Honestly it seems like paid players don't really get all that much, it's ridiculously expensive to buy gold to open extra packs, and the membership pass thing is like 10 bucks a month, and only lets you open like 2 extra packs a day.
@@UnknownPikmin One extra pack. It's a seperate 24 hr timer next to the 12 hr one, and only stores 1 pack. I got the free trial, and actually got all the premium shop things before it expired.
Definitely reevaluate that in about a year. There's always an explosion of F2P friendliness at the start to get player hooked, but it eventually dries up. Still, the game does look very nice and takes after YGO Duel Links in a good way.
Something significant Arlo didn't mention is that opening a pack gives you points you can spend to acquire any card from that pack! It takes about 30 opened packs for enough points for a rare, but you have so many chances to pull what you're looking for in the meantime that it feels like saving up for a treat. It's a genius idea to prevent long-term frustration and I applaud DeNA for including it instead of making everyone slave away at random chance.
@@RandomHans Yeah! On the pack selection screen, there's a button in the lower-right corner that brings up a menu of every card from that expansion to choose from.
As a fairly new TCG game player, I RELISH the energies! I keep having to borrow stacks from my local venue’s professors because I don’t have next to any in my deck. I play one Water and one Metal/Fighting deck and literally 70% of my energy cards are grass and psychic. I would love to have this problem 😅
@@jasond.b-w Yeah, that's fair. If I was an active player during the days of Dragon Energy being a thing I'd probably be desperate for those cards too, because I don't have a single one of them in my physical collection. But having been into the TCG from the very start, I have enough Basic Energy cards for Water/Fire/Grass/Fighting/Psychic/Electric to last me til the end of my days. I guess a good way to stock up on Energy Cards of a certain type would be to buy either a pre-built deck that's focused on a specific energy type, or to buy products that just come with a selection of Energy Cards in them like Elite Trainer Boxes.
@@SquidSystem Yeah, you're right. I was misremembering. It was Dragon-type Pokemon that were sort of removed and then reworked/reintroduced later. I forgot that the actual Dragon Energy was a Special Energy.
Is it a game that can be fully enjoyed without doing the battle part? I didn’t download it because I heard that some cards or whatever come from quest rewards so you’d have to battle
@@Wurmze It depends. The Main set of cards can be collected completely by just doing the daily packs. The Meowth event focused on getting event specific cards from the Wonder Pick which doesn't involve battling. The Lapras event has you fighting against a Computer player, but the reward is rather generous so you can usually get a free card each time you play on even Easy or Normal difficulty and don't have to worry about Hard or Very Hard unless you want a few more hourglasses. The Online Multiplayer battles don't reward cards. Only Emblems for bragging rights.
@Wurmze Currently, there is 1 original card and 4 promo versions of Base cards exclusive to battling, but it is a solo battle event where you fight an AI, not another player, and from my experience, it tends to do misplays probably to help the player win. There are a few missions behind battling and a current pvp event, but there aren't any cards behind those, just some resources and emblems from the event, which you basically only use to show off in pvp. So, if you're just wanting to collect you're pretty much good, potentially only needing to battle in solo on occasion.
@@orsonzedd Ironically they tried to make the PvP more casual and fun, but instead they made it more competitive and stressful. The meta decks are dominating anyone who doesn't run them, but the amount of more unique decks will open up with each new set thankfully.
I also really like that they run solo events and multiplayer events. So for people who are intimated by playing against other real people they don't have to, they will still get new content via these in-game events where you fight unique NPCs. Like the Lapras event was really cool. This really has something for everyone and I really like that they took the time to consider that not everyone wants to play online.
That's a big reason why I'm liking it too! I love CCGs/TCGs but I've alway taken it as a fact that every one of these games will have a ranked mode and that's the end goal of every player. I'll enjoy these games at first, but eventually get burnt out chasing after the new meta every month. If I ignore the meta or ranked, then I'll feel like I'm missing out on the rewards, and the game feels empty. PTCGP feels like they've put the PvP as something to enjoy for those who are into it, but collecting the cards is the primary focus of the game. I appreciate that and I hope they don't do any ranked stuff.
This takes me back to the days I played Pokemon Stadium and battled with the rental decks. Pokemon's MO has always been about connecting and interacting with other people, but these days it's more important than ever that we get an option for pve that isn't a streamlined, "plan ahead and overcome the Pokemon League" formula.
Going first actually does provide a different advantage: you can evolve your Pokémon a turn faster than the other player. But if you're playing a deck with just Basic Pokémon, no evolutions, then you would always want to be second to get the energy advantage.
Yea I think the issue is right now the meta doesn't favor evolution pokemon as well, so the energy advantage is massive. But that'll change with time as we get more and more complex and unique cards.
I think the current nerfs to first turn are guaranteed in the long run. As more mechanics allow for different counterplays it will only level the field more.
Honestly, it feels soulless to me. It doesn't look like or feel like a pokemon game to me. Small things like, the classic opening battle trill. Healing pokemon doesn't do the iconic sound because... why not! It's very corporate and very sterile. Look at how white everything is. What if you got a gift and it was the "Item Get" sound?
@@luischeco3009 just because it doesn't follow the sound design of the mainline games (because why would it, this is an entirely separate thing) doesn't mean it's soulless. it's got soul, it's just not the one you want
@concretel10n except you're not getting fucked over by opening packs, wheras with lootboxes you not only have to spend real money in 80% of the games they're in but also most of the time you can't even use the stuff you get until you get a 0.1% item or a 5% item. in pokemon you can use EVERY card you get, even if most suck. that's not gambling despite what normies want to think.
I feel like a mobile/gacha veteran, having played some form of gacha game at all times for like 10 years. And also a huuuge Pokemon card fan. I’ve been playing TCG pocket since launch, I have 400 hourglasses saved up, and have been completely free to play (I haven’t used the free trial of the premium yet either) And I really love it! I don’t have the very best deck but it’s fun building around what I do have, (and I do have a good amount of ex cards, even without pulling extra packs) and I’m close to getting the gold ribbon for the current PvP event, so I do win quite a bit. Especially since I’m adult with two jobs, I never feel like I’m falling behind like I often do in other games. I really love it, one of the most f2p friendly games I’ve ever played. (Oh and I use a multicolor dragonite deck! Sometimes the energy thing can screw me up but lots of times I can get out a win! Even when I go first haha)
As someone who's ended up on the opposite end of the Dragonite deck multiple times, may your energy pulls be forever one color and your Draco Meteor flips all targeted at a single benched Basic Pokémon.
@@jeast9648 strong, but so hard to set up haha xD especially since I only have one copy of each Pokemon, dragonair never wants to come to my hand LOL Good luck to you too!!
Do you use Ditto in your deck? I like the idea of Ditto but having to match the energy of an opponent’s mon to use its attack is a little too situational for my liking, but it seems so awesome if it can be done.
@Hyper_Drud ditto is decent, but most of the time, there are better options. Each deck can only have 20 cards, so it's pretty tight. I'm sure there is a way to use him optimally, though.
I just noticed something after I added this Korean player as a friend after they barely beat me in a close game.😅If you pick a card from someone international, their Pokémon cards are in their own language! And I think it’s kinda neat👍🏽
As someone who learned OG TCG and didn’t keep up with the game, I’m enjoying this so much! It’s fun to collect cards digitally without any of the scalper crap or spending so much money with cards taking up physical space.
