attempt them all.
Gold is the premium currency of the game. It does allow you access to more cards, but most gold will come at a real money cost.
Getting the Best Early Collection
Unfortunately, Pokémon Pocket does not offer duplicate protection. There also isn't a set collection to get new players started. This means you could be unlucky and get no EX cards or roll lots of duplicates that make your collection tough to battle with. There is a work around for bad luck though.
The game offers a way to re-roll your account! The process is simple, but the results of a re-roll can be shockingly different. To see how to re-roll, what a good account is vs a bad account, and tips to re-roll multiple times quickly, check out our Re-Roll Guide!
Rental Decks
As you unlock specific cards, you gain the ability to use rental decks. These are prebuilt decks that you don't have to own the cards for. You can use these in battle mode to try out cards or decks without needing a strong collection. For example: Unlocking Charizard EX gives you a Charizard rental deck.
These rental decks are not for permanent use. They each have 10 uses, which applies to bot mode and PvP. After using all 10 charges, you can no longer use that rental deck. If you are clearing all of the bot missions, utilize the "recommended" deck as much as possible to win in 1 attempt. Also, try and use your own deck for the beginning stages to conserve charges.
New Player FAQ
Q: Can you pull a duplicate card?
A: Yes, there are no protections against duplicates. You can even pull copies of the same card in the same pack!
Q: Is the game Pay to Win?
A: By definition, yes. Since there is no duplicate card protection, someone who spends money will have access to more cards easier than a free to play player. A lack of cards means you can't compete in battles effectively, and there are no alternate ways gain cards quicker. You can, however, get lucky pulls that give you a strong enough deck to compete without spending money.
Q: Are bots in battle mode?
A: Bots have a separate mode. If you want PvP, you will always get a player.
Q: How does matchmaking pair players?
A: The game uses ELO, meaning wins match you against better players, losses drops you to lower ranks.
Q: Are there different modes?
A: Currently, no. There is battle mode or simply collecting cards.
Q: What are the odds of pulling certain cards?
A: In game there is an option when selecting a pack to see the odds of pulling every card type.
Q: What are God Packs?
A: There is an extremely small chance your pack could be a "God Pack". This means all of your cards are either very high quality or are EX (or both).
Q: Can I grind XP or Pack Hourglass?
A: No, battle mode doesn't give rewards. The game intends for you to dedicate a small amount of time to playing daily.
Q: Since your first pack is pre-set, which opening pack is best?
A: Game data suggests Exeggutor is the best EX card of the 3, making him a guaranteed way to kickstart your collection.
Q: Is it worth spending money to open more packs?
A: That depends on what you're willing to risk. You could spend $50 on Packs only to get duplicates. You could also get a large collection and be much more battle competitive. If it is worth the risk to you of opening only duplicates, then investing may be worth it to you.
Q: Can I choose to unlock a specific card I want?
A: For base art, yes. Simply turn in pack Points you accumulate to purchase specific cards. When trading launches, there may be more options.
Q: Can you battle against friends?
A: Yes! Battle mode offers matchmaking or private sessions.
Wrap Up
That concludes our beginners guide. Is there anything we missed or that we should add in? Let us know in the comments and we will add in or make adjustments!
