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Pokémon TCG Pocket offers several ways of acquiring new cards for your collection. While regular booster pack openings give a random set of cards, Wonder Picks allow you to aim for specific cards you want! In this guide, we will cover how Wonder Pick works, when to redeem your Wonder hourglasses, and the best Picks to aim for.
What Are Wonder Picks?
Wonder Picks are a collection of packs other players have recently opened. When you select one, you have the option of winning a copy of one of the cards from their pack! This can allow you to target specific cards you need or want for your collection without spending your Pack Points. The cards are shuffled face down when you go to pick a card, so it is purely random on which card of the 5 you will get. It does make card hunting a 1-in-5 chance though, which is drastically better than hunting for a card in regular packs.
Wonder Picks are refreshed after a set amount of time has passed, and are specific to each pick. You can view the top left corner of each pick option to see how much time remains before it is replaced with a new one. If the time has expired on a pick, you can still access it for a short time by redeeming a rewind watch to reactivate the pick.
The collection of picks you have to choose from are random, but you can influence it a bit. If you have any players registered as friends, their pack openings can appear as a Wonder Pick for you! If you don't have any registered friends, or your friends haven't opened packs recently, you will instead get random players packs as options to pick from.
The cost of Wonder Picks vary from free to 4 Wonder Stamina. Free picks are for promotional content (see Event section below), and don't feature the typical pack selection. The cost for regular picks begin at 1 Stamina cost, and begin to climb based on how rare a card is in the pack. If a pack has an EX or an alternate art card, it will cost 3 Stamina. You can rarely see a 4 Stamina pack if it features a special card like a rainbow border alternate art.
| Rarity | Cost |
|---|---|
| ♦, ♦♦ | 1 Stamina |
| ♦♦♦ | 2 Stamina |
| ♦♦♦♦, ⭐ | 3 Stamina |
| ⭐⭐+ | 4 Stamina |
What Picks to Aim For
Your pick selection will refresh consistently. This means you don't have to use your Stamina on a sub-par set. To make best use of your Stamina, here are a few things to look out for when choosing your picks:
First, look for picks with multiple cards you need. This can increase the odds if a beneficial pull instead of pulling a card you already own. To know which cards you already own, check the bottom left corner of each card displayed. If there is a Grey icon that looks like the binder icon, it means you already own at least 1 copy of that card. If there is no icon, you have not collected that card before.
Second, aim for picks that have harder to pull cards. If you see an EX you need, it's worth the extra Stamina cost for a 1-in-5 chance to unlock it. If you already own the EX, but not the more common cards, don't spend the extra stamina. You can find the common cards at a lower cost much easier.
Third, don't aim for picks that have the same pack you are opening most frequently. If you are using your daily packs on Mewtwo packs, for example, don't choose any Wonder Picks from Mewtwo packs. If you are already opening a bunch of a specific pack type, you are much more likely to pull the cards you need naturally. As an exception, if the Wonder Pick features an EX you really want from the same pack type, it's worth aiming.
If you utilize these 3 tips, you can boost your effective picks and increase your overall collection!
When to Use Wonder Hourglasses
Hourglasses are a very limited resource in the game, so knowing when to use them is important. If you are a new player, you actually shouldn't use any Wonder Hourglass! As a new player, you are showered with packs and Pack Hourglass that help get your collection started. If you use your Wonder Picks before using all of those packs, you are much more likely to waste your Stamina on duplicates. Once you complete the starter missions and begin only getting your standard 2 packs per day, you can refer to the standard policy:
For all other players, you should only redeem Wonder Hourglass under 2 circumstances.
- If you have a 3 or 4 Stamina pick that contains a special card you need
- If there is a 1 or 2 Stamina pick that has several cards you need
If you redeem Hourglass for any low stamina pick that simply has a single card you need, you will burn through your stash quickly. This will severely limit your ability to grab rare cards when they become available in picks. Saving your Hourglass for picks with elusive cards is the best way to quickly get a full collection.
Rewind Watch
Expired Wonder Picks go to the bottom of the feed and can be restored using a Rewind Watch that you get from leveling up and as various other rewards.
Using Pack Points Instead of Wonder Picks
Not every card is worth using lots of Wonder Picks on. Since card packs give a random assortment of cards, you can easily miss out on some common cards simply by bad luck. You may be missing a specific card for a deck you want to use, and you can't seem to find the card in packs. If the card has a low rarity, you can save your Stamina for more rare Wonder Picks, and instead redeem pack points on common cards.
A good example would be if you needed Charmander to complete your Charizard evolution. If packs are failing you, you don't have to spend your Stamina on a chance to win that Charmander. Instead, simply redeem your Pack Points for that missing card since it's significantly cheaper. This will free up your Stamina for higher rarity picks.
Events
There will be Pokémon TCG Pocket Wonder Pick Events that grant players special cards or rewards in addition to the normal Wonder Pick feed.
Wrap Up
If you utilize these Wonder Pick tips, you can drastically increase the number of new cards you can obtain, while decreasing the amount of duplicates you pull. Since the card you choose from a pick is random, the key to success is Stamina and Hourglass management. This let's you prioritize high-value cards like EX or alternate arts.
What picks do you aim for? Is there a strategy you use to pick your cards? Are there any elusive cards in your collection? Let us know in the comments!
