This cover was made using Canva and Bitmoji. All the screenshots in this post were taken directly from the game by me.
These past few weeks I've been spending an absurd amount of hours on Pokémon TCGP, the latest foray of Nintendo's biggest franchise into the mobile market, presented as a simplified version of the long-running card game with a greater emphasis on collecting and collecting "rare" cards with special designs.
Despite being a free to play game, we must recognize that the experience that this title initially offers us is quite balanced: we were given several card packs without having to wait for very long periods of time, and the progression was slow but satisfying, however, we must be a little cynical about it, understanding that this could be nothing more than an excuse to get hooked in the long term.
The question is, is Pokémon TCGP a pay to win? The answer is yes and at the same time no, why? Because there are enough mechanisms to ensure that we build a solid collection, but at the same time it is evident that everything is programmed so that moments of "luck" are scarce, and those with little patience will quickly feel frustration.
We can only open one pack of cards every 12 hours, which are not cumulative (thus forcing us to check the app regularly), with the opportunity to have an extra pack if we pay the 10 dollars a month that the premium pass costs, an option that seems honestly disproportionate to me with respect to the extra benefits it offers (Access to a premium store and little else).
On the other hand, we have the combat mode, a mode that ironically seems relegated to the secondary plane (Below collecting) and that is characterized by its simplicity.
While this simplicity is problematic for some of the franchise's more hardcore fans, I find it almost nostalgic that, like the first Pokémon video games (or the early years of the trading card game), it focuses mostly on attack points, the health level of our creatures, and the advantage (rock-paper-scissors style) that some types have over others.
For those of us who are not willing to pay for gold bars or the premium pass, daily missions and special events will be our main progression mechanism.
There are relatively simple missions such as those that tell us to open a daily envelope, make a magical choice, or simply spend the points acquired in any of its modes, while there are more complicated ones with special rewards (such as the one that gives us a special full-art Mew card if we manage to obtain the 150 Pokémon from the Kanto region).
As I said before, the real problem with Pokémon TCGP is not so much the use of microtransactions but rather how the game's programming limits our moments of luck, creating a huge gap between the chances of getting a really good card, and the garbage that comes out in droves day after day.
At the same time, I feel that this can be seen as an advantage, since despite being virtual cards without a tangible value, when we manage to get something good, the satisfaction is felt very strongly.
My advice? Take the game calmly, have fun and try not to waste your money on something that is programmed to make you spend indefinitely.
Beyond this, it is an entertaining title, with a quality standard worthy of the greatest intellectual property of all time.
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It is not the worst model I have seen. At least, we don't have ads in the non-premium version of the game and it doesn't impact the gameplay apart from collecting the cards quickly. However, $10 a month is way too high, especially in some developing countries like India. No way, we are spending this much on the extra benefits which are not too much.
Exactly! I was expecting something more akin to like... 4 dollars?
I'm not concerned about p2w but moreso with how the meta is unbalanced with EX cards like Pikachu EX
Fair enough, although in more focused on the card collecting aspect of the game