A detail I love is that when scrolling through the set of digital packs to simulate choosing which pack you're opening first, you can flip them around. So I really love to flip through the packs super fast, and then I open the first one I notice that got flipped around, because it feels nice to add that extra flick to turn the cards around before seeing what they are. That could just be a me thing.
Chuckled hard when I saw the title because I also binged Pokemon TCGP while in bed with a post spinal tap headache for 4 days. You really overestimate how much there really is to do on your phone until your sick
Also it's definitely only because I'm used to gachas and all the tricks they use to make new players stay, but I immediately knew to save up all the currencies. I'm currently up to over 400 hourglasses, waiting for my absolute favorite mons or trainers to release lol
I enjoy the quickness of these battles compared to regular TCG, they could add a 50-card battle in the future if they wanted to but I wouldn't be mad if they didn't.
they are quicker but I feel like something is lost in how they dumbed down the rules. It's good for casual play and i'll give them that but I'm not the biggest fan
I really love the collecting aspect of the game,just collecting these cards has always bin a fun part for me. And ive already gotten some really good looking cards!😊
2:43 honestly would love a video of just how it felt being a Pokémon fan during that time, I’ve been playing red for the first time ever and watching the anime along side it which has led to me also watching videos of people talking about their early experiences with Pokémon and it just felt like such a different time. There’s no more rumors spread on the playground, no panic from parents about their kids playing a silly card game, it just feels like something I’ll never understand and a video describing how it felt would be sick.
Loving the game. If we keep getting fun events (Lapras & Chansey events) between new expansions, it's going to be super fun collecting cards. But here's just some changes I like to see: - Have the daily missions be enough to open an extra pack, it will make daily logins more rewarding. - Give the first turn players an option to place an energy. I feel that will be more balanced. - Nerf some cards for balance. Mainly the coin flips. Cards like Misty should be maxed out at two flips. - Boosted Gacha rates for rare cards after opening a lot of packs (similar to Fire Emblem Heroes)
I feel like the points system to buy specific cards is a fair balance for not building up your odds at a rare pack. Maybe a few more points per pack though, or commons generate more points when you pull them than rares.
The problem with giving energy first turn is that for something like a mewtwo ex or pikachu ex they will basically swat your team if you don't have more mons (mostly pikachu), since mewtwo can spam attacks of 50 and pikachu could spam attacks of 90, you don't really give a chance for players going second to catch up after that (technically the same way goes with going second rn) but at least you can evolve to be bulkier and take more hits
@@frosty7581 Your right, I didn't consider that. Perhaps the solution is the game adding more trainers & item cards into the game that can either prevent damage or give additional energies to a Pokemon with low HP. That way the first player as more options than potions & professor oak.
@@100megayoshi I love the idea of a trainer that can add extra energy after it gets below a certain amount or a trainer that can reduce damage but a small amount to not make it too op, maybe like a reverse Giovanni reducing damage by 10, honestly balancing the game as it currently is (to 3 points) is really hard
On going first: Give us an energy, prevent support card usage, and skip first draw. You still get the potential to attack, but at no higher than 1 energy so you're not likely to kill anything, you're not lagging behind in your ability to power up but you're at a 1 card disadvantage. Preventing turn 1 supports eliminates the issue with a turn 1 misty immediately KOing the opponent's first and possibly only pokemon, or getting a boost from giovanni to that turn 1 attack.
Oh wow you’re going for the art rares! I’m glad they made it possible for F2P to get close to finish at least the original 226 cards as I am close to finishing it and the trading system will help me finish it quickly. Good luck to you and don’t spend too much till the trading system is out
@@verygoodfreelancerThey said "forces themselves", so I think that means they don't like or really not interested in the game, but they're doing it out of "fine I'll do it" rather than actual likeness for the game.
Memory in our formative years is so powerful. You haven’t played the TCG in decades yet you still remember all the basic rules, details about prize cards, etc. 😂
One thing I like about the cards in TCG Pocket is the rarity distribution. Every single mechanically unique card in the set is found in the 1-4 Diamond rarities. Everything in the 1-3 Star and Crown rarities is just fancy alternative treatments of some of those cards. Granted, 4-Diamond cards are rarer than 1-Star cards, but still.
Speaking as someone who's always had incomprehensible trouble understanding the rules of card games: Pocket streamlined the process in all the right ways, to the point that I have a much, much better appreciation for the TCG as a whole now. The changes to Energy all on their own make the game significantly easier and faster to play, especially in a mobile-game format. In fact, Pocket helped me enjoy the TCG so much, that I actually played through the entire TCG Game Boy game on NSO, over the past week. I can't stress enough how happy I am to finally, finally have this stuff click for me.
With regards to running a multi energy deck, I got swept by someone running a Dragonite deck (which requires Water and Lightning energy) that was supported by Weezing, which has 110 HP. Weezing requires Darkness energy to attack, and a third energy type can't be included, so it can't attack, but it has a passive ability that just poisons the opponent's active Pokémon to chip away at health while they collect the energy to allow Dragonite to attack. So there is a valid strat for multi energy decks, but it does require intentionality.
While I can’t recall if I ever played the TCG I still remember seeing peers having them in my childhood and stuff so still find them nostalgic, I love TCGs so I’ll consider getting this sometime.
Alsooo, really love the lil touch of when you’re choosing a pack to open there is sometimes one with a bent corner. I usually look for that one to open 😅
Completely loving this game. I’m not into the battles, just collecting the cards but opening my two packs a day is so much fun. Got a gold MewTwo this week from a pack and was so happy!
TCG Pocket is such a great entry point to Pokemon. Never collected Pokemon cards before, but because of how much I am enjoying this game, I just brought 3 physical cards that are similar digital counterparts.
I'm enjoying it. When I got actual cards a while ago, I thought my Prize Cards were to be claimed by the opponent, and they'd just leave if no negotiation to return.
The battle format is fun and easy to get into. The games launched barebones but there is much more content now and regular updates and expansions are planned.
Every time a new set comes out there will be new PvE missions that give hourglasses so you can open 10-20 packs. There's also a monthly refresh on hourglasses in the ticket shop.
This is the only f2p game I think I ever enjoyed. I got my collection, completed the Lapras event, the battle event, built some fun decks, and felt happy with the cards and decks I had. I open the app for the daily packs, and I feel very satisfied. It did not feel predatory or mean, it even feels nice with how often you thank other players. Now it feels like a game I can leave alone until the next event or expansion releases.
my friends got into it and had me try it out with them its really cool! i like collecting things, i have zero problems staying f2p, and it even taught me how the actual tcg works to some extent i think?? but even if the gameplay isnt 100% accurate to the real thing, its really fun and i get hooked for ages trying to get all the goals in the cpu battles or trying a few online matches! 10/10 considering buying irl cards now
I’m honestly enjoying this app so far. The best thing for me is that I don’t have to buy a binder every once in awhile to store excess cards I didn’t want or save for later deck builds.
