Pokémon Trading Card Game Bag is all about the thrill of opening digital card packs, but it also has another trick up its sleeve. The mobile game, released to the public on Tuesday, features a battle mode where players can assemble a deck and compete against each other. For long-time Pokémon fans who collect the cards but haven’t played, there’s an opportunity to experience competitions Pokémon trading card game for the first time.
Created by Creatures and Game Freak with additional development support from DeNA, Pokémon Trading Card Game Bag allows players to open packs and collect digital Pokémon cards. The game focuses primarily on the collecting aspect: you can open booster packs, design digital showcases to show off your collection online, and even improve the look of cards by combining duplicates. However, the app also offers an optimized version of the competitive tabletop game.
The combat version of the app takes much less time. Instead of defeating Pokémon to get six prize cards, TCG bag gives players victory after eliminating three. Decks are condensed from 60 to 20 cards, and instead of drawing energy cards, players can automatically equip one energy token per turn. Additionally, individual cards’ attacks and abilities have been adjusted to fit this new system, meaning many cards have fewer attacks or simplified abilities.
This adjusted battle system makes the once intimidating tabletop card game much more accessible. It’s only been a day since the app’s release and I’ve seen a lot of long-time Pokémon fans competing against each other for the first time. In this Reddit threadThe original poster states: “I collected cards as a kid and I don’t think I ever actually fought with them.”
One person responded that the reduced number of cards encouraged them to start playing. Currently, TCG bagThe Rolodex lists 226 unique cards, while the English sets for the tabletop version now list a total of 226 cards more than 9,100 cards.
“I was really interested in it Bag because the card pool is limited and my understanding of card combinations and strategies could grow with the game itself,” said CobaltCool215 on Reddit.
For some, TCG bag inspired her to play the full tabletop version of the competitive card game. Reddit user Pufferpanda wrote: “[TCG Pocket] It was also my first encounter with a Pokémon Trading Card Game when I started playing last month, but I ended up checking out the main Trading Card Game because I was craving the competitive/ranked system.”
Based on my anecdotal real life experiences, this makes a lot of sense. I know several avid Pokémon card collectors who own hundreds – perhaps thousands – of cards but have never played the tabletop version of the game. For many, the Pokémon Trading Card Game is more about appreciating the art and building a collection – and protecting those cards from harm – than about competing with others. TCG bag probably won’t change that. But at least long-time players now get the chance to experience a different side of the game.
