Pokémon TCG Pocket Gets Trading Today and Players Absolutely Hate It

Pokémon TCG Pocket's highly anticipated trading update has arrived, but instead of celebration, it's met with widespread player outrage. The feature, already criticized last week for its restrictions, has launched to an even worse reception due to unexpectedly onerous requirements.

Social media is ablaze with player frustration. The core issue? Trading isn't simply about exchanging cards; it's a resource-intensive process demanding two distinct consumable items: Trade Stamina and Trade Tokens.

Trade Stamina, similar to other in-game mechanics, replenishes over time or can be purchased with Poké Gold (real money). However, it's the Trade Tokens that are sparking the most controversy.

Trading cards of 3 Diamonds or higher requires a significant number of Trade Tokens: 120 for a 3 Diamond card, 400 for a 1 Star card, and 500 for a 4 Diamond (ex Pokémon) card. The only way to acquire Trade Tokens is by deleting cards from your collection, with higher rarity cards yielding more tokens. This creates a perverse system where players must essentially sacrifice valuable cards to trade others of similar or even lower rarity. For example, trading a single ex Pokémon demands the deletion of five others. Selling a Crown rarity card, the game's rarest, only provides enough tokens to trade three ex Pokémon. Selling a 3-Star immersive art card, a key selling point of the game, doesn't even yield enough tokens for a single 1-Star or 4-Diamond trade.

Reddit threads are overflowing with scathing criticism. Players are calling the update a "monumental failure," "hilariously toxic," and an "insult," with many vowing to stop spending money on the game. The 15-second delay for each card deletion further exacerbates the tediousness of the trading process. Some even suggest renaming the game, given the impracticality of its trading system.

The community widely believes the trading system is designed to boost revenue, especially given the game's estimated $200 million revenue in its first month before trading was implemented. The inability to easily trade higher rarity cards forces players to spend significant sums on booster packs for a chance at obtaining them.

Creatures Inc., the developer, has remained silent on the backlash, despite previously acknowledging player concerns. IGN has reached out for comment, but no response has been received. While adding Trade Tokens as mission rewards could potentially alleviate some issues, the current system is widely viewed as predatory and unsustainable. The negative reception casts a shadow over the upcoming Diamond and Pearl update, introducing Pokémon like Dialga and Palkia. The poorly implemented trading mechanic is a significant setback for a game on the cusp of its next major content release.