I love how they take advantage of the medium by doing things to the cards that cold never be done in real life (At least not until we hit some Sci-fi tech) Like the holographic feature, and ESPECIALLY the Immersive Art cards. Like Mewtwo, Charizard and Pikachu I know it's just a watered down version of the actual TGC, but I appreciate simplicity. Besides, it actually taught me how the Real Game works (Or at least helped me get an understanding) The last thing worth mentioning is that it's nice to have a collection stored in my phone. Nothing beats Physical, don't get me wrong, but at least I don't have to fear losing any cards, having them take up space, or bending one
I totally agree about the multiple types things. Even three seems to be difficult to make happen. In the real care game, you could always make your deck 2/3 energy or something. There are also some cards that let you get more energy from the deck/discard pile, etc which makes it feel more rewarding to make things happen…and you can haha
I missed the Pokemon card hype as a child but this game has awakened something in me. after playing for a couple weeks I went to my local card shop and bought an Obsidian Flames Elite Trainer Box and pulled my first ever real cards! I think I'm getting addicted already
@lightdarksoul2097 thanks! I actually just picked up some surging sparks and sv 151 packs last night. I'm having a lot of fun but I can definitely see it being a financial issue 🤣
The going first thing is WAY overblown. You get to draw, play items/supports, and you get to evolve on your first turn where energy is generated. If you have a second stage with 1 energy cost you'll often benefit from going first
Came in for the collecting thing just being able to log in twice a day to get free packs + the hourglasses you can get to open if you're hankering for some cards. I haven't even started my free trial of the premium pass or whatever and I still have a ton of good cards + most of the main dex. The battle system makes me want to play TCG again, loved to just get those pre-built decks they sell and play with a friend for an hour or so. I like the changes like the energy pool and the point system, it works for a mobile game like this. The smaller deck size and lack of an insta-loss if your deck is empty makes things much simpler and faster, which again works for a mobile game.
I fully agree. I don't like those kinds of games with gambling mechanics, and that keeps asking you to spend money, but this game is different I don't really have to spend that much on and it doesn't shove like ADS in my face. I never got to play the Pokémon trading card game when I was a kid and and I don't like complicated stuff. I got that little brain energy, lol, so this game works for me personally now i will say you can play online without needing to spend money I've definitely lost, but I've also done in a few wins online without spending a dollar and more importantly, I will say, the online servers are pretty good i have never been disconnected yet. And I've been playing now for about a week or 2, I think. The game has a good quality feel to it as well. I also fully agree about only using one type of Pokémon it's not worth using dual type decks except if you want to throw in a normal type pokemon but that's because there's no normal type of energy to worry about just make sure if it does have another energy that it's asking for it matches the main type of your deck. Great video, as always, and I hope you feel better soon😁👍
4:15 there is a guaranteed full arts and ex on your first packs. T Full art starters from gen 1, exeggcutor Ex, arcanine Ex, marowak Ex. You also get it frequently with your first 10 packs from completing quests. Also your first wonderpick is also guaranteed full art or ex iirc.
Actually, you can attack first turn and going first has it's benefits. 1. If you can give energy to the mon turn 1 they can attack. Misty lets you cheese them turn 1. 2. You can evolve first and if your stage 1 mon needs only 1 energy to attack. It's incredibly strong turn 3. Examples - rapidash, zebstrika, wheezing, golbat, haunter etc.
The pocket rules helped with a lot of what I didn't like about the actual tcg. Because of this, I bought cards with my friend and played against him multiple times, and we are planning to play more! Using the pocket rules, of course! Like. When we get more cards, maybe we can expand on those rules and play with more cards or something, but this is a lot of fun playing this way, and matches aren't nearly as long! Really simple, and way less reading than in MTG.
i've been wondering if the pocket rules would become an actual sanctioned format for paper pokemon tcg. we all know hardly anyone actually plays pokemon tcg but with pocket rules simplifying things it becomes a lot easier to get into.
As a person who's generally not a fan of Pokémon, I have been really enjoying this little game. It doesn't take up much time which is very nice as well
if you go first you can use an evolved poke'mon before your opponent so card like weezing or executor get in their attacks, same for evolved poke'mon in the backrow with good abilities. Going first is good if you have good stage 1 poke'mon
2 packs a day gets slow, but a plus is the timer doesn't stop when a deck is ready, you can battle to level up, and doing the dailies lets you open a pack every third day. A lot of free experiences aren't quite as good, and battling is hardly grinding if you enjoy it
I played against someone in that same scenario. Thought they accidentally forgot to add Water to their deck. Maybe it was you! I felt pretty bad when water came up right at the end.
For what its worth, the game does include a handful of pokemon that only use colorless energy to function. For example, my Marowak EX deck had a Heliolisk splashed in because it doesn't require any Lightning energy and lets me counter Farfetch'd and the Legendary Birds.
Never ever ever ever spend on this game or any gacha/online-only game for that matter... BUT the experience of this game for free users, at least for now, is pretty fun and rewarding and I would definitely recommend playing it because it's near-zero effort to get a lot out of it. I got in during the New Zealand only beta, so I'm about 20-25 days ahead, but I have a good portion of the cards from all 3 packs, tons of pretty rare ones, and enough to make most of the good decks and the dust to fill out 2nd copies or missing ones I need if I want to try even more decks. The gameplay is simplified, however there's definitely some brain work going on with how you time and arrange your powerful abilities such as Sabrina, Giovanni vs Potions, Red Card, Misty, and more... so there's definitely some fun scenarios where you're rewarded for thinking a couple steps ahead, remembering what utility cards your opponent already used or might have, thinking about what options they'll go for depending on what you do, doing a little math, etc. Some PVP matches I breeze through, but others against good players it can really come down to just one or two pivotal decisions that I really had to search for beyond the obvious moves.
I'm really getting into the card game Weiß Schwarz, and my god does every second I play this game make me wish that card game had an app like this. The fan base needs to grow. Weiß Schwarz I imagine, looks incredibly intimidating to start playing as well as complicated to new players wanting to pick it up. It doesn't help either that this lack of people buying the game wanting to get into it results in stores not really carrying the game. If it was easier and possibly free to get cards and there was a more basic version of the game in an app format, then the fan base would grow. Because honestly, I must admit, I'm tempted to start buying Pokémon cards because of this app. This goes for any card game without an app, too. This is a good format, and helps boost interest.
he shouls return to unite for a while and make a video or two. i just really need to feel the validation that would come with seeing a youtuber as big as arlo react to how flabbergastingly bad unite is, but also to see him react to how much diversity the roster has. i hate unite deeply but i do really admire how they've somehow added darkrai, Metagross, mimikyu, miraidon, buzzwole, ho-oh, etc, and they all play in their own unique style. it's a shamr they're all stuck in a shitty ass MOBA....
Regarding the monoculture decks, I think they balanced that out a bit by removing resistances from most cards (I think cards can have either a weakness *or* a resistance, but most have the weakness). That way, even if you end up at a type disadvantage, you might take more damage but you can still hit back at full power and maybe get a win anyway.
I think it's most enjoyable if you don't treat it like a hardcore game, just something you open up once or twice a day for 5-10 minutes and then put away
i wish TPCI weren't genuinely fucking evil assholes who basically forced the Live devs to release the game before the developers wanted to release it, according to some people there's been evidence that it was supposed to release with Trading, more sets in expanded and better coding but TPCI wanted to replace Online so fast that they just couldn't wait.
I partially disagree with the turn order thing, bc there is the advantage of being able to evolve a turn before them, and if your evolution has a 1 energy attack like exeggutor or rapidash, then you can evolve and attack with that evolution on your first actionable turn. Plus it's not true that you can't do anything on that first turn, you can play anything like items or powerful supporter cards to draw more or slow your enemy down. The other thing I disagree with is that the disadvantage, even if it was purely negative, would justify conceding to the cpu if they go first. Even if you don't have any evolutions or don't have any evolutions that have a 1 energy attack, or you don't draw any useful items, the advantage that the opponent gets from effectively being actionable an entire turn before you is far from resembling a free win, it's really rarely decisive.
