The launch of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket was met with excitement, but it quickly encountered a significant challenge with its trading system. Initially, the trading feature was criticized for requiring hard-to-obtain currency and imposing numerous restrictions on what could be traded and with whom. However, a new update aims to address these issues and enhance the trading experience.
The first major change is the complete removal of Trade Tokens. Now, trading cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity will require Shinedust instead. You can earn Shinedust by opening booster packs and receiving cards that are already registered in your Card Dex. If you currently hold Trade Tokens, you'll be able to convert them into Shinedust. Since Shinedust is also used to obtain flair, further modifications to the Shinedust system are planned. Additionally, an upcoming update will allow you to share cards you're interested in trading through an in-game function.
As I mentioned previously, the initial implementation of trading in Pokémon TCG Pocket felt half-hearted. The challenge with digital trading is the need for more restrictions than in real-life trading to prevent abuse, a necessity in a digital ecosystem. Although these changes are a step in the right direction, they won't be implemented until at least autumn, which is still months away given that we're currently in spring. This slow pace of addressing the issues has left some players wanting faster action from the development team.
If you're not ready to dive back into Pokémon TCG Pocket just yet, consider exploring some of the new mobile games we've highlighted in our latest feature on the top five new releases to try this week.
