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Celebi ex and Aerodactyl ex Pokémon TCG Pocket cards with arrows between them and anime background.
Images via The Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

Pokémon TCG Pocket players still anxiously waiting for crucial feature

Ever since Pokémon TCG Pocket came out, fans have been anxiously awaiting the introduction of a trading mechanic to swap cards with.

Pokémon TCG Pocket was released on Oct. 30, 2024, and since then, it has developed a lively community dedicated to collecting cards and building competitive decks.

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While the mobile game is in a great position already, there’s one key feature that many fans are still anxiously awaiting news on—trading. Being able to trade cards is a huge part of the standard Pokémon Trading Card Game, but currently, it’s not something you can do as a Pocket player.

The mechanic will make its debut in the game at some point in the near future. The button to open the trading tab is already visible in the social hub section of the game, and according to a forum post from the Pocket operations team, limited trading should be available in January 2025.

The topic of trading cards popped up in a recent fan debate online, with players theorizing about what the trading mechanic might look like when it inevitably releases. While many viewers were excited about the prospect of swapping cards, others had their reservations.

The player behind the initial post warned readers that trading cards could require you to have multiple copies to spare, in the same way that flair requires several duplicates to be obtained.

They elaborated, “So if anyone wants to get a gold card via trade someone has to then have 3 of that gold card before they can trade it.” This kicked off a debate about the future of trading, with many players chiming in with their own theories and concerns.

One Pocket fan replied to the post, saying, “My expectation is already as low as it can be: only cards that you have 3+ copies, same rarity up to diamond 4, same set only but not the latest one. Anything worse than this and it’s not worth adding imo.”

Others seemed to share this sentiment, with one person suggesting that trading stamina could be a possible addition, using a similar currency to other stamina types currently in the game.

Another added, “I’m fully expecting Wonder Pick with extra steps,” going on to joke that the potential trading mechanic could require “Rolls for your rolls.”

While some players clearly felt concerned about what trading could look like for Pocket—and how it could impact the game as a whole—there were some who felt excited about the prospect of limited trading, exploring how it would make sense for the game and the community.

Trade button with 'coming soon' shown in Pokémon TCG Pocket with an arrow and pink background.
The trading mechanic already has a button in the Social Hub, but it is not currently available. Screenshot and remix by Dot Esports

One player described how there would be two main issues for the Pocket team to consider while introducing trading: trivializing completing sets with easy trading and trading between alt accounts to spam-collect high rarity cards.

According to this player, stamina, same-rarity trades, and duplicate trades could counter most of these potential issues and improve the system for the wider community.

They expanded on this, saying, “All seem pretty fair to me. I further expect trading will be streamlined like the Wonder Pick system, where you set aside cards into a ‘for trade’ bin and you select cards you want, and it presents you with 1-for-1 trade options with random people.”

Other theories emerged throughout the thread, with everything from Promo-A cards to other TCG apps being bought up by community members. One person even added that “Trading in your extras for pack points would be nice too.”

While all of this is purely speculation, and no official confirmation on the shape of trading in Pocket has been made at the time of writing, the community is clearly eager to get their hands on the mechanic and experiment with it for themselves.

As you wait for the next Pocket announcement, make sure to dig into how the competitive meta has changed since Mythical Island‘s release. Decks like Gyarados ex are pulling in incredible numbers in tournaments, but classic decks like Mewtwo ex are rising from the ashes.


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Author
Image of Em Stonham
Em Stonham
Em is a Freelance Gaming Writer at Dot Esports who specializes in Pokemon and World of Warcraft. With a love for RPGs and TCGs, Em has spent the last few years covering gaming news and reviews for sites like IGN, Nintendo Life, and Dexerto.