As for who attacks first I believe this is a way to solve it. Each player places their basics on the field and receive their energy point. The game should now add up the Hp of a players benched pokemon. The player with the most collective Hp goes first.
Standard had a Zoroark that could transform into Pokemon from your discard pile, which meant the deck (which was very viable) actually felt like you were properly playing the video game. Every new set meant new Pokemon options. That card rotated, and standard has yet to replace the effect.
Going first will become better once they release more supporter and item cards that are good when going first. Also, you can actually attack when going first, which means if you get lucky with a card like misty, you can just win before your opponent can even gets a turn. That is actually something they should fix, because winning without any interaction is bad design. However, not attaching energy when going first will make sense as the card selection becomes bigger.
they really need to add more pokeballs, evo incense or something like it, rare candies and maybe a Jacq-like card. like, legitimately....they gotta add those cards ASAP
Let’s play the “meta” drinking game! Every time Arlo says “meta” take a drink! Oops, passed out before the end of the video. 😂 seriously though, I love the game. I do hate how if you go first you can’t place energy but that isn’t a deal breaker. I don’t agree with the multi energy take you have. Playing a multi energy deck in the regular game you never knew when you would get energy or which type. So I never played multi energy decks. The way it is in pocket I am more tempted because energy is given every turn and also you see which type is on deck.
I'm addicted. I've been whaling so hard. But I've noticed that you get different opponents depending on the deck you're using. When I use my pikachu deck, it's literally all mirror matches and mewtwo. When I use my Charizard or venusaur deck, the matchmaking is much more varied. I guess they hotfixed it, so pika decks aren't crapping all over everyone.
I'm someone who lives in an area where bootleg cards were rampant (Probably still are but I haven't bought them in ages), and that was a problem for me when trying to collect as a kid since we have no big and reliable chains nearby like walmart or toys r us, only bodegas in which the owners likely didn't know any better. So I've been enjoying building up the dream collection my younger self couldn't easily have.
I really hope that they implement trading soon as well as easier ways to connect with friends through other social features. I think trading, even actual wonder trading or trading with strangers would really open up the game especially for ftp players.
I think the one advantage of the Pocket format is the energy system. Sure you can stack your deck with energy search and recycle cards, but there's still no guarantee you'll be able to feed the only Pokémon you drew on your first 4 or 5 turns enough energy to get an attack in before your opponent runs it over with the weak but low-cost Pokémon they have out. It's still not perfect, but points for trying.
I completely agree, I'd like to think I'm decent at the Pokemon tcg but holy fuck I'd be lying if I didn't say many matches in Pocket haven't been thrown in my opponent's favor simply because I just couldn't get enough energy on Pokemon with bigger attack costs. The main tcg gets around this with cards like Professor's Letter, energy loto, energy search, welder, etc. I'll be frank, I think it's astounding how DENA didn't think to print ANY form of universal energy searching or acceleration right out the gate...
I’ve been playing for about 2 weeks or so and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. I have so many rare cards already and trying to get the last few I need is tough but I slowly get them just often enough to not feel cheated. I’m playing 100% free
A bit late so someone may have already said this, but apparently the ones who are working on the app are taking feedback and it seems they will address rebalancing with turn thing or something of that nature
I was really looking forward to this ;-; sadly I live in the Netherlands where "gambling mobile games" are against the law so we won't be able to play... this also happened with pokemon masters
I also thought the same when the game was first announced, that it’d be a collection game first. They didn’t even show off the battle system initially, so I just assumed you’d just collect cards that aren’t playable. It’s just for funsies. Like just having trading cards. Then they started showing off the battles, and I was like huh, that’s neat but I doubt it’ll be much of the game. Turns out the game is very much focused on the actual card game aspect, even if it’s a simplified, streamlined version of the real game. And it’s real fun! I like it a lot more than the actual card game, though I was never a big fan of it.
I've been LOVING Pokemon TCG Pocket. It was really the only way I would get back into the cards is with an app like this that gives you a couple free packs a day and I've having a lot of fun with the battles. Buying the REAL cards adds up VERY fast. There are of course gonna be whales for this game, but I think for a lot of people like me, just having those couple packs a day with hourglasses occasionally for more is good enough. Even the premium pass trial kinda convinced me to get it since it would just be a lot more to buy that many packs a month with the gold they sell. I guess that's how they got me though, lol.
I'm hooked on this. Honestly I found it very forgiving for f2p players like me which was a VERY nice surprise
it's the reason i play it lol, i love it tbh
Honestly it seems like paid players don't really get all that much, it's ridiculously expensive to buy gold to open extra packs, and the membership pass thing is like 10 bucks a month, and only lets you open like 2 extra packs a day.
@@UnknownPikmin One extra pack. It's a seperate 24 hr timer next to the 12 hr one, and only stores 1 pack. I got the free trial, and actually got all the premium shop things before it expired.
@UnknownPikmin only 1 extra pack a day, but day 1 you get an extra pack, i did the free trial because there's a card exclusive to premium pass
Definitely reevaluate that in about a year. There's always an explosion of F2P friendliness at the start to get player hooked, but it eventually dries up. Still, the game does look very nice and takes after YGO Duel Links in a good way.
Something significant Arlo didn't mention is that opening a pack gives you points you can spend to acquire any card from that pack! It takes about 30 opened packs for enough points for a rare, but you have so many chances to pull what you're looking for in the meantime that it feels like saving up for a treat. It's a genius idea to prevent long-term frustration and I applaud DeNA for including it instead of making everyone slave away at random chance.
It certainly relieves a lot of frustration for me!
wait I COULDVE GOTTEN LILLIGANT WHENEVER I WANTED TO❓❓❓❓
@@RandomHansyup lol
Wait dena are the devs? The masters ex guys?
@@RandomHans Yeah! On the pack selection screen, there's a button in the lower-right corner that brings up a menu of every card from that expansion to choose from.
Imagine a world in which you can open a bunch of Pokemon card packs without getting a gazillion more Energy Cards that you're never going to use.
Took 'em long enough to catch on to that with ETBs.
As a fairly new TCG game player, I RELISH the energies! I keep having to borrow stacks from my local venue’s professors because I don’t have next to any in my deck. I play one Water and one Metal/Fighting deck and literally 70% of my energy cards are grass and psychic. I would love to have this problem 😅
@@jasond.b-w Yeah, that's fair. If I was an active player during the days of Dragon Energy being a thing I'd probably be desperate for those cards too, because I don't have a single one of them in my physical collection. But having been into the TCG from the very start, I have enough Basic Energy cards for Water/Fire/Grass/Fighting/Psychic/Electric to last me til the end of my days.
I guess a good way to stock up on Energy Cards of a certain type would be to buy either a pre-built deck that's focused on a specific energy type, or to buy products that just come with a selection of Energy Cards in them like Elite Trainer Boxes.
@@SeafoamSmiles Dragon Energy doesn't exist? There was a special energy called Double Dragon Energy but never a normal dragon energy.
@@SquidSystem Yeah, you're right. I was misremembering. It was Dragon-type Pokemon that were sort of removed and then reworked/reintroduced later. I forgot that the actual Dragon Energy was a Special Energy.
I really like how easy it is to just sign in and pull a pack and only focus on the collection aspect rather than the battle aspect
Is it a game that can be fully enjoyed without doing the battle part? I didn’t download it because I heard that some cards or whatever come from quest rewards so you’d have to battle
@@Wurmze It depends.
The Main set of cards can be collected completely by just doing the daily packs.
The Meowth event focused on getting event specific cards from the Wonder Pick which doesn't involve battling.
The Lapras event has you fighting against a Computer player, but the reward is rather generous so you can usually get a free card each time you play on even Easy or Normal difficulty and don't have to worry about Hard or Very Hard unless you want a few more hourglasses.
The Online Multiplayer battles don't reward cards. Only Emblems for bragging rights.
Unfortunately the battle aspect sucks all of the ass
@Wurmze Currently, there is 1 original card and 4 promo versions of Base cards exclusive to battling, but it is a solo battle event where you fight an AI, not another player, and from my experience, it tends to do misplays probably to help the player win.
There are a few missions behind battling and a current pvp event, but there aren't any cards behind those, just some resources and emblems from the event, which you basically only use to show off in pvp.
So, if you're just wanting to collect you're pretty much good, potentially only needing to battle in solo on occasion.
@@orsonzedd Ironically they tried to make the PvP more casual and fun, but instead they made it more competitive and stressful. The meta decks are dominating anyone who doesn't run them, but the amount of more unique decks will open up with each new set thankfully.
I also really like that they run solo events and multiplayer events. So for people who are intimated by playing against other real people they don't have to, they will still get new content via these in-game events where you fight unique NPCs. Like the Lapras event was really cool. This really has something for everyone and I really like that they took the time to consider that not everyone wants to play online.
That's a big reason why I'm liking it too! I love CCGs/TCGs but I've alway taken it as a fact that every one of these games will have a ranked mode and that's the end goal of every player.
I'll enjoy these games at first, but eventually get burnt out chasing after the new meta every month. If I ignore the meta or ranked, then I'll feel like I'm missing out on the rewards, and the game feels empty.
PTCGP feels like they've put the PvP as something to enjoy for those who are into it, but collecting the cards is the primary focus of the game. I appreciate that and I hope they don't do any ranked stuff.
This takes me back to the days I played Pokemon Stadium and battled with the rental decks.
Pokemon's MO has always been about connecting and interacting with other people, but these days it's more important than ever that we get an option for pve that isn't a streamlined, "plan ahead and overcome the Pokemon League" formula.
The game is still young but at the moment is a nice and cheap way to collect pokemon cards.
“Collect”
@@HutchIsOnYT you build a collection in the game, so you do collect
Yeah, it's nice being able to scratch the old collectors itch without needing to spend hundreds of dollars the way I used too.
Not even cheap, more like *0* expenses to most of us.
PTCGL seriously..... Its based off of the real world game rather than dumbing it down
Going first actually does provide a different advantage: you can evolve your Pokémon a turn faster than the other player. But if you're playing a deck with just Basic Pokémon, no evolutions, then you would always want to be second to get the energy advantage.
Yea I think the issue is right now the meta doesn't favor evolution pokemon as well, so the energy advantage is massive. But that'll change with time as we get more and more complex and unique cards.
Also Arlo not realizing the actual TCG has had the "can't attack when you go first" rule for 10+ years now lol
I think the current nerfs to first turn are guaranteed in the long run. As more mechanics allow for different counterplays it will only level the field more.
Considering the 2 best decks revolve around basic exs, then the energy advantage is better
Evolving mons first… to a typically higher energy cost, thereby just postponing your attack even further
As a f2p player and someone who has never collected the cards before, I love this. Its really fun to just open free packs and do wonder picks.
I love especially the ui/ux and sound design of this game. Hopefully they keep up the quality and it doesn't turn into another garbage loot box game
Honestly, it feels soulless to me. It doesn't look like or feel like a pokemon game to me.
Small things like, the classic opening battle trill. Healing pokemon doesn't do the iconic sound because... why not!
It's very corporate and very sterile. Look at how white everything is.
What if you got a gift and it was the "Item Get" sound?
They could afford to chop off a few unnecessary clicks here and there. But yeah, not bad at all.
@@luischeco3009 just because it doesn't follow the sound design of the mainline games (because why would it, this is an entirely separate thing) doesn't mean it's soulless. it's got soul, it's just not the one you want
Bro, we're literally opening packs.. it's a loot box game, but the box is a card pack...
@concretel10n except you're not getting fucked over by opening packs, wheras with lootboxes you not only have to spend real money in 80% of the games they're in but also most of the time you can't even use the stuff you get until you get a 0.1% item or a 5% item. in pokemon you can use EVERY card you get, even if most suck. that's not gambling despite what normies want to think.
I feel like a mobile/gacha veteran, having played some form of gacha game at all times for like 10 years. And also a huuuge Pokemon card fan. I’ve been playing TCG pocket since launch, I have 400 hourglasses saved up, and have been completely free to play (I haven’t used the free trial of the premium yet either)
And I really love it! I don’t have the very best deck but it’s fun building around what I do have, (and I do have a good amount of ex cards, even without pulling extra packs) and I’m close to getting the gold ribbon for the current PvP event, so I do win quite a bit.
Especially since I’m adult with two jobs, I never feel like I’m falling behind like I often do in other games. I really love it, one of the most f2p friendly games I’ve ever played.
(Oh and I use a multicolor dragonite deck! Sometimes the energy thing can screw me up but lots of times I can get out a win! Even when I go first haha)
As someone who's ended up on the opposite end of the Dragonite deck multiple times, may your energy pulls be forever one color and your Draco Meteor flips all targeted at a single benched Basic Pokémon.
Dragonite is really strong. Good luck with your future battles.
@@jeast9648 strong, but so hard to set up haha xD especially since I only have one copy of each Pokemon, dragonair never wants to come to my hand LOL
Good luck to you too!!
Do you use Ditto in your deck? I like the idea of Ditto but having to match the energy of an opponent’s mon to use its attack is a little too situational for my liking, but it seems so awesome if it can be done.
@Hyper_Drud ditto is decent, but most of the time, there are better options. Each deck can only have 20 cards, so it's pretty tight. I'm sure there is a way to use him optimally, though.
I just noticed something after I added this Korean player as a friend after they barely beat me in a close game.😅If you pick a card from someone international, their Pokémon cards are in their own language! And I think it’s kinda neat👍🏽
Ooo cool
It is definitely a neat aspect to collect international cards. I have a Japanese (I think) Gloom and a Portuguese Helioptile!
As someone who learned OG TCG and didn’t keep up with the game, I’m enjoying this so much!
It’s fun to collect cards digitally without any of the scalper crap or spending so much money with cards taking up physical space.
A detail I love is that when scrolling through the set of digital packs to simulate choosing which pack you're opening first, you can flip them around. So I really love to flip through the packs super fast, and then I open the first one I notice that got flipped around, because it feels nice to add that extra flick to turn the cards around before seeing what they are. That could just be a me thing.
I do this too!!
Chuckled hard when I saw the title because I also binged Pokemon TCGP while in bed with a post spinal tap headache for 4 days. You really overestimate how much there really is to do on your phone until your sick
Also it's definitely only because I'm used to gachas and all the tricks they use to make new players stay, but I immediately knew to save up all the currencies. I'm currently up to over 400 hourglasses, waiting for my absolute favorite mons or trainers to release lol
Oh should I have done this?
