Three months after its initial release, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket app has finally introduced its highly anticipated trading feature. The update, which requires a manual download for some users, allows players to exchange cards with friends, facilitating the acquisition of missing cards and the disposal of duplicates. This fulfills a long-standing promise from The Pokémon Company, who had assured players that trading would be implemented in a future update. The trading feature is accessible within the Social Hub, alongside the Friends and Community Showcases sections, and is now active after being previously unavailable. However, the trading system comes with certain restrictions and rules that players need to understand before engaging in card exchanges.

Trading in Pokémon TCG Pocket is a straightforward process. Players initiate a trade by navigating to the Trade section within the Social Hub and selecting a friend. They then choose a card to offer, initiating a two-day response window for the recipient. Players can monitor the trade’s status within the Trade screen. Upon acceptance, the offered card is exchanged, and the trade is complete. Crucially, the system only allows “like-for-like” trades, meaning cards of the same rarity must be exchanged. Furthermore, if a card with flair is offered, the receiving player must also offer a card with flair. A key resource governing trades is “Trade Stamina.”

Each trade, regardless of the cards’ rarity, consumes one unit of Trade Stamina. This stamina regenerates at a rate of one point every 24 hours, capping at a maximum of five points. Declined or canceled trades refund the spent stamina and the offered card. Should players wish to expedite stamina recovery, they can utilize “Trade Hourglasses” or spend Poké Gold, an in-game currency purchased with real money. While Trade Hourglasses are intended to be earnable through in-game missions, these missions are not yet implemented. Additionally, unused stamina points accumulate in extra slots, ensuring that no potential recovery is wasted. To receive trade offers, players must ensure the “Suspend Trade Offers” option is deactivated in the app’s settings menu. This option is enabled by default, preventing unsolicited trade requests.

Trading higher rarity cards introduces the concept of “Trade Tokens.” Specifically, cards of three- and four-diamond rarity, along with one-star rarity, require these tokens for trading. Three-diamond cards cost 120 Trade Tokens, four-diamond cards require 500, and one-star cards need 400. Cards with two- or three-star rarity, as well as crown rarity cards, are currently untradable. Trade Tokens are acquired by “exchanging” or sacrificing duplicate cards, mirroring the process of obtaining flair. To perform this exchange, players select a card of at least three-diamond rarity from their collection and choose the Trade Token option. Similar to flair acquisition, at least three copies of a card are required to sacrifice one for tokens, ensuring players retain a minimum of two copies.

The number of Trade Tokens received from exchanging a card varies depending on the card’s rarity. One- and two-diamond rarity cards cannot be exchanged for tokens. Three-diamond cards yield 25 tokens, four-diamond cards provide 125, one-star cards give 100, two- and three-star cards offer 300, and crown rarity cards yield a substantial 1500 tokens. It is important to note that certain special cards, such as the immersive Mew card, are exempt from this exchange process, regardless of rarity.

Several crucial trading rules warrant attention. Promo cards, including those obtained from the shop, campaigns, missions, events, and reward packs, are strictly untradable. This restriction extends to item cards like Potion, Professor’s Research, and Poké Ball. As mentioned earlier, cards with flair can only be traded for other cards of the same rarity and also possessing flair. Before initiating a trade involving a card with flair, players can utilize the “Edit Card” option to specify the desired flair and language, provided they own the card in multiple languages.

This comprehensive overview details the newly implemented trading system in Pokémon TCG Pocket. The system, while incorporating several limitations and a layered resource economy, finally allows players to directly exchange cards with their friends. The introduction of Trade Stamina and Trade Tokens adds strategic depth to the trading process, encouraging thoughtful decision-making. While the absence of missions providing Trade Hourglasses and the inability to trade certain rarities might pose initial limitations, the system lays the groundwork for a more dynamic and engaging trading experience in the future. The emphasis on like-for-like trades and the incorporation of flair adds further nuance to the process, promoting strategic collection and trade planning among players.

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