Pokémon TCG Pocket Gets Trading Today and Players Absolutely Hate It

Pokémon TCG Pocket's highly anticipated trading update has arrived, but instead of celebrating, players are expressing widespread outrage. The trading system, already criticized last week for its restrictions, has launched to an even more negative reception due to unexpectedly stringent requirements.

The core issue revolves around two consumable items needed for every trade: Trade Stamina and Trade Tokens. Trade Stamina, replenishing over time or purchasable with Poké Gold (real money), is relatively unsurprising. However, Trade Tokens, required for trading cards of 3 Diamonds or higher, are sparking intense backlash.

Trading a 3-Diamond card demands 120 Tokens, a 1-Star card 400, and a 4-Diamond (ex Pokémon) card a hefty 500. The only way to acquire Trade Tokens is by deleting cards from one's collection, with conversion rates heavily favoring the developers. For instance, selling five ex Pokémon only yields enough Tokens to trade one. Selling a Crown card, the rarest in the game, provides enough for only three ex Pokémon trades. Lower rarity cards are worthless for trading purposes.

This system has been widely condemned as "a monumental failure," "hilariously toxic," and "predatory." Reddit threads are flooded with negative feedback, with players calling the system "greedy" and vowing to stop spending money on the game. The 15-second transaction time for converting cards to Tokens further exacerbates the problem, making even a single trade a time-consuming process. Many believe the system actively discourages trading, designed to force players to continue purchasing packs.

The inability to trade cards of 2-Star rarity or higher is also seen as a deliberate tactic to maximize revenue. Completing even a single set can cost hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, making trading a crucial element for less affluent players.

Creatures Inc., the developer, remains silent on the overwhelmingly negative response, despite previously acknowledging concerns. While the addition of Trade Tokens as mission rewards could alleviate the problem, the current system is widely viewed as a significant misstep, particularly as the game prepares to launch its next major update featuring Diamond and Pearl Pokémon. IGN has reached out to Creatures Inc. for comment.