I enjoy the quickness of these battles compared to regular TCG, they could add a 50-card battle in the future if they wanted to but I wouldn't be mad if they didn't.
they are quicker but I feel like something is lost in how they dumbed down the rules. It's good for casual play and i'll give them that but I'm not the biggest fan
I really love the collecting aspect of the game,just collecting these cards has always bin a fun part for me. And ive already gotten some really good looking cards!😊
2:43 honestly would love a video of just how it felt being a Pokémon fan during that time, I’ve been playing red for the first time ever and watching the anime along side it which has led to me also watching videos of people talking about their early experiences with Pokémon and it just felt like such a different time. There’s no more rumors spread on the playground, no panic from parents about their kids playing a silly card game, it just feels like something I’ll never understand and a video describing how it felt would be sick.
Loving the game. If we keep getting fun events (Lapras & Chansey events) between new expansions, it's going to be super fun collecting cards.
But here's just some changes I like to see:
- Have the daily missions be enough to open an extra pack, it will make daily logins more rewarding.
- Give the first turn players an option to place an energy. I feel that will be more balanced.
- Nerf some cards for balance. Mainly the coin flips. Cards like Misty should be maxed out at two flips.
- Boosted Gacha rates for rare cards after opening a lot of packs (similar to Fire Emblem Heroes)
I feel like the points system to buy specific cards is a fair balance for not building up your odds at a rare pack. Maybe a few more points per pack though, or commons generate more points when you pull them than rares.
The problem with giving energy first turn is that for something like a mewtwo ex or pikachu ex they will basically swat your team if you don't have more mons (mostly pikachu), since mewtwo can spam attacks of 50 and pikachu could spam attacks of 90, you don't really give a chance for players going second to catch up after that (technically the same way goes with going second rn) but at least you can evolve to be bulkier and take more hits
@@frosty7581 Your right, I didn't consider that. Perhaps the solution is the game adding more trainers & item cards into the game that can either prevent damage or give additional energies to a Pokemon with low HP. That way the first player as more options than potions & professor oak.
@@100megayoshi I love the idea of a trainer that can add extra energy after it gets below a certain amount or a trainer that can reduce damage but a small amount to not make it too op, maybe like a reverse Giovanni reducing damage by 10, honestly balancing the game as it currently is (to 3 points) is really hard
On going first:
Give us an energy, prevent support card usage, and skip first draw.
You still get the potential to attack, but at no higher than 1 energy so you're not likely to kill anything, you're not lagging behind in your ability to power up but you're at a 1 card disadvantage.
Preventing turn 1 supports eliminates the issue with a turn 1 misty immediately KOing the opponent's first and possibly only pokemon, or getting a boost from giovanni to that turn 1 attack.
I def fuck with the support idea. Anything to kill misty otk scum tactics
I for one am glad to see the OG queen Misty having newfound relevance again.
You get sicker than any content creator that i know
I also played this in bed, but just lazy not sick😂
I have not had a mobile game hook me this badly in a while, but I am just shocked at how well it was done.
I got an ad for this game when I clicked on the video
I miss when Pokemon Go was a big thing. It was one of those rare moments when we can achieve world peace.
I have placed a second mortgage on my house and I still don't have every card yet.
I mean yeah some pokemon have like 20 versions of their cards and there's over. A thousand mon
Oh wow you’re going for the art rares! I’m glad they made it possible for F2P to get close to finish at least the original 226 cards as I am close to finishing it and the trading system will help me finish it quickly. Good luck to you and don’t spend too much till the trading system is out
This might be my favorite mobile Pokemon game out of all of them, and this is coming from someone who forces themselves to keep using Pokemon Sleep
Good luck on the eevee sleep event! Maybe you get a shiny eevee ✨️
so someone with the lowest possible standards for pokemon mobile games 😅
@@verygoodfreelancerThey said "forces themselves", so I think that means they don't like or really not interested in the game, but they're doing it out of "fine I'll do it" rather than actual likeness for the game.
Memory in our formative years is so powerful. You haven’t played the TCG in decades yet you still remember all the basic rules, details about prize cards, etc. 😂
One thing I like about the cards in TCG Pocket is the rarity distribution. Every single mechanically unique card in the set is found in the 1-4 Diamond rarities. Everything in the 1-3 Star and Crown rarities is just fancy alternative treatments of some of those cards. Granted, 4-Diamond cards are rarer than 1-Star cards, but still.
Speaking as someone who's always had incomprehensible trouble understanding the rules of card games: Pocket streamlined the process in all the right ways, to the point that I have a much, much better appreciation for the TCG as a whole now. The changes to Energy all on their own make the game significantly easier and faster to play, especially in a mobile-game format.
In fact, Pocket helped me enjoy the TCG so much, that I actually played through the entire TCG Game Boy game on NSO, over the past week. I can't stress enough how happy I am to finally, finally have this stuff click for me.
With regards to running a multi energy deck, I got swept by someone running a Dragonite deck (which requires Water and Lightning energy) that was supported by Weezing, which has 110 HP. Weezing requires Darkness energy to attack, and a third energy type can't be included, so it can't attack, but it has a passive ability that just poisons the opponent's active Pokémon to chip away at health while they collect the energy to allow Dragonite to attack. So there is a valid strat for multi energy decks, but it does require intentionality.
I have not felt like paying is nessisary. Which makes me want to put money into it.
While I can’t recall if I ever played the TCG I still remember seeing peers having them in my childhood and stuff so still find them nostalgic, I love TCGs so I’ll consider getting this sometime.
Butternut Squash? Yes Please!
Alsooo, really love the lil touch of when you’re choosing a pack to open there is sometimes one with a bent corner. I usually look for that one to open 😅
the topicarlo videos are dropping like flies hitting a zapper oh dearie me i can hardly keep up
Once he spoke his truth about burgers he set himself free lolol.
Give a monster a cookie and he’ll take the entire jar.
Give an Arlo a burger and he’ll take the entire TH-cam.
Completely loving this game. I’m not into the battles, just collecting the cards but opening my two packs a day is so much fun. Got a gold MewTwo this week from a pack and was so happy!
TCG Pocket is such a great entry point to Pokemon. Never collected Pokemon cards before, but because of how much I am enjoying this game, I just brought 3 physical cards that are similar digital counterparts.
I'm enjoying it. When I got actual cards a while ago, I thought my Prize Cards were to be claimed by the opponent, and they'd just leave if no negotiation to return.
The battle format is fun and easy to get into. The games launched barebones but there is much more content now and regular updates and expansions are planned.
The art on that Diglett card is so good!
Every time a new set comes out there will be new PvE missions that give hourglasses so you can open 10-20 packs. There's also a monthly refresh on hourglasses in the ticket shop.
This is the only f2p game I think I ever enjoyed. I got my collection, completed the Lapras event, the battle event, built some fun decks, and felt happy with the cards and decks I had. I open the app for the daily packs, and I feel very satisfied. It did not feel predatory or mean, it even feels nice with how often you thank other players. Now it feels like a game I can leave alone until the next event or expansion releases.
my friends got into it and had me try it out with them
its really cool! i like collecting things, i have zero problems staying f2p, and it even taught me how the actual tcg works to some extent i think?? but even if the gameplay isnt 100% accurate to the real thing, its really fun and i get hooked for ages trying to get all the goals in the cpu battles or trying a few online matches!
10/10 considering buying irl cards now
I’m honestly enjoying this app so far. The best thing for me is that I don’t have to buy a binder every once in awhile to store excess cards I didn’t want or save for later deck builds.
I love how they take advantage of the medium by doing things to the cards that cold never be done in real life (At least not until we hit some Sci-fi tech)
Like the holographic feature, and ESPECIALLY the Immersive Art cards. Like Mewtwo, Charizard and Pikachu
I know it's just a watered down version of the actual TGC, but I appreciate simplicity. Besides, it actually taught me how the Real Game works (Or at least helped me get an understanding)
The last thing worth mentioning is that it's nice to have a collection stored in my phone.
Nothing beats Physical, don't get me wrong, but at least I don't have to fear losing any cards, having them take up space, or bending one
I totally agree about the multiple types things. Even three seems to be difficult to make happen. In the real care game, you could always make your deck 2/3 energy or something. There are also some cards that let you get more energy from the deck/discard pile, etc which makes it feel more rewarding to make things happen…and you can haha
I missed the Pokemon card hype as a child but this game has awakened something in me. after playing for a couple weeks I went to my local card shop and bought an Obsidian Flames Elite Trainer Box and pulled my first ever real cards! I think I'm getting addicted already
Be careful with your funds but it's cool to see you getting into the cards again! Hope you get some great ones!
@lightdarksoul2097 thanks! I actually just picked up some surging sparks and sv 151 packs last night. I'm having a lot of fun but I can definitely see it being a financial issue 🤣
@@mercifulpancake5669 there are places like yard sales and smaller stores where you may get lucky if you ever wanna buy some cards cheap
I've gone first in plenty of matches and still won. You shouldn't be so quick to give up bro
The going first thing is WAY overblown. You get to draw, play items/supports, and you get to evolve on your first turn where energy is generated. If you have a second stage with 1 energy cost you'll often benefit from going first
I'm really enjoying it, it gives me the card game fix that yugioh duel links stopped giving
Came in for the collecting thing just being able to log in twice a day to get free packs + the hourglasses you can get to open if you're hankering for some cards. I haven't even started my free trial of the premium pass or whatever and I still have a ton of good cards + most of the main dex. The battle system makes me want to play TCG again, loved to just get those pre-built decks they sell and play with a friend for an hour or so. I like the changes like the energy pool and the point system, it works for a mobile game like this. The smaller deck size and lack of an insta-loss if your deck is empty makes things much simpler and faster, which again works for a mobile game.
I fully agree. I don't like those kinds of games with gambling mechanics, and that keeps asking you to spend money, but this game is different I don't really have to spend that much on and it doesn't shove like ADS in my face.
I never got to play the Pokémon trading card game when I was a kid and and I don't like complicated stuff. I got that little brain energy, lol, so this game works for me personally now i will say you can play online without needing to spend money I've definitely lost, but I've also done in a few wins online without spending a dollar and more importantly, I will say, the online servers are pretty good i have never been disconnected yet. And I've been playing now for about a week or 2, I think. The game has a good quality feel to it as well.
I also fully agree about only using one type of Pokémon it's not worth using dual type decks except if you want to throw in a normal type pokemon but that's because there's no normal type of energy to worry about just make sure if it does have another energy that it's asking for it matches the main type of your deck.
Great video, as always, and I hope you feel better soon😁👍
4:15 there is a guaranteed full arts and ex on your first packs. T
Full art starters from gen 1, exeggcutor Ex, arcanine Ex, marowak Ex. You also get it frequently with your first 10 packs from completing quests. Also your first wonderpick is also guaranteed full art or ex iirc.
Actually, you can attack first turn and going first has it's benefits.
1. If you can give energy to the mon turn 1 they can attack. Misty lets you cheese them turn 1.
2. You can evolve first and if your stage 1 mon needs only 1 energy to attack. It's incredibly strong turn 3. Examples - rapidash, zebstrika, wheezing, golbat, haunter etc.
Hearing him say "mana fixing" is further confirming to me that Arlo plays Magic the Gathering.
The pocket rules helped with a lot of what I didn't like about the actual tcg. Because of this, I bought cards with my friend and played against him multiple times, and we are planning to play more! Using the pocket rules, of course!
Like. When we get more cards, maybe we can expand on those rules and play with more cards or something, but this is a lot of fun playing this way, and matches aren't nearly as long!
Really simple, and way less reading than in MTG.
i've been wondering if the pocket rules would become an actual sanctioned format for paper pokemon tcg. we all know hardly anyone actually plays pokemon tcg but with pocket rules simplifying things it becomes a lot easier to get into.
@@JalaeThe regular Tcg is the most popular competitive tcg behind magic in America? Plenty of people play it.
As a person who's generally not a fan of Pokémon, I have been really enjoying this little game. It doesn't take up much time which is very nice as well
this game actually got me back into the TCG after I sold all my cards and stopped collecting in late 2020 so they must be doing *something* right
if you go first you can use an evolved poke'mon before your opponent so card like weezing or executor get in their attacks, same for evolved poke'mon in the backrow with good abilities. Going first is good if you have good stage 1 poke'mon
I've enjoyed all the artwork on the cards. So pretty.
2 packs a day gets slow, but a plus is the timer doesn't stop when a deck is ready, you can battle to level up, and doing the dailies lets you open a pack every third day.
A lot of free experiences aren't quite as good, and battling is hardly grinding if you enjoy it
Little known fact: if you go first, you can actually attack if you get energy through a card like Misty.
On the energy: I got 13 lightning energy in a row, and lost the game with the SINGLE needed water energy being the next to spawn
The joys of playing Dragonite
I played against someone in that same scenario. Thought they accidentally forgot to add Water to their deck. Maybe it was you! I felt pretty bad when water came up right at the end.
that's how it's always been with online pokemon tcg games, they've been infamous for seemingly choosing to not help you out in some matches lol
For what its worth, the game does include a handful of pokemon that only use colorless energy to function. For example, my Marowak EX deck had a Heliolisk splashed in because it doesn't require any Lightning energy and lets me counter Farfetch'd and the Legendary Birds.
Top middle, always pick top middle. I swear every time I get something good from Wonder Pick, it's always Top Middle.
Top right and bottom left tend to be pretty good too.
Never ever ever ever spend on this game or any gacha/online-only game for that matter... BUT the experience of this game for free users, at least for now, is pretty fun and rewarding and I would definitely recommend playing it because it's near-zero effort to get a lot out of it. I got in during the New Zealand only beta, so I'm about 20-25 days ahead, but I have a good portion of the cards from all 3 packs, tons of pretty rare ones, and enough to make most of the good decks and the dust to fill out 2nd copies or missing ones I need if I want to try even more decks. The gameplay is simplified, however there's definitely some brain work going on with how you time and arrange your powerful abilities such as Sabrina, Giovanni vs Potions, Red Card, Misty, and more... so there's definitely some fun scenarios where you're rewarded for thinking a couple steps ahead, remembering what utility cards your opponent already used or might have, thinking about what options they'll go for depending on what you do, doing a little math, etc. Some PVP matches I breeze through, but others against good players it can really come down to just one or two pivotal decisions that I really had to search for beyond the obvious moves.
Don’t worry man, it’ll get more complex. Card games always have power creep.
I feel this was mostly for people who vaguely wanted to get into Pokemon TCG or like collecting. I hope they fix Pokemon TCG Live.
same. we all deserve better 😂
I'm really getting into the card game Weiß Schwarz, and my god does every second I play this game make me wish that card game had an app like this. The fan base needs to grow.
Weiß Schwarz I imagine, looks incredibly intimidating to start playing as well as complicated to new players wanting to pick it up. It doesn't help either that this lack of people buying the game wanting to get into it results in stores not really carrying the game.
If it was easier and possibly free to get cards and there was a more basic version of the game in an app format, then the fan base would grow. Because honestly, I must admit, I'm tempted to start buying Pokémon cards because of this app.
This goes for any card game without an app, too. This is a good format, and helps boost interest.
Your Pokemon Unite video was one of my favorites you've done! So I hope you do something similar with Pocket TCG!
he shouls return to unite for a while and make a video or two. i just really need to feel the validation that would come with seeing a youtuber as big as arlo react to how flabbergastingly bad unite is, but also to see him react to how much diversity the roster has. i hate unite deeply but i do really admire how they've somehow added darkrai, Metagross, mimikyu, miraidon, buzzwole, ho-oh, etc, and they all play in their own unique style. it's a shamr they're all stuck in a shitty ass MOBA....
Regarding the monoculture decks, I think they balanced that out a bit by removing resistances from most cards (I think cards can have either a weakness *or* a resistance, but most have the weakness). That way, even if you end up at a type disadvantage, you might take more damage but you can still hit back at full power and maybe get a win anyway.
I think it's most enjoyable if you don't treat it like a hardcore game, just something you open up once or twice a day for 5-10 minutes and then put away
The game reminds me why I would NEVER collect physical packs. 😂 This is fine.
This game genuinely clears the other online tcg option in just about every way and I wish they’d just replace it with this
i wish TPCI weren't genuinely fucking evil assholes who basically forced the Live devs to release the game before the developers wanted to release it, according to some people there's been evidence that it was supposed to release with Trading, more sets in expanded and better coding but TPCI wanted to replace Online so fast that they just couldn't wait.
I partially disagree with the turn order thing, bc there is the advantage of being able to evolve a turn before them, and if your evolution has a 1 energy attack like exeggutor or rapidash, then you can evolve and attack with that evolution on your first actionable turn. Plus it's not true that you can't do anything on that first turn, you can play anything like items or powerful supporter cards to draw more or slow your enemy down. The other thing I disagree with is that the disadvantage, even if it was purely negative, would justify conceding to the cpu if they go first. Even if you don't have any evolutions or don't have any evolutions that have a 1 energy attack, or you don't draw any useful items, the advantage that the opponent gets from effectively being actionable an entire turn before you is far from resembling a free win, it's really rarely decisive.
As for who attacks first I believe this is a way to solve it. Each player places their basics on the field and receive their energy point. The game should now add up the Hp of a players benched pokemon. The player with the most collective Hp goes first.
Got a Pokémon TCG ad before the video started
Standard had a Zoroark that could transform into Pokemon from your discard pile, which meant the deck (which was very viable) actually felt like you were properly playing the video game. Every new set meant new Pokemon options. That card rotated, and standard has yet to replace the effect.
Great Stuff, as always!
Going first will become better once they release more supporter and item cards that are good when going first.
Also, you can actually attack when going first, which means if you get lucky with a card like misty, you can just win before your opponent can even gets a turn.
That is actually something they should fix, because winning without any interaction is bad design.
However, not attaching energy when going first will make sense as the card selection becomes bigger.
they really need to add more pokeballs, evo incense or something like it, rare candies and maybe a Jacq-like card. like, legitimately....they gotta add those cards ASAP
I’ve been wondering about Marvel Snap. Hearthstone drove me nuts lol
Arlo's sick voice feels like Saul Goodman's voice
Let’s play the “meta” drinking game! Every time Arlo says “meta” take a drink! Oops, passed out before the end of the video. 😂 seriously though, I love the game. I do hate how if you go first you can’t place energy but that isn’t a deal breaker. I don’t agree with the multi energy take you have. Playing a multi energy deck in the regular game you never knew when you would get energy or which type. So I never played multi energy decks. The way it is in pocket I am more tempted because energy is given every turn and also you see which type is on deck.
My favorite part is that even though ive gotten addicted to the game I havent felt the need to spend money on it!
I'm addicted. I've been whaling so hard. But I've noticed that you get different opponents depending on the deck you're using. When I use my pikachu deck, it's literally all mirror matches and mewtwo. When I use my Charizard or venusaur deck, the matchmaking is much more varied. I guess they hotfixed it, so pika decks aren't crapping all over everyone.
I'm someone who lives in an area where bootleg cards were rampant (Probably still are but I haven't bought them in ages), and that was a problem for me when trying to collect as a kid since we have no big and reliable chains nearby like walmart or toys r us, only bodegas in which the owners likely didn't know any better. So I've been enjoying building up the dream collection my younger self couldn't easily have.
Eyy, I just downloaded the day this video uploaded :o
I really hope that they implement trading soon as well as easier ways to connect with friends through other social features. I think trading, even actual wonder trading or trading with strangers would really open up the game especially for ftp players.
I think the one advantage of the Pocket format is the energy system. Sure you can stack your deck with energy search and recycle cards, but there's still no guarantee you'll be able to feed the only Pokémon you drew on your first 4 or 5 turns enough energy to get an attack in before your opponent runs it over with the weak but low-cost Pokémon they have out. It's still not perfect, but points for trying.
I completely agree, I'd like to think I'm decent at the Pokemon tcg but holy fuck I'd be lying if I didn't say many matches in Pocket haven't been thrown in my opponent's favor simply because I just couldn't get enough energy on Pokemon with bigger attack costs. The main tcg gets around this with cards like Professor's Letter, energy loto, energy search, welder, etc. I'll be frank, I think it's astounding how DENA didn't think to print ANY form of universal energy searching or acceleration right out the gate...
Playing this just makes me want to revisit Yu-Gi-Oh Dule Links I remember having fun playing that.
I’ve been playing for about 2 weeks or so and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. I have so many rare cards already and trying to get the last few I need is tough but I slowly get them just often enough to not feel cheated. I’m playing 100% free
A bit late so someone may have already said this, but apparently the ones who are working on the app are taking feedback and it seems they will address rebalancing with turn thing or something of that nature
im happy the game isnt disgustingly tryint to make me spend money and that the only money ive spent is just the pass (and future payments)
Hey Arlo, I didn't know you were a fan of Magic the Gathering! Would love to see you make any kind of content on that game sometime!
I was really looking forward to this ;-; sadly I live in the Netherlands where "gambling mobile games" are against the law so we won't be able to play... this also happened with pokemon masters
I also thought the same when the game was first announced, that it’d be a collection game first. They didn’t even show off the battle system initially, so I just assumed you’d just collect cards that aren’t playable. It’s just for funsies. Like just having trading cards. Then they started showing off the battles, and I was like huh, that’s neat but I doubt it’ll be much of the game. Turns out the game is very much focused on the actual card game aspect, even if it’s a simplified, streamlined version of the real game. And it’s real fun! I like it a lot more than the actual card game, though I was never a big fan of it.
Pokemon Company, please please PLEASE don’t fuck this up! You got a good thing going here.
I've been LOVING Pokemon TCG Pocket. It was really the only way I would get back into the cards is with an app like this that gives you a couple free packs a day and I've having a lot of fun with the battles. Buying the REAL cards adds up VERY fast. There are of course gonna be whales for this game, but I think for a lot of people like me, just having those couple packs a day with hourglasses occasionally for more is good enough. Even the premium pass trial kinda convinced me to get it since it would just be a lot more to buy that many packs a month with the gold they sell. I guess that's how they got me though